As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 29, 2022

Registration No. 333-_____

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UNITED STATES

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

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Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM S-8

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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

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Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

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2017 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended

Amended and Restated 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Inducement Stock Option Awards (February 26, 2021 – February 15, 2022)

(Full Title of the Plan)

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Mark Iwicki

Chief Executive Officer

Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

1167 Massachusetts Avenue

Arlington, MA 02476

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(Name and Address of Agent For Service)

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(781) 996-5252

(Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)

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

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☒

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PART I

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INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1. Plan Information.

The information required by Item 1 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plans covered by this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.

Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.

The written statement required by Item 2 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plans covered by this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The registrant is subject to the informational and reporting requirements of Sections 13(a), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and in accordance therewith files reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). The following documents, which are on file with the Commission, are incorporated in this registration statement by reference:

All documents subsequently filed by the registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be part hereof from the date of the filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for the purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not Applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Section 102 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, permits a corporation to eliminate the personal liability of its directors or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except where the director breached his or her duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law or obtained an improper personal benefit. The registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation provides that no director shall be personally liable to it or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, notwithstanding any provision of law imposing such liability, except to the extent that the DGCL prohibits the elimination or limitation of liability of directors for breaches of fiduciary duty.

Section 145 of the DGCL provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the request of the corporation in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlements actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit or proceeding to which he or she is or is threatened to be made a party by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

The registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation provides that it will indemnify each person who was or is a party or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the registrant), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the registrant’s request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (all such persons being referred to as an Indemnitee), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom if such Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the registrant’s best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.

The registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation provides that the registrant will indemnify any Indemnitee who was or is a party to an action or suit by or in the right of the registrant to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the registrant’s request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and, to the extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, and any appeal therefrom, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the registrant’s best interests, except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the registrant, unless a court determines that, despite such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, he or she is entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that any Indemnitee has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, he or she will be indemnified by the registrant against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection therewith. If the registrant does not assume the defense, expenses must be advanced to an Indemnitee under certain circumstances.

The registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with all of its directors and officers. In general, these agreements provide that the registrant will indemnify the director or officer to the fullest extent permitted by law for claims arising in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the registrant or in connection with their service at the registrant’s request for another corporation or entity. The indemnification agreements also provide for procedures that

will apply in the event that a director or officer makes a claim for indemnification and establish certain presumptions that are favorable to the director or officer.

In addition, the registrant maintains a general liability insurance policy that covers certain liabilities of the registrant’s directors and officers arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

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Item 9. Undertakings.

provided, however, that paragraphs (i) and (ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Arlington, Massachusetts on this 29th day of March, 2022.

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POWER OF ATTORNEY AND SIGNATURES

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Mark Iwicki, Mary Reumuth and Eric L. Trachtenberg, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement on Form S-8 filed herewith and any and all subsequent amendments to said registration statement, and generally to do all such things in our names and on our behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

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Exhibit 5.1

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Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

1167 Massachusetts Avenue

Arlington, MA 02476

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Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have assisted in the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to an aggregate of 3,914,913 shares (the “Shares”) of common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”) of Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), consisting of (i) an aggregate of 2,620,011 additional shares of Common Stock issuable under the Company’s 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the “Plan”), (ii) an aggregate of 655,002 additional shares of Common Stock issuable under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”) and (iii) 639,900 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to nonqualified stock option agreements providing for employee inducement grants between the Company and various employees, which were entered into in connection with the commencement of such employees’ employment with the Company pursuant to Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5635(c)(4) (the “Inducement Award Agreements”).

We have examined the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company, each as amended and/or restated to date, and originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction, of all pertinent records of the meetings of the directors and stockholders of the Company, the Registration Statement and such other documents relating to the Company as we have deemed material for the purposes of this opinion.

In our examination of the foregoing documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, photostatic or other copies, the authenticity of the originals of any such documents and the legal competence of all signatories to such documents.

We assume that the appropriate action will be taken, prior to the offer and sale of the Shares in accordance with the Plan, the ESPP and the Inducement Award Agreements to register and qualify the Shares for sale under all applicable state securities or “blue sky” laws.

We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than the state laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the federal laws of the United States of America.

It is understood that this opinion is to be used only in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares while the Registration Statement is in effect.

Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set forth herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters.

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and, when the Shares are issued and paid for in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plan, the ESPP or the Inducement Award Agreements, as applicable, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission in connection with the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.  In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission. 

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Very truly yours,

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WILMER CUTLER PICKERING

HALE AND DORR LLP

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Exhibit 23.2

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CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

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We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated March 29, 2022 relating to the financial statements of Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its subsidiaries appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021.

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/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP 

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Boston, Massachusetts

March 29, 2022

Exhibit 23.3

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CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

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We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of our report dated November 9, 2021, with respect to our audit of the financial statements of Combangio, Inc. as of September 30, 2021, and for the nine month period then ended, and as of December 31, 2020, and for the year then ended, which report included an explanatory paragraph expressing substantial doubt regarding Combangio, Inc.’s ability to continue as a going concern based on its recurring losses and limited liquidity.

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/s/ Haskell & White LLP

HASKELL & WHITE LLP

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Irvine, California

March 29, 2022

Exhibit 107

Calculation of Filing Fee Tables

Form S-8

(Form Type)

Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Table 1—Newly Registered Securities

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