Initial Registration Statement for Employee Benefit Plan (Form S-8)

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 10, 2025

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE

SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

ACHIEVE LIFE SCIENCES, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

2018 Equity Incentive Plan

2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Richard Stewart

Chief Executive Officer

22722 29th Drive SE, Suite 100

Bothell, WA 98021

(Name and address of agent for service)

(604) 210-2217

(Telephone number, including area code, or agent for service)

Please send copies of all communications to:

Alan Smith, Esq.

Amanda Rose, Esq.

Chelsea Anderson, Esq.

Fenwick & West LLP

401 Union Street, 5th Floor

Seattle, WA 98101

(206) 389-4510

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

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

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

REGISTRATION OF ADDITIONAL SHARES PURSUANT TO GENERAL INSTRUCTION E

Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (the "Registrant") is filing this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration Statement") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") to register (a) 1,734,253 additional shares of common stock under the Registrant's 2018 Equity Incentive Plan ("EIP"), pursuant to the provisions of the EIP providing for an automatic increase in the number of shares reserved for issuance under the EIP on January 1, 2025 and (b) 346,850 additional shares of common stock under the Registrant's 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan ("ESPP"), pursuant to the provisions of the ESPP providing for an automatic increase in the number of shares reserved for issuance under the ESPP on January 1, 2025. This Registration Statement hereby incorporates by reference the contents of the Registrant's previous registration statements on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on November 7, 2018 (Registration No. 333-22853), May 15, 2019 (Registration No. 333-231520), January 24, 2020 (Registration No. 333-236059), March 11, 2021 (Registration No. 333-254156), March 10, 2022 (Registration No. 333-263421), March 16, 2023 (Registration No. 333-270625) and March 28, 2024 (Registration No. 333-278335) to the extent not superseded hereby.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

The following documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") are incorporated herein by reference:

All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the filing of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing such documents, except as to specific sections of such documents as set forth therein. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained in any subsequently filed document which also is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.

The following exhibits are filed herewith:

Item 9. Undertakings.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities

(other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered hereby, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Seattle, Washington, on this 10th day of January, 2025.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Richard Stewart and Mark Oki, and each of them, as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent with full power of substitution, for him in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement on Form S-8, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully for all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

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