ANIK Anika Therapeutics Inc

		June 11, 2024   Dear Fellow Anika Stockholder,   2023 was an important year for Anika, as we achieved several key milestones across our highly differentiated product portfolio in early intervention orthopedic care. We conducted a strategic review of the business, and we took decisive action to reduce spending and focus our strategy on driving the products that optimize performance to

provide the greatest opportunities for profitable growth. We expect these cost savings to enable Anika to deliver over 75% growth in adjusted EBITDA in 2024, accelerating our path to profitability.

Our leading hyaluronic acid, or HA, based Osteoarthritis, or OA, Pain Management business delivered record revenue in 2023, as we further grew our leading market share position in the U.S. with our single injection Monovisc and multi-injection Orthovisc products and continued to experience strong international growth driven by Monovisc and Cingal. With double digit growth in 2023, Cingal continued to excel as the next generation, non-opioid, OA pain product of choice in over 40 countries outside the U.S. We remain excited to bring this tremendously effective product to the U.S. market as we continue to regularly interact with the FDA on the non-clinical work proposed during the Type C meeting held in 2023. We believe that Cingal will provide meaningful relief to the more than 32.5 million people in the U.S. who suffer from osteoarthritis knee pain daily.

We also made strides within our HA Regenerative Solutions, Sports Medicine, and Arthrosurface Joint Solutions product families. Anika continues to innovate with our proprietary HA regenerative technologies and, in November of 2023, we initiated the limited market release of our Integrity Implant System, a regenerative HA-based implant system for tendon repairs. Following the successful completion of over 200 cases through the first quarter of 2024, Integrity is on track for a mid-year full market launch. In addition, in 2023 we fully enrolled the Phase III clinical trial for our single-stage cartilage repair scaffold, Hyalofast, which is expected to launch by 2026. Finally, our X-Twist Biocomposite Fixation System and RevoMotion Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty System are both receiving very positive clinical feedback after their recent launches.

We have strong conviction in our strategy, which is supported by a healthy balance sheet, positive cash flow generation and no debt. We are also supported by an outstanding Board of Directors that comprises proven leaders with the expertise we need to usher in our next chapter of growth. We recently welcomed two new directors, Joseph Capper and William Jellison, each of whom brings extensive industry experience and an additive skillset. Our commitment to active Board refreshment has resulted in the appointment of six new directors in the last four years.

In addition, we would like to thank Jeffery S. Thompson, former Chair of Anika’s Board, for his 13 years of dedicated service as he prepares to retire. We are pleased to have appointed John B. Henneman, III, an independent director of the Company’s Board since 2020, as Chair of the Board this past February. As we move forward, our Board will remain nimble and continue to ensure we are well-positioned both operationally and financially.

Finally, I’d like to thank Mike Levitz, our former CFO, who decided to step down from his position this year. Over the last 4 years, Mike’s strategic and operational insights have helped Anika navigate this period of change while positioning Anika for an exciting future. We are glad to continue benefitting from his expertise through the end of the year and wish him the best. We are pleased that Steve Griffin, an accomplished public company leader whose ability to connect strategic, operational, and financial expertise will be a significant asset for Anika, has

stepped into the CFO role to build on our recent momentum and help achieve the meaningful value building opportunities across the business.

Anika is only just beginning to realize the significant potential of our comprehensive and expanding portfolio. As we focus the business on our core strengths, we are confident that we will advance our evolution into a leader in early intervention orthopedics with a focus on regenerative solutions, restore active living for people around the world, and generate value for our shareholders in 2024 and beyond.

On behalf of your Board and the management team, we thank you for your continued support.

June 11, 2024

Dear Fellow Stockholder:

It is my pleasure to invite you to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Anika Therapeutics, Inc. to be held on July 9, 2024, at 8:30 a.m., Eastern time. This year’s Annual Meeting will be a “virtual meeting” conducted via live audio webcast, consistent with our recent practice. Each holder of common stock as of 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the record date of May 17, 2024, will be able to participate in the Annual Meeting by accessing a live webcast at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ANIK2024. Stockholders will also be able to vote their shares and submit questions via the internet during the meeting by participating in the webcast.

During the Annual Meeting stockholders will be asked to elect three Class I Directors, to ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent auditor for 2024, and to approve, by an advisory vote, our 2023 executive compensation as disclosed in the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting (a “say-on-pay” vote). Each of these matters is important, and we urge you to vote in favor of the election of each of the company’s director nominees, the ratification of the appointment of our independent auditor, and the approval, on an advisory basis, of our 2023 executive compensation.

Our 2023 Annual Report to stockholders, containing financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, our Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 filed on April 26, 2024, and instructions on how to vote via proxy either by telephone, over the internet or by mail, are being provided together with this Proxy Statement to all stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. It is anticipated that this Proxy Statement and the accompanying proxy will be first sent or given to stockholders on or about June 11, 2024.

It is important that you vote your shares of common stock virtually or by proxy, regardless of the number of shares you own. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please vote electronically via the internet or by telephone by following the instructions on the enclosed proxy card, or by signing, marking, dating and returning your enclosed proxy card by mail in the postage-paid envelope provided. We appreciate your prompt attention.

The Board of Directors invites you to participate in the Annual Meeting where Anika will address appropriate general questions about the business as time allows. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to joining you at the Annual Meeting.

Sincerely,

John B. Henneman, III

Chair of the Board

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

The Board of Directors of Anika Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or Anika, is soliciting proxies for use at Anika’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders being held on July 9, 2024, at 8:30 a.m., Eastern time, or the Annual Meeting. You are receiving the enclosed Proxy Statement because you were a holder of Anika’s common stock as of 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the record date of May 17, 2024, and therefore are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. You may participate in the Annual Meeting, including casting votes and asking questions, by accessing a live webcast at virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ANIK2024. Online check-in to the Annual Meeting will begin at 8:15 a.m., Eastern time, and stockholders are encouraged to allow ample time to log in to the meeting webcast and test their computer and audio system. There will be no physical location for the Annual Meeting.

At the Annual Meeting the following matters will be considered:

Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote for each director position and other proposal. In accordance with rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, we are mailing printed copies to stockholders of record as of May 17, 2024.

Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to participate in the Annual Meeting, please vote electronically via the internet or by telephone by following the instructions on the enclosed proxy card, or by signing, marking, dating and returning your enclosed proxy card by mail in the postage-paid envelope provided. Returning a proxy card or otherwise submitting your proxy does not deprive you of your right to access the Annual Meeting and vote during the webcast at that time.

Anika will maintain a list of stockholders of record as of the record date at Anika’s corporate headquarters, 32 Wiggins Avenue, Bedford, Massachusetts, for a period beginning ten days prior to the Annual Meeting and ending at the close of the Annual Meeting.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

David B. Colleran

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Bedford, Massachusetts

June 11, 2024

32 Wiggins Avenue

Bedford, Massachusetts 01730

Proxy Statement dated June 11, 2024

2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Anika Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is furnishing this Proxy Statement and the related proxy materials in connection with the solicitation by its Board of Directors of proxies to be voted at its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and any postponements or adjournments thereof. Anika Therapeutics, Inc. is providing these materials to the holders of record of its common stock as of the close of business on May 17, 2024, and is first making available or mailing the materials on or about June 11, 2024.

Your vote is important.

Please see the detailed information that follows.

Table of Contents

References in this Proxy Statement to “Anika,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company” and similar references refer to Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.

Various trademarks of Anika Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries appear in this Proxy Statement. For convenience, these trademarks appear without ^® and ^™ symbols, but that practice does not mean that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to the trademarks. This document may also contain trademarks and trade names that are the property of other companies, including certain trademarks licensed to us. The use of third-party trademarks does not constitute an endorsement or imply a relationship or other affiliation.

This Proxy Statement includes certain references to documents available on our website at https://ir.anika.com/governance-documents. The information contained on the website is not incorporated by reference in, or considered to be a part of, this Proxy Statement.

2024 Proxy Summary

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this Proxy Statement. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider, and you should read the entire Proxy Statement carefully before voting.

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Annual Meeting Agenda

How to Vote Prior to the Annual Meeting

By mailing your proxy card		By telephone		By Internet
Cast your ballot, sign your proxy card and send by free post   Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope included in your proxy materials. Your proxy card must arrive by July 8, 2024.		Use a touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions at any time up to 11:59 p.m. ET, on July 8, 2024. Dial the toll-free number listed on your enclosed proxy card and follow the instructions to vote.		Use the internet to transmit your voting instructions at any time up to 11:59 p.m. ET, on July 8, 2024. Visit the website listed on your enclosed proxy card and follow the instructions to vote.

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Our Company

Founded in 1992, Anika Therapeutics, Inc. is a global joint preservation company that creates and delivers meaningful advancements in early intervention orthopedic care. Based on our collaborations with clinicians to understand what they need most to treat their patients, we develop minimally invasive products that restore active living for people around the world. We are committed to leading in high opportunity spaces within orthopedics, including osteoarthritis, or OA, pain management, regenerative solutions, sports medicine and Arthrosurface joint solutions.

We have more than thirty years of global expertise developing, manufacturing and commercializing products based on our hyaluronic acid, or HA, technology platform. In early 2020, we enhanced our overall technology platform, product portfolio, and significantly expanded our commercial infrastructure, especially in the United States, through our strategic acquisitions of Parcus Medical, LLC, or Parcus Medical, a sports medicine and instrumentation solutions provider, and Arthrosurface Incorporated, or Arthrosurface, a company specializing in bone preserving partial and total joint replacement solutions. These acquisitions have been part of the transformation of our company by augmenting our HA-based OA pain management and regenerative products with a broad suite of products and capabilities focused on early intervention joint preservation primarily in upper and lower extremities such as shoulder, foot/ankle, knee and hand/wrist. In addition, these acquisitions expanded our product development expertise in the regenerative solutions space.

Executive Summary

Our Fiscal Year 2023 Business Performance

Our 2023 key accomplishments included:

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For other business and financial highlights, please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Our Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility – Focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

The Board of Directors and our senior management team believe that our company has a broad responsibility to take into account the people we employ, serve and support, and the environment and the communities where we live and work. The full Board has oversight of our environmental, social and governance, or ESG, initiatives.

In 2021, we embarked on a process to develop a foundational ESG framework for our company, which we continue to commit and adhere to each year. This framework integrates our six key values:

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Sheryl L. Conley, William R. Jellison and Stephen O. Richard serve as Class I Directors, with terms of office expiring at this year’s Annual Meeting. Ms. Conley, Mr. Jellison and Mr. Richard are the Board of Director’s nominees for election to the Board of Directors, or the Board, at the Annual Meeting. Each Class I Director will be elected to hold office until the 2027 Annual Meeting and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Jeffery S. Thompson is currently a Class I director who has announced his intention to retire and will not stand for re-election at the Annual Meeting. Anika is very thankful to Mr. Thompson for his 13 years of dedicated service and thoughtful leadership at Anika.

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Board Representation

Director Skills and Diversity

The Board of Directors is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive membership with varying experience, characteristics, and expertise that complement our business strategy. On an annual basis, the Board of Directors reviews the cumulative skill set of our Board members to insure we have the skills and experience we believe are required for Board oversight and governance of the company and we undergo periodic Board refreshment accordingly, as demonstrated in the “Tenure” graphic above in which 6 of our 9 continuing directors have a tenure of less than 5 years, including 6 of our 9 continuing directors being appointed in the last four years. The matrices below provide a summary of certain key skills, experience, and diversity disclosures of our continuing directors and director nominees. Our directors, individually and as a group, possess a wide range of skills and experiences that are highly relevant as we transform our company, expand our business into new treatment areas and develop, manufacture, and launch new products. Our directors are strategic thinkers with high expectations for our performance and are attuned to the value and importance of diversity in all of its forms and the demands of proper Board oversight and good governance practices.

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Board of Directors Skills Matrix

Board of Directors Diversity Matrix

The below board diversity matrix reports self-identified diversity statistics for the Board of Directors.

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Additional Board Governance Practices

The Audit Committee has approved the retention of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent auditor with respect to our consolidated financial statements as of, and for the year ending, December 31, 2024.

The overall objective of our executive compensation policy is to attract and retain highly qualified executive officers and to incentivize them to provide superior performance for the benefit of our company and stockholders.

2023 Executive Total Compensation Mix

The charts below show the annual total direct compensation (actual base salary, grant date fair value of equity incentive compensation granted in 2023, and actual cash bonuses received for the 2023 fiscal year) for our Chief Executive Officer and our other current named executive officers, or NEOs, for 2023. Approximately 83% of our

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CEO’s and approximately 69% of our other NEOs’ actual 2023 compensation* was variable and at risk, tied to our stock price performance or achievement of rigorous performance objectives that are important to the creation of long-term stockholder value.

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Additional detailed information regarding our compensation philosophy and process and the compensation awarded to our named executive officers in 2023 is included in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis beginning on page 46, the Executive and Director Compensation Tables beginning on page 63, and other related disclosures throughout this Proxy Statement.

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Our company is managed under the oversight of the Board of Directors, which is led by an independent chair. The directors utilize their deep experience in business and science, including biotech, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, as well as their diverse backgrounds to provide management with guidance and oversight in delivering innovative products to meet the needs of clinicians and the patients that they treat, and in executing on our strategy for long-term value creation.

The Board sets high standards for management and employees tied to our core values of principled and ethical behavior, and the Board applies those same standards to itself, undertaking regular and rigorous reviews of each committee’s and each director’s performance, both collectively and individually. This is evidenced in our ongoing approach to Board refreshment, having added six of our current nine continuing directors in the past four years. The current mix of longer serving and recently added directors provides an appropriate balance of perspectives as the Board holds management accountable for delivering long-term value and keeping the interests of our stockholders and stakeholders, including clinicians and their patients, employees and business partners, at the center of our priorities.

The Board is currently comprised of ten directors and is divided into three classes: Class I, Class II and Class III. Each class of directors serves for a three-year term, with one class of directors being elected by our stockholders at each annual meeting. Sheryl L. Conley, William R. Jellison, Stephen O. Richard and Jeffery S. Thompson serve as Class I Directors, with terms of office expiring at the Annual Meeting. Cheryl R. Blanchard, Ph.D., Joseph H. Capper and Glenn R. Larsen, Ph.D. serve as Class II Directors, with terms of office expiring at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Gary P. Fischetti, John B. Henneman, III and Susan L. N. Vogt serve as Class III Directors, with terms of office expiring at the 2026 Annual Meeting.

Ms. Conley, Mr. Jellison and Mr. Richard are the Board’s nominees for election as Class I Directors at the Annual Meeting. Each Class I Director will be elected to hold office until the 2027 Annual Meeting and until a successor is duly elected and qualified. Unless otherwise instructed, the persons named in the accompanying proxy will vote, as permitted by our bylaws, to elect Ms. Conley, Mr. Jellison and Mr. Richard as Class I Directors. The Board has no reason to believe that Ms. Conley, Mr. Jellison or Mr. Richard will be unable or unwilling to serve if elected.

William R. Jellison was appointed to our Board in May 2024 in connection with the Cooperation Agreement, or the Cooperation Agreement, with Caligan Partners LP, Caligan Partners Master Fund LP and David Johnson, or collectively with each of their respective affiliates and associates, the Investor Group, dated May 28, 2024. Mr. Jellison filled a newly-created Class I vacancy and he stands for election this year. As part of the Cooperation Agreement, the Investor Group agreed, among other things, (i) to customary standstill provisions until the date that is thirty calendar days prior to the notice deadline under the company’s bylaws for stockholders to submit stockholder nominations for election to the Board at the company’s 2025 annual meeting of stockholders, (ii) to vote its shares in favor of the Board’s slate of directors at the Annual Meeting, and (iii) the Company reimbursed the Investor Group for such reasonable, documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses (including legal expenses) incurred in connection with the subject matter of the Cooperation Agreement, up to $600,000 in the aggregate.

There are no other arrangements or understandings between any nominee and any other person pursuant to which the nominee was selected.

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Vote Required

At the Annual Meeting, the election of a director requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of common stock that are voting in the election of directors, meaning that, to be elected, the shares voted “FOR” a nominee must exceed the number of shares voted “AGAINST” that nominee. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be treated as votes cast and will have no impact on the proposal. Under our Majority Voting in Uncontested Director Elections Policy, if a director receives a greater number of votes “AGAINST” than “FOR” election, the director must promptly offer the director’s resignation for consideration by the Governance and Nominating Committee. Please see the section captioned “Majority Voting in Uncontested Director Elections Policy” for more details on this policy and its impact on the election of director nominees.

Board Recommendation

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF SHERYL L. CONLEY, WILLIAM R. JELLISON AND STEPHEN O. RICHARD, THE DIRECTOR NOMINEES.

Information Regarding Directors

The following table sets forth the name of our current directors and includes the nominees for re-election as directors at the Annual Meeting, together with their ages (as of the record date) and the years in which they became a director.

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Cheryl R. Blanchard, Ph.D.
		Anika Board Service:   •  Director since August 2018
PRESIDENT and CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER		Age: 59

Professional Experience

Other Current Public Company Board Service

Former Recent Public Company Board Service

Education

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Relevant Skills

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Joseph H. Capper
		Anika Board Service:   •  Director since May 2024 •  Committees: •  Capital Allocation
INDEPENDENT		Age: 61

Professional Experience

Former Recent Public Company Board Service

Education

Relevant Skills

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Sheryl L. Conley
		Anika Board Service:   •  Director since October 2021 •  Committees: •  Audit •  Compensation
INDEPENDENT		Age: 63

Professional Experience

Other Public Company Board Service

Education

Relevant Skills

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Professional Experience

Other Public Company Board Service

Education

Relevant Skills

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Professional Experience

Other Public Company Board Service

Education

Relevant Skills

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Professional Experience

Other Current Public Company Board Service

Education

Relevant Skills

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Professional Experience

Education

Relevant Skills

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Stephen O. Richard
		Anika Board Service:   •  Director since September 2020 •  Committees: •  Audit (Chair) (Financial Expert) •  Capital Allocation (Chair)
INDEPENDENT		Age: 61

Professional Experience

Education

Relevant Skills

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Professional Experience

Other Public Company Board Service

Education

Relevant Skills

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Governance

Corporate Governance and Board Matters

The Board of Directors annually reviews the independence of all non-employee directors. In 2020, the Board established categorical standards consistent with the corporate governance standards of NASDAQ to assist the Board in making determinations of the independence of Board members. A copy of our Standards for Director Independence, which was adopted by the Board in April 2020, is available on the investor relations portion of our website at https://ir.anika.com/governance-documents. These categorical standards require that, to be independent, a director may not have a material relationship with our Company. Even if a director meets all categorical standards for independence, the Board reviews other relationships with Anika in order to conclude that each independent director has no material relationship with Anika either directly or indirectly.

The Board has determined that each of the continuing directors and director nominees, other than our President and Chief Executive Officer, Cheryl R. Blanchard, Ph.D., is “independent” within the meaning of the director independence standards of NASDAQ and the SEC. The Board based these determinations primarily on a review of the responses of each director and director nominee to questions regarding employment and compensation history, affiliations, and family and other relationships, and on other relevant discussions with the directors and director nominees.

Independent directors meet regularly in executive sessions without management participation. The executive sessions generally occur in connection with regularly scheduled meetings of the Board and committees of the Board, and at other times the independent directors deem appropriate. The executive sessions are chaired either by the Chair of the Board or by the Chair of the Board committee, as applicable.

The Board and its committees review matters related to our corporate governance periodically at regularly scheduled meetings. The Board’s review process includes an evaluation of our bylaws, committee charters, diversity programs, corporate social and environmental responsibility initiatives, and other matters related to our governance. During this review, the Board assesses input from management and outside consultants as appropriate to discern whether any actions should be taken on any of these topics. Furthermore, the Board conducts periodic evaluations that focus on the effectiveness of the Board as a whole and of its committees. Board members complete a detailed questionnaire that provides for quantitative rankings in key areas and seeks subjective comments in each of those areas. In addition, members of each Board committee complete a detailed questionnaire to evaluate how well their committee is operating and to make suggestions for improvement. The evaluation process is managed by the Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee, with advice and assistance from outside counsel. Outside counsel may conduct separate, confidential interviews with some or all of the directors to follow-up on responses and comments reflected in the questionnaires to the extent it is determined helpful or necessary. An anonymized summary of the principal findings from the evaluation process is prepared by outside counsel and is used as the basis for self-assessment discussions by the Board and its committees.

The Board met 13 times during 2023. Each of the directors attended at least 75% of the of the Board meetings in 2023 during the director’s term.

Our annual meetings of stockholders are generally held to coincide with one of the Board’s regularly scheduled meetings.

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Cooperation Agreement with Caligan Partners LP et. al

On May 28, 2024, the Company entered into a Cooperation Agreement, or the Cooperation Agreement, with Caligan Partners LP, Caligan Partners Master Fund LP and David Johnson (collectively with each of their respective affiliates and associates, the “Investor Group”).

Pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement, the Company agreed to increase the size of the Board to ten directors and appoint William R. Jellison as an independent Class I director and Joseph H. Capper as an independent Class II director to fill such vacancies with terms expiring at the Annual Meeting and 2025 annual meeting of stockholders, respectively. The Company also agreed to nominate and support Mr. Jellison for election at the Annual Meeting, subject to the Board’s fiduciary duties under applicable law. Each of Mr. Jellison and Mr. Capper have been appointed to the Capital Allocation Committee of the Board and the Capital Allocation Committee will be set at five directors, subject to the Board’s fiduciary duties under applicable law. Following the Annual Meeting, the size of the Board will be decreased to nine directors and the Company agreed to limit the size of the Board to no more than nine directors during the Standstill Period (as defined below), subject to the Board’s fiduciary duties under applicable law.

In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, the Company implemented a share repurchase program, subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements, including the insider trading provisions of U.S. securities law, and other relevant factors, for an aggregate purchase price equal to $40,000,000 to occur by June 30, 2026 as follows: (i) $15,000,000 to be effected through a Rule 10b5-1 compliant trading plan initiated no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 31, 2024 and to be effective through June 30, 2025, and (ii) the remaining amount to be purchased in the open market. In the event of positive “free cash flow” (as defined in the Cooperation Agreement) for the period from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, the amount under the share repurchase program shall be increased by fifty percent (50%) of such positive amount and in no event shall the Company be required to make any purchases in the event that the Company’s cash would be less than $45,000,000 after taking into account the share repurchase and reasonably anticipated capital expenditures and restructuring costs. This new buyback authorization replaces the Company’s share repurchase program announced in April 2023.

Under the Cooperation Agreement, the Investor Group agreed to certain voting commitments. Commencing on the date of the Cooperation Agreement and ending on the date that is thirty calendar days prior to the notice deadline under the Company’s bylaws for stockholders to submit stockholder nominations for election to the Board at the Company’s 2025 annual meeting of stockholders (such period, the “Standstill Period”), the Investor Group has agreed to appear in person or by proxy at each meeting of the Company’s stockholders and to vote all of its shares of the Company’s common stock in accordance with the Board’s recommendation with respect to the election, removal and/or replacement of directors and any other proposal that is submitted to the stockholders of the Company for their vote, other than a proposal with respect to an amendment to the Company’s 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan or an Extraordinary Transaction (as defined therein).

During the Standstill Period, the Investor Group has also agreed to certain standstill provisions, including, among other things, agreeing not to, subject to certain exceptions, (i) acquire cumulative ownership (directly or indirectly) of more than 9.7% of the Company’s outstanding common stock, (ii) transfer its shares of common stock to any third party that would result in such third party owning more than 4.9% of the Company’s outstanding common stock, (iii) nominate or recommend for nomination any person for election to the Board, (iv) make or be the proponent of any stockholder proposal, (v) engage in any solicitation of proxies or consents with respect to any matter or proposal, (vi) initiate or participate in any tender or exchange offer, merger, consolidation or other extraordinary transaction involving the Company, (vii) subject any voting securities of the

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Company to any voting arrangement or agreement, or (viii) acquire or engage in any transaction involving synthetic equity interests or short interests in the Company.

The Company and the Investor Group have also agreed to certain non-disparagement and no-litigation provisions, subject to certain exceptions, and provisions permitting the Investor Group the opportunity to meet quarterly with the Capital Allocation Committee and management.

The foregoing summary of the Cooperation Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Cooperation Agreement, a copy of which has been filed as an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 28, 2024.

The Board’s Leadership Structure

In connection with Jeffery Thompson’s announcement in February 2024 of his planned retirement from the Board effective as of the end of his current term at the 2024 Annual Meeting, John B. Henneman, III was appointed as the Chair of the Board effective February 24, 2024. Separating the roles of Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on the strategic management of our day-to-day business, while allowing the Chair of the Board to focus on leading the Board of Directors in its fundamental role of providing advice to, and independently overseeing, management. The Board recognizes the time, effort, and energy that the Chief Executive Officer is required to devote to the position in the current business environment, as well as the commitment required to serve as Chair of the Board, particularly as the Board’s oversight responsibilities continue to grow. The Board believes that having separate positions, with an independent, non-executive director serving as Chair of the Board, is the appropriate leadership structure for our Company at this time and allows the Board to fulfill its role in maintaining independence from management.

The Board’s Role in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Oversight

The Board of Directors believes that our Company has a broad responsibility that takes into account the positive effect we seek to have on the people we employ, serve and support, and the environment and the communities where we live and work. The full Board has oversight of our environmental, social and governance, or ESG, initiatives, which are the direct responsibility of a cross-functional group comprised of members of our senior management team under the leadership of our Vice President, Investor Relations, ESG and Corporate Communications.

The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

The role of the Board of Directors in our risk oversight process includes receiving reports from management and the Chairs of Board committees on areas of material risk to our Company, including operational, financial, commercial, legal, regulatory, strategic, cybersecurity and reputational risks. The Board has delegated primary responsibility to the Audit Committee to review these matters and discuss with management the process by which management assesses and manages our risk exposure, risk management, and risk mitigation strategies. The Audit Committee also works with other committees to assess areas of risk under the particular purview of those committees. When the Audit Committee receives a report from management or another committee, the Chair of the Audit Committee reviews the matter and then summarizes the review in a presentation to the full Board. This enables the Board and its committees to coordinate the risk oversight role to ensure that all directors receive all significant risk-related information. The Board also administers its risk oversight function through the required approval by the Board (or a committee of the Board) of significant transactions and other material decisions and through regular periodic reports from our independent registered public accounting firm and other outside

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consultants regarding various areas of potential risk, including, among others, those relating to our internal controls and financial reporting. In addition, as part of its charter, the Audit Committee discusses with management significant financial and operational risks and exposures, as well as the steps management has taken to minimize those risks. This includes the oversight and management of cybersecurity risks through the review of data management and security initiatives and significant existing and emerging cybersecurity risks, including material cybersecurity incidents and their impact on the Company.

Board Committees

The Board of Directors currently has four standing committees:

The membership of each standing committee was as follows as of May 28, 2024:

The Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee, Capital Allocation Committee, Compensation Committee, and Governance and Nominating Committee, each of which is reviewed yearly by that committee. You can find these charters on the investor relations portion of our website at https://ir.anika.com/board-committees.

Audit Committee

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The Audit Committee held 8 meetings in 2023. Each of the members attended all of the Audit Committee meetings held in 2023 while the member served on the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee holds separate sessions of its meetings, outside the presence of management, with our independent auditor in conjunction with each regularly scheduled Audit Committee meeting in which the independent auditor participates. During 2023, the Audit Committee regularly met privately with our management and held executive sessions with only non-employee directors in attendance as appropriate. No director is eligible to serve on the Audit Committee if that director simultaneously serves on the audit committees of three or more other public companies.

The current members of the Audit Committee are Stephen O. Richard, who serves as Chair, Sheryl L. Conley, and Susan L. N. Vogt. The Board has determined that each member is independent, as defined for purposes of the SEC and NASDAQ, is financially literate, and has the requisite financial sophistication to serve on the Audit Committee. The Board has also determined that each of Mr. Richard and Ms. Vogt qualifies under SEC rules as an “audit committee financial expert,” which designation is an SEC disclosure requirement related to their experience and understanding of certain accounting and auditing matters. The designation does not impose upon either of the members any duties, obligations, or liabilities that are greater than those otherwise imposed on them as members of the Audit Committee and the Board.

Capital Allocation Committee

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The Capital Allocation Committee held 2 meetings in 2023. Each of the members attended all of the Capital Allocation Committee meetings held in 2023 while the member served on the Capital Allocation Committee.

In 2023, the members of the Capital Allocation Committee were Jeffery S. Thompson, who served as Chair, Gary P. Fischetti, and John B. Henneman, III. The current members of the Capital Allocation Committee are Stephen O. Richard, who serves as Chair, Joseph H. Capper, Gary P. Fischetti, John B. Henneman, III and William R. Jellison.

Compensation Committee

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The Compensation Committee held 7 meetings in 2023. Each of the members attended at least 75% of the Compensation Committee meetings held in 2023 while the member served on the Compensation Committee. During 2023, the Compensation Committee regularly held executive sessions with only non-employee directors in attendance as appropriate, including when evaluating the performance of Dr. Cheryl R. Blanchard.

The current members of the Compensation Committee are John B. Henneman, III, who serves as Chair, Sheryl L. Conley, Gary P. Fischetti and Glenn R. Larsen, Ph.D. The Board has determined that each current member of the Compensation Committee is independent, as defined in the listing standards of NASDAQ.

Governance and Nominating Committee

The Governance and Nominating Committee held 2 meetings in 2023. Each of the members attended all of the of the Governance and Nominating Committee meetings held in 2023 while the member served on the Governance and Nominating Committee. During 2023, the Governance and Nominating Committee regularly held executive sessions with only non-employee directors in attendance as appropriate. In 2023, the Governance and Nominating Committee focused on reviewing the skill set of the Board members as a whole to ensure that the Board represents a balanced skill set enabling appropriate Board oversight of our Company in relation to our industry, strategic plan and stockholder alignment.

The current members of the Governance and Nominating Committee are Susan L. N. Vogt, who serves as Chair, John B. Henneman, III, and Glenn R. Larsen, Ph.D. The Board has determined that each current member of the Governance and Nominating Committee is independent, as defined in the listing standards of NASDAQ.

Board Membership Qualifications and Procedures

When considering candidates for director, the Governance and Nominating Committee takes into account a number of factors, including the following minimum qualifications: the nominee (a) shall have the highest personal and professional integrity, (b) shall have demonstrated exceptional ability and judgment, and (c) shall be most effective, in conjunction with the other members of the Board of Directors, in collectively serving the long-term interests of the stockholders. In addition, the Governance and Nominating Committee takes into consideration such other factors as it deems appropriate, including any direct and applicable experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and/or life sciences industries, or in the markets in which we operate. The Governance and Nominating Committee may also consider, among other things, the skills of the

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candidate, his or her availability based on other commitments, including those related to other boards or committees that the candidate is involved with, the candidate’s depth and breadth of experience or other background characteristics, and his or her independence.

In addition to the considerations above, the Board strongly believes that diversity is an important component of a successful and effective board of directors and good corporate governance, including diversity of background, skills, experience, gender, race, and ethnicity. The Governance and Nominating Committee, guided by its charter, assesses and considers the diversity of the Board prior to nominating candidates and seeks to identify director candidates who will enhance the Board’s overall diversity. The Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board select candidates on the basis of qualifications and experience without discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sex, sexual preference, or religion. Accordingly, it is the practice of the Governance and Nominating Committee to include, and we request that any search firms we engage include, candidates with diversity in gender and demographic backgrounds in any pool from which the Governance and Nominating Committee selects director candidates. We believe that our current Board members collectively reflect a broad range of knowledge, expertise, and experience in the disciplines that impact our business.

Our bylaws include a procedure that stockholders must follow to nominate a person for election as a director at an annual meeting of stockholders. The bylaws require that timely notice of the nomination in proper written form, including all required information as specified in the bylaws, be mailed to the Governance and Nominating Committee in care of our Chief Executive Officer, Anika Therapeutics, Inc., 32 Wiggins Avenue, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730. A copy of our bylaws can be viewed on the investor relations portion of our website at https://ir.anika.com/governance-documents. The Governance and Nominating Committee will consider director nominees recommended by stockholders in accordance with the Anika Therapeutics, Inc. Policy and Procedures for Stockholder Nominations to the Board, a copy of which is available on the investor relations portion of our website at https://ir.anika.com/governance-documents. Recommendations should be submitted to our Secretary in writing at Anika Therapeutics, Inc., 32 Wiggins Avenue, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730, along with additional required information about the nominee and the stockholder making the recommendation. The Governance and Nominating Committee may solicit recommendations for candidates for directors from non-management directors, the Chief Executive Officer, other executive officers, third-party search firms, and such other sources as it deems appropriate, including stockholders. The Governance and Nominating Committee will review and evaluate the qualifications of all such proposed candidates in the same manner and without regard to the source of the recommendation.

Communications with Directors

The Board of Directors seeks input from a wide variety of sources to inform their work, including from stockholders. The Board welcomes stockholder input via voting, via participating in our annual meetings of stockholders, via our stockholder engagement program, and, more formally, via mail. If you wish to communicate with any of our directors, or the Board as a group, you may do so by writing to the individual director or to the Board, in care of our Chief Executive Officer, Anika Therapeutics, Inc., 32 Wiggins Avenue, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730. We recommend that all correspondence be sent via certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested. All correspondence received by the Chief Executive Officer will be forwarded to the appropriate addressee. Communications involving substantive accounting or auditing matters will be forwarded to the Chair of the Audit Committee. Communications that pertain to non-financial matters will be forwarded to the relevant director.

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Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

The Board of Directors seeks input from a wide variety of sources to inform their work, including from stockholders. The Board welcomes stockholder input via voting, via participating in our annual meetings of stockholders, via our stockholder engagement program, and, more formally, via mail. If you wish to communicate with any of our directors, or the Board as a group, you may do so by writing to the individual director or to the Board, in care of our Chief Executive Officer, Anika Therapeutics, Inc., 32 Wiggins Avenue, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730. We recommend that all correspondence be sent via certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested. All correspondence received by the Chief Executive Officer will be forwarded to the appropriate addressee. Communications involving substantive accounting or auditing matters will be forwarded to the Chair of the Audit Committee. Communications that pertain to non-financial matters will be forwarded to the relevant director.

Our Commitment to Compliance

We are committed to maintaining a strong culture of compliance across our entire organization. We believe that a workplace with a culture of “do the right thing,” guided by high standards and comprehensive policies, is the bedrock of our success as a healthcare company and our ability to deliver life-changing solutions to the customers we serve and the patients they treat around the world. As part of setting this culture and maintaining a strong tone at the top, the following quote from our President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Blanchard, is included in our strategic plan as presented to the Board and is included in our company-wide employee handbook and at the beginning of various training sessions:

“At Anika, a commitment to ethics and quality, as realized and demonstrated through personal integrity and accountability, forms the basis for everything we do and forges the path to all that we can achieve. These foundational tenets of our company are non-negotiable and do not take a day off.”

In addition, in 2023, we continued to build upon our previously expanded company-wide Compliance Program focused on healthcare fraud and abuse, anti-kickback, and foreign corrupt practices act regulations, among others, and reinforced and updated processes to ensure that appropriate controls are in place for compliance with these laws and regulations.

Our Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility – Focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

Introduction

The Board of Directors and our senior management team believe that our company has a broad responsibility to take into account the people we employ, serve and support, and the environment and the communities where we live and work. The full Board has oversight of our environmental, social and governance, or ESG, initiatives.

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We have developed a foundational ESG framework for our company that integrates our six key values, which we remain committed to and practice throughout our organization:

The initial step in our ESG journey began in 2021 with the completion of a “materiality assessment” based on the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, or SASB, framework. Our materiality assessment was a research-intensive and stakeholder-inclusive process and included guidance and insight from external advisors, while soliciting crucial feedback from key internal and external stakeholders, including investors, customers, suppliers, employees and members of our Board. The materiality assessment, and the initiatives that have resulted from it, have been undertaken with full support and oversight of the Board. Our senior management team owns, implements, and tracks our ESG strategy and efforts in collaboration with every major business function, under the leadership of our Vice President, Investor Relations, ESG and Corporate Communications.

As a result of the materiality assessment, we identified the following themes that are most important to our stakeholders and our business within traditional environmental, social and governance pillars. Our materiality assessment enabled us to select our current focus areas within ESG initiatives:

Environmental

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Social

Governance

Each of our ESG focus areas continue to have management team sponsorship and engagement with ongoing oversight by the Board. We will continue to assess and update our ESG initiatives as our business grows and as we implement processes and improvements over time.

Our Environmental Focus

Environmental Climate: Climate, Energy Use and Emissions

As a global company, we recognize the importance of reducing the impact of our operations on the environment. Water is a precious resource, which we conserve and protect in a number of ways. We employ deionization in our primary manufacturing facility in Bedford, Massachusetts to remove impurities in wastewater, allowing it to be reused during the manufacturing process. In addition, because our Bedford facility is adjacent to wetlands, we take measures to protect the wetlands through the use of state-of-the-art technology to trap sediment and other materials, maintain storm water pollution plans, and ensure that harmful chemicals are not used on our company’s grounds.

Anika is committed to continually evaluating ways to reduce its carbon footprint in its contribution to the Paris Climate agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to 1.5^o C and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Despite being a low GHG emitter due to our relatively small operational footprint, we are committed to evaluating carbon reduction opportunities over the coming years in-line with our business priorities. In early 2023, we completed our Green House Gas, or GHG, emissions baseline utilizing 2022 data, for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions across our global facilities, and in 2023 we continued to measure our global emissions (Scope 1 = 1,559 mtCO2e and Scope 2 = 2,085 mtCO2e). A complete summary of our GHG emissions and energy consumption data for 2022 and 2023 can be reviewed on our ESG website at https://ir.anika.com/esg. We are currently evaluating options to reduce our carbon footprint, such as moving to renewable energy, looking for ways to be more energy efficient and evaluating the purchase of carbon offset credits. In recent years, we have taken proactive steps to increase energy efficiency at our facilities.

Our Social Focus

Human Capital: Diversity and Inclusion

Promoting diversity throughout our company, including within the Board of Directors and our management team, has been a focal point of the Board, starting with the appointment of Cheryl R. Blanchard, Ph.D. as our President and Chief Executive Officer in early 2020, and the additions to the Board of Stephen O. Richard and Sheryl L. Conley in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Currently, women account for 50% of our senior management team and 30% of our Board. As detailed under the “Board Representation” section on page 5 and our Board of Directors Diversity Matrix on page 6 above, our ten-member Board currently includes three women and one person of color.

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In 2020, Dr. Blanchard, with the support of the Board, joined other chief executive officers in signing the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council “CEO Pledge for a More Equitable and Inclusive Life Sciences Industry.” The signers of this pledge “recognize that racial inequity exists in [the life sciences] industry and in [life sciences] companies, and [they] must take responsibility to fix that injustice through comprehensive equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives that are broad in scope, specific in action, and measurable in results.” The full text of the pledge can be found at: https://www.massbio.org/initiatives/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/open-letter/.

As part of our commitment to the pledge, in 2021 we created an internal Diversity Dashboard to track diversity metrics throughout our company. The trends captured by the Diversity Dashboard are shared and discussed with the Board, ensuring oversight and accountability at the highest level of our company. Additionally, since 2021, we have maintained a corporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, policy statement and included it in our employee handbook and onboarding program. The DEI policy statement clearly conveys our commitment:

“Anika is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace where all employees, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability are valued, respected, and supported. We will not discriminate based on these characteristics and will provide equal opportunities for employment and advancement throughout our company. Anika respects and appreciates diverse life experiences and heritages and will always work to ensure that all voices are heard and valued.”

In 2023, to further reinforce our commitment to DEI, we continued to align management compensation and initiatives to specific DEI objectives established in connection with our DEI policy statement, including: (i) launching our third company-wide employee engagement survey leveraging targeted questions about DEI to include communication, belonging, and diversity of thought and voice, (ii) launching a company-wide intranet site, OneAnika, a cloud-based platform that provides real time information to employees, (iii) broadening our search for diverse candidates through continued utilization of diversity tools within LinkedIn and Fetch and through inclusion of trade schools in our co-op and internship programs, (iv) securing funding through a grant program to offer an Emerging Leaders training program based on our commitment to developing our employees and hiring to include diverse candidates, (v) conducting a full compensation analysis by leveraging benchmarking data with a focus on both internal and external peer parity and utilizing this data during the annual merit process as we furthered our effort towards ensuring compensation ratios were equitable company-wide, and (vi) implementing metrics to drive continuous improvement around our DEI initiatives, processes and objectives. We are continuing to evaluate our diversity profile against local and industry demographics to establish strategies to improve our mix of gender and race.

Recognizing the value of employee engagement and retention, the Company established corporate goals to improve employee engagement and voluntary turnover at the corporate level. Through efforts including hands on coaching and an emphasis on performance management, the company improved voluntary turnover from 17% to 11% in 2023. Additionally, as we continue our commitment to improvement, with a specific focus on improvements in communication across the Company, we: (i) continue to offer monthly company-wide “Knowledge Boosters” hosted by employees to provide opportunities to learn about different aspects of the company, including products, shareholder value and equity, and various functions required of public medical device companies, (ii) host quarterly town hall meetings for all employees in which our leadership team provides updates on company initiatives and financials, and occasionally hosts surgeons who provide their perspective on how our products enhance the lives of their patients, (iii) reach out to employees periodically throughout the year to refresh our employee survey data in an ongoing effort to continuously improve our culture and employee experience, and (iv) continually evaluate our health, benefit and wellness programs to search for ways to reduce health and benefit costs for employees when possible, while encouraging employees to focus on their health and wellness.

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Human Capital: Safe and Healthy Workplace

We provide resources, programs and services to support the physical, emotional and financial health of our employees. Additionally, specifically in regard to workplace safety, we have a Health, Safety and Environmental Policy that all employees are required to be trained on, which can be viewed on our website at https://ir.anika.com/governance-documents.

As part of our robust workplace safety training, we have implemented interactive virtual learning systems. These systems are function-specific and ensure that all employees have access to critical information to keep them and their co-workers safe. We also use an electronic management system, or EMS, to obtain information on any accidents or other safety issues. Our EMS offers the ability for anyone at our company to submit information about potential safety risks. All employees participate in annual training on workplace safety and the use of systems, including EMS, to ensure that the importance of workplace safety is top of mind for employees throughout our company.

Social Capital: Product Quality and Safety

Quality is integral to our business model and our long-term success. To drive quality assurance, we maintain a robust Quality Management System, or QMS, that fosters continuous improvement, drives manufacturing excellence and ensures compliance with global standards. Comprehensive annual training for employees enables us to consistently produce safe, high-quality products that meet or exceed the expectations of our customers.

As a medical device manufacturer, we adhere to ISO 13485 standards supported by our QMS. Our QMS is aligned with regulations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and GMED, an international reference body in the certification of health care and medical device quality management systems.

Our Governance Focus

Governance: Business Ethics and Integrity

A workplace culture of “do the right thing,” guided by high standards and comprehensive policies, is the bedrock to our success as a life science company. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics guides the Board of Directors and our employees in making ethical and legal decisions when conducting business and fulfilling their roles and responsibilities as representatives of our company. We also have a Conflict of Interest Policy and an Insider Trading Policy, as well as a channel for employees and Directors to report concerns through our Whistleblower Policy. Please view our Corporate Governance documents webpage at https://ir.anika.com/governance-documents for a full list, and access to copies, of our governance documents and policies.

Our Compliance Program is based on our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and is structured to help our company comply with the myriad of laws, guidelines and regulations that impact our business by mirroring the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General’s, or OIG’s, seven elements of an effective compliance program. We have established a Compliance Committee, made up of our Chief Executive Officer and senior representatives from several other functions within our company, which oversees the operation of our healthcare Compliance Program. In addition, we have established an Engagements Committee, which reviews and approves proposed interactions with healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations, including consulting services, royalty arrangements, requests for grants and research engagements. We follow the Advanced Medical Technology Association’s (AdvaMed’s) Code of Ethics on Interactions with U.S. Health Care Professionals, or the AdvaMed Code of Ethics, which provides medical technology companies with guidance on ethical interactions and relationships with health care professionals.

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AdvaMed is a global trade association of companies that develop, produce, manufacture, and market medical technologies, and which are dedicated to advancing medical science, developing high quality, innovative medical technology, and improving patient care. To view the AdvaMed Code of Ethics, please visit https://www.advamed.org/member-center/resource-library/advamed-code-of-ethics/.

In 2023, we continued to focus on working to ensure that our international distributors are organizations that operate in compliance with our policies and procedures and all laws and regulations. Using an independent screening process and third-party service providers that focus on investigating the integrity, reputation and business practices of our potential distribution partners, we attempt to gauge the level of risk posed by international distributors based on their geographic location and past corporate behavior, among other factors, and tailor our due diligence efforts and our willingness to engage specific distributors accordingly. We recognize that vigilant oversight of this aspect of our supply chain is foundational to our ability to grow our business with high ethical standards and integrity.

Business Model: Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management is a fundamental aspect of our business to ensure we have the raw materials and equipment/parts available to manufacture our products in a timely fashion for our customers and their patients. During the past few years, we have taken steps to navigate the challenges of the global supply chain crisis, including finding additional/alternative suppliers and reengineering our manufacturing processes and supplies for a more streamlined procurement process. Many of these supply chain improvements and the processes we initiated to develop and implement them, while born of near-term necessity, are now permanent and will enhance our ability to procure supplies to satisfy the needs of our customers and their patients as we continue to grow and transform our business.

Cybersecurity

In addition to the themes identified in our materiality assessment, we continue to focus on cybersecurity. We rely on information technology and data to operate our business and develop, market, and deliver our products to our customers. We have implemented and maintain various information security processes designed to identify, assess and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats to critical computer networks, third party hosted services, communications systems, hardware, manufacturing equipment and processes, lab equipment, software, and our critical data including confidential, personal, proprietary, financial and sensitive data. Accordingly, we maintain certain risk assessment processes intended to identify risks from cybersecurity threats, determine their likelihood of occurring, and assess potential material impact to our business.

We use a layered approach designed to mitigate the constantly evolving risks from cybersecurity threats by investing in people, processes, and cybersecurity technologies. Our approach is informed by recognized industry standards and frameworks, and incorporates elements of the same, including elements of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework, or NIST CSF, and the Center for Internet Security, or CIS, critical security controls.

Our cybersecurity risk management program leverages trusted technology partners and solutions in an effort to identify and track key cybersecurity risks. This program includes period security assessments conducted in collaboration with our key stakeholders, penetration testing and vulnerability assessments, and a mandatory cybersecurity training program for employees. To manage cybersecurity incidents, our global security operations team maintains a cybersecurity incident response plan, conducts readiness exercises, and takes steps to improve the program, as appropriate, to manage the changing threats faced in our industry.

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As part of our cybersecurity risk management program, we take a risk-based approach to the evaluation of third-party vendors. We apply mitigations and processes based on our evaluation of the criticality of the vendor and the sensitivity of the data the vendor accesses. Our current vendor evaluation procedures include, as appropriate, an assessment prior to onboarding and implementation of cybersecurity-specific contract provisions. We are in the process of expanding and maturing these vendor risk management procedures.

Our Vice President of Information Technology, or VP of IT, is responsible for the direction of our information technology organization. Our VP of IT has over twenty-five years of cybersecurity and incident management experience. Our VP of IT is supported by a third-party virtual chief information security officer, or vCISO, who also has over twenty-five years of cybersecurity experience. Our VP of IT, supported by our vCISO, assesses our cybersecurity risks through regular meetings with our IT team, and escalates cybersecurity matters as needed to management.

The role of the Board of Directors in our risk oversight process includes receiving reports from management and the chairs of Board committees on areas of material risk to our Company, including cybersecurity risks. The Board has delegated primary responsibility to the Audit Committee to review these matters. As established in the Audit Committee Charter, the Audit Committee oversees cybersecurity risks by reviewing reports, summaries and presentations on data management and security initiatives and significant existing and emerging cybersecurity risks. This includes material cybersecurity incidents, the impact to us and our stakeholders of any significant cybersecurity incident, and any disclosure obligations arising from any such incidents. Our VP of IT presents on risks from cybersecurity threats to the Audit Committee at least annually and to the full Board, as necessary.

Conclusion

The Board of Directors, our senior management team and our global employees all recognize the importance of ESG matters in creating and maintaining an environment of corporate accountability while striving to deliver high quality products that transform the lives of patients. We have made significant progress in identifying and establishing initiatives to address the ESG focus areas identified above, and we are committed to the ongoing assessment, development and continuous improvement required in these important areas.

Director Overboarding Guidelines

The Board of Directors recognizes that its members benefit from service on the boards of other companies and it encourages such service. The Board also believes, however, that it is critical that directors are able to dedicate sufficient time to their service on the Board. To help maintain the desired balance, the Board follows our Commitment to the Board; Service on Other Boards; Change in Status Guidelines. Pursuant to these guidelines, unless the Board determines that such service would not impair the ability of a director to effectively serve on the Board or the Audit Committee of the Board:

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Directors must notify the Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee and our Secretary before accepting a seat on the board of directors of, or any assignment to the audit committee of, another public company so that the potential for conflicts or other factors potentially compromising the director’s ability to perform his or her duties may be fully assessed.

Prohibition on Employee, Officer, and Director Hedging and Pledging

It is our policy that all employees and directors, as well as their family members, must not hedge or pledge any Anika securities they hold directly. An exception to this prohibition may be granted where a person wishes to pledge Anika securities as collateral for a loan, upon approval by our Chief Financial Officer, if certain other conditions are met. The prohibition on hedging is included in our Insider Trading Policy, which was implemented by the Board of Directors in December 2016 and most recently amended in March 2023. A copy of our Insider Trading Policy can be viewed on the investor relations portion of our website at https://ir.anika.com/governance-documents.

Majority Voting in Uncontested Director Elections Policy

The Board of Directors adopted our “Majority Voting in Uncontested Director Elections Policy” in December 2015. An uncontested election occurs when the number of director nominees is equal to the number of Board positions to be filled through election and proxies are being solicited for such election of directors solely by our company. Pursuant to our policy in such an election, if a director receives a greater number of votes “AGAINST” than “FOR” election, such director must promptly offer to resign. The Governance and Nominating Committee then will consider all of the relevant facts and circumstances and recommend to the Board whether or not to accept the offer of resignation. The final decision of whether or not to accept such resignation shall be made by the Board, and, if required or determined by the Board to be desirable, we will disclose the decision of the Board along with the rationale for the decision.

Transactions with Related Persons and Conflict of Interest Policy

It is our policy that all employees and directors, as well as their family members, must avoid any activity that is, or has the appearance of, conflicting with our business interests. This policy is included in our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and it is supplemented by our Conflict of Interest Policy, which was implemented by the Board of Directors in October 2015 and updated in December 2022, and can be viewed on the investor relations portion of our website at https://ir.anika.com/governance-documents. Both the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the Conflict of Interest Policy are reviewed at least every three years, or more often as necessary or advisable. Among other things, this policy requires each director and officer to provide to the Chair of the Audit Committee (or to the Chief Executive Officer, if such transaction involves the Chair of the Audit Committee) written notice of any potential related party transaction, defined by our policy to mirror the definition of Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. Any such notice must include all information requested by the Chair of the Audit Committee (or the Chief Executive Officer, as applicable). Upon receiving all relevant information, the disinterested members of the Audit Committee may approve the transaction if they determine that the transaction is in the best interests of, and fair to, Anika, may require modifications to the transaction to make it acceptable for approval or may reject it. The Audit Committee may also establish guidelines for ongoing management of a specific related party transaction. The policy requires continuing related party transactions to be reviewed on at least an annual basis. Additionally, the policy requires all of our executives and directors to complete a director and officer questionnaire in connection with each of our annual proxy statements, which asks them to disclose family relationships and other related party transactions.

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Other than as disclosed below, from January 1, 2023 through May 31, 2024, we had no reportable related party transactions.

In May 2024, the Company entered into the Cooperation Agreement with the Investor Group. Please see the section captioned “Cooperation Agreement with Caligan Partners LP et. al.”

The Investor Group is a greater than 5% stockholder of the Company. Pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement, the Company reimbursed the Investor Group for such reasonable, documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses (including legal expenses) incurred in connection with the subject matter of the Cooperation Agreement, up to $600,000 in the aggregate.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s Directors, executive officers and holders of more than 10% of the Company’s common stock (the Reporting Persons) to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of common stock of the Company. Such persons are required by regulations of the SEC to furnish the Company with copies of all such filings. Based on its review of the copies of such filings received by it from January 1, 2023 to the present, the Company believes that no Reporting Person filed a late report during the referenced timeframe. While we are not aware of any late filings, the Form 3 filing for Anne M. Nunes made on June 26, 2023 incorrectly reported the Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned under Table I, Column 2 as 3,293 shares. That amount was corrected to 4,777 shares in a Form 3/A filed on January 12, 2024.

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Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock

The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of common stock as of May 17, 2024, by:

The number of shares of common stock owned by each person is determined under the rules of the SEC. Under these rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power and any shares that the individual has the right to acquire by July 16, 2024 (sixty days after May 17, 2024) through the conversion of a security or other right. Unless otherwise indicated, each person has sole investment and voting power, or shares such power with a family member, with respect to the shares set forth in the following table. The inclusion in this table of any shares deemed beneficially owned does not constitute an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares for any other purpose. As of May 17, 2024, there were 14,857,369 shares of common stock outstanding. Shares not outstanding, but deemed beneficially owned by virtue of the right of a person to acquire those shares, are treated as outstanding only for purposes of determining the number and percent of shares of common stock owned by such person or group. Unless otherwise noted below, the address of each person listed on the table is in care of Anika Therapeutics, Inc., 32 Wiggins Avenue, Bedford, Massachusetts 01730.

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Executive Officers

The Board of Directors appoints our executive officers annually at a regular meeting held immediately preceding an annual meeting of stockholders. The Board also appoints executive officers throughout the year as such individuals are hired by us. Executive officers hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly appointed, unless they sooner resign or are removed from office. There are no family relationships between any of our directors (including director nominees) or executive officers.

The following table lists our executive officers and their offices and ages, all as of May 17, 2024. It is currently expected that each of these officers will be re-appointed to their current offices by the Board immediately preceding the Annual Meeting, with the exception of Michael L. Levitz, who tendered his resignation from his role as an executive officer on May 2, 2024, with effect as of June 3, 2024:

Dr. Blanchard’s biography is included above in the section titled “Proposal 1: Election of Directors – Information Regarding the Directors.”

Michael L. Levitz was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in August 2020. Mr. Levitz served as the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Insulet Corporation, a publicly traded, global medical device and drug delivery company, from 2015 to May 2019. From 2009 to 2015, Mr. Levitz was the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Analogic Corporation, a global provider of medical guidance, diagnostic imaging, and threat detection equipment. Previously, during his seven years with Hologic, Inc. and Cytyc Corporation (which merged with Hologic), Mr. Levitz served in various capacities including Vice President and Corporate Controller. Mr. Levitz began his career in the high technology audit practice at Arthur Andersen LLP. Mr. Levitz earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics, with emphasis in Accounting, from the University of California Santa Barbara and is a certified public accountant.

David B. Colleran was appointed Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in March 2020. Most recently, Mr. Colleran served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer at Insulet Corporation, a publicly traded, global medical device and drug delivery company, from July 2015 through March 2019. Prior to that, from 2010 to 2015, he held the role of Vice President and General Counsel of the Medical Supplies segment, and from 2006 to 2010, he held the role of Associate General Counsel, both at Covidien, a global manufacturer of medical devices and supplies acquired by Medtronic in 2015. Prior to that, he was Corporate Counsel at Ocean Spray Cranberries. Mr. Colleran began his career as a corporate attorney at the law firm Choate, Hall & Stewart. Mr. Colleran holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.

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Anne M. Nunes was appointed Senior Vice President, Chief Operations Officer in June 2023. Prior to her appointment as Senior Vice President, Chief Operations Officer, Ms. Nunes was our Vice President of Operations since September 2021. Prior to joining the Company, from 2019 to 2021, Ms. Nunes served as Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Smith & Nephew, a global portfolio medical technology company focused on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue. From 2012 to 2019, Ms. Nunes held roles of increasing responsibility with Smith & Nephew, including Senior Vice President of Process Optimization, Vice President of Supply Chain for the Advance Surgical Devices division, and Chief Information Officer of the Sports Medicine business. Prior to 2012, Ms. Nunes held positions at Biogen Idec, a global biotechnology company that pioneers science and drives innovations for complex and devastating diseases, and Eli Lilly & Co., a pharmaceutical company. Ms. Nunes holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Illinois and a Masters of Business Administration from Boston University.

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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

This section describes and analyzes the material elements of the 2023 compensation for our named executive officers, or NEOs, determined in accordance with SEC rules, as follows:

Our Company

Founded in 1992, Anika Therapeutics, Inc. is a global joint preservation company that creates and delivers meaningful advancements in early intervention orthopedic care. Based on our collaborations with clinicians to understand what they need most to treat their patients, we develop minimally invasive products that restore active living for people around the world. We are committed to leading in high opportunity spaces within orthopedics, including osteoarthritis, or OA, pain management, regenerative solutions, sports medicine and Arthrosurface joint solutions.

We have more than thirty years of global expertise developing, manufacturing and commercializing products based on our hyaluronic acid, or HA, technology platform. In early 2020, we enhanced our overall technology platform, product portfolio, and significantly expanded our commercial infrastructure, especially in the United States, through our strategic acquisitions of Parcus Medical, LLC, or Parcus Medical, a sports medicine and instrumentation solutions provider, and Arthrosurface Incorporated, or Arthrosurface, a company specializing in bone preserving partial and total joint replacement solutions. These acquisitions have been part of the transformation of our company by augmenting our HA-based OA pain management and regenerative products with a broad suite of products and capabilities focused on early intervention joint preservation primarily in upper and lower extremities such as shoulder, foot/ankle, knee and hand/wrist. In addition, these acquisitions expanded our product development expertise in the regenerative solutions space.

Executive Summary

Our Fiscal Year 2023 Business Performance

Our 2023 key accomplishments included:

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For other business and financial highlights, please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended

December 31, 2023.

2023 Compensation Highlights

As described more fully below, we made compensation decisions for our NEOs for 2023 that reflect our ongoing commitment to align our executive compensation program with the interests of our stockholders.

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Reported Compensation Value reflects: Base salary, target annual bonus values, and reported grant date fair values of annual equity awards.

Realizable Compensation Value reflects: Base salary earned, actual annual bonus payout values, and the value of equity compensation realized upon vesting based on the closing stock price on the vest date, with those tranches not yet vested valued at the 12/29/2023 closing stock price of $22.66. Premium-priced options, both vested and unvested portions, for all three years were “underwater” as of 12/29/2023.

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Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation and Stockholder Outreach

At the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, approximately 89% of votes cast were in favor of our executive compensation program. The Board and the Compensation Committee viewed this strong support as an indicator of general approval of our approach to executive compensation.

We maintain an annual stockholder engagement program to provide regular updates to our stockholders about our performance and to solicit their feedback, including outreach specifically on our executive compensation program. In May and June 2023, we contacted stockholders collectively representing over 80% of our outstanding common stock and engaged with stockholders representing approximately 40% of our outstanding common stock. During those engagements, we discussed our compensation philosophy, performance, strategy, capital allocation, corporate governance and ESG initiatives, and our stockholders were generally supportive of our approach to our executive compensation program.

We welcome, appreciate and will continue to solicit feedback from our stockholders, and will continue to consider this feedback as we seek to enhance our compensation program and related narrative disclosure, including the information provided in the following discussion.

Compensation Philosophy

The Compensation Committee oversees our overall compensation program and approves our compensation policies. The overriding goal of our compensation program is to drive long-term high performance and increase stockholder value through our pay programs and corporate culture. As a result, the Compensation Committee incorporates performance into many aspects of our compensation program, including pay levels, incentive payouts, and pay opportunities. Corporate and individual goals are set through our yearly budgeting and strategic planning processes and these goals are ultimately reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors prior to, or at the beginning of, each year.

The Compensation Committee, utilizing the structure of our compensation program and, as appropriate, its discretion, implements our executive compensation program to reward our NEOs when their performance meets or exceeds established goals. A significant portion of each NEO’s incentive compensation is weighted towards the management team’s achievement against targeted goals (rather than individual performance), so that if we meet or exceed our goals, the team earns compensation at or above target levels. Conversely, if the team fails to meet the minimum thresholds, they will not be awarded the targeted components of the performance-based compensation.

As a general matter, the Compensation Committee uses compensation data from the annual compensation study of competitive peer companies to inform its decisions about overall compensation opportunities and specific compensation elements. Additionally, the Compensation Committee uses multiple reference points when establishing targeted compensation levels, and it does not benchmark specific elements or total compensation to a specific level or percentile relative to peer companies or the broader market.

Rather than rely on a specific formula-based model, the Compensation Committee applies judgment and discretion in establishing targeted pay levels, considering not only competitive market data, but also factors such as company, business, and individual performance, scope of responsibility, critical needs and skill sets, leadership potential, and succession planning. The Compensation Committee believes that retaining this discretion gives the Compensation Committee the ability to more accurately reflect factors and individual contributions that cannot be absolutely quantified. The Compensation Committee also considers our primary

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physical location near Boston, Massachusetts, the high level of competition for highly qualified life sciences employees in that geographic area, and the need to remain competitive with the compensation offered by other life sciences companies to ensure the successful recruitment and retention of top performing executives and employees, all of which have become more challenging in recent years.

We have designed our compensation program to:

Key Compensation Policies and Practices

Key Features

We believe that our executive compensation program includes key features that align the performance and objectives of the NEOs and our Company with the interests of our stockholders and does not include features that misalign NEO and corporate objectives with stockholder interests. During 2023, we arranged our compensation program in accordance with the practices set forth below:

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Key Performance Factors

In setting the compensation for our NEOs, the Compensation Committee relies primarily on our overall financial performance and an assessment of each individual’s performance and contribution to the achievement of our goals. The Compensation Committee seeks to align the metrics it uses in evaluating our executive compensation with the metrics that we use to evaluate our performance more generally, including those metrics that we publicly disclose.

In 2021, to reflect best market practice and preferences of our stockholders, the Compensation Committee began to use premium-priced stock options as a performance-based equity award to further align individual performance with our goals for growth and stockholder value appreciation. This practice was continued in 2023.

The Compensation Committee balances corporate goals and objectives, including certain financial metrics, product development, share price performance and individual performance, including, but not limited to, completion of strategic projects/transactions and new product releases, in making decisions on annual cash bonus payments. Additionally, the Compensation Committee considers the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer in its review with regard to other NEO performance (other than the Chief Executive Officer) and resulting compensation decisions. In 2023, following the determination of the corporate bonus payout at 94.5% of target, to foster alignment with our stockholders, the Compensation Committee determined to apply certain individual performance adjustments to the bonus payouts for the NEOs, resulting in a total bonus payout of 94.5% of target for Dr. Blanchard, 95.6% of target for each of Messrs. Colleran and Levitz, and 93.1% of target for Ms. Nunes. The Committee recognized the commitment and leadership that the NEOs demonstrated throughout the year maintaining a healthy balance sheet with a focus on revenue and adjusted EBITDA, managing our strategic investments in the development and rollout of a growing product portfolio, driving

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process and system improvements, and delivering on our commitment to improve employee engagement and culture throughout the organization.

The Role of Compensation Consultant

In addition to corporate and individual performance metrics, the Compensation Committee weighs other quantitative factors, such as general compensation trends, in making compensation decisions. In this regard, the Compensation Committee periodically reviews surveys of executive compensation and information concerning compensation in general and at similarly situated companies. For the 2023 compensation cycle, the Compensation Committee elected to engage a new compensation consultant, Willis Towers Watson, or WTW, in 2022 to provide executive compensation consulting services to the Compensation Committee, to assist the Compensation Committee in selecting an appropriate peer group for compensation comparisons, and to perform an executive compensation review. The Compensation Committee assessed the independence of WTW under the applicable SEC and NASDAQ Listing Rules and concluded that the continued engagement of WTW did not raise any conflicts of interest and did not adversely affect WTW’s independence.

In completing its analysis for 2023, the Compensation Committee reviewed competitive data compiled by WTW from a peer group comprised of 17 companies in related businesses at similar stages of development and of similar size in terms of market capitalization and employee population (see Determination of the Compensation Peer Group below). The Compensation Committee also reviewed market data from the 2022 Radford Global Life Sciences Survey, or the Radford Survey, covering public biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. The Compensation Committee uses competitive compensation data from these peer company and industry reviews to inform its decisions about overall compensation opportunities and specific compensation elements.

Additionally, the Compensation Committee uses multiple reference points when establishing targeted compensation levels. While the Compensation Committee considers benchmarking data and may factor certain benchmarking data elements into its compensation decisions, it does not generally seek to benchmark specific compensation elements or total compensation to a specific level or percentile relative to the peer companies or the broader United States market. Rather than rely on a specific formula-based model, the Compensation Committee applies its judgment in establishing targeted pay levels, considering not only competitive market data, but also factors such as company, business, and individual performance, scope of responsibility, critical needs and skill sets, leadership potential, and succession planning.

The Compensation Committee believes this approach gives the committee the ability to more accurately reflect factors and individual contributions that cannot be absolutely quantified. The Compensation Committee also considers our primary locations near Boston, Massachusetts, the high level of competition for highly qualified life sciences employees in that area, and the need to remain competitive with the compensation offered by other life sciences companies to ensure the successful recruitment and retention of top performing executives and employees.

Determination of the Compensation Peer Group

With our compensation consultant’s assistance, the Compensation Committee reviews and adjusts our peer group annually to ensure that the industry data we review is relevant to our current and near-term future activities and goals. We believe that the adjustments we made to our 2023 peer group are appropriate to better reflect changes in our Company over time, based on our history of strong financial performance, growing product pipeline, commercial strategies, and our Global Industrial Classification System, or GICS, Code as a Biotechnology company. Given this dynamic, the Compensation Committee determined it was appropriate to blend

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biotechnology companies with medical device companies in a ratio of approximately 2/3 to 1/3, as we did for 2022. The Compensation Committee adopted the following peer group in November 2022 for use in 2023 compensation decisions: