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

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.          )

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Preliminary Proxy Statement

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Definitive Proxy Statement

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Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

 

ESPERION THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

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

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LOGO

April 1, 2015

To Our Stockholders:

        You are cordially invited to attend the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. to be held on Thursday, May 14, 2015, at 8:00 a.m. local time, at Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.'s corporate headquarters located at 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. You may obtain directions to the location of the Annual Meeting by calling our offices at (734) 887-3903.

        The Notice of 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the Proxy Statement contain details of the business to be conducted at the Annual Meeting and information you should consider when you vote your shares.

        At the Annual Meeting, the agenda includes (1) the election of three directors, and (2) the approval of our Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, and (3) the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015. The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that you vote FOR the election of each director nominee, FOR the approval of the Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, and FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP.

        Whether or not you attend the Annual Meeting, it is important that your shares be represented and voted at the meeting. Therefore, I urge you to promptly vote by submitting your proxy via the Internet at the address listed on the proxy card or by signing, dating, and returning the enclosed proxy card in the enclosed envelope. If you decide to attend the Annual Meeting, you will be able to vote in person, even if you have previously submitted your proxy.

        On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to express our appreciation for your continued interest in the affairs of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. I look forward to greeting as many of our stockholders as possible at the Annual Meeting.

    Sincerely,

 

 


GRAPHIC

Tim M. Mayleben
President and Chief Executive Officer

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150
Ann Arbor, MI 48108


NOTICE OF 2015 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TIME:   8:00 a.m., local time, on Thursday, May 14, 2015

PLACE:

 

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108

PURPOSES:

 

To elect three Class II directors, Antonio M. Gotto Jr., M.D., D.Phil., Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. and Nicole Vitullo to hold office until the 2018 Annual Meeting of stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, subject to their earlier resignation or removal;

 

To approve the Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan;

 

To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015; and

 

To transact any other business that properly comes before the Annual Meeting (including adjournments and postponements thereof).


RECORD DATE:

 

Stockholders of record at the close of business on March 16, 2015 are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

VOTING BY PROXY:

 

If you cannot attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders, you may vote your shares via the Internet or by telephone by following the instructions on your proxy card and on www.proxyvote.com, or by signing, voting and returning the proxy card to Voting Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717. For specific instructions on how to vote your shares, please review the instructions for each of these voting options as detailed in your Notice and in this Proxy Statement. If you attend the Annual Meeting, you may vote in person even if you have previously voted via the Internet, by telephone or by returning your proxy card.

    By Order of the Board of Directors,

 

 


GRAPHIC

Richard B. Bartram
Corporate Secretary
Ann Arbor, Michigan
April 1, 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page

GENERAL INFORMATION

  1

PROPOSAL ONE: ELECTION OF CLASS II DIRECTORS

  5

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

  9

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

  10

PROPOSAL TWO: APPROVAL OF THE AMENDED AND RESTATED 2013 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

  16

PROPOSAL THREE: RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

  24

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

  27

EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

  31

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

  38

TRANSACTION OF OTHER BUSINESS

  39

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  39

APPENDIX A

  41

LOGO


PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD May 14, 2015

GENERAL INFORMATION

        Our Board of Directors (the "Board") solicits your proxy on our behalf for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") and at any postponement or adjournment of the Annual Meeting for the purposes set forth in this Proxy Statement and the accompanying Notice of 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Notice"). The Annual Meeting will be held at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on May 14, 2015 at our corporate headquarters located at 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. This Proxy Statement is first being sent to stockholders on or about April 1, 2015.

        In this Proxy Statement the terms "Esperion," "the company," "we," "us," and "our" refer to Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. The mailing address of our principal executive offices is Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.

Record Date

  March 16, 2015.

Quorum

 

A majority of the shares of all issued and outstanding stock entitled to vote on the record date must be present in person or represented by proxy to constitute a quorum.

Shares Outstanding

 

20,437,313 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 16, 2015.

Voting

 

There are four ways a stockholder of record can vote:

 

(1)

 

By Internet: You may vote over the Internet by following the instructions provided in the Notice or, if you receive your proxy materials by U.S. mail, by following the instructions on the proxy card.

 

(2)

 

By Telephone: If you receive your proxy materials by U.S. mail, you may vote by telephone by following the instructions on the proxy card.

 

(3)

 

By Mail: If you receive your proxy materials by U.S. mail, you may complete, sign and return the accompanying proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided.

 

(4)

 

In Person: If you are a stockholder as of the record date, you may vote in person at the meeting. Submitting a proxy will not prevent a stockholder from attending the Annual Meeting, revoking their earlier-submitted proxy, and voting in person.

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In order to be counted, proxies submitted by telephone or Internet must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 13, 2015. Proxies submitted by U.S. mail must be received before the start of the Annual Meeting.

 

If you hold your shares through a bank or broker, please follow their instructions.

Revoking Your Proxy

 

Stockholders of record may revoke their proxies by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person, by filing an instrument in writing revoking the proxy or by filing another duly executed proxy bearing a later date with our Secretary before the vote is counted or by voting again using the telephone or Internet before the cutoff time (your latest telephone or Internet proxy is the one that will be counted). If you hold shares through a bank or broker, you may revoke any prior voting instructions by contacting that firm.

Votes Required to Adopt Proposals

 

Each share of our common stock outstanding on the record date is entitled to one vote on any proposal presented at the Annual Meeting:

 

For Proposal One, the election of directors, the three nominees receiving the plurality of votes entitled to vote and cast will be elected as directors.

 

For Proposal Two, an affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, in person or represented by proxy, and voting on such matter is required for the approval of our Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan.

 

For Proposal Three, an affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, in person or represented by proxy, and voting on such matter is required to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015.

Effect of Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes

 

Abstentions with respect to any nominee and "broker nonvotes" (i.e.,  where a broker has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner and for which the broker does not have discretionary power to vote on a particular matter) are counted as present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum. Abstentions are not counted as votes cast and thus will have no effect on the approval of our Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan or on the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015.

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Under the rules that govern brokers holding shares for their customers, brokers who do not receive voting instructions from their customers have the discretion to vote uninstructed shares on routine matters, but do not have discretion to vote such uninstructed shares on non-routine matters. Only Proposal Three, the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP, is considered a routine matter where brokers are permitted to vote shares held by them without instruction. If your shares are held through a broker, those shares will not be voted in the election of directors or on the approval of our Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan unless you affirmatively provide the broker instructions on how to vote.

Voting Instructions

 

If you complete and submit your proxy voting instructions, the persons named as proxies will follow your instructions. If you submit proxy voting instructions but do not direct how your shares should be voted on each item, the persons named as proxies will vote for the election of the nominees for director, for the approval of the Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan and for the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015. The persons named as proxies will vote on any other matters properly presented at the Annual Meeting in accordance with their best judgment, although we have not received timely notice of any other matters that may be properly presented for voting at the Annual Meeting.

Voting Results

 

We will announce preliminary results at the Annual Meeting. We will report final results by filing a Form 8-K within four business days after the Annual Meeting. If final results are not available at that time, we will provide preliminary voting results in the Form 8-K and will provide the final results in an amendment to the Form 8-K as soon as they become available.

Additional Solicitation/Costs

 

We are paying for the distribution of the proxy materials and solicitation of the proxies. As part of this process, we reimburse brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their reasonable out- of-pocket expenses for forwarding proxy and solicitation materials to our stockholders. Proxy solicitation expenses that we will pay include those for preparation, mailing, returning and tabulating the proxies. Our directors, officers, and employees may also solicit proxies on our behalf in person, by telephone, email or facsimile, but they do not receive additional compensation for providing those services.

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Emerging Growth Company

 

We are an "emerging growth company" as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012 and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements. These reduced reporting requirements include reduced disclosure about the company's executive compensation arrangements and no non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.0 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

Householding

 

If you are a beneficial owner of our common stock and you receive your proxy materials through Computershare Trust Company, N.A. ("Computershare"), and there are multiple beneficial owners at the same address, you may receive fewer Notices or fewer paper copies of the Proxy Statement and the Annual Report on Form 10-K than the number of beneficial owners at that address. The rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") permit Computershare to deliver only one Notice, Proxy Statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K to multiple beneficial owners sharing an address, unless we receive contrary instructions from any beneficial owner at the same address.

 

If you receive your proxy materials through Computershare and (1) you currently receive only one copy of the proxy materials at a shared address but you wish to receive an additional copy of this Proxy Statement and the Annual Report, or any future proxy statement or annual report or (2) you share an address with other beneficial owners who also receive their separate proxy materials through Continental and you wish to request delivery of a single copy of the Annual Report on Form 10-K or the proxy statement to the shared address in the future, please contact Investor Relations at Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 or call (734) 887-3903.

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PROPOSAL ONE
ELECTION OF CLASS II DIRECTORS

Number of Directors; Board Structure

        Our Board is divided into three staggered classes of directors as nearly equal in number as possible. One class is elected each year at the Annual Meeting of stockholders for a term of three years. The term of the Class II directors expires at the Annual Meeting. The term of the Class III directors expires at the 2016 Annual Meeting and the term of the Class I directors expires at the 2017 Annual Meeting. After the initial terms expire, directors are expected to be elected to hold office for a three-year term or until the election and qualification of their successors in office.

Nominees

        Based on the recommendation of the nominating and corporate governance committee of our Board, our Board has nominated Antonio M. Gotto Jr., M.D., D.Phil., Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. and Nicole Vitullo for election as Class II directors to serve for three-year terms ending at the 2018 Annual Meeting or until their successors are elected and qualified. Each of the nominees is a current member of our Board and has consented to serve if elected.

        Unless you direct otherwise through your proxy voting instructions, the persons named as proxies will vote all proxies received "for" the election of each nominee. If any nominee is unable or unwilling to serve at the time of the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies may vote for a substitute nominee chosen by the present Board. In the alternative, the proxies may vote only for the remaining nominees, leaving a vacancy on the Board. The Board may fill such vacancy at a later date or reduce the size of the Board. We have no reason to believe that any of the nominees will be unwilling or unable to serve if elected as a director.

Recommendation of the Board

        THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING NOMINEES.

        The biographies of each of the nominees and continuing directors below contain information regarding each such person's service as a director, business experience, director positions held currently or at any time during the last five years and the experiences, qualifications, attributes or skills that caused the nominating and corporate governance committee to determine that the person should serve as a director of the company. In addition to the information presented below regarding each such person's specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that led the Board and its nominating and corporate governance committee to the conclusion that he or she should serve as a director, we also believe that each of our directors has a reputation for integrity, honesty and adherence to high ethical standards. Each of our directors has demonstrated business acumen and an ability to exercise sound judgment, as well as a commitment of service to our company and our Board. Finally, we value our directors' experience in relevant areas of business management and on other boards of directors and board committees.

        Our corporate governance guidelines also dictate that a majority of the Board be comprised of independent directors whom the Board has determined have no material relationship with the company and who are otherwise "independent" directors under the published listing requirements of the NASDAQ Stock Market.

Nominees for Election for a Three-Year Term Ending at the 2018 Annual Meeting

        Antonio M. Gotto Jr., M.D., D.Phil., 80, has served as a member of our Board since January 2014. Dr. Gotto currently serves as Dean Emeritus of the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of

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Cornell University and Provost for Medical Affairs Emeritus of Cornell University. From January 1997 to December 2011, Dr. Gotto served as the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. From January 2012 to December 2014, Dr. Gotto was the Co-Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College. Previously, Dr. Gotto served as J.S. Abercrombie Chair of Atherosclerosis and Lipoprotein Research and Chairman and Professor of the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and Methodist Hospital. Dr. Gotto currently serves as a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Gotto is also a past president of the International Atherosclerosis Society and a past president of the American Heart Association. Dr. Gotto holds a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University, a D.Phil. degree in Biochemistry from Oxford University in England, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and an M.D. degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Gotto is also a member of the board of directors of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AEGR). We believe that Dr. Gotto is qualified to serve as a member of our Board based on his broad industry experience and expertise in lipid disorders.

        Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D., 73, was appointed to our Board in June 2014. Dr. Omenn is Professor of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, Internal Medicine, Human Genetics and Public Health at the University of Michigan. He leads the global Human Proteome Project. He serves on the Council of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and the Community Preventive Services Task Force of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Previously, Dr. Omenn was Chief Executive Officer of the University of Michigan Health System and Executive Vice President of the University of Michigan for Medical Affairs; Professor of Medicine and of Environmental Health, and Dean of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, at the University of Washington; Associate Director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy and of the Office of Management and Budget; and a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator. He has served on the National Cancer Advisory Board, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Advisory Council, Scientific Management Review Board of the NIH, and the Director's Advisory Committee for the CDC. Dr. Omenn earned his Bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, his M.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School, and his Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Washington. Dr. Omenn serves on the boards of Etubics Corp., Galectin Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GALT) and Oncofusion Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, Dr. Omenn was a director of Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) and Rohm & Haas Company. We believe that Dr. Omenn is qualified to serve as a member of our Board based on his broad industry, academic, and healthcare experience.

        Nicole Vitullo, 57, has served as a member of our Board since April 2008. Ms. Vitullo joined Domain Associates, LLC, a venture capital firm with an exclusive focus on life sciences, in 1999 and became a Partner in 2004. From 1992 to 1999, Ms. Vitullo was Senior Vice President at Rothschild Asset Management, Inc. Ms. Vitullo is a director of a number of companies including Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CPXX), Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN), Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNS) and VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Ms. Vitullo received a B.A. and an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester. We believe Ms. Vitullo's experience working with and serving on the boards of directors of life sciences companies and her experience working in the venture capital industry qualifies her to serve as a member of our Board.

Directors Continuing in Office Until the 2016 Annual Meeting

        Patrick G. Enright, 53, became a member of our Board in April 2013. Mr. Enright is a founder of Longitude Capital Management Co., LLC, a venture capital firm focused on investments in biotechnology, and has served as its Managing Director since 2007. From 2002 through 2006, Mr. Enright was a Managing Director of Pequot Ventures where he co-led the life sciences investment

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practice. Prior to Pequot, he was a Managing Member responsible for the Delta Opportunity Fund, where he invested in privately-held and publicly-traded biotechnology companies. He was previously Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Development at Valentis, Inc. (now Urigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) and Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Development at Boehringer Mannheim Pharmaceuticals (now F. Hoffmann-La Roche. Ltd.). Mr. Enright is a director of a number of privately-held companies, as well as Corcept Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CORT) and Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: JAZZ). Previously, Mr. Enright served on the boards of Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: THLD), Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM), Valentis, Inc. (NASDAQ: VLTS), Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS), Horizon Pharma plc (NASDAQ: HZNP), and MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAPP). Mr. Enright received his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and his B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. We believe Mr. Enright's extensive knowledge of finance and experience in the biotechnology industry qualifies him to serve as a member of our Board.

        Dov A. Goldstein, M.D., 47, has served as a member of our Board since April 2008. Dr. Goldstein is a Partner at Aisling Capital, a private investment firm, and acting Chief Financial Officer of Loxo Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOXO). From July 2014 to July 2015, he was Chief Financial Officer of Loxo Oncology and an Operating Partner at Aisling Capital. He previously served as a Partner of Aisling Capital from 2008 to 2014, and from 2006 to 2008, he was a Principal at Aisling Capital. From 2000 to 2005, Dr. Goldstein was Chief Financial Officer of Vicuron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. before its acquisition by Pfizer Inc. From 1998 to 2000, Dr. Goldstein was Director of Venture Analysis at HealthCare Ventures, a privately held investment fund. Dr. Goldstein is a director of a number of companies including ADMA Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADMA) and Cempra Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEMP). He previously served as a member of the board of directors of Durata Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DRTX) from December 2009 until May 2013, and of Loxo Oncology (NASDAQ: LOXO) from July 2013 to October 2014. He holds a B.S. in biology from Stanford University, an M.D. from the Yale School of Medicine and an M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School. We believe Dr. Goldstein's experience with financial accounting matters for complex organizations, his prior oversight of the financial reporting process of public companies and his experience working with life sciences companies qualifies him to serve as a member of our Board.

        Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., FAHA, 64, has served as our Executive Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer since December 2012 and is a fellow of the American Heart Association. Dr. Newton was previously our President and Chief Executive Officer from our founding in 2008 to December 2012. Prior to joining our company, he was Senior Vice President, Pfizer Global R&D from 2004 to 2008. He was a Co-founder, President & CEO of the original Esperion from July 1998 until its acquisition by Pfizer in 2004. Prior to founding the original Esperion, Dr. Newton was Chairman of the Atherosclerosis Drug Discovery Team at Warner Lambert from 1981 to 1998. Dr. Newton is a director of a number of companies including DeNovo Biosciences, Inc., Juventas Therapeutics, Inc. and Rubicon Genomics, Inc. He is also a member of the Technology Advisory Boards of Arboretum Ventures and FirstSense Medical, LLC. Dr. Newton has a Ph.D. in nutrition from the University of California, Davis, a Master of Science degree in nutritional biochemistry from the University of Connecticut, and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Lafayette College. Dr. Newton's qualifications to serve as a member of our Board include his more than 30 years of industry experience in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products.

Directors Continuing in Office Until the 2017 Annual Meeting

        Daniel Janney, 49, has served as a member of our Board since November 2012. Mr. Janney is a managing director at Alta Partners, a life sciences venture capital firm, which he joined in 1996. Prior to joining Alta, from 1993 to 1996, he was a Vice President in Montgomery Securities' healthcare and biotechnology investment banking group, focusing on life sciences companies. Mr. Janney is a director

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of a number of companies including Alba Therapeutics Corporation, Prolacta Bioscience, Inc., ViroBay, Inc., Neothetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEOT) and Sutro Biopharma. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from the Anderson School at the University of California, Los Angeles. We believe Mr. Janney's experience working with and serving on the boards of directors of life sciences companies and his experience working in the venture capital industry qualifies him to serve as a member of our Board.

        Tim M. Mayleben, 54, has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since December 2012 and as a member of our Board since February 2010. Prior to joining Esperion, Mr. Mayleben was President, CEO and a director of Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTM). Previously, Mr. Mayleben was President, Chief Operating Officer and a director of NightHawk Radiology Holdings, Inc. Prior to joining Nighthawk, he was the COO of the original Esperion, until its acquisition by Pfizer in 2004. Mr. Mayleben is an advisor to, investor in, and member of the board of directors of several life science companies, including Kaléo Pharma, Lycera Corporation and Marinus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MRNS). Mr. Mayleben earned an M.B.A., with distinction, from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. We believe that Mr. Mayleben's experience working in the life sciences industry, including over a decade of experience as an executive officer of several life sciences companies, qualifies him to serve as a member of our Board.

        Mark E. McGovern, M.D., 62, became a member of our Board in February 2014. Dr. McGovern is a board-certified cardiologist with over 20 years of experience developing lipid regulating therapies, and since 2007, has served as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry in cardiovascular and lipid regulation. Dr. McGovern's experience includes 11 years at Bristol- Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), from 1986 to 1997, in various capacities, including Executive Director, Heart Failure and Atherosclerosis Clinical Research. Dr. McGovern subsequently spent 10 years, from 1997 to 2007, at Kos Pharmaceuticals, where he last served as executive vice president, medical affairs, and chief medical officer, prior to its acquisition by Abbott Laboratories. Dr. McGovern earned his Bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Princeton University and his medical degree from the University of Vermont. Dr. McGovern is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Physicians, and has published extensively on lipid management and its role in the treatment of coronary heart disease. We believe that Dr. McGovern is qualified to serve as a member of our Board based on his broad experience in the industry in which we operate and his expertise in lipid regulating therapies.

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

        The following table presents our current executive officers and their respective ages and positions as of April 1, 2015. Biographical information pertaining to Mr. Mayleben and Dr. Newton, who each serve as both a director and an executive officer, can be found in the section entitled "Proposal One, Election Of Class II Directors."

Name
  Age   Position

Tim M. Mayleben

    54   President and Chief Executive Officer

Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., FAHA

    64   Executive Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer

Narendra D. Lalwani, Ph.D., FAHA, DABT

    62   Executive Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Operating Officer

        Narendra D. Lalwani, Ph.D., FAHA, DABT, has served as our Executive Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Operating Officer since August 2014. Prior to joining Esperion Dr. Lalwani was Chief Scientific Officer at Cerenis Therapeutics from 2007 to 2014 where he led R&D activities for the company. Previously, Dr. Lalwani was Vice President of Drug Safety at the original Esperion until its acquisition by Pfizer. Prior to Esperion, Dr. Lalwani held various positions of increasing responsibility in the Department of Pathology and Experimental Toxicology at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis. Dr. Lalwani is a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) and a diplomat of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT). Dr. Lalwani earned a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Bombay (India) and an M.B.A from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board Independence

        Our Board has determined that all members of the Board, except Mr. Mayleben and Dr. Newton, are independent, as determined in accordance with the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. In making such independence determination, the Board considered the relationships that each such non-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances that the Board deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director. In considering the independence of the directors listed above, our Board considered the association of our directors with the holders of more than 5% of our common stock. The composition and functioning of our Board and each of our committees complies with all applicable requirements of the NASDAQ Stock Market and the rules and regulations of the SEC. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

        At least annually, the Board will evaluate all relationships between us and each director in light of relevant facts and circumstances for the purposes of determining whether a material relationship exists that might signal a potential conflict of interest or otherwise interfere with such director's ability to satisfy his or her responsibilities as an independent director. Based on this evaluation, the Board will make an annual determination of whether each director is independent within the meaning of NASDAQ's, the SEC's, and our applicable committees' independence standards.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

        We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including those officers responsible for financial reporting. The current version of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at http://investor.esperion.com/governance.cfm. A copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics may also be obtained, free of charge, upon a request directed to: Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Attention: Vice President, Finance. We intend to disclose any amendment or waiver of a provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or Vice President, Finance, or persons performing similar functions, by posting such information on our website (available at http://www.esperion.com) and/or in our public filings with the SEC.

Corporate Governance Guidelines

        The Board has adopted corporate governance guidelines to assist and guide its members in the exercise of its responsibilities. These guidelines should be interpreted in accordance with any requirements imposed by applicable federal or state law or regulation, NASDAQ and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. Our corporate governance guidelines are available in the corporate governance section of our website at http://investor.esperion.com/governance.cfm. Although these corporate governance guidelines have been approved by the Board, it is expected that these guidelines will evolve over time as customary practice and legal requirements change. In particular, guidelines that encompass legal, regulatory or exchange requirements as they currently exist will be deemed to be modified as and to the extent that such legal, regulatory or exchange requirements are modified. In addition, the guidelines may also be amended by the Board at any time as it deems appropriate.

Board and Committee Meetings

        The Board meets on a regularly scheduled basis during the year to review significant developments affecting us and to act on matters requiring their approval. It also holds special meetings when important matters require action between scheduled meetings. Members of senior management regularly attend meetings to report on and discuss their areas of responsibility. During 2014, the Board

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held 12 meetings and acted by unanimous written consent twice. The Board has three standing committees:

        Each of the incumbent directors of the Board attended at least 75% of the aggregate of all meetings of the Board and all meetings of committees of our Board upon which they served (during the periods that they served) during 2014. The Board of Directors regularly holds executive sessions of the independent directors. Executive sessions do not include employee directors or directors who do not qualify as independent under NASDAQ and SEC rules.

Annual Meeting Attendance

        It is our policy that members of our Board are encouraged to attend annual meetings of our stockholders.

Committees

        Our bylaws provide that the Board may delegate responsibility to committees. The Board has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee, and a nominating and corporate governance committee. In addition, in connection with our initial public offering we established a pricing committee which held one meeting and is no longer active. The Board has also adopted a written charter for each of the three standing committees. Each committee charter is available in the corporate governance section of our website at http://investor.esperion.com/governance.cfm.

Audit Committee

        Mr. Enright, Mr. Janney and Drs. Goldstein and Omenn currently serve on the audit committee, which is chaired by Mr. Enright. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the audit committee is "independent" for audit committee purposes as that term is defined in the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the NASDAQ Stock Market. Our board of directors has designated Mr. Enright as an "audit committee financial expert," as defined under the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The audit committee's responsibilities include:

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Compensation Committee

        Dr. Gotto, Mr. Janney and Ms. Vitullo currently serve on the compensation committee, which is chaired by Ms. Vitullo. Our Board has determined that each member of the compensation committee is "independent" as that term is defined in the applicable NASDAQ Stock Market rules, is an "outside director" for purposes of Section 162(m) and is "non-employee director" for purposes of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). The compensation committee's responsibilities include:

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

        Drs. Goldstein, Gotto and McGovern currently serve on the nominating and corporate governance committee, which is chaired by Dr. Goldstein. Our board of directors has determined that each member of the nominating and corporate governance committee is "independent" as that term is defined in the applicable NASDAQ Stock Market rules. The nominating and corporate governance committee's responsibilities include:

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        Our board of directors may establish other committees from time to time.

Identifying and Evaluating Director Nominees

        The Board is responsible for selecting its own members. The Board delegates the selection and nomination process to the nominating and corporate governance committee, with the expectation that other members of the Board, and of management, will be requested to take part in the process as appropriate.

        Generally, the nominating and corporate governance committee identifies candidates for director nominees in consultation with management, through the use of search firms or other advisors, through the recommendations submitted by stockholders or through such other methods as the nominating and corporate governance committee deems to be helpful to identify candidates. Once candidates have been identified, the nominating and corporate governance committee confirms that the candidates meet all of the minimum qualifications for director nominees established by the nominating and corporate governance committee. The nominating and corporate governance committee may gather information about the candidates through interviews, detailed questionnaires, comprehensive background checks or any other means that the nominating and corporate governance committee deems to be appropriate in the evaluation process. The nominating and corporate governance committee then meets as a group to discuss and evaluate the qualities and skills of each candidate, both on an individual basis and taking into account the overall composition and needs of the Board. Based on the results of the evaluation process, the nominating and corporate governance committee recommends candidates for the Board's approval as director nominees for election to the Board.

Minimum Qualifications

        The nominating and corporate governance committee will consider, among other things, the following qualifications, skills and attributes when recommending candidates for the Board's selection as nominees for the Board and as candidates for appointment to the Board's committees. The nominee shall have the highest personal and professional integrity, shall have demonstrated exceptional ability and judgment, and shall be most effective, in conjunction with the other nominees to the Board, in collectively serving the long-term interests of the stockholders.

        In evaluating proposed director candidates, the nominating and corporate governance committee may consider, in addition to the minimum qualifications and other criteria for Board membership approved by the Board from time to time, all facts and circumstances that it deems appropriate or advisable, including, among other things, the skills of the proposed director candidate, his or her depth and breadth of professional experience or other background characteristics, his or her independence and the needs of the Board.

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Stockholder Recommendations

        Stockholders may submit recommendations for director candidates to the nominating and corporate governance committee by sending the individual's name and qualifications to our Secretary at Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, who will forward all recommendations to the nominating and corporate governance committee. The nominating and corporate governance committee will evaluate any candidates recommended by stockholders against the same criteria and pursuant to the same policies and procedures applicable to the evaluation of candidates proposed by directors or management.

Stockholder Communications

        The Board provides to every securityholder the ability to communicate with the Board, as a whole, and with individual directors on the Board through an established process for securityholder communication. For a securityholder communication directed to the Board of Directors as a whole, securityholders may send such communication to the attention of the Chairman of the Board via U.S. Mail or Expedited Delivery Service to: Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Attn: Chairman of the Board.

        For a securityholder communication directed to an individual director in his or her capacity as a member of the Board, securityholders may send such communication to the attention of the individual director via U.S. Mail or Expedited Delivery Service to: Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Attn: [Name of Individual Director].

        We will forward by U.S. Mail any such securityholder communication to each director, and the Chairman of the Board in his or her capacity as a representative of the Board, to whom such securityholder communication is addressed to the address specified by each such director and the Chairman of the Board, unless there are safety or security concerns that mitigate against further transmission.

Board Leadership Structure

        The positions of our Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are presently separated at Esperion. Our board of directors 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 work of our board of directors. Our board of directors believes its administration of its risk oversight function has not affected its leadership structure. Although our amended and restated bylaws do not require our Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions to 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.

Board's Role in Risk Oversight

        Our board of directors oversees the management of risks inherent in the operation of our business and the implementation of our business strategies. Our board of directors performs this oversight role by using several different levels of review. In connection with its reviews of the operations and corporate functions of our company, our board of directors addresses the primary risks associated with those operations and corporate functions. In addition, our board of directors reviews the risks associated with our company's business strategies periodically throughout the year as part of its consideration of undertaking any such business strategies.

        Each of our board committees also oversees the management of our company's risk that falls within the committee's areas of responsibility. In performing this function, each committee has full

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access to management, as well as the ability to engage advisors. Our Vice President, Finance reports to the audit committee and is responsible for identifying, evaluating and implementing risk management controls and methodologies to address any identified risks. In connection with its risk management role, our audit committee meets privately with representatives from our independent registered public accounting firm and our Vice President, Finance. The audit committee oversees the operation of our risk management program, including the identification of the primary risks associated with our business and periodic updates to such risks, and reports to our board of directors regarding these activities. The compensation committee also plays a role in that it is charged, in overseeing our overall compensation structure, with assessing whether that compensation structure creates risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

Risks Related to Compensation Policies and Practices

        In establishing and reviewing our compensation philosophy and programs, our Board considers whether such programs encourage unnecessary or excessive risk taking. We believe that our executive compensation programs do not encourage excessive or unnecessary risk taking. This is primarily due to the fact that our compensation programs are designed to encourage our executive officers and other employees to remain focused on both short-term and long-term strategic goals. As a result, we do not believe that our compensation programs are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

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PROPOSAL TWO
APPROVAL OF THE ESPERION THERAPEUTICS, INC. AMENDED AND RESTATED
2013 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

        The Board believes that stock options and other stock-based incentive awards can play an important role in the success of our company by encouraging and enabling the employees, officers, non-employee directors and other key persons of Esperion and its subsidiaries upon whose judgment, initiative and efforts we largely depend for the successful conduct of our business to acquire a proprietary interest in our company. Our Board anticipates that providing these people with a direct stake in our company will assure a closer alignment of the interests of these individuals with those of Esperion and its stockholders, thereby stimulating their efforts on our behalf and strengthening their desire to remain with us.

        In March 2015, our Board adopted, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment and restatement of the Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (as amended and restated, the "2013 Plan") to, among other things, increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance thereunder. The 2013 Plan is designed to enhance the flexibility to grant equity awards to our officers, employees, non-employee directors and other key persons and to ensure that we can continue to grant equity awards to eligible recipients at levels determined to be appropriate by the Board and/or the compensation committee. A copy of the 2013 Plan is attached as Appendix A to this proxy statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

        As of March 16, 2015, there were stock options to acquire 2,129,731 shares of common stock outstanding under our equity compensation plans, with a weighted average exercise price of $18.65 and a weighted average remaining term of 7.91 years. In addition, as of March 16, 2015, there were 1,556,731 unvested full value awards with time-based vesting. Other than the foregoing, no awards under our equity compensation plans were outstanding as of March 16, 2015.

Recommendation of the Board

        THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" APPROVAL OF THE AMENDED AND RESTATED 2013 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN.

Summary of Material Features of the 2013 Plan

        The material features of the 2013 Plan are:

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        Based solely on the closing price of our common stock as reported by the NASDAQ Global Market on March 16, 2015, and the maximum number of shares that would have been available for awards as of such date, taking into account the proposed increase described herein, the maximum aggregate market value of the common stock that could potentially be issued under the 2013 Plan is $103.5 million. The shares we issue under the 2013 Plan will be authorized but unissued shares or shares of common stock that we reacquire.

Qualified Performance-Based Compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code

        To ensure that certain awards granted under the 2013 Plan to Covered Employees qualify as "performance-based compensation" under Section 162(m) of the Code, the 2013 Plan provides that the compensation committee may require that the vesting of such awards be conditioned on the satisfaction of performance criteria that may include any or all of the following: (1) total shareholder return, (2) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, (3) net income (loss) (either before or after interest, taxes, depreciation and/or amortization), (4) changes in the market price of the common stock, (5) economic value-added, (6) sales or revenue, (7) development, clinical or regulatory milestones, (8) acquisitions or strategic transactions, (9) operating income (loss), (10) cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow and free cash flow), (11) return on capital, assets, equity or investment, (12) return on sales, (13) gross or net profit levels, (14) productivity, (15) expense, (16) margins, (17) operating efficiency, (18) customer satisfaction, (19) working capital, (20) earnings (loss) per share of common stock, (21) sales or market shares and (22) number of customers, any of which may be measured either in absolute terms or as compared to any incremental increase or as compared to results of a peer group. The compensation committee will select the particular performance criteria within 90 days following the commencement of a performance cycle. Subject to adjustments for stock splits and similar events, the maximum award granted to any one individual that is intended to qualify as "performance-based compensation" under Section 162(m) of the Code will not exceed 1,100,000 shares of common stock for any performance cycle and options or stock appreciation rights with respect to no more than 1,100,000 shares of common stock may be granted to any one individual during any calendar year period. If a performance-based award is payable in cash, it cannot exceed $2,000,000 for any performance cycle.

Rationale for Share Increase

        The 2013 Plan is critical to our ongoing effort to build stockholder value. Equity incentive awards are an important component of our executive and non-executive employees' compensation. Our compensation committee and the Board believe that we must continue to offer a competitive equity compensation program in order to attract, retain and motivate the talented and qualified employees necessary for our continued growth and success.

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        If our request to increase the share reserve under the 2013 Plan by an additional 923,622 shares is approved by stockholders, we will have approximately 1,342,637 shares available for grant after the 2015 Annual Meeting, which is based on 419,015 shares available for grant under the 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan on March 16, 2015 and the 923,622 shares subject to this proposal. Our compensation committee determined the size of the requested share increase based on projected equity awards to anticipated new hires and projected annual equity awards to existing employees. We anticipate that if our request to increase the share reserve is approved by our stockholders, it will be sufficient to provide equity incentives to attract, retain, and motivate employees through our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders.

Summary of the 2013 Plan

        The following description of certain features of the 2013 Plan is intended to be a summary only. The summary is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2013 Plan, which is attached hereto as Appendix A.

        Plan Administration.    The 2013 Plan is administered by the compensation committee. The compensation committee has full power to select, from among the individuals eligible for awards, the individuals to whom awards will be granted, to make any combination of awards to participants, and to determine the specific terms and conditions of each award, subject to the provisions of the 2013 Plan. The compensation committee may delegate to our Chief Executive Officer the authority to grant awards to employees who are not subject to the reporting and other provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and not subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, subject to certain limitations and guidelines.

        Eligibility.    Persons eligible to participate in the 2013 Plan are those full or part-time officers, employees, non-employee directors and other key persons (including consultants) of the company and its subsidiaries as selected from time to time by the compensation committee in its discretion. Approximately 29 individuals are currently eligible to participate in the 2013 Plan, which includes three officers, 19 employees who are not officers, and seven non-employee directors.

        Plan Limits.    The maximum award of stock options or stock appreciation rights granted to any one individual will not exceed 1,100,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for stock splits and similar events) for any calendar year period. If any award of restricted stock, restricted stock units or performance shares granted to an individual is intended to qualify as "performance-based compensation" under Section 162(m) of the Code, then the maximum award shall not exceed 1,100,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for stock splits and similar events) to any one such individual in any performance cycle. If any cash-based award is intended to qualify as "performance-based compensation" under Section 162(m) of the Code, then the maximum award to be paid in cash in any performance cycle may not exceed $2,000,000. In addition, the maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued in the form of incentive stock options may not exceed the Initial Limit cumulatively increased on January 1, 2016 and on each January 1 thereafter by the lesser of the Annual Increase for such year or 700,000 shares.

        Stock Options.    The 2013 Plan permits the granting of (1) options to purchase common stock intended to qualify as incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code and (2) options that do not so qualify. Options granted under the 2013 Plan will be non-qualified options if they fail to qualify as incentive options or exceed the annual limit on incentive stock options. Incentive stock options may only be granted to employees of the company and its subsidiaries. Non-qualified options may be granted to any persons eligible to receive incentive options and to non-employee directors and key persons. The option exercise price of each option will be determined by the compensation committee but may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant. Fair market value for this purpose will be the last reported sale price of the shares of common stock on the

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NASDAQ Global Market on the date of grant. The exercise price of an option may not be reduced after the date of the option grant, other than to appropriately reflect changes in our capital structure.

        The term of each option will be fixed by the compensation committee and may not exceed ten years from the date of grant. The compensation committee will determine at what time or times each option may be exercised. Options may be made exercisable in installments and the exercisability of options may be accelerated by the compensation committee. In general, unless otherwise permitted by the compensation committee, no option granted under the 2013 Plan is transferable by the optionee other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and options may be exercised during the optionee's lifetime only by the optionee, or by the optionee's legal representative or guardian in the case of the optionee's incapacity.

        Upon exercise of options, the option exercise price must be paid in full either in cash, by certified or bank check or other instrument acceptable to the compensation committee or by delivery (or attestation to the ownership) of shares of common stock that are not then subject to any restrictions under any Company plan. Subject to applicable law, the exercise price may also be delivered to us by a broker pursuant to irrevocable instructions to the broker from the optionee. In addition, the compensation committee may permit non-qualified options to be exercised using a "net exercise" arrangement, pursuant to which we will reduce the number of shares issuable upon exercise by the largest whole number of shares with a fair market value that does not exceed the exercise price.

        To qualify as incentive options, options must meet additional federal tax requirements, including a $100,000 limit on the value of shares subject to incentive options that first become exercisable by a participant in any one calendar year.

        Stock Appreciation Rights.    The compensation committee may award stock appreciation rights subject to such conditions and restrictions as the compensation committee may determine. Stock appreciation rights entitle the recipient to shares of common stock equal to the value of the appreciation in the stock price over the exercise price. The exercise price may not be less than the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant. The maximum term of a stock appreciation right is ten years.

        Restricted Stock Awards.    The compensation committee may award shares of common stock to participants subject to such conditions and restrictions as the compensation committee may determine. These conditions and restrictions may include the achievement of certain performance goals (as summarized above) and/or continued employment with us through a specified restricted period.

        Restricted Stock Units.    The compensation committee may award restricted stock units to any participants. Restricted stock units are ultimately payable in the form of shares of common stock and may be subject to such conditions and restrictions as the compensation committee may determine, which may include the achievement of certain performance goals (as summarized above) and/or continued employment with the company through a specified vesting period. In the compensation committee's sole discretion, it may permit a participant to make an advance election to receive a portion of his or her future cash compensation otherwise due in the form of restricted stock units, subject to the participant's compliance with the procedures established by the compensation committee and requirements of Section 409A of the Code. During the deferral period, the restricted stock units may be credited with dividend equivalent rights.

        Unrestricted Stock Awards.    The compensation committee may also grant shares of common stock that are free from any restrictions under the 2013 Plan. Unrestricted stock may be granted to any participant in recognition of past services or other valid consideration and may be issued in lieu of cash compensation due to such participant.

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        Cash-Based Awards.    The compensation committee may grant cash bonuses under the 2013 Plan to participants. The cash bonuses may be subject to the achievement of certain performance goals (as summarized above).

        Performance Share Awards.    The compensation committee may grant performance share awards to any participant that entitle the recipient to receive shares of common stock upon the achievement of certain performance goals (as summarized above) and such other conditions as the compensation committee shall determine.

        Dividend Equivalent Rights.    The compensation committee may grant dividend equivalent rights to participants, which entitle the recipient to receive credits for dividends that would be paid if the recipient had held specified shares of common stock. Dividend equivalent rights may be granted as a component of another award (other than a stock option or stock appreciation right) or as a freestanding award. Dividend equivalent rights may be settled in cash, shares of common stock or a combination thereof, in a single installment or installments, as specified in the award.

        Sale Event Provisions.    The 2013 Plan provides that upon the effectiveness of a "sale event," as defined in the 2013 Plan, all stock options and stock appreciation rights will automatically become fully exercisable and the restrictions and conditions on all other awards with time-based conditions will become fully vested and nonforfeitable as of the effective time of the sale event. All awards with conditions and restrictions relating to the attainment of performance goals may become vested and nonforfeitable in the compensation committee's discretion or to the extent specified in the relevant award agreement. Upon the effectiveness of a sale event, the 2013 Plan and all awards thereunder will terminate, unless the parties to the sale agree that such awards will be assumed or continued by the successor entity. In the event of such termination, (i) we may make or provide for a cash payment to participants holding options and stock appreciation rights, in exchange for the cancellation thereof, equal to the difference between the per share cash consideration in the sale event and the exercise price of the options or stock appreciation rights or (ii) each participant shall be permitted, within a specified period of time prior to the consummation of the sale event, as determined by the compensation committee, to exercise all outstanding options and stock appreciation rights held by such participant.

        Adjustments for Stock Dividends, Stock Splits, Etc.    The 2013 Plan requires the compensation committee to make appropriate adjustments to the number of shares of common stock that are subject to the 2013 Plan, to certain limits in the 2013 Plan, and to any outstanding awards to reflect stock dividends, stock splits, extraordinary cash dividends and similar events.

        Tax Withholding.    Participants in the 2013 Plan are responsible for the payment of any federal, state or local taxes that we are required by law to withhold upon the exercise of options or stock appreciation rights or vesting of other awards. Subject to approval by the compensation committee, participants may elect to have the minimum tax withholding obligations satisfied by authorizing the company to withhold shares of common stock to be issued pursuant to exercise or vesting.

        Amendments and Termination.    The Board may at any time amend or discontinue the 2013 Plan and the compensation committee may at any time amend or cancel any outstanding award for the purpose of satisfying changes in the law or for any other lawful purpose. However, no such action may adversely affect any rights under any outstanding award without the holder's consent. To the extent required under NASDAQ rules, any amendments that materially change the terms of the 2013 Plan will be subject to approval by our stockholders. Amendments shall also be subject to approval by our stockholders if and to the extent determined by the compensation committee to be required by the Code to preserve the qualified status of incentive options or to ensure that compensation earned under the 2013 Plan qualifies as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code.

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        Effective Date of 2013 Plan.    The Board initially adopted the 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan on June 5, 2013 and it was subsequently approved by our stockholders and became effective on June 7, 2013. On March 13, 2015, the Board approved an amendment and restatement of the 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan. Awards of incentive options may be granted under the 2013 Plan until March 13, 2025. No other awards may be granted under the 2013 Plan after May 14, 2025.

Plan Benefits

        Because the grant of awards under the 2013 Plan is within the discretion of the compensation committee, we cannot determine the dollar value or number of shares of common stock that will in the future be received by or allocated to any participant in the 2013 Plan. Accordingly, in lieu of providing information regarding benefits that will be received under the 2013 Plan, the following table provides information concerning the benefits that were received by the following persons and groups during 2014: each named executive officer; all current executive officers, as a group; all current directors who are not executive officers, as a group; and all employees who are not executive officers, as a group.

 
  Options   Other Awards  
Name and Position
  Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price ($)
  Number (#)   Dollar
Value ($)
  Number (#)  

Tim M. Mayleben,

                 

President and Chief Executive Officer

                         

Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., FAHA,

                 

Executive Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer

                         

Narendra D. Lalwani, Ph.D., FAHA, DABT

    15.25     275,000          

Executive Vice President, Research and Development, and Chief Operating Officer

                         

All current executive officers, as a group

    15.25     275,000          

All current directors who are not executive officers, as a group

    15.04     90,000          

All current employees who are not executive officers, as a group

    14.77     171,500          

Tax Aspects under the Code

        The following is a summary of the principal federal income tax consequences of certain transactions under the 2013 Plan. It does not describe all federal tax consequences under the 2013 Plan, nor does it describe state or local tax consequences.

        Incentive Options.    No taxable income is generally realized by the optionee upon the grant or exercise of an incentive option. If shares of common stock issued to an optionee pursuant to the exercise of an incentive option are sold or transferred after two years from the date of grant and after one year from the date of exercise, then (i) upon sale of such shares, any amount realized in excess of the option price (the amount paid for the shares) will be taxed to the optionee as a long-term capital gain, and any loss sustained will be a long-term capital loss, and (ii) the company will not be entitled to any deduction for federal income tax purposes. The exercise of an incentive option will give rise to an item of tax preference that may result in alternative minimum tax liability for the optionee.

        If shares of common stock acquired upon the exercise of an incentive option are disposed of prior to the expiration of the two-year and one-year holding periods described above (a "disqualifying disposition"), generally (i) the optionee will realize ordinary income in the year of disposition in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the fair market value of the shares of common stock at exercise (or, if less, the amount realized on a sale of such shares of common stock) over the option price

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thereof and (ii) the company will be entitled to deduct such amount. Special rules apply where all or a portion of the exercise price of the incentive option is paid by tendering shares of common stock.

        If an incentive option is exercised at a time when it no longer qualifies for the tax treatment described above, the option is treated as a non-qualified option. Generally, an incentive option will not be eligible for the tax treatment described above if it is exercised more than three months following termination of employment (or one year in the case of termination of employment by reason of disability). In the case of termination of employment by reason of death, the three-month rule does not apply.

        Non-Qualified Options.    No income is realized by the optionee at the time the option is granted. Generally (i) at exercise, ordinary income is realized by the optionee in an amount equal to the difference between the option price and the fair market value of the shares of common stock on the date of exercise, and the company receives a tax deduction for the same amount and (ii) at disposition, appreciation or depreciation after the date of exercise is treated as either short-term or long-term capital gain or loss depending on how long the shares of common stock have been held. Special rules apply where all or a portion of the exercise price of the non-qualified option is paid by tendering shares of common stock. Upon exercise, the optionee will also be subject to Social Security taxes on the excess of the fair market value over the exercise price of the option.

        Other Awards.    The Company generally will be entitled to a tax deduction in connection with an award under the 2013 Plan in an amount equal to the ordinary income realized by the participant at the time the participant recognizes such income. Participants typically are subject to income tax and recognize such tax at the time that an award is exercised, vests or becomes non-forfeitable, unless the award provides for a further deferral.

        Parachute Payments.    The vesting of any portion of an option or other award that is accelerated due to the occurrence of a change in control (such as a sale event) may cause a portion of the payments with respect to such accelerated awards to be treated as "parachute payments," as defined in the Code. Any such parachute payments may be non-deductible to the company, in whole or in part, and may subject the recipient to a non-deductible 20% federal excise tax on all or a portion of such payment (in addition to other taxes ordinarily payable).

        Limitation on Deductions.    Under Section 162(m) of the Code, the company's deduction for certain awards under the 2013 Plan may be limited to the extent that the chief executive officer or other executive officer whose compensation is required to be reported in the summary compensation table (other than the principal financial officer) receives compensation in excess of $1 million a year (other than performance-based compensation that otherwise meets the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code). The 2013 Plan is structured to allow certain awards to qualify as performance-based compensation.

22


Equity Compensation Plans

        The following table sets forth information as of December 31, 2014 regarding shares of common stock that may be issued under our equity compensation plans, consisting of the 2008 Plan and the 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan.

Plan Category
  Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of outstanding
options (#)
  Weighted-average
exercise price
of outstanding
options ($)
  Number of securities
remaining available
for future issuance
under equity
compensation plans
(excluding securities
reflected in first
column)
 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

    1,729,586 (1)   11.44     878,152 (2)

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

             

Total

    1,729,586     11.44     878,152  

(1)
Does not include 9,551 shares of restricted stock as they have been reflected in our total shares outstanding.

(2)
As of March 16, 2015, there were 1,342,637 shares available for grant under the 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, taking into account the proposed increase in shares available for issuance under the Plan.

23



PROPOSAL THREE
RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF
OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

        We have appointed Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm to perform the audit of our financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015, and we are asking you and other stockholders to ratify this appointment. Ernst & Young LLP has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since 2008.

        The audit committee annually reviews the independent registered public accounting firm's independence, including reviewing all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and us and any disclosed relationships or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the independent registered public accounting firm, and the independent registered public accounting firm's performance. As a matter of good corporate governance, the Board determined to submit to stockholders for ratification the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP. A majority of the votes properly cast is required in order to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP. In the event that a majority of the votes properly cast do not ratify this appointment of Ernst & Young LLP, we will review our future appointment of Ernst & Young LLP.

        We expect that a representative of Ernst & Young LLP will attend the Annual Meeting and the representative will have an opportunity to make a statement if he or she so chooses. The representative will also be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

        We have adopted a policy on under which the audit committee must pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval would generally be requested annually, with any pre-approval detailed as to the particular service, which must be classified in one of the four categories of services listed below. The audit committee may also, on a case-by-case basis, pre-approve particular services that are not contained in the annual pre-approval request. In connection with this pre-approval policy, the audit committee also considers whether the categories of pre-approved services are consistent with the rules on accountant independence of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

        In addition, in the event time constraints require pre-approval prior to the audit committee's next scheduled meeting, the audit committee has authorized its Chairperson to pre-approve services. Engagements so pre-approved are to be reported to the audit committee at its next scheduled meeting.

Audit Fees

        The following table sets forth the fees billed by Ernst & Young LLP for audit, audit-related, tax and all other services rendered for 2014 and 2013:

Fee Category
  2014   2013  

Audit Fees

  $ 308,710   $ 828,624  

Audit-Related Fees

         

Tax Fees

    9,400     9,900  

All Other Fees

         

Total

  $ 318,110   $ 838,524  

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        Audit Fees.    Consist of aggregate fees for professional services provided in connection with the annual audit of our financial statements, the review of our quarterly condensed financial statements, consultations on accounting matters directly related to the audit, and comfort letters, consents and assistance with and review of documents filed with the SEC. Audit fees for 2013 also included fees associated with our initial public offering.

        Audit-Related Fees.    Consist of aggregate fees for accounting consultations and other services that were reasonably related to the performance of audits or reviews of our financial statements and were not reported above under "Audit Fees".

        Tax Fees.    Consist of aggregate fees for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning services including the review and preparation of our federal and state income tax returns.

        All Other Fees.    Consist of aggregate fees billed for products and services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm other than those disclosed above. These fees consisted of an amount paid for the use of an online accounting research tool.

        The audit committee pre-approved all services performed since the pre-approval policy was adopted.

Recommendation of the Board

        THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2015.

25


Report of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors

        The information contained in this audit committee report shall not be deemed to be (1) "soliciting material," (2) "filed" with the SEC, (3) subject to Regulations 14A or 14C of the Exchange Act, or (4) subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act. No portion of this audit committee report shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the Exchange Act, through any general statement incorporating by reference in its entirety the proxy statement in which this report appears, except to the extent that Esperion specifically incorporates this report or a portion of it by reference. In addition, this report shall not be deemed filed under either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

        This report is submitted by the audit committee of the Board. The audit committee consists of the four directors whose names appear below. None of the members of the audit committee is an officer or employee of Esperion, and the Board has determined that each member of the audit committee is "independent" for audit committee purposes as that term is defined under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act, and the applicable NASDAQ Stock Market rules. Each member of the audit committee meets the requirements for financial literacy under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and NASDAQ Stock Market. The Board has designated Mr. Enright as an "audit committee financial expert," as defined under the applicable rules of the SEC. The audit committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board.

        The audit committee's general role is to assist the Board in monitoring our financial reporting process and related matters. Its specific responsibilities are set forth in its charter.

        The audit committee has reviewed the company's financial statements for 2014 and met with management, as well as with representatives of Ernst & Young LLP, the company's independent registered public accounting firm, to discuss the financial statements. The audit committee also discussed with members of Ernst & Young LLP the matters required to be discussed by the Auditing Standard No. 61, as amended (AICPA Performance Standards Vol. 1. AU Section 380), as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T.

        In addition, the audit committee received the written disclosures and the letter from Ernst & Young LLP required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent accountant's communications with the audit committee concerning independence, and discussed with members of Ernst & Young LLP its independence.

        Based on these discussions, the financial statement review and other matters it deemed relevant, the audit committee recommended to the Board that the company's audited financial statements for 2014 be included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2014.

        Audit Committee

Patrick Enright (Chairperson)
Dov A. Goldstein, M.D.
Daniel Janney
Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D.

26



SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF
CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

        The following table sets forth certain information known to us regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of March 1, 2015, for:

        Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Except as noted by footnote, and subject to community property laws where applicable, we believe, based on the information provided to us, that the persons and entities named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock shown as beneficially owned by them.

        The table lists applicable percentage ownership based on 20,425,860 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 1, 2015. Options to purchase shares of common stock and warrants that are exercisable for common stock, in each case, that are exercisable within 60 days of March 1, 2015 are deemed to be beneficially owned by the persons holding these options or warrants for the purpose of computing percentage ownership of that person, but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing any other person's ownership percentage.

 
  Shares beneficially
owned
 
Name and address of beneficial owner(1)
  Number   Percent  

5% Stockholders

             

Alta Partners VIII, L.P.(2)

    1,781,204     8.7 %

Aisling Capital II, L.P.(3)

    2,125,831     10.4 %

Entities affiliated with Domain Partners VII, L.P.(4)

    2,694,894     13.1 %

Entities affiliated with Longitude Capital Partners, LLC(5)

    1,434,396     7.0 %

Pentwater Capital Management LP(6)

    1,470,000     7.2 %

Entities affiliated with FMR LLC(7)

    1,401,274     6.9 %

Named Executive Officers

             

Tim M. Mayleben(8)

    403,397     1.9 %

Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., FAHA(9)

    787,350     3.8 %

Narendra D. Lalwani, Ph.D., FAHA, DABT(10)

    18,750     *  

Other Directors

             

Patrick G. Enright(11)

    1,448,710     7.1 %

Dov A. Goldstein, M.D.(12)

    2,147,302     10.5 %

Antonio M. Gotto, Jr. M.D., D.Phil.(13)

    8,333     *  

Daniel Janney(14)

    1,802,675     8.8 %

Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D.(15)

    10,555     *  

Mark E. McGovern, M.D.(16)

    7,777     *  

Nicole Vitullo(17)

    2,694,894     13.1 %

All directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons)

    9,329,743     43.8 %

*
Represents beneficial ownership of less than one percent.

(1)
Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each beneficial owner is c/o Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.

27


(2)
The address for Alta Partners VIII, L.P. is One Embarcadero Center, 37th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111. Consists of (a) 21,709,967 shares of common stock and (b) 71,237 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants. These shares are held of record by Alta Partners VIII, L.P. Alta Partners Management VIII, LLC is the general partner of Alta Partners VIII, L.P. Guy Nohra, Daniel Janney and Farah Champsi are managing directors of Alta Partners Management VIII, LLC and exercise shared voting and investment powers with respect to the shares owned by Alta Partners VIII, L.P. Each of the reporting persons disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares, except to the extent of their proportionate pecuniary interest therein, if any. Mr. Janney is a member of our board of directors.

(3)
The address for Aisling Capital II, L.P. is 888 7th Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10106. Consists of (a) 2,054,594 shares of common stock and (b) 71,237 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants. These shares are directly held by Aisling Capital II, LP, or Aisling, and are deemed to be beneficially owned by Aisling Capital Partners, LP, or Aisling GP, as general partner of Aisling, Aisling Capital Partners, LLC, or Aisling Partners, as general partner of Aisling GP, and each of the individual managing members of Aisling Partners. In addition, Dov A. Goldstein, M.D. and five other persons on the investment committee of Aisling share the power to vote or dispose of these shares and therefore each member may be deemed to have voting and investment power with respect to such shares. Each of the members disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein, if any. Dr. Goldstein is a member of our board of directors.

(4)
The address for Domain Partners VII, L.P. is One Palmer Square, Suite 515, Princeton, New Jersey 08542. Consists of (a) 21,471 shares of restricted stock issued under the 2008 Plan upon exercise of an early exercise stock option originally issued to Nicole Vitullo and subsequently transferred to Domain Associates, L.L.C., of which, 7,167 shares remain subject to vesting within 60 days of March 1, 2015, (b) 2,566,935 shares of common stock held by Domain Partners VII, L.P., (c) 35,253 shares of common stock held by DP VII Associates, L.P., (d) 70,042 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants held by Domain Partners VII, L.P. and (e) 1,193 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants held by DP VII Associates, L.P. James C. Blair, Brian H. Dovey, Jesse I. Treu, Kathleen K. Schoemaker, Brian K. Halak and Nicole Vitullo are the managing members of One Palmer Square Associates VII, L.L.C., the general partner of Domain Partners VII, L.P. and DP VII Associates, L.P., and are managing members of Domain Associates, L.L.C., and share the power to vote or dispose of these shares and therefore each of the foregoing managing members may be deemed to have voting and investment power with respect to such shares. Each of the foregoing managing members disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein, if any. Ms. Vitullo is a member of our board of directors.

(5)
The address for Longitude Capital Partners, LLC ("Longitude Capital") is 800 El Camino Real, Suite 220, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Consists of (a) 1,406,210 shares of common stock held by Longitude Venture Partners, L.P. ("LVP") and (b) 28,186 shares of common stock held by Longitude Capital Associates, L.P. ("LCA"). Longitude Capital, as general partner of each of LVP and LCA, has the power to vote and dispose of securities held by each of them and may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the shares owned by LVP and LCA. Patrick G. Enright ("Enright") and Juliet Tammenoms Bakker ("Bakker") are each managing members of Longitude Capital, and share the decision making power of Longitude Capital and may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of such shares owned by LVP and LCA. Each of Longitude Capital, Enright and Bakker disclaims beneficial ownership of all shares, except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein. Mr. Enright is a member of our board of directors.

(6)
Based upon information set forth on Schedule 13G filed by Pentwater Capital Management LP with the SEC on or about February 13, 2015.

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(7)
Based upon information set forth on Schedule 13G filed by FMR LLC with the SEC on or about February 13, 2015. Consists of securities beneficially owned, or that may be deemed to be beneficially owned, by FMR LLC, certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, and other companies. Members of the family of Edward C. Johnson 3d, 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 Edward C. Johnson 3d 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, 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.

(8)
Consists of (a) 23,814 shares of common stock held and (b) 379,583 shares of common stock which Mr. Mayleben has the right to acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options, exercisable currently or within 60 days of March 1, 2015.

(9)
Consists of (a) 629,683 shares of common stock, (b) 34,651 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants and (c) 123,016 shares of common stock which Dr. Newton has the right to acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options, exercisable currently or within 60 days of March 1, 2015.

(10)
Consists of 18,750 shares of common stock that Dr. Lalwani has the right to acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options, exercisable currently or within 60 days of March 1, 2015.

(11)
Mr. Enright is a managing member of Longitude Capital which holds an aggregate of 1,434,396 shares of our common stock as disclosed in footnote 5 to this table. Mr. Enright disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by the Longitude Capital entities, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. Includes 14,314 shares of common stock which Mr. Enright has the right to acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options, exercisable currently or within 60 days of March 1, 2015.

(12)
Dr. Goldstein is on the investment committee of Aisling, which holds an aggregate of 2,125,831 shares of our common stock as disclosed in footnote 3 to this table, including common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants exercisable within 60 days of March 1, 2015. Dr. Goldstein disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by Aisling, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. Includes 21,471 shares of common stock which Dr. Goldstein has the right to acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options, exercisable currently or within 60 days of March 1, 2015.

(13)
Consists of 8,333 shares of common stock which Dr. Gotto has the right to acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options, exercisable currently or within 60 days of March 1, 2015.

(14)
Mr. Janney is a managing director of Alta Partners Management VIII, LLC, which is the general partner of Alta Partners VIII, L.P., which holds an aggregate of 1,781,204 shares of our common stock as disclosed in footnote 2 to this table, including common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants exercisable within 60 days of March 1, 2015. Mr. Janney has a passive economic interest in the general partner of Alta Partners VIII, L.P. Mr. Janney disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by Alta Partners VIII, L.P., except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

29


(15)
Consists of (a) 5,000 shares of common stock held and (b) 5,555 shares of common stock which Dr. Omenn has the right to acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options, exercisable currently or within 60 days of March 1, 2015.

(16)
Consists of 7,777 shares of common stock which Dr. McGovern has the right to acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options, exercisable currently or within 60 days of March 1, 2015.

(17)
Ms. Vitullo is a managing member of One Palmer Square Associates VII, L.L.C., the general partner of Domain Partners VII, L.P. and DP VII Associates, L.P., and is a managing member of Domain Associates, L.L.C., which hold an aggregate of 2,694,894 shares of our common stock as disclosed in footnote 4 to this table, including common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants exercisable within 60 days of March 1, 2015. Ms. Vitullo disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by Domain Partners VII, L.P., DP VII Associates, L.P. and Domain Associates, L.L.C., except to the extent of her pecuniary interest therein.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

        Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of our common stock, to file with the SEC initial reports of beneficial ownership and reports of changes in beneficial ownership. Officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders are required by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all such reports.

        Based solely on a review of reports furnished to us, all directors, executive officers, and 10% owners timely filed all reports regarding transactions in Esperion's securities required to be filed for 2014 by Section 16(a) under the Exchange Act.

30



EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Executive Compensation Overview

        Our primary objective with respect to executive compensation is to attract and retain individuals who possess knowledge, experience and skills that we believe are important to our business of developing and commercializing novel therapeutics for patients with elevated levels of LDL-cholesterol.

        Specifically, our compensation programs are designed to:

        Our compensation committee is primarily responsible for developing and implementing our compensation policies and establishing and approving the compensation for all of our executive officers. The compensation committee oversees our compensation and benefit plans and policies, administers our equity incentive plans and reviews and approves annually all compensation decisions relating to all of our executive officers, including our Chief Executive Officer. The compensation committee considers recommendations from our Chief Executive Officer regarding the compensation of our executive officers other than himself. Our compensation committee has the authority under its charter to engage the services of a consulting firm or other outside advisor to assist it in designing our compensation programs and in making compensation decisions and, in October 2014 engaged Radford as its independent compensation consultant.

Executive Compensation Components

        Our executive compensation consists of base salary, cash incentive bonuses, equity incentive compensation and broad-based benefits programs. Each of the elements of executive compensation is discussed in more detail below. We have not adopted any formal guidelines for allocating total compensation between long-term and short-term compensation, cash compensation and non-cash compensation, or among different forms of non-cash compensation. The compensation committee considers a number of factors in setting compensation for its executive officers, including company performance, as well as the executive's performance, experience, responsibilities and the compensation of executive officers in similar positions at comparable companies.

        Section 162(m) of the Code places a limit of $1 million on the amount of compensation that public companies may deduct in any one year with respect to certain of its named executive officers. Certain performance-based compensation approved by stockholders is not subject to this deduction limit. In addition, as a newly public company, some of our compensation arrangements are not subject to the deduction limit during a transition period. Our compensation committee's strategy in this regard is to be cost and tax efficient. Therefore, whenever possible, the compensation committee intends to structure compensation programs to qualify compensation as performance-based under Section 162(m) of the Code, while maintaining the flexibility to approve arrangements that it deems to be in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders, even if such arrangements are subject to the deduction limitations imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code.

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Annual Cash Compensation

Base Salary

        Base salary represents the fixed portion of an executive officer's compensation and is intended to provide compensation for day-to-day performance. The compensation committee believes that a competitive base salary is a necessary element of any compensation program that is designed to attract and retain talented and experienced executives. Base salaries for our named executive officers are intended to be competitive with those received by other individuals in similar positions at the companies with which we compete for talent. Base salaries are originally established at the time the executive is hired based on individual experience, skills and expected contributions, our compensation committee's understanding of what executives in similar positions at other peer companies were being paid at such time and are also the result of negotiations with certain executives during the hiring process. The base salaries of our named executive officers are reviewed annually and may be adjusted to reflect market conditions and our executives' performance during the prior year as well as the financial position of the company, or if there is a change in the scope of the officer's responsibilities. We believe that a competitive base salary is a necessary element of any compensation program that is designed to attract and retain talented and experienced executives. We also believe that attractive base salaries can motivate and reward executives for their overall performance.

        As of December 31, 2014, the base salaries for our named executive officers were as follows:

Named Executive Officer
  Base Salary  

Tim M. Mayleben

  $ 450,000  

Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., FAHA

  $ 375,000  

Narendra D. Lalwani, Ph.D., FAHA, DABT

  $ 360,000  

Cash Incentive Bonuses

        Our compensation committee has the authority to award annual cash bonuses to our executive officers. In December 2014 the compensation committee approved cash bonuses for 2014 performance to Mr. Mayleben, Dr. Newton and Dr. Lalwani in the amount of $300,000, $50,000 and $70,000, respectively. These bonuses were awarded in recognition of Mr. Mayleben's, Dr. Newton's and Dr. Lalwani's performance in achieving certain clinical and operational milestones as well as the successful completion of our follow-on offering.

Equity Incentive Compensation

        Equity incentive grants to our named executive officers are made at the discretion of the compensation committee under the terms of the 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan. The compensation committee believes that equity incentives subject to vesting over time or upon achievement of performance objectives, can be an effective vehicle for the long-term element of compensation, as these awards align individual and team performance with the achievement of our strategic and financial goals over time, and with stockholders' interests. In 2014, the compensation committee made the stock option grants to Dr. Lalwani, which are described below. Stock options, which have exercise prices equal to at least fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant, reward executive officers only if the stock price increases from the date of grant.

        In May 2014, in consideration of consulting services provided by Dr. Lalwani to us, the compensation committee granted Dr. Lalwani an option to purchase 25,000 shares of our common stock. In August 2014, the compensation committee granted Dr. Lalwani an additional option to purchase 250,000 shares of our common stock. Each of these stock options is subject to time-based vesting. For additional information regarding stock option grants made to our named executive officers,

32


including the vesting terms of such options, see the "Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End—2014" table below.

Employee Benefits

        In addition to the primary elements of compensation described above, the named executive officers also participate in broad-based employee benefits programs available to all of our employees, including health insurance, life and disability insurance, dental insurance and our 401(k) plan.

Summary Compensation Table—2014

        The following tables provide information regarding the compensation awarded to or earned during our fiscal years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 by our named executive officers. Our named executive officers in 2014 were Tim M. Mayleben, Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., FAHA and Narendra D. Lalwani, Ph.D., FAHA, DABT.

Name and principal position
  Year   Salary
($)
  Bonus
($)
  Option
awards
($)(1)
  Non-equity
incentive plan
compensation
($)(2)
  All other
compensation
($)
  Total
($)
 

Tim M. Mayleben,

    2014     450,000             300,000         750,000  

President and Chief Executive Officer

    2013     400,000         2,890,165     160,000         3,450,165  

Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., FAHA,

   
2014
   
375,000
   
   
   
50,000
   
   
425,000
 

Executive Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer

    2013     375,000         1,304,635     150,000         1,829,635  

Narendra D. Lalwani, Ph.D., FAHA, DABT

   
2014
   
150,000

(3)
 
   
2,842,054
   
70,000
   
146,750

(4)
 
3,062,054
 

Executive Vice President, Research and

                                           

Development and Chief Operating Officer

                                           

(1)
Amounts represent the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards granted to our named executive officers computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 11 of the notes to our financial statements in our annual report on Form 10-K filed on March 10, 2015 for a discussion of our assumptions in determining the grant date fair values of equity awards. These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that may be recognized by the named executive officers.

(2)
The amounts in the "Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation" column represent awards to our named executive officers under our annual incentive program for their performance in achieving certain clinical and operational milestones as well as the successful follow-on offering of common stock. Annual incentive compensation for 2014 was paid in 2014.

(3)
Dr. Lalwani joined the company as our Executive Vice President, Research and Development, and Chief Operating Officer effective August 1, 2014. The amount reflected in the Salary column for 2014 is based upon an annualized base salary of $360,000.

(4)
Amount represents consulting fees earned by Dr. Lalwani for consulting services performed in 2014 prior to joining the Company on August 1, 2014.

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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End—2014

        The following table shows information regarding outstanding equity awards at December 31, 2014 for our named executive officers.

Name
  Grant date   Number of
securities
underlying
unexercised
options (#)
exercisable
  Number of
securities
underlying
unexercised
options (#)
unexercisable
  Option
exercise
price ($)
  Option
expiration
date
 

Tim M. Mayleben

    6/1/2008 (3)   1,939         1.05     6/1/2018  

    4/2/2010 (2)   2,610         1.26     4/2/2020  

    1/16/2013 (1)   273,659         2.10     1/16/2023  

    7/23/2013 (2)   59,375     130,625     17.11     7/23/2023  

    12/20/2013 (2)   10,000     30,000     12.92     12/20/2023  

Roger S. Newton, Ph.D., FAHA

   
1/16/2013

(1)
 
76,141
   
   
2.10
   
1/16/2023
 

    7/23/2013 (2)   28,125     61,875     17.11     7/23/2023  

    12/20/2013 (2)   5,000     15,000     12.92     12/20/2023  

Narendra D. Lalwani, Ph.D., FAHA, DABT

   
5/15/2014

(4)
 
12,500
   
12,500
   
14.42
   
5/15/2024
 

    8/7/2014 (5)       250,000     15.33     8/7/2024  

(1)
The options vest over a four-year period with 25% vesting on December 10, 2013, and the remainder in equal monthly installments on each monthly anniversary of such date thereafter, subject to continued employment through each such date, and are subject to an early exercise provision pursuant to which all shares underlying the option are immediately exercisable subject to a repurchase right in favor of the Company, which lapses as the options vest.

(2)
The options vest over a four-year period following the grant date in equal quarterly installments, subject to continued employment through each such date.

(3)
At the grant date, the option vested over a four-year period following the grant date in equal monthly installments. Pursuant to an amendment to the option agreement, dated April 2, 2010, the remaining unvested shares underlying the option vest over a four-year period following the grant date in equal quarterly installments, subject to continued service as a member of the Board through each such date.

(4)
The option vests over a one-year period following the grant date in equal quarterly installments.

(5)
The option vests over a four-year period with 25% of the shares underlying the option vesting on the one-year anniversary of August 1, 2015, and 1/16th vesting in equal installments on each quarterly anniversary of such date thereafter, subject to continued employment through each such date

Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers

Employment Agreements

        We entered into an employment agreement with each of the named executive officers in connection with his employment with us. These employment agreements provide for "at will" employment. Pursuant to their employment agreements, Mr. Mayleben, Dr. Newton and Dr. Lalwani are eligible to receive certain payments and benefits in the event his employment is terminated by us without "cause" (as defined in the employment agreements) or in the event he terminates his employment with "good reason" (as defined in their employment agreements).

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        Under their respective employment agreements, each of Mr. Mayleben and Dr. Newton is eligible to receive one year of base salary continuation in the event of a termination of employment by the company without cause or by the named executive officer for good reason, provided that he resigns from the Board and timely executes and allows to become effective a release agreement. Under the terms of his employment agreement, Dr. Lalwani is eligible to receive the following payments and benefits in the event of a termination of his employment by the company without cause or by the him for good reason, provided he enters into, does not revoke and complies with the terms of a separation agreement in a form acceptable to us, including a release of claims in favor of the company, resigns from any and all positions held with the company and returns all company property and complies with all instructions relating to deleting and purging duplicates of such company property: (i) base salary continuation for nine months following termination, and (ii) continuation of group health plan benefits to the extent authorized and consistent with COBRA, with the cost of the regular premium shared in the same relative proportion by Dr. Lalwani and us as in effect on the date of termination until the earlier of nine months after the date of termination and the date he becomes eligible for health benefits through another employer or otherwise becomes ineligible for COBRA.

        In addition, under the employment agreements with Mr. Mayleben and Dr. Newton, we agreed to make certain equity awards to each of them in the form of options to purchase our common stock. Pursuant to their employment agreements and the award agreements governing such stock options, in the event of a "change in control" of the company (as defined in the employment agreements), any such unvested stock options will be accelerated such that 50% of the shares underlying such options which would otherwise be unvested at the time of the change in control will become vested upon the change in control and, if, during the 12 month period following the change in control, either Mr. Mayleben or Dr. Newton's employment is terminated by us without cause or either Mr. Mayleben or Dr. Newton terminates his employment with the company for good reason, 100% of the unvested portion of such option will immediately become vested.

        We provide these benefits to promote retention and ease the consequences to the executive of an unexpected termination of employment. These arrangements are also intended to preserve morale and productivity in the face of the potentially disruptive impact of a change in control. These benefits also allow our named executive officers to focus on the value of strategic alternatives to stockholders without concern for the impact on their own continued employment, as each of their offices is at heightened risk of turnover in the event of a change in control.

Director Compensation

        We reimburse each member of our Board who is not an employee for reasonable travel and other expenses in connection with attending meetings of the Board or committees thereof. In addition, as part of our efforts to attract and retain highly qualified individuals to our Board, we may grant equity awards to our non-employee directors.

        We initially adopted a non-employee director compensation policy that became effective upon our initial public offering. Each of the non-employee members of our Board is entitled to the following equity compensation pursuant to such policy:

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        Effective April 1, 2014, each of our directors also annually receives a $35,000 retainer for general availability and participation in meetings and conference calls of our Board. Additionally, the audit committee chairperson annually receives a $15,000 retainer, each audit committee member (other than the chairperson) annually receives a $7,500 retainer, the compensation committee chairperson annually receives a $10,000 retainer, each compensation committee member (other than the chairperson) annually receives a $5,000 retainer, the nominating and corporate governance committee chairperson annually receives a $7,000 retainer and each nominating and corporate governance committee member (other than the chairperson) annually receives a $3,500 retainer. The amounts for such annual retainers are pro-rated based on the number of calendar days served by such director during the applicable year.

        The following table provides compensation information for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 for each non-employee member of our Board. No member of our Board employed by us receives separate compensation for services rendered as a member of our Board.

Director Name
  Fees Earned
or Paid in
Cash ($)
  Stock
Option
Awards
($)(1)(2)
  Total ($)  

Patrick G. Enright

    49,173     44,326     93,499  

Dov. A. Goldstein, M.D. 

    49,480     44,326     93,806  

Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., M.D., D.Phil. 

    38,049     246,329     284,378  

Daniel Janney

    43,468     44,326     87,794  

Louis G. Lange, M.D., Ph.D.(3)

    15,996         15,996  

Mark E. McGovern, M.D. 

    32,291     244,755     277,046  

Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. 

    21,958     203,355     225,313  

Nicole Vitullo

    44,923     44,326     89,249  

(1)
Amount represents the fair value of the awards on the date of grant computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 11 of the notes to our financial statements in our annual report on Form 10-K filed on March 10, 2015 for a discussion of our assumptions in determining the grant date fair values of equity awards.

(2)
The non-employee directors of the Board who held such position on December 31, 2014 held options to purchase the following aggregate number of shares of common stock as of such date:

(3)
Dr. Lange retired from our board of directors on May 15, 2014.

Name
  Number of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised Options
 

Patrick G. Enright

    26,471  

Dov. A. Goldstein, M.D. 

    26,471  

Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., M.D., D.Phil. 

    25,000  

Daniel Janney

    26,471  

Mark E. McGovern, M.D. 

    25,000  

Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. 

    20,000  

Nicole Vitullo

    5,000  

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Rule 10b5-1 Sales Plans

        Our policy governing transactions in our securities by directors, officers and employees permits our officers, directors and certain other persons to enter into trading plans complying with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act. Generally, under these trading plans, the individual relinquishes control over the transactions once the trading plan is put into place. Accordingly, sales under these plans may occur at any time, including possibly before, simultaneously with, or immediately after significant events involving our company.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

        During 2014, Ms. Vitullo, Mr. Janney and Dr. Gotto served as members of our compensation committee. No member of the compensation committee was an employee or officer of Esperion during 2014, a former officer of Esperion, or had any other relationship with us requiring disclosure herein.

        During the last fiscal year, none of our executive officers served as: (1) a member of the compensation committee (or other committee of the board of directors performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors) of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our compensation committee; (2) a director of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our compensation committee; or (3) a member of the compensation committee (or other committee of the board of directors performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors) of another entity, one of whose executive officers served on our Board.

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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

        Other than compensation arrangements, we describe below transactions and series of similar transactions since January 1, 2014, to which we were a party or will be a party, in which:

        Compensation arrangements for our directors and named executive officers are described elsewhere in this proxy statement.

Sales and Purchases of Securities

Follow-on Public Offering

        On October 21, 2014, we completed a public offering of our common stock pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3. In the offering, we sold an aggregate of 4,887,500 shares of common stock under the registration statement at a public offering price of $20.00 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions, which included the exercise in full by the underwriters of an option to purchase an additional 637,500 shares of common stock.

        In the offering, certain of our 5% stockholders, including those affiliated with our directors, purchased an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of our common stock. Each of those purchases was made through the underwriters at the public offering price of $20.00 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions. The following table sets forth the aggregate number of shares of our common stock that our 5% stockholders purchased in the offering in which the amount involved in the transaction exceeded $120,000:

Stockholder(1)
  Shares of Common Stock  

Alta Partners VIII, L.P.(2)

    500,000  

Domain Partners VII, L.P.(3)

    500,000  

(1)
See "Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management" for more information about shares held by these directors, executive officers, stockholders, and their affiliates.

(2)
Daniel Janney, a member of our board of directors, is a managing director of Alta Partners Management VIII, LLC, which controls the voting and investment power of the shares owned by Alta Partners VIII, L.P.

(3)
Nicole Vitullo, a member of our board of directors, is a managing member of One Palmer Square Associates VII, L.L.C., the general partner of Domain Partners VII, L.P.

Indemnification Agreements

        We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify each director and executive officer to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, including indemnification of expenses such as attorneys' fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by the director or executive officer in any action or proceeding, including any action or proceeding by or in right of us, arising out of the person's services as a director or executive officer.

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Procedures for Approval of Related Party Transactions

        Our audit committee reviews and approves transactions with directors, officers and holders of 5% or more of our capital stock and their affiliates, each of whom we refer to as a related party. We have adopted a written related party transaction approval policy that governs the review of related party transactions. Pursuant to this policy, our audit committee shall review the material facts of all related party transactions. The audit committee shall take into account, among other factors that it deems appropriate, whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available in a transaction with an unrelated third party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party's interest in the related party transaction. Further, when stockholders are entitled to vote on a transaction with a related party, the material facts of the related party's relationship or interest in the transaction are disclosed to the stockholders, who must approve the transaction in good faith.


TRANSACTION OF OTHER BUSINESS

        The Board knows of no other matters that will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, the persons appointed in the accompanying proxy intend to vote the shares represented thereby in accordance with their best judgment on such matters, under applicable laws.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Procedures for Submitting Stockholder Proposals

        Requirements for Stockholder Proposals to be Brought Before the Annual Meeting.    Our bylaws provide that, for nominations of persons for election to our Board or other proposals to be considered at an Annual Meeting of stockholders, a stockholder must give written notice to our Secretary at 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, not later than the close of business 90 days, nor earlier than the close of business 120 days, prior to the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year's Annual Meeting. However, the bylaws also provide that in the event the date of the Annual Meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice must be delivered not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such Annual Meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Any nomination must include all information relating to the nominee that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors in election contests or is otherwise required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, the person's written consent to be named in the proxy statement and to serve as a director if elected and such information as we might reasonably require to determine the eligibility of the person to serve as a director. As to other business, the notice must include a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting, and any material interest of such stockholder (and the beneficial owner) in the proposal. The proposal must be a proper subject for stockholder action. In addition, to make a nomination or proposal, the stockholder must be of record at the time the notice is made and must provide certain information regarding itself (and the beneficial owner), including the name and address, as they appear on our books, of the stockholder proposing such business, the number of shares of our capital stock which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially or of record by the stockholder proposing such business or its affiliates or associates (as defined in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the Exchange Act) and certain additional information.

        The advance notice requirements for the Annual Meeting, which is the first Annual Meeting following the initial public offering of our common stock, are as follows: a stockholder's notice shall be timely if delivered to our Secretary at the address set forth above not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to the scheduled date of the Annual Meeting or the 10th day

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following the day on which public announcement of the date of the Annual Meeting is first made or sent by us.

        Requirements for Stockholder Proposals to be Considered for Inclusion in the Company's Proxy Materials.    In addition to the requirements stated above, any stockholder who wishes to submit a proposal for inclusion in our proxy materials must comply with Rule 14a-8 promulgated under the Exchange Act. For such proposals to be included in our proxy materials relating to our 2016 Annual Meeting of stockholders, all applicable requirements of Rule 14a-8 must be satisfied and we must receive such proposals no later than December 3, 2015. Such proposals must be delivered to our Secretary, c/o Esperion Therapeutics, Inc., 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.

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Appendix A
AMENDED AND RESTATED ESPERION THERAPEUTICS, INC.
2013 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

        SECTION 1.    GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE PLAN; DEFINITIONS    

        The name of the plan is the Amended and Restated Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the "Plan"). The purpose of the Plan is to encourage and enable the officers, employees, Non-Employee Directors and other key persons (including Consultants) of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company") and its Subsidiaries upon whose judgment, initiative and efforts the Company largely depends for the successful conduct of its business to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company. It is anticipated that providing such persons with a direct stake in the Company's welfare will assure a closer identification of their interests with those of the Company and its stockholders, thereby stimulating their efforts on the Company's behalf and strengthening their desire to remain with the Company.

        The following terms shall be defined as set forth below:

        "Act" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

        "Administrator" means either the Board or the compensation committee of the Board or a similar committee performing the functions of the compensation committee and which is comprised of not less than two Non-Employee Directors who are independent.

        "Award" or "Awards," except where referring to a particular category of grant under the Plan, shall include Incentive Stock Options, Non-Qualified Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock Units, Restricted Stock Awards, Unrestricted Stock Awards, Cash-Based Awards, Performance Share Awards and Dividend Equivalent Rights.

        "Award Certificate" means a written or electronic document setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to an Award granted under the Plan. Each Award Certificate is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

        "Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company.

        "Cash-Based Award" means an Award entitling the recipient to receive a cash-denominated payment.

        "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any successor Code, and related rules, regulations and interpretations.

        "Consultant" means any natural person that provides bona fide services to the Company, and such services are not in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital-raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company's securities.

        "Covered Employee" means an employee who is a "Covered Employee" within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.

        "Dividend Equivalent Right" means an Award entitling the grantee to receive credits based on cash dividends that would have been paid on the shares of Stock specified in the Dividend Equivalent Right (or other award to which it relates) if such shares had been issued to and held by the grantee.

        "Effective Date" means the date on which the Plan is approved by stockholders as set forth in Section 21.

        "Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

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        "Fair Market Value" of the Stock on any given date means the fair market value of the Stock determined in good faith by the Administrator; provided, however, that if the Stock is admitted to quotation on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System ("NASDAQ"), NASDAQ Global Market or another national securities exchange, the determination shall be made by reference to market quotations. If there are no market quotations for such date, the determination shall be made by reference to the last date preceding such date for which there are market quotations; provided further, however, that if the date for which Fair Market Value is determined is the first day when trading prices for the Stock are reported on a national securities exchange, the Fair Market Value shall be the "Price to the Public" (or equivalent) set forth on the cover page for the final prospectus relating to the Company's Initial Public Offering.

        "Incentive Stock Option" means any Stock Option designated and qualified as an "incentive stock option" as defined in Section 422 of the Code.

        "Initial Public Offering" means the consummation of the first underwritten, firm commitment public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Act covering the offer and sale by the Company of its equity securities, or such other event as a result of or following which the Stock shall be publicly held.

        "Non-Employee Director" means a member of the Board who is not also an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary.

        "Non-Qualified Stock Option" means any Stock Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option.

        "Option" or "Stock Option" means any option to purchase shares of Stock granted pursuant to Section 5.

        "Performance-Based Award" means any Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Share Award or Cash-Based Award granted to a Covered Employee that is intended to qualify as "performance-based compensation" under Section 162(m) of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

        "Performance Criteria" means the criteria that the Administrator selects for purposes of establishing the Performance Goal or Performance Goals for an individual for a Performance Cycle. The Performance Criteria (which shall be applicable to the organizational level specified by the Administrator, including, but not limited to, the Company or a unit, division, group, or Subsidiary of the Company) that will be used to establish Performance Goals are limited to the following: total shareholder return, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, net income (loss) (either before or after interest, taxes, depreciation and/or amortization), changes in the market price of the Stock, economic value-added, sales or revenue, development, clinical or regulatory milestones, acquisitions or strategic transactions, operating income (loss), cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow and free cash flow), return on capital, assets, equity, or investment, return on sales, gross or net profit levels, productivity, expense, margins, operating efficiency, customer satisfaction, working capital, earnings (loss) per share of Stock, sales or market shares and number of customers, any of which may be measured either in absolute terms or as compared to any incremental increase or as compared to results of a peer group.

        "Performance Cycle" means one or more periods of time, which may be of varying and overlapping durations, as the Administrator may select, over which the attainment of one or more Performance Criteria will be measured for the purpose of determining a grantee's right to and the payment of a Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Share Award or Cash-Based Award, the vesting and/or payment of which is subject to the attainment of one or more Performance Goals. Each such period shall not be less than 12 months.

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        "Performance Goals" means, for a Performance Cycle, the specific goals established in writing by the Administrator for a Performance Cycle based upon the Performance Criteria.

        "Performance Share Award" means an Award entitling the recipient to acquire shares of Stock upon the attainment of specified Performance Goals.

        "Restricted Stock Award" means an Award of shares of Stock subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Administrator may determine at the time of grant.

        "Restricted Stock Units" means an Award of phantom stock units to a grantee.

        "Sale Event" shall mean (i) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company on a consolidated basis to an unrelated person or entity, (ii) a merger, reorganization or consolidation pursuant to which the holders of the Company's outstanding voting power and outstanding stock immediately prior to such transaction do not own a majority of the outstanding voting power and outstanding stock or other equity interests of the resulting or successor entity (or its ultimate parent, if applicable) immediately upon completion of such transaction, (iii) the sale of all of the Stock of the Company to an unrelated person, entity or group thereof acting in concert, or (iv) any other transaction in which the owners of the Company's outstanding voting power immediately prior to such transaction do not own at least a majority of the outstanding voting power of the Company or any successor entity immediately upon completion of the transaction other than as a result of the acquisition of securities directly from the Company.

        "Sale Price" means the value as determined by the Administrator of the consideration payable, or otherwise to be received by stockholders, per share of Stock pursuant to a Sale Event.

        "Section 409A" means Section 409A of the Code and the regulations and other guidance promulgated thereunder.

        "Stock" means the Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company, subject to adjustments pursuant to Section 3.

        "Stock Appreciation Right" means an Award entitling the recipient to receive shares of Stock having a value equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of the Stock on the date of exercise over the exercise price of the Stock Appreciation Right multiplied by the number of shares of Stock with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right shall have been exercised.

        "Subsidiary" means any corporation or other entity (other than the Company) in which the Company has at least a 50 percent interest, either directly or indirectly.

        "Ten Percent Owner" means an employee who owns or is deemed to own (by reason of the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10 percent of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any parent or subsidiary corporation.

        "Unrestricted Stock Award" means an Award of shares of Stock free of any restrictions.

        SECTION 2.    ADMINISTRATION OF PLAN; ADMINISTRATOR AUTHORITY TO SELECT GRANTEES AND DETERMINE AWARDS    

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44


        SECTION 3.    STOCK ISSUABLE UNDER THE PLAN; MERGERS; SUBSTITUTION    

45


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        SECTION 4.    ELIGIBILITY    

        Grantees under the Plan will be such full or part-time officers and other employees, Non-Employee Directors and key persons (including Consultants) of the Company and its Subsidiaries as are selected from time to time by the Administrator in its sole discretion.

        SECTION 5.    STOCK OPTIONS    

        Any Stock Option granted under the Plan shall be in such form as the Administrator may from time to time approve.

        Stock Options granted under the Plan may be either Incentive Stock Options or Non-Qualified Stock Options. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to employees of the Company or any Subsidiary that is a "subsidiary corporation" within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code. To the extent that any Option does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option, it shall be deemed a Non-Qualified Stock Option.

        Stock Options granted pursuant to this Section 5 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions and shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable. If the Administrator so determines, Stock Options may be granted in lieu of cash compensation at the optionee's election, subject to such terms and conditions as the Administrator may establish.

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        SECTION 6.    STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS    

        SECTION 7.    RESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS    

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        SECTION 8.    RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS    

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        SECTION 9.    UNRESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS    

        SECTION 10.    CASH-BASED AWARDS    

        SECTION 11.    PERFORMANCE SHARE AWARDS    

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        SECTION 12.    PERFORMANCE-BASED AWARDS TO COVERED EMPLOYEES    

51


        SECTION 13.    DIVIDEND EQUIVALENT RIGHTS    

        SECTION 14.    TRANSFERABILITY OF AWARDS    

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        SECTION 15.    TAX WITHHOLDING    

        SECTION 16.    SECTION 409A AWARDS    

        To the extent that any Award is determined to constitute "nonqualified deferred compensation" within the meaning of Section 409A (a "409A Award"), the Award shall be subject to such additional rules and requirements as specified by the Administrator from time to time in order to comply with Section 409A. In this regard, if any amount under a 409A Award is payable upon a "separation from service" (within the meaning of Section 409A) to a grantee who is then considered a "specified employee" (within the meaning of Section 409A), then no such payment shall be made prior to the date that is the earlier of (i) six months and one day after the grantee's separation from service, or (ii) the grantee's death, but only to the extent such delay is necessary to prevent such payment from being subject to interest, penalties and/or additional tax imposed pursuant to Section 409A. Further, the settlement of any such Award may not be accelerated except to the extent permitted by Section 409A.

        SECTION 17.    TRANSFER, LEAVE OF ABSENCE, ETC.    

        For purposes of the Plan, the following events shall not be deemed a termination of employment:

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        SECTION 18.    AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION    

        The Board may, at any time, amend or discontinue the Plan and the Administrator may, at any time, amend or cancel any outstanding Award for the purpose of satisfying changes in law or for any other lawful purpose, but no such action shall adversely affect rights under any outstanding Award without the holder's consent. Except as provided in Section 3(c) or 3(d), without prior stockholder approval, in no event may the Administrator exercise its discretion to reduce the exercise price of outstanding Stock Options or Stock Appreciation Rights or effect repricing through cancellation and re-grants or cancellation of Stock Options or Stock Appreciation Rights in exchange for cash. To the extent required under the rules of any securities exchange or market system on which the Stock is listed, to the extent determined by the Administrator to be required by the Code to ensure that Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan are qualified under Section 422 of the Code, or to ensure that compensation earned under Awards qualifies as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code, Plan amendments shall be subject to approval by the Company stockholders entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders. Nothing in this Section 18 shall limit the Administrator's authority to take any action permitted pursuant to Section 3(b) or 3(c).

        SECTION 19.    STATUS OF PLAN    

        With respect to the portion of any Award that has not been exercised and any payments in cash, Stock or other consideration not received by a grantee, a grantee shall have no rights greater than those of a general creditor of the Company unless the Administrator shall otherwise expressly determine in connection with any Award or Awards. In its sole discretion, the Administrator may authorize the creation of trusts or other arrangements to meet the Company's obligations to deliver Stock or make payments with respect to Awards hereunder, provided that the existence of such trusts or other arrangements is consistent with the foregoing sentence.

        SECTION 20.    GENERAL PROVISIONS    

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        SECTION 21.    EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN    

        This Plan shall become effective immediately prior to the Company's Initial Public Offering, following stockholder approval of the Plan in accordance with applicable state law, the Company's bylaws and articles of incorporation, and applicable stock exchange rules or pursuant to written consent. No grants of Stock Options and other Awards may be made hereunder after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date and no grants of Incentive Stock Options may be made hereunder after the tenth anniversary of the date the Plan is approved by the Board.

        SECTION 22.    GOVERNING LAW    

        This Plan and all Awards and actions taken thereunder shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, applied without regard to conflict of law principles.

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Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signature (Joint Owners) Date KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. M86494-P62802 VOTE BY INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form. ElEcTRONIc DElIVERY Of fuTuRE PROXY MATERIAlS If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years. VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903 Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions. VOTE BY MAIl Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! for Against Abstain for Against Abstain ESPERION THERAPEuTIcS, INc. 2. To approve the Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan 3. To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015 NOTE: The proxies are authorized to vote on such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. 1b. Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. 1a. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., M.D., D.Phil. 1c. Nicole Vitullo 1. Election of Class II Directors Nominees: The Board of Directors recommends you vote fOR the following: The Board of Directors recommends you vote fOR proposals 2 and 3: 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 must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer. ESPERION THERAPEUTICS, INC. 3891 RANCHERO DRIVE, SUITE 150 ANN ARbOR, MI 48108

 


M86495-P62802 Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held May 14, 2015: The Proxy Statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K are available at www.proxyvote.com. ESPERION THERAPEuTIcS, INc. Annual Meeting of Stockholders May 14, 2015 8:00 AM This proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. The undersigned hereby appoints Tim M. Mayleben and Richard B. Bartram as proxies and attorneys-in-fact of the undersigned, each with the power to act without the other and with the power of substitution, and hereby authorizes them to represent and vote all the shares of common stock of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) standing in the name of the undersigned on March 16, 2015, with all powers which the undersigned would possess if present at the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company to be held on May 14, 2015 or at any adjournment or postponement thereof. Receipt of the Notice of the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Proxy Statement and the 2014 Annual Report is hereby acknowledged. In order for your vote to be submitted by this proxy, you must (i) properly complete the telephone or Internet voting instructions no later than 11:59 P. M. Eastern Time on May 13, 2015 or (ii) properly complete and return this proxy card so your vote is received prior to the vote at the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company. Submitting your proxy by mail, via the Internet or by telephone will not affect your right to vote in person should you decide to attend the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company. This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed by you. If you do not give any direction, the proxy will be voted (i) "fOR" the election of each of the nominees for director; (ii) "fOR" the approval of the Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan; (iii) "fOR" the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young llP as the company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015 and (iv) in the discretion of the proxies upon such other matters as may properly come before the 2015 Annual Meeting. continued and to be signed on reverse side

 

 

You are receiving this communication because you hold shares in the company named above. This is not a ballot. You cannot use this notice to vote these shares. This communication presents only an overview of the more complete proxy materials that are available to you on the Internet. You may view the proxy materials online at www.proxyvote.com or easily request a paper copy (see reverse side). We encourage you to access and review all of the important information contained in the proxy materials before voting. *** Exercise Your Right to Vote *** Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Shareholder Meeting to Be Held on May 14, 2015 Meeting Information See the reverse side of this notice to obtain proxy materials and voting instructions. M86530-P62827 ESPERION THERAPEUTICS, INC. Meeting Type: Annual Meeting For holders as of: March 16, 2015 Date: May 14, 2015 Time: 8:00 AM Location: Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. 3891 Ranchero Drive, Suite 150 Ann Arbor, MI 48108

 


Before You Vote How to Access the Proxy Materials How To Vote Please Choose One of the Following Voting Methods Requests, instructions and other inquiries sent to this e-mail address will NOT be forwarded to your investment advisor. Please make the request as instructed above on or before April 30, 2015 to facilitate timely delivery. How to View Online: Have the information that is printed in the box marked by the arrow (located on the following page) and visit: www.proxyvote.com. How to Request and Receive a PAPER or E-MAIL Copy: If you want to receive a paper or e-mail copy of these documents, you must request one. There is NO charge for requesting a copy. Please choose one of the following methods to make your request: 1) BY INTERNET: www.proxyvote.com 2) BY TELEPHONE: 1-800-579-1639 3) BY E-MAIL*: sendmaterial@proxyvote.com * If requesting materials by e-mail, please send a blank e-mail with the information that is printed in the box marked by the arrow (located on the following page) in the subject line. THE PROXY STATEMENT ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K Proxy Materials Available to VIEW or RECEIVE: Vote In Person: If you choose to vote these shares in person at the meeting, you must request a "legal proxy." To do so, please follow the instructions at www.proxyvote.com or request a paper copy of the materials, which will contain the appropriate instructions. Many shareholder meetings have attendance requirements including, but not limited to, the possession of an attendance ticket issued by the entity holding the meeting. Please check the meeting materials for any special requirements for meeting attendance. Vote By Internet: To vote now by Internet, go to www.proxyvote.com. Have the information that is printed in the box marked by the arrow (located on the following page) available and follow the instructions. Vote By Mail: You can vote by mail by requesting a paper copy of the materials, which will include a voting instruction form. M86531-P62827 .XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX .XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX .XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

 


Voting Items 2. To approve the Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Option and Incentive Plan 3. To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015 NOTE: The proxies are authorized to vote on such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. 1b. Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. 1a. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., M.D., D.Phil. 1c. Nicole Vitullo 1. Election of Class II Directors Nominees: The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following: The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposals: M86532-P62827

 


Voting Instructions M86533-P62827

 

 



QuickLinks

NOTICE OF 2015 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD May 14, 2015
GENERAL INFORMATION
PROPOSAL ONE ELECTION OF CLASS II DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
PROPOSAL TWO APPROVAL OF THE ESPERION THERAPEUTICS, INC. AMENDED AND RESTATED 2013 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN
PROPOSAL THREE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
TRANSACTION OF OTHER BUSINESS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Appendix A AMENDED AND RESTATED ESPERION THERAPEUTICS, INC. 2013 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN