Item 1A.
Risk Factors.
Our business is subject to numerous risks. The following important factors, among others, could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, press releases, communications with investors and oral statements. Actual future results may differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR FINANCIAL POSITION AND NEED FOR ADDITIONAL CAPITAL
We have incurred significant losses since inception, expect to incur losses for at least the next several years and may never sustain profitability.
As of December 31, 2019, we had an accumulated deficit of $194.7 million. We have not generated any revenues from product sales and have financed our operations to date primarily through the public offering of our common stock, private placements of our preferred stock, debt financings and funding from collaborations or other agreements. We have not completed development of any product candidate and have devoted substantially all of our financial resources and efforts to research and development, including nonclinical studies and our clinical development programs. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. Net losses and negative cash flows have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital.
We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:
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continue to develop and conduct nonclinical studies and clinical trials with respect to our product candidates;
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seek to identify additional product candidates;
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in-license or acquire additional product candidates;
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seek marketing approvals for our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;
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establish sales, marketing, distribution and other commercial infrastructure in the future to commercialize various products for which we may obtain marketing approval;
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require the manufacture of larger quantities of product candidates for clinical development and potentially commercialization;
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maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio;
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hire additional personnel;
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add equipment and physical infrastructure to support our research and development; and
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continue to implement the infrastructure necessary to support our product development and help us comply with our obligations as a public company.
Our ability to become and remain profitable depends on our ability to generate revenue. We do not expect to generate significant revenue unless and until we are, or one of our collaborators is, able to successfully commercialize one or more of our product candidates. Doing so will require success in a range of challenging activities, including completing clinical trials of our product candidates, obtaining marketing approval for these product candidates, manufacturing, marketing and selling those products for which we, or our collaborators, may obtain marketing approval, satisfying any post-marketing requirements and obtaining reimbursement for our products from private insurance or government payors. We, and our collaborators, may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, or one of our collaborators does, we may never generate revenues that are large enough for us to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease the value of our Company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our research and development efforts, diversify our pipeline of product candidates or continue our operations. A decline in the value of our Company could cause our stockholders to lose all or part of their investments in us.
We have a limited operating history and no history of commercializing pharmaceutical products, which may make it difficult to evaluate the prospects for our future viability.
We began operations in April 2006. Our operations to date have been limited to financing and staffing our Company, developing our technology and product candidates and establishing collaborations. We have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully conduct an international multi-center clinical trial, conduct a large-scale pivotal clinical trial, obtain marketing approvals, manufacture product on a commercial scale or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful product commercialization. Consequently, predictions about our future success or
viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history or a history of successfully developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products.
We will need substantial additional funding. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or commercialization efforts.
Developing pharmaceutical products, including conducting nonclinical studies and clinical trials, is a very time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete. We expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we initiate new clinical trials of, initiate new research and nonclinical development efforts for and seek marketing approval for our product candidates, or if we in-license or acquire product candidates. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we may incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution to the extent that such sales, marketing and distribution are not the responsibility of one of our collaborators. In particular, the costs that we may be required to incur for the manufacture of any product candidate that receives marketing approval may be substantial. Manufacturing a drug at commercial scale may require specialized facilities, processes and materials. Furthermore, we will continue to incur costs associated with operating as a public company. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs or any future commercialization efforts.
In any event, our existing cash and cash equivalents and investments will not be sufficient to fund all of the efforts that we plan to undertake or to fund the completion of development of any of our product candidates. Accordingly, we will be required to obtain further funding through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaboration and licensing arrangements and other sources. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy.
We believe that our cash and cash equivalents and investments as of December 31, 2019, together with the net proceeds of the public offering that we received on January 30, 2020, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of 2021. Our estimate as to how long we expect our cash and cash equivalents and investments to be able to continue to fund our operations is based on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Changing circumstances could cause us to consume capital significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to spend more money than currently expected because of circumstances beyond our control. Our future funding requirements, both short-term and long-term, will depend on many factors, including:
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the progress, timing, costs and results of clinical trials of, and research and nonclinical development efforts for, our product candidates and potential product candidates, including current and future clinical trials;
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our current collaboration agreements and achievement of milestones under these agreements;
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our ability to enter into and the terms and timing of any additional collaborations, licensing, product acquisition or other arrangements that we may establish;
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the number of product candidates that we pursue and their development requirements;
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the outcome, timing and costs of seeking regulatory approvals;
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our headcount growth and associated costs as we expand our research and development and establish a commercial infrastructure;
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the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and protecting our intellectual property rights and defending against intellectual property related claims;
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potential litigation costs; and
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the costs of operating as a public company.
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaboration and licensing arrangements and other sources. We do not have any committed external source of funds, other than potential milestone payments under our Asset Purchase Agreement with Vertex, or the Vertex Agreement, as well as potential milestone payments and royalties under our existing license agreements, each of which is subject to the achievement of development, regulatory and/or sales-based milestones with respect to our product candidates. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities, the ownership interests of our stockholders may be materially diluted, and the terms of these securities could include liquidation or other preferences and anti-dilution protections that could adversely affect the rights of our
stockholders. In addition, debt financing, if available, would result in increased fixed payment obligations and may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends, that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business.
If we raise additional funds through collaborations or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams or product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
Any future indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to operate our business.
We could in the future incur indebtedness containing financial obligations and restrictive covenants, which could have significant adverse consequences, including:
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requiring us to dedicate a portion of our cash resources to the payment of interest and principal, reducing money available to fund working capital, capital expenditures, product development and other general corporate purposes;
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increasing our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and market conditions;
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subjecting us to restrictive covenants that may reduce our ability to take certain corporate actions or obtain further debt or equity financing;
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limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we compete; and
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placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt or better debt servicing options.
Any financial obligations or restrictive covenants could negatively impact our ability to conduct our business.
RISKS RELATED TO THE DISCOVERY, DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF OUR PRODUCT CANDIDATES
Clinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome.
Clinical testing is expensive, time-consuming and uncertain as to outcome. We cannot guarantee that any clinical trials will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. The clinical development of our product candidates is susceptible to the risk of failure inherent at any stage of drug development, including failure to demonstrate efficacy in a clinical trial or across a broad or definable population of patients, the occurrence of severe or medically or commercially unacceptable adverse events, fraudulent conduct by clinical investigators, failure to comply with protocols, applicable regulatory requirements or other determinations made by the FDA, or any comparable foreign regulatory authority that a drug product is not approvable. It is possible that even if one or more of our product candidates has a beneficial effect, that effect will not be detected during clinical evaluation as a result of one or more of a variety of factors, including the size, duration, design, measurements, conduct or analysis of our clinical trials. Conversely, as a result of the same factors, our clinical trials may indicate an apparent positive effect of a product candidate that is greater than the actual positive effect, if any. Similarly, in our clinical trials, we may fail to detect toxicity of or intolerability caused by our product candidates, or mistakenly believe that our product candidates are toxic or not well tolerated when that is not in fact the case.
In addition to the risk of failure inherent in drug development, certain of the deuterated compounds that we, and our collaborators, are developing and may develop in the future may be particularly susceptible to failure to the extent they are based on compounds that others have previously studied or tested, but did not progress in development due to safety, tolerability or efficacy concerns or otherwise. Deuteration of these compounds may not be sufficient to overcome the problems experienced with the corresponding non-deuterated compound.
We may not be able to continue further clinical development of our wholly owned development programs, including CTP-543 and CTP-692. If we are unable to develop, obtain marketing approval for or commercialize our wholly owned development programs, ourselves or through a collaboration, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business could be materially harmed.
We currently have no products approved for sale. The success of our wholly owned development programs will depend on several factors, including:
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in the case of CTP-543, our ability to treat moderate-to-severe alopecia areata with acceptable safety and efficacy;
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in the case of CTP-692, our ability to treat schizophrenia, in patients concurrently receiving antipsychotic medication, with acceptable safety and efficacy;
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successful and timely completion of clinical trials;
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receipt of marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities;
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the performance of our future collaborators, if any, for our programs;
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the extent of any required post-marketing approval commitments to applicable regulatory authorities;
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establishment of supply arrangements with third-party raw materials suppliers and manufacturers;
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our ability to manufacture or arrange for the manufacture of our active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products
with sufficient quality, quantity and reproducibility to support clinical trials and potential future commercialization;
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establishment of arrangements with third-party manufacturers to obtain finished drug products that are appropriately packaged for sale;
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obtaining and maintaining patent, trade secret protection, regulatory exclusivity and freedom to operate, both in the United States and internationally;
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amount of commercial sales, if and when approved;
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a continued acceptable safety profile of our programs following any marketing approval; and
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agreement by third-party payors to reimburse patients for the costs of treatment with our products, and the terms of such reimbursement.
If we are unable to successfully develop, receive marketing approval for and commercialize our wholly owned development programs, or experience delays as a result of any of these factors or otherwise, our business could be materially harmed.
If clinical trials of our product candidates fail to satisfactorily demonstrate safety and efficacy to the FDA and other regulators, we, or our collaborators, may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of these product candidates.
We, or our collaborators, must complete nonclinical development and then conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates in humans in order to obtain marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of our product candidates. Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is inherently uncertain as to outcome. Further, the outcome of nonclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and interim results of a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results. Moreover, nonclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in late-stage clinical trials after achieving positive results in earlier development, and we cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks.
Any inability to successfully complete nonclinical and clinical development could result in additional costs to us, or our collaborators, and impair our ability to generate revenues from product sales, regulatory and commercialization milestones and royalties. In addition, if (1) we, or our collaborators, are required to conduct additional or larger clinical trials or other testing of our product candidates beyond the trials and testing that we, or they, contemplate, (2) we, or our collaborators, are unable to successfully complete clinical trials of our product candidates or other testing, (3) the results of these trials or tests are unfavorable, uncertain or are only modestly favorable, or (4) there are unacceptable safety concerns associated with our product candidates, we, or our collaborators, in addition to incurring additional costs, may:
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be delayed in obtaining marketing approval for our product candidates;
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not obtain marketing approval at all;
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obtain approval for indications or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired;
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obtain approval with labeling that includes significant use or distribution restrictions or significant safety warnings, including boxed warnings;
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be subject to additional post-marketing testing or other requirements; or
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be required to remove the product from the market after obtaining marketing approval.
For instance, AVP-786 is being developed under a collaboration with Avanir. In 2019, Avanir completed two Phase 3 trials evaluating AVP-786 for the treatment of agitation associated with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. The second of the Phase 3 trials did not meet its primary or key secondary endpoints; however, following additional data analysis, Avanir decided to continue developing AVP-786 for the treatment of agitation associated with dementia of the Alzheimer's type in their ongoing global Phase 3 trial and open label long-term extension study. Additionally, Avanir is conducting a Phase 2/3 trial evaluating AVP-786 for the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. However, given the results of Avanir’s second Phase 3 trial
of AVP-786 for the treatment of agitation associated with dementia of the Alzheimer's type, there is no guarantee that any future trials of AVP-786 will meet their primary or key secondary endpoints.
Even if we, or our collaborators, believe that the results of clinical trials for our product candidates warrant marketing approval, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree and may not grant marketing approval of our product candidates.
If we, or our collaborators, experience any of a number of possible unforeseen events in connection with clinical trials of our product candidates, potential marketing approval or commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed or prevented.
We, or our collaborators, may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, clinical trials that could delay or prevent marketing approval of our product candidates, including:
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toxicity or serious adverse effects may be observed in our nonclinical studies causing us to delay or abandon clinical trials;
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clinical trials of our product candidates may produce unfavorable or inconclusive results;
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unexpectedly high placebo response rates;
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rater variability in the assessment of clinical endpoints;
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we, or our collaborators, may decide, or regulators may require us or them, to conduct additional clinical trials and or develop and or validate new clinical endpoints for our clinical trials, or abandon product development programs;
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the number of patients required for clinical trials of our product candidates may be larger than we, or our collaborators, anticipate, patient enrollment in these clinical trials may be slower than we, or our collaborators, anticipate or participants may drop out of these clinical trials at a higher rate than we, or our collaborators, anticipate;
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our third-party contractors, or those of our collaborators, including those manufacturing our product candidates or components or ingredients thereof or conducting clinical trials on our behalf or on behalf of our collaborators, may fail to comply with regulatory requirements or meet their contractual obligations to us or our collaborators in a timely manner or at all;
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criminal or unauthorized misuse of computer systems may result in disruption to our, or our partners' or vendors', clinical trials, nonclinical activities or manufacturing, or may compromise data from our, or our partners' or vendors', clinical or nonclinical studies;
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regulators or institutional review boards may not authorize us, our collaborators or our or their investigators to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site;
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we, or our collaborators, may have delays in reaching or fail to reach agreement on acceptable clinical trial contracts or clinical trial protocols with prospective trial sites;
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patients that enroll in a clinical trial may misrepresent their eligibility to do so or may otherwise not comply with the clinical trial protocol, resulting in the need to drop the patients or the sites from the clinical trial, increase the needed enrollment size for the clinical trial, extend the clinical trial’s duration or cause spurious results;
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investigators may provide inaccurate or false data, resulting in spurious clinical results, an inadequate data set or regulators’ unwillingness to approve a product;
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regulators, institutional review boards or data monitoring committees may require that we, or our collaborators, or our or their investigators suspend or terminate clinical research for various reasons, including noncompliance with regulatory requirements or their standards of conduct, a finding that the participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks, undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics of the product candidate or findings of undesirable effects caused by a chemically or mechanistically similar drug or drug candidate;
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the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our, or our collaborators’, clinical trial design or our or their interpretation of data from nonclinical studies and clinical trials;
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the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may change their requirements for approvability for a given product or for an indication after we have initiated work based on their previous guidance;
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the supply or quality of raw materials or manufactured product candidates or other materials necessary to conduct clinical trials of our product candidates may be insufficient, inadequate or not available at an acceptable cost, or we may experience interruptions in supply;
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we, or our manufacturing vendors, may not produce, or may not consistently produce material, that meets necessary specifications for commercialization;
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the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may determine that our, or our manufacturing vendors, manufacturing or quality control processes fail to meet their specifications or guidelines; and
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the approval policies or regulations of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient to obtain marketing approval.
Product development costs for us, or our collaborators, will increase if we, or they, experience delays in testing or pursuing marketing approvals and we, or they, may be required to obtain additional funds to complete clinical trials and prepare for possible commercialization of our product candidates. We, and our collaborators, do not know whether any nonclinical tests or clinical trials will begin as planned, will need to be restructured or will be completed on schedule, or at all. Significant nonclinical or clinical trial delays also could shorten any periods during which we, or our collaborators, may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates or allow our competitors, or the competitors of our collaborators, to bring products to market before we, or our collaborators, do and impair our ability, or the ability of our collaborators, to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may harm our business and results of operations. In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, clinical trial delays may ultimately lead to the denial of marketing approval of any of our product candidates.
If we, or our collaborators, experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in clinical trials, our, or their, receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.
We, or our collaborators, may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for any of our product candidates if we, or they, are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in clinical trials as required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, such as the European Medicines Agency. Patient enrollment is a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials and is affected by many factors, including:
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the size and nature of the patient population;
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the severity of the disease under investigation;
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the availability or interest of clinical sites to enroll patients into our trials;
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the proximity of patients to clinical sites;
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the eligibility criteria for the trial;
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the design of the clinical trial, including any requirement to halt current therapy in connection with the trial;
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the potential need to discontinue investigational treatment at the completion of the study;
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the availability of other effective treatments for the indication we are assessing;
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access to relevant clinical trial sites;
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efforts to facilitate timely enrollment;
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competing clinical trials;
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support by relevant industry or patient organizations with influence over clinical trial sites; and
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clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages and risks of the drug being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs that may be approved or used for the indications we are investigating.
Our inability, or the inability of our collaborators, to enroll a sufficient number of patients for our, or their, clinical trials could result in significant delays or may require us or them to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether. Enrollment delays in our, or their, clinical trials may result in increased development costs for our product candidates, delay or halt the development of and approval processes for our product candidates and jeopardize our, or our collaborators’, ability to commence sales of and generate revenues from our product candidates, which could cause the value of our Company to decline and limit our ability to obtain additional financing, if needed.
Fast Track designation by the FDA may not lead to a faster development, regulatory review or approval.
Although CTP-543 has been granted Fast Track designation by the FDA for the treatment of alopecia areata, Fast Track designation does not necessarily lead to a faster development pathway or regulatory review process and does not increase the likelihood of regulatory approval. The FDA may later withdraw the designation if it believes the designation is no longer supported by the data from our clinical development program.
Serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or other unexpected properties of our product candidates, including those that we have licensed to collaborators, may be identified during development that could delay or prevent the product candidate’s marketing approval.
All of our product candidates are in nonclinical and clinical development stages and their risk of failure is high. Serious adverse events or undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates, or competitor products with similar mechanisms of action, could cause us, one of our collaborators, an institutional review board, data monitoring committee or regulatory authorities to interrupt, amend, delay or halt clinical trials of one or more of our product candidates and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of marketing approval by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. A dose of a deuterated compound could, in comparison to an equal dose of the corresponding non-deuterated compound, result in altered exposure levels, distribution and half-life in the body and alter the levels of particular metabolites that are present in the body.
These changes may cause serious adverse events or undesirable side effects that we, or our collaborators, did not anticipate, whether based on the characteristics of the corresponding non-deuterated compound or otherwise. If any of our product candidates is associated with serious adverse events or undesirable side effects or have properties that are unexpected, we, or our collaborators, may need to abandon development or limit development of that product candidate to certain uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. Many compounds that initially showed promise in clinical or earlier stage testing have later been found to cause undesirable or unexpected side effects that prevented further development of the compound. In addition, unexpected adverse clinical effects of a deuterated product candidate, including either those identified by us or deuterated analogs of approved drugs being developed by any third parties, may create general concerns regarding deuteration technology that could delay the development of our product candidates.
High placebo rates are common in neuropsychiatric clinical trials, which may result in failed clinical trials.
Placebo responses are common in clinical trials of many neuropsychiatric agents, and the rate of such responses has generally been increasing for decades in the United States and Europe. High placebo response rates can cause even effective agents to fail to achieve statistical significance on key endpoints, resulting in failed clinical trials. Even if our compounds demonstrate efficacy in Phase 2 studies, higher than expected placebo response rates may result in their failure in pivotal studies and our inability to obtain regulatory approval.
Even if one of our product candidates receives marketing approval, it may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success and the market opportunity for the product candidate may be smaller than we estimate.
Even if one of our product candidates, including those licensed to our collaborators, is approved by the appropriate regulatory authorities for marketing and sale, it may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors, formulary decision-makers and others in the medical or patient communities. For example, physicians are often reluctant to switch their patients from existing therapies even when new and potentially more effective or convenient treatments enter the market. Further, patients often acclimate to the therapy that they are currently taking and do not want to switch unless their physicians recommend switching products or they are required to switch therapies due to lack of reimbursement for existing therapies. If any of our product candidates receive negative publicity, patients may choose not to request them even if approved, or may not comply with taking them as prescribed.
Efforts to educate the medical community, patients, formulary decision-makers and third-party payors on the benefits of our product candidates may require significant resources and may not be successful. If any of our product candidates is approved but does not achieve an adequate level of market acceptance, we may not generate significant revenues and we may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, including those licensed to our collaborators, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:
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the efficacy and safety of the product;
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the potential advantages of the product compared to alternative treatments;
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the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
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the clinical indications for which the product is approved;
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whether the product is designated under physician treatment guidelines as a first-line therapy or as a second- or third-line therapy;
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limitations or warnings, including distribution or use restrictions or burdensome prescription requirements contained in the product’s approved labeling;
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our ability, or the ability of our collaborators, to offer the product for sale at commercially acceptable prices;
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the product’s convenience and ease of administration compared to alternative treatments;
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the willingness of the target patient population to try, and of physicians to prescribe, the product;
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the strength of sales, marketing and distribution support;
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the approval of other new products for the same indications;
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the extent and success of counter-detailing efforts by our competitors;
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the pricing, extent of discounts or bundled products offered by our competitors;
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the organization stability of our collaborators, if any;
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changes in the standard of care for the targeted indications for the product;
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the timing of market introduction of our approved products as well as competitive products; and
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the availability and amount of reimbursement from government payors, managed care plans and other third-party payors.
The potential market opportunities for our product candidates are difficult to precisely estimate. Our estimates of the potential market opportunities are predicated on many assumptions, including industry knowledge and publications, third-party research reports and other surveys. While we believe that our internal assumptions are reasonable, these assumptions involve the exercise of significant judgment on the part of our management, are inherently uncertain and the reasonableness of these assumptions has not been assessed by an independent source. If any of the assumptions proves to be inaccurate, the actual markets for our product candidates could be smaller than our estimates of the potential market opportunities.
If any of our product candidates receives marketing approval and we, or others, later discover that the drug is less pure, homogeneous or stable than believed, less effective than previously believed, or causes undesirable side effects that were not previously identified or at a higher rate than was projected during clinical development, our ability to market the drug, or that of our collaborators, could be compromised.
Clinical trials of our product candidates are conducted in carefully defined subsets of patients who have agreed to enter into clinical trials. Consequently, it is possible that these individuals are not representative of the actual patient population or that our clinical trials may indicate an apparent positive effect of a product candidate that is greater than the actual positive effect, if any, or alternatively fail to identify undesirable side effects. If, following approval of a product candidate, we, or others, discover that the drug is less effective than previously believed or causes undesirable side effects that were not previously identified, any of the following adverse events could occur:
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regulatory authorities may withdraw their approval of the drug and/or seize the drug;
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we, or our collaborators, may need to recall the drug or change the way the drug is administered;
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additional restrictions may be imposed on the marketing of, or the manufacturing processes for, the particular drug, including the addition of labeling statements, such as a “black box” warning or a contraindication;
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we may be subject to fines, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties;
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we, or our collaborators, may be required to operate under a REMS;
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we, or our collaborators, could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and
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the drug may become less competitive.
Any of these events could have a material and adverse effect on our operations and business and could adversely impact our stock price.
If we are unable to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or enter into sales, marketing and distribution arrangements with third parties, we may not be successful in commercializing any product candidates that we develop if and when those product candidates are approved.
We do not have a sales, marketing or distribution infrastructure and as a company have no experience in the sale, marketing or distribution of pharmaceutical products. To achieve commercial success for any approved product, we must either develop a sales and marketing organization or outsource these functions to third parties. We expect to use a combination of third-party collaboration, licensing and distribution arrangements and a focused in-house commercialization capability to sell any products that receive marketing approval.
We generally plan to seek to retain full commercialization rights for the United States for products that we can commercialize with a specialized sales force and to retain co-promotion or similar rights for the United States when feasible in indications requiring a larger commercial infrastructure. The development of sales, marketing and distribution capabilities will require substantial resources, will be time-consuming and could delay any product launch. If the commercial launch of a product candidate for which we recruit a sales force and establish marketing and distribution capabilities is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we could have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization costs. This may be costly, and our investment could be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales and marketing personnel. In addition, we may not be able to hire or retain a sales force in the United States that is sufficient in size or has adequate expertise in the medical markets that we plan to target. If we are unable to establish or retain a sales force and marketing and distribution capabilities, our operating results may be adversely affected. If a potential partner has development or commercialization expertise that we believe is particularly relevant to one of our products, then we may seek to collaborate with that potential partner even if we believe we could otherwise develop and commercialize the product independently.
We currently expect to collaborate with third parties for commercialization in the United States of any products that require a large sales, marketing and product distribution infrastructure. We also expect to commercialize our product candidates outside the United States through collaboration, licensing and distribution arrangements with third parties, if at all. As a result of entering into arrangements with third parties to perform sales, marketing and distribution services, our product revenues or the profitability of these product revenues may be lower, perhaps substantially lower, than if we were to directly market and sell
products in those markets. Furthermore, we may be unsuccessful in entering into the necessary arrangements with third parties or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. In addition, we may have little or no control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively, or may actively sell a competing product at the expense of selling ours.
If we do not establish sales and marketing capabilities, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in commercializing any of our product candidates that receive marketing approval.
We face substantial competition from other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and our operating results may suffer if we fail to compete effectively.
The development and commercialization of new drug products is highly competitive. We expect that we, and our collaborators, will face significant competition from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide with respect to our product candidates that we, or they, may seek to develop or commercialize in the future. Specifically, there are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell products or are pursuing the development of product candidates for the treatment of autoimmune and CNS disorders, which are key indications for our development programs. Our competitors may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing technologies and drug products that attain preferred reimbursement by payors or are more effective, simpler to use, have fewer or more tolerable side effects or are less costly than any product candidates that we are currently developing or that we may develop or acquire, or which are marketed more effectively, which could render our product candidates obsolete and noncompetitive.
We are developing CTP-543 as an oral agent for the treatment of moderate-to-severe alopecia areata. If CTP-543 receives marketing approval for this indication, it may face competition from a number of other product candidates that are being studied for alopecia areata. A number of companies are pursuing development of oral JAK inhibitors with a range of subtype selectivities for the treatment of alopecia areata, including Eli Lilly and Company and Pfizer Inc.
We are developing CTP-692 as an oral adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia. A number of companies are pursuing development for adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia, exploring cognitive or negative symptoms of the disease, including SyneuRx International [Taiwan] Corp.
Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we, or our collaborators, may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other marketing approval for their products before we, or our collaborators, are able to obtain approval for ours, which could reduce our ability to utilize expedited regulatory pathways and could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we, or our collaborators, are able to enter the market.
Many of our existing and potential future competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, nonclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining marketing approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.
We also face competition in the development of deuterated compounds.
Many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have begun to cover deuterated analogs of their product candidates in patent applications and may develop these deuterated compounds. Some of these pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies may have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, nonclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining marketing approvals and marketing approved products than we do. In addition, other companies are utilizing deuterium substitution for drug development. In some cases, these competitors may be interested in developing deuterated compounds that we may be interested in developing for ourselves. In addition, these competitors may enter into collaborative arrangements or business combinations that result in their ability to research and develop deuterated compounds more effectively than us. Our potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations.
If our competitors in the development of deuterated compounds are able to grow their intellectual property estates and create new and successful deuterated compounds more effectively than us, our ability to identify additional compounds for nonclinical and clinical development and obtain product revenues in future periods could be compromised, which could result in significant harm to our operations and financial position.
If the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities approve generic versions of any of our products that receive marketing approval, or such authorities do not grant our products appropriate periods of data exclusivity before approving generic versions of our products, the sales of our products could be adversely affected.
Once an NDA is approved, the product covered thereby becomes an RLD in the FDA’s publication, “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations.” Manufacturers may seek approval of generic versions of reference listed drugs through submission of ANDAs in the United States. In support of an ANDA, a generic manufacturer need not conduct clinical studies. Rather, the applicant generally must show that its product has the same active ingredient(s), dosage form, strength, route of administration and conditions of use or labeling as the reference listed drug and that the generic version is bioequivalent to the reference listed drug, meaning it is absorbed in the body at the same rate and to the same extent. Generic products may be significantly less costly to bring to market than the reference listed drug and companies that produce generic products are generally able to offer them at lower prices. Thus, following the introduction of a generic drug, a significant percentage of the sales of any branded product or reference listed drug is typically lost to the generic product.
The FDA may not approve an ANDA for a generic product until any applicable period of non-patent exclusivity for the reference listed drug has expired. The FDCA provides a period of five years of non-patent exclusivity for a new drug containing a new chemical entity. Specifically, in cases where such exclusivity has been granted, an ANDA may not be filed with the FDA until the expiration of five years unless the submission is accompanied by a Paragraph IV certification that a patent covering the reference listed drug is either invalid or will not be infringed by the generic product, in which case the applicant may submit its application four years following approval of the reference listed drug. While we believe that our product candidates contain active ingredients that would be treated as new chemical entities by the FDA and, therefore, if approved, should be afforded at least five years of data exclusivity, the FDA may disagree with that conclusion and may approve generic products after a period that is less than five years. Manufacturers may seek to launch these generic products following the expiration of the applicable marketing exclusivity period, even if we still have patent protection for our product.
Competition that our products may face from generic versions of our products could materially and adversely impact our future revenue, profitability and cash flows and substantially limit our ability to obtain a return on the investments we have made in those product candidates.
To the extent we, or our collaborators, market products that are deuterated analogs of generic drugs that are approved or will be approved while we market our products in territories in which the generic drug is available, our products may compete against these generic products and the sales of our products could be adversely affected.
We anticipate that some of the products that we, or our collaborators, may develop will be deuterated analogs of approved drugs that are or will then be available on a generic basis. In addition, if we develop a product that is a deuterated analog of a non-generic approved drug, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may also approve generic versions of the corresponding non-deuterated drug. If approved, we expect that our deuterated products will compete against these generic non-deuterated compounds if they are used in the same indications. Even if the approved indications are different for the deuterated and non-deuterated drugs, the generic non-deuterated drug may be used off-label, negatively affecting sales of our product. Efforts to educate the medical community and third-party payors on the benefits of any product that we develop as compared to the corresponding non-deuterated compound, or generic versions of it, may require significant resources and may not be successful. If physicians, rightly or wrongly, do not believe that a product that we, or our collaborators, develop offers substantial advantages over the corresponding non-deuterated compound, or generic versions of the corresponding non-deuterated compound, or that the advantages offered by our product as compared to the corresponding non-deuterated compound, or its generic versions, are not sufficient to merit the increased price over the corresponding non-deuterated compound, or its generic versions, that we, or our collaborators, would seek, physicians might not prescribe that product. In addition, third-party payors may refuse to provide reimbursement for a product that we, or our collaborators, develop when the corresponding non-deuterated compound, or generic versions of the corresponding non-deuterated compound, offer a cheaper alternative therapy in the same indication, or may otherwise encourage use of the corresponding non-deuterated compound, or generic versions of the corresponding non-deuterated compound, over our product, even if our product possesses favorable pharmaceutical properties or is labeled for a different indication.
Competition that our product candidates may face from any generic non-deuterated product on which our product candidate is based or a later-approved generic version of a branded non-deuterated product on which our product is based, could materially
and adversely impact our future revenue, profitability and cash flows and substantially limit our ability to obtain a return on the investments we have made in those product candidates.
Even if we, or our collaborators, are able to commercialize any product candidate that we, or they, develop, the product may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party payor reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives that could harm our business.
The commercial success of our product candidates will depend substantially, both domestically and abroad, on the extent to which the costs of our product candidates will be paid by health maintenance, managed care, pharmacy benefit and similar healthcare management organizations or reimbursed by government health administration authorities, private health coverage insurers and other third-party payors. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which medications they will cover and establish reimbursement levels. The healthcare industry is acutely focused on cost containment, both in the United States and elsewhere. Government authorities and third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications, which could affect our ability or that of our collaborators to sell our product candidates profitably. These payors may not view our products, if any, as cost-effective, and coverage and reimbursement may not be available to our customers, or those of our collaborators, or may not be sufficient to allow our products, if any, to be marketed on a competitive basis. Cost-control initiatives could cause us, or our collaborators, to decrease the price we, or they, might establish for products, which could result in lower than anticipated product revenues. If reimbursement is not available, or is available only to limited levels, we, or our collaborators, may not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates. Even if coverage is provided, the approved reimbursement amount may not be high enough to allow us, or our collaborators, to establish or maintain pricing sufficient to realize a sufficient return on our, or their, investments.
There is significant uncertainty related to third-party payor coverage and reimbursement of newly approved drugs. Marketing approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new drug products vary widely from country to country. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or product licensing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we, or our collaborators, might obtain marketing approval for a product in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay commercial launch of the product, possibly for lengthy time periods, which may negatively impact the revenues we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability, or the ability of our collaborators, to recoup our, or their, investment in one or more product candidates, even if our product candidates obtain marketing approval.
Third-party payor coverage of newly approved drugs may be more limited than the indications for which the drugs are approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that any drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Reimbursement rates may vary, by way of example, according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used. Reimbursement rates may also be based on reimbursement levels already set for lower cost drugs or may be incorporated into existing payments for other services.
In addition, increasingly, third-party payors are requiring higher levels of evidence of the benefits and clinical outcomes of new technologies, requiring burdensome comparison studies with currently approved drugs and challenging the prices charged. We, and our collaborators, cannot be sure that coverage will be available for any product candidate that we, or they, commercialize and, if available, that the reimbursement rates will be adequate. Further, the net reimbursement for drug products may be subject to additional reductions if there are changes to laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. An inability to promptly obtain coverage and adequate payment rates from both government-funded and private payors for any product candidates for which we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approval could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition.
We may not be successful in our efforts to identify or discover additional potential product candidates.
A significant portion of our research involves the development of new deuterated compounds using our DCE Platform. These efforts may not be successful in creating compounds that have commercial value or therapeutic utility beyond the corresponding non-deuterated compound, or at all. Our research programs may initially show promise in creating potential product candidates, yet fail to yield viable product candidates for clinical development for a number of reasons, including:
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deuterated analogs of existing non-deuterated compounds or newly designed deuterated compounds may not demonstrate satisfactory efficacy or other benefits, such as convenience of dosing, increased tolerability, enhanced formation of desirable active metabolites or reduced formation of toxic metabolites;
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potential product candidates may, on further study, be shown to have harmful side effects or other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to be products that will receive marketing approval and achieve market acceptance; and
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pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have begun to claim deuterated analogs of their compounds in patent filings, resulting in otherwise promising deuterated product candidates already being covered by patents or patent applications.
If we are unable to identify suitable additional compounds for nonclinical and clinical development, our ability to develop product candidates and obtain product revenues in future periods could be compromised, which could result in significant harm to our financial position and adversely impact our stock price.
Product liability lawsuits against us could divert our resources, cause us to incur substantial liabilities and limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.
We face an inherent risk of product liability claims as a result of the clinical testing of our product candidates despite obtaining appropriate informed consents from our clinical trial participants. We will face an even greater risk if we, or our collaborators, commercially sell any product that we may, or they may, develop. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our product candidates. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:
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decreased demand for our product candidates or products that we may develop;
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injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
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withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
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significant costs to defend litigation;
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distraction to our management diverting focus from business operations and strategy;
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initiation of investigations by regulators;
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product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;
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substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;
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loss of revenue; and
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the inability to commercialize any products that we may develop.
Although we maintain product liability insurance coverage, it may not fully cover potential liabilities that we may incur. The cost of any product liability litigation or other proceeding, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial. We will need to increase our insurance coverage if and when we begin selling any product candidate that receives marketing approval. In addition, insurance coverage is becoming increasingly expensive. If we are unable to obtain or maintain sufficient insurance coverage at an acceptable cost or to otherwise protect against potential product liability claims, it could prevent or inhibit the development and commercial production and sale of our product candidates, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The increasing use of social media platforms presents risks and challenges.
The increasing use of social media platforms presents risks and challenges. Social media increasingly is being used by third parties to communicate about our product candidates and the diseases they are designed to treat. We believe that members of the alopecia areata community may be more active on social media as compared to other patient populations due to the demographics of this patient population. Social media practices in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are evolving, which creates uncertainty and risk of noncompliance with regulations applicable to our business. For example, patients in clinical trials may use social media platforms to comment on the effectiveness of, or adverse experiences with, a product candidate, which could result in reporting obligations. In addition, there is a risk of inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information or negative or inaccurate posts or comments about us on any social networking website. If any of these events were to occur or we otherwise fail to comply with applicable regulations, we could incur liability, face restrictive regulatory actions or incur other harm to our business.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR DEPENDENCE ON THIRD PARTIES
We depend on collaborations with third parties for the development and commercialization of some of our product candidates and expect to continue to do so in the future. Our prospects with respect to those product candidates will depend in significant part on the success of those collaborations.
We have entered into collaborations for the development and commercialization of certain of our product candidates and expect to enter into additional collaborations in the future. We have limited control over the amount and timing of resources that our collaborators dedicate to the development or commercialization of our product candidates, and our ability to generate revenues from these arrangements will depend on our collaborators’ abilities to successfully perform the functions assigned to them in these arrangements. In addition, our collaborators have the right to abandon research or development projects and terminate applicable agreements, including funding obligations, prior to or upon the expiration of the agreed upon terms.
Collaborations involving our product candidates pose a number of risks, including:
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collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to these collaborations;
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collaborators may not perform their obligations as expected;
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collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of our product candidates or may elect not to continue or renew development or commercialization programs, based on clinical trial results, changes in the collaborators’ strategic focus or available funding or external factors, such as an acquisition, that divert resources or create competing priorities;
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collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for a clinical trial program, stop a clinical trial or abandon a product candidate, repeat or conduct new clinical trials or require a new formulation of a product candidate for clinical testing;
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collaborators may conduct their clinical trials poorly or inadequately, harming our products, including our products’ development in other territories;
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product candidates developed in collaboration with us, including in particular product candidates based on deuteration of a collaborator’s marketed drugs or advanced clinical candidates, may be viewed by our collaborators as competitive with their own product candidates or products, which may cause collaborators to cease to devote resources to the commercialization of our product candidates;
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a collaborator with marketing and distribution rights to one or more products may not commit sufficient resources to the marketing and distribution of such product or products;
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disagreements with collaborators, including disagreements over proprietary rights, contract interpretation or the preferred course of development, might cause delays or termination of the research, development or commercialization of product candidates, might lead to additional responsibilities for us with respect to product candidates or might result in litigation or arbitration, any of which would be time-consuming and expensive;
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collaborators may steal our trade secrets or may hire valuable employees from us;
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collaborators may fail to protect our trade secrets;
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collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our proprietary information in such a way as to invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property or proprietary information or expose us to potential litigation;
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collaborators may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties, which may expose us to litigation and potential liability; and
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collaborations may be terminated and, if terminated, may result in a need for additional capital to pursue further development or commercialization of the applicable product candidates.
Collaboration agreements may not lead to development or commercialization of product candidates in the most efficient manner or at all. If a collaborator of ours is involved in a business combination, it could decide to delay, diminish or terminate the development or commercialization of any product candidate licensed to it by us.
We expect to seek to establish additional collaborations, and if we are not able to establish them on commercially reasonable terms, we may have to alter our development and commercialization plans.
Our drug development programs and the potential commercialization of our product candidates will require substantial additional cash to fund expenses. We may seek one or more collaborators for the development and commercialization of one or more of our product candidates.
We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators. Whether we reach a definitive agreement for collaboration will depend, among other things, upon our assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed collaboration and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of a number of factors. Those factors may include the potential differentiation of our product candidate from its corresponding non-deuterated analog, design or results of clinical trials, the likelihood of approval by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities and the regulatory pathway for any such approval, the potential market for the product candidate, the proposed collaborator’s perception of our freedom to operate in a particular market or markets without challenge, the costs and complexities of manufacturing and delivering the
product to patients and the potential of competing products. The collaborator may also consider alternative product candidates or technologies that may be available for collaboration and whether such collaboration could be more attractive than the one with us for our product candidate.
Collaborations are complex and time-consuming to negotiate and document. In addition, there have been a significant number of recent business combinations among large pharmaceutical companies that have resulted in a reduced number of potential future collaborators. We are also restricted under the terms of certain of our existing collaboration agreements from entering into collaborations regarding or otherwise developing specified compounds that are similar to the compounds that are subject to those agreements and collaboration agreements that we enter into in the future may contain further restrictions on our ability to enter into potential collaborations or to otherwise develop specified compounds.
We may not be able to negotiate collaborations for our product candidates on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to do so, we may have to limit the development of the product candidate for which we are seeking to collaborate, reduce or delay its development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay its potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any sales or marketing activities or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to increase our expenditures to fund development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we do not have sufficient funds, we may not be able to further develop our product candidates or bring them to market and generate product revenue. In cases where we seek a collaborator for a product compound that is a deuterated analog of a compound that has been previously developed, failure to enter into a collaboration with the developer of the corresponding non-deuterated compound may result in a loss of the potential to obtain clearance from the FDA to follow expedited development programs that reference and rely on findings previously obtained from the developer’s prior nonclinical or clinical studies of the corresponding non-deuterated compound.
We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials and some aspects of our research and nonclinical testing. If they terminate their relationships with us or do not perform satisfactorily, our business may be materially harmed.
We do not independently conduct clinical trials of any of our product candidates. We rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, clinical data management organizations, medical institutions and clinical investigators, to conduct these clinical trials and expect to rely on these third parties to conduct clinical trials of any other product candidate that we develop. We also rely on third parties to conduct some aspects of our research and nonclinical testing and expect to rely on these third parties in the future. Any of these third parties may terminate their engagements with us under certain circumstances. If any of our relationships with these third parties terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative third parties on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Switching to or adding additional third parties would involve additional cost and require management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new third party commences work, which could result in delays in our product development activities. Although we seek to carefully manage our relationships with our contract research organizations, any such challenges or delays could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.
Our reliance on these third parties for clinical development activities limits our control over these activities but we remain responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal and regulatory requirements and scientific standards. For example, notwithstanding the obligations of a contract research organization for a trial of one of our product candidates, we remain responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan and protocols for the trial. Moreover, the FDA requires us to comply with GCPs for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of trial participants are protected. The FDA enforces these GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators, clinical trial sites and institutional review boards. If we or our third-party contractors fail to comply with applicable GCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our product candidates, which would delay the marketing approval process. We cannot be certain that, upon inspection, the FDA will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with GCPs.
Furthermore, these third parties are not our employees, and except for remedies available to us under our agreements with such contractors, we cannot control whether or not they devote sufficient time, skill and resources to our ongoing development programs. These contractors may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, which could impede their ability to devote appropriate time to our clinical programs. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, meet expected deadlines or conduct their services in accordance with our contracts, regulatory requirements or our stated protocols, we may not be able to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approvals for our product candidates. If that occurs, we will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize our
product candidates. In such an event, our financial results and the commercial prospects for any product candidates that we seek to develop could be harmed, our costs could increase and our ability to generate revenues could be delayed, impaired or foreclosed.
We also rely on other third parties to store, label and distribute drug supplies for our clinical trials. Any performance failure on the part of our distributors could delay clinical development or marketing approval of our product candidates or commercialization of any resulting products, producing additional losses and depriving us of potential product revenue.
We are also required to register clinical trials and post the results of completed clinical trials on a government-sponsored database, such as ClinicalTrials.gov, within certain timeframes. Failure to do so can result in the inability to report our clinical results in certain publications, fines, adverse publicity and civil and criminal sanctions.
Because there are limited sources of deuterium, we, and our collaborators, are exposed to a number of risks and uncertainties associated with our deuterium supply.
We believe that all of the deuterium that we use in manufacturing our product candidates is currently derived, directly or indirectly, from deuterium oxide. For most of our deuterium supply, we rely on bulk supplies of deuterium oxide which we currently source from multiple suppliers, including two located in North America, one of which is in the United States.
In order to internationally transport any deuterium oxide that we purchase from our current or potential future foreign suppliers, we, or our suppliers, may be required to obtain an export license from the country of origin and we may be required to obtain an International Import Certificate or other governmental approvals or assurances from the country of destination. We are also required to obtain an export license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before shipping deuterium oxide from the United States to any contract manufacturer in another country. Export licenses and certain other required documents may specify the maximum amount of deuterium oxide that we, or our suppliers, are permitted to either import or export. In order for us to obtain supplies of deuterium oxide from foreign suppliers, they may be required to obtain an export license from the country of origin and we may be required to obtain domestic governmental approvals or assurances. In addition, our current U.S. export licenses may be insufficient to meet our future requirements. We, or our suppliers, may not be able to obtain such licenses, approvals or assurances in a timely manner or at all.
Certain of our manufacturing processes for our product candidates incorporate deuterium by using deuterated chemical intermediates or reagents that are derived from deuterium oxide. For the deuterated chemical intermediates and reagents, we are not subject to the license requirements applicable to deuterium oxide; however, the manufacturer of the deuterated chemical intermediate or reagent may themselves be required to obtain deuterium oxide under applicable licensing requirements. Most of the manufacturers of these deuterated chemical intermediates and reagents are not located in countries that produce bulk quantities of deuterium oxide. Therefore, our ability to source these deuterated chemical intermediates will depend on the ability of these manufacturers to obtain deuterium oxide from other countries. Certain countries may also limit or prohibit the export of deuterium-containing products or intermediates. In the future we may arrange for supplies of deuterated chemical intermediates or reagents from manufacturers located in countries from which they can source deuterium oxide in bulk. However, contract manufacturers in these countries may not represent a viable alternative to our current suppliers. We do not have long-term agreements with our suppliers of deuterated chemical intermediates or reagents and we obtain some of these deuterated chemical intermediates or reagents from single sources, putting us at risk of uncontrolled cost increases or supply interruptions if we cannot establish alternative sourcing arrangements. Deuterated chemical intermediates may be expensive or difficult to obtain or may be produced by specialized techniques that are not widely practiced, and we may not be able to enter into arrangements for larger scale supply of deuterated chemical intermediates on acceptable terms, or at all.
We estimate that our current sources of deuterium oxide will be sufficient to meet our anticipated requirements; however, we do not have long-term agreements with our current suppliers. If we are not able to establish or maintain supply arrangements, or any relevant foreign governments decide to withhold authorizations for the export of deuterium oxide that we seek, we may be unable to secure alternative sources. If we are unable to obtain sufficient supplies of deuterium oxide from our current suppliers or our potential future foreign supplier, we would be forced to either seek alternative suppliers of deuterium oxide, likely in other countries, or alternative sources of deuterium. Such alternative supplies may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all.
If we are unable to obtain sufficient supplies of deuterium, our ability to produce our product candidates would be impeded and our business, financial condition and prospects could be harmed. In particular, certain of our manufacturing processes are projected to require particularly large quantities of deuterium for late-stage clinical trials and for commercialization. Consequently, any adverse impact on our ability to obtain deuterium oxide from our current suppliers, import deuterium oxide
into the United States or export deuterium oxide to our contract manufacturers could have a particularly severe impact on our ability to develop or commercialize those product candidates.
Similarly, to develop and commercialize any of our licensed product candidates, our collaborators will need to obtain supplies of deuterium and will be subject to risks and requirements in connection with sourcing deuterium that are similar to the ones that we face. In addition, if any of our product candidates is approved by the FDA, then the FDA will also have regulatory jurisdiction over the manufacture and use of deuterium oxide and deuterated chemical intermediates or reagents in such products. Any adverse impact on our, or our collaborators’, ability to obtain deuterium could delay or prevent the development or commercialization of our product candidates, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We contract with third parties for the manufacture and distribution of our product candidates for nonclinical and clinical testing and expect to continue to do so in connection with our future development and commercialization efforts. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or such quantities at an acceptable cost, or that the product candidates will not be of sufficient quality or reproducibility or produced on our desired schedule, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.
We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third-party contractors to manufacture nonclinical and clinical supplies of our product candidates and to package, label and ship these supplies. We expect to rely on third-party contractors to manufacture, formulate, package, label and distribute commercial quantities of any product candidate that we commercialize following approval for marketing by applicable regulatory authorities. Reliance on such third-party contractors entails risks, including:
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manufacturing delays, including if our third-party contractors give greater priority to the supply of other products over our product candidates or if they otherwise do not satisfactorily perform according to the terms of the agreements between us and them;
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potentially incorrect data analysis, resulting in falsely-positive, falsely-negative or misleading or uninterpretable results;
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potential industrial accidents such as fires or explosions that compromise our product candidates or the ability of the contractors to timely deliver them;
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the possible termination or non-renewal of agreements by our third-party contractors at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us;
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potentially limited numbers of available contractors due to the need for uncommon equipment or expertise, or pre-existing conflicts of interest;
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the possible breach by the third-party contractors of our agreements with them;
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possible theft of intellectual property or trade secrets;
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possible theft of our materials, including starting materials, intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients or drug products;
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the failure of third-party contractors to comply with applicable regulatory requirements;
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the possible mislabeling of clinical supplies, potentially resulting in the wrong dose amounts being supplied or active drug or placebo not being properly identified;
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possible contamination, or non-conformance with product or packaging specifications, of our product during or after its manufacture;
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possible interruptions in our contractors’ operations, including departure of key personnel, disruption due to merger and acquisitions activities or supply chain disruptions;
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the possibility of clinical supplies not being delivered to clinical sites on time, leading to clinical trial interruptions, or of drug supplies not being distributed to commercial vendors in a timely manner, resulting in lost sales; and
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the possible misappropriation of our proprietary information, including our trade secrets and know-how.
If any of our product candidates are approved by any regulatory agency, we plan to enter into agreements with third-party contract manufacturers for the commercial production and distribution of those products. It may be difficult for us to reach agreement with a contract manufacturer on satisfactory terms or in a timely manner, especially if the manufacturer believes it is uniquely suited to use our deuterium chemistry manufacturing processes or otherwise has unusual market power, or that our deuterium chemistry manufacturing processes bear greater production risks than manufacture of non-deuterated compounds. In addition, we may face competition for access to manufacturing facilities as there are a limited number of contract manufacturers operating under cGMPs that are capable of manufacturing our product candidates. Consequently, we may not be able to reach agreement with third-party manufacturers on satisfactory terms, which could delay our commercialization efforts.
Third-party manufacturers are required to comply with cGMPs and similar regulatory requirements outside the United States. Facilities used by our third-party manufacturers must be inspected by the FDA after we submit an NDA and before potential approval of the product candidate. Similar regulations apply to manufacturers of our product candidates for use or sale in
foreign countries. We do not directly control the manufacturing process and are completely dependent on our third-party manufacturers for compliance with the applicable regulatory requirements for the manufacture of our product candidates. If our manufacturers fail to consistently manufacture material that conforms to the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA and any applicable foreign regulatory authority, or if they unacceptably deviate from standard operating procedures in the production of our product candidates, they will not be able to secure the applicable approval for or a regulatory authority may find deficiencies with their manufacturing facilities. If deficiencies are found at these facilities or if these facilities are not approved for commercial manufacture, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which could result in delays in obtaining approval for the applicable product candidate.
In addition, our manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic inspections by the FDA and corresponding state and foreign agencies for compliance with cGMPs and similar regulatory requirements both prior to and following the receipt of marketing approval for any of our product candidates. Some of these inspections may be unannounced. Failure by any of our manufacturers to comply with applicable cGMPs or other regulatory requirements could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspensions or withdrawals of approvals, operating restrictions, interruptions in supply and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our product candidates and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture of our product candidates may adversely affect our future profit margins and our ability to commercialize any products that receive marketing approval on a timely and competitive basis.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
If we are unable to obtain and maintain sufficient patent protection for our product candidates, or if the scope of the patent protection is not sufficiently broad, our competitors could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates may be adversely affected.
Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection in the United States and other countries with respect to our proprietary product candidates. If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, competitors may be able to erode or negate any competitive advantage we may have, which could harm our business and ability to achieve profitability. To protect our proprietary position, we file patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our novel product candidates that are important to our business. The patent application and approval process is expensive, uncertain and time-consuming. We may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. Neither deuterium itself, nor the general concept of selective substitution of deuterium for hydrogen in existing pharmaceutical compounds, is patentable; therefore, we usually seek patents on a compound-by-compound basis or on a relatively narrow genus of compounds. We are not guaranteed that patents will issue protecting any particular deuterated compound for which we seek patent protection. We also cannot guarantee that another company will not be able to find a different pattern of deuterium substitution that is equally or more effective in improving the characteristics of a non-deuterated compound, then patenting that deuterated compound and competing with us.
Our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection for our product candidates may be limited if disclosures of non-deuterated compounds are held to anticipate or make obvious claims of deuterated analogs of the same or similar compounds in any given territory. In addition, several large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have begun to pursue patent protection for deuterated analogs of their products and product candidates, and may in the future obtain patent protection that covers deuterated analogs of those product candidates. If patents directed primarily to non-deuterated compounds are deemed to protect deuterated analogs of those compounds or patent claims on deuterated analogs of compounds become common in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, these factors may substantially limit our ability to seek and obtain patent protection for new product candidates based on deuterium modification of compounds. It may also limit our ability to develop new product candidates based on deuterium modification of such compounds without obtaining a license from those patent holders. In certain cases, a company that owns the patent on a non-deuterated compound may be able to file a continuation or divisional patent on deuterated analogs of their compounds that successfully claims priority to the original filing date of the non-deuterated composition, causing their patent to have priority over ours, even if filed later than ours was.
The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain. No consistent policy regarding the breadth of claims allowed in biotechnology and pharmaceutical patents has emerged to date in the United States or in many foreign jurisdictions. In addition, the determination of patent rights with respect to pharmaceutical compounds commonly involves complex legal and factual questions, which has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain.
Assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, currently, the first to file a patent application is generally entitled to the patent. However, prior to March 16, 2013, in the United States, the first to invent was entitled to the patent. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions.
We may also become involved in opposition, derivation, reexamination, post grant review, or PGR, IPR or interference proceedings, in the United States or elsewhere, challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. For example, in April 2018, the PTAB instituted an IPR brought against the '149 patent by Incyte. The '149 patent covers the composition of matter of deuterated analogs of ruxolitinib, including CTP-543. In April 2019, the PTAB issued a final written decision in connection with the IPR that held that the claims of the '149 patent were unpatentable as obvious. In January 2020, the Federal Circuit granted our motion to vacate and remand the PTAB final written decision in light of the recent Federal Circuit ruling on the Constitution’s Appointments Clause (Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., No. 18-2140). As a result, the IPR will be remanded for reconsideration by a new panel of PTAB judges. The Federal Circuit’s grant of our motion will take effect on March 16, 2020 unless Incyte or the Director of the PTO, who intervened in the case, seeks rehearing of the Federal Circuit’s decision. If a request for rehearing were to be denied, the Federal Circuit’s decision would ordinarily take effect seven days after the denial. The '149 patent remains valid and enforceable while the IPR is being reconsidered by the PTAB and until any future appeals by us have been exhausted in the event that the PTAB reaches a similar decision to invalidate the '149 patent. Adverse determinations in any such submission, proceeding or litigation such as this could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or product candidates and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights.
Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued that protect our product candidates, in whole or in part, or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive products. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent or in the same manner as the laws of the United States. For example, European patent law restricts the patentability of methods of treatment of the human body more than U.S. law does.
Even if our patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors from competing with us or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Our competitors may be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner. Our competitors may also seek approval to market their own products similar to or otherwise competitive with our products. Alternatively, our competitors may seek to market generic versions of any approved products by submitting ANDAs to the FDA in which they claim that patents owned or licensed by us are invalid, unenforceable or not infringed. In these circumstances, we may need to defend or assert our patents, or both, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement. In any of these types of proceedings, a court or other agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid or unenforceable, or that our competitors are competing in a non-infringing manner. In certain territories, losses to an infringing product may not be sufficiently great to justify the costs of challenging the infringer and asserting our rights. In some situations, governments have allowed or enabled the sale of competing products that infringe a company’s intellectual property. Thus, even if we have valid and nominally enforceable patents, these patents still may not provide protection against competing products or processes sufficient to achieve our business objectives.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad, including challenges through the PTO's PGR proceedings. Such challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, in whole or in part, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and products. In addition, given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, the value of our technology could be materially adversely affected and our business would be harmed.
While we have obtained composition of matter patents with respect to our most advanced product candidates, our DCE Platform is not patented. In seeking to develop and maintain a competitive position through our DCE Platform and as to other aspects of our business, we rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information. We seek to protect these trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with
parties who have access to them, such as our consultants, independent contractors, advisors, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, suppliers and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with employees and certain consultants. Any party with whom we have executed such an agreement may breach that agreement and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, if any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent such third party, or those to whom they communicate such technology or information, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our business and competitive position could be harmed.
Third parties may sue us alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property rights, and such litigation could be costly and time consuming and could prevent or delay us from developing or commercializing our product candidates.
Our commercial success depends, in part, on our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our product candidates without infringing the intellectual property and other proprietary rights of third parties. Our CTP-543 compound is based, and potential future product candidates may be based, on products that are covered by issued patents or patent applications, the holders of which may attempt to assert claims against us. To date, we are not aware of any judicial decision holding that a patent that covers a non-deuterated compound should be construed to also cover deuterated analogs thereof, absent specific claims with respect to the deuterated analogs. However, any such judicial decision, or legal proceedings asserting such claims, could increase the likelihood of potential infringement claims being asserted against us. If any third-party patents or patent applications are found to cover our product candidates or their methods of use, we may not be free to manufacture or market our product candidates as planned without obtaining a license, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.
For example, CTP-543 is a deuterated analog of ruxolitinib. Incyte owns patents covering ruxolitinib that may be unexpired if and when we seek marketing approval for CTP-543. Incyte also owns a U.S. patent that broadly claims deuterated analogs of ruxolitinib. On June 27, 2017, we filed a PGR with the PTAB seeking to invalidate all claims of Incyte's U.S. patent that covers deuterated analogs of ruxolitinib. In January 2018, the PTAB did not grant our petition to challenge the validity of Incyte's patent. In May 2018, our request for reconsideration was denied.
In addition, Columbia University is the assignee of patents licensed to Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. claiming the use of ruxolitinib, isotopic forms of ruxolitinib and other named JAK inhibitors for the treatment of hair loss disorders, including alopecia areata, which may be unexpired if and when we seek marketing approval for CTP-543.
There is a substantial amount of intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we may become party to, or threatened with, litigation or other adversarial proceedings with respect to our product candidates. Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing or future intellectual property rights. The outcome of intellectual property litigation is subject to uncertainties that cannot be adequately quantified in advance. The coverage of patents is subject to interpretation by the courts, and the interpretation is not always uniform. If we are sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that our product candidates, products or methods either do not infringe the relevant patent claims or that these patent claims are invalid or unenforceable, and we may not be able to do this. Proving invalidity is difficult. For example, in the United States, proving invalidity under most circumstances requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents. We may also assert that a patent claim for a corresponding non-deuterated compound does not cover our product. Even if we are successful in these proceedings, we may incur substantial costs and the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel could be diverted in pursuing these proceedings, which could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, we may not have sufficient resources to bring these actions to a successful conclusion.
If we are found to infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, we could be forced, including by court order, to cease developing, manufacturing or commercializing the infringing product candidate or product and could be required to pay potentially significant damages. Alternatively, we may be required to obtain a license from such third party in order to use the infringing technology and continue developing, manufacturing or marketing the infringing product candidate. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our product candidates or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could materially harm our business. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time consuming and divert the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel. In any patent infringement proceeding, there is a risk that a court will decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue. There is also a risk that, even if the validity and enforceability of such patents is upheld, the court will construe the patent’s claims narrowly or decide that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue on the grounds that our patent claims do not cover the invention. An adverse outcome in a litigation or proceeding involving our patents could limit our ability to assert our patents against those parties or other competitors, and may curtail or preclude our ability to exclude third parties from making and selling similar or competitive products. Any of these occurrences could adversely affect our competitive business position, business prospects and financial condition.
Even if we establish infringement, the court may decide not to grant an injunction against further infringing activity and instead award only monetary damages, which may not be an adequate remedy. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during litigation. Moreover, there can be no assurance that we will have sufficient financial or other resources to file and pursue such infringement claims, which typically last for years before they are concluded. Even if we ultimately prevail in such claims, the monetary cost of such litigation and the diversion of the attention of our management and scientific personnel could outweigh any benefit we receive as a result of the proceedings.
RISKS RELATED TO REGULATORY APPROVAL AND OTHER LEGAL COMPLIANCE MATTERS
Even if we complete the necessary nonclinical studies and clinical trials, the marketing approval process is expensive, time consuming and uncertain and we may not obtain approvals for the commercialization of some or all of our product candidates. As a result, we cannot predict when or if, and in which territories, we, or our collaborators, will obtain marketing approval to commercialize a product candidate.
The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, selling, marketing, promotion and distribution of drug products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, which regulations differ from country to country. Failure to obtain marketing approval for a product candidate in a given territory will prevent us, and our collaborators, from commercializing the product candidate in that territory. Our product candidates are in various stages of development and are subject to the risks of failure inherent in drug development. We, and our collaborators, have not submitted an application for or received marketing approval for any of our product candidates in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. We have limited experience in filing and supporting the applications necessary to gain marketing approvals.
The process of obtaining marketing approvals, both in the United States and abroad, is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. It may take many years, if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon a variety of factors, including the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidates involved. This is the case even though the deuterated compounds that we produce and seek to develop can have similar pharmacological properties as their corresponding non-deuterated compounds. Even if, as a result of any such similarities, we, or our collaborators, obtain clearance from the FDA and other regulatory authorities to follow expedited development programs for some deuterated compounds that reference and rely on previous findings for non-deuterated compounds, the review and approval of our product candidates may still take a substantial period of time. Conversely, in certain countries regulators may consider our deuterated compounds to be equivalent to non-deuterated compounds that possess regulatory exclusivity and therefore refuse to approve our compounds until the expiration of that exclusivity.
In addition, changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment or promulgation of additional statutes, regulations or guidance or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. Regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional nonclinical, clinical or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from nonclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit or prevent marketing approval of a product candidate. Any marketing approval we, or our collaborators, ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the approved product not commercially viable.
Any delay in obtaining or failure to obtain required approvals could materially adversely affect our ability, or that of our collaborators, to generate revenue from the particular product candidate, which likely would result in significant harm to our financial position and adversely impact our stock price.
Failure to obtain marketing approval in international jurisdictions would prevent our product candidates from being marketed abroad.
In order to market and sell our products in the European Union and many other jurisdictions, we, or our collaborators, must obtain separate marketing approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval may differ substantially from that required to obtain FDA approval. The marketing approval process outside the United States generally includes all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. In addition, in many territories outside the United States, it is required that the product be approved for reimbursement before the product can be approved for sale in that territory. Our products may not receive commercially feasible prices in any given territory, or the price offered for our products in a territory may have an adverse effect on their prices in other territories if we were to accept. We, and our collaborators, may not obtain approvals from regulatory authorities outside the United States on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions, and approval by one regulatory authority outside the United States does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions or by the FDA.
Even if we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approvals for our product candidates, the terms of approvals and ongoing regulation of our products may limit how we, or they, manufacture and market our products, which could materially impair our ability to generate revenue.
Once marketing approval has been granted, an approved product and its manufacturer and marketer are subject to ongoing review and extensive regulation. We, and our collaborators, must therefore comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotion for any of our product candidates for which we or they obtain marketing approval. Promotional communications with respect to prescription drugs are subject to a variety of legal and regulatory restrictions and must be consistent with the information in the product’s approved labeling. Thus, we, and our collaborators, will not be able to promote any products we develop for indications or uses for which they are not approved.
In addition, manufacturers of approved products and those manufacturers’ facilities are required to comply with extensive FDA requirements, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMPs, which include requirements relating to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation and reporting requirements. We, our contract manufacturers, our collaborators and their contract manufacturers could be subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA to monitor and ensure compliance with cGMPs.
Accordingly, assuming we, or our collaborators, receive marketing approval for one or more of our product candidates, we, and our collaborators, and our and their contract manufacturers will continue to expend time, money and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production, product surveillance and quality control.
If we, and our collaborators, are not able to comply with post-approval regulatory requirements, we, and our collaborators, could have the marketing approvals for our products withdrawn by regulatory authorities and our, or our collaborators’, ability to market any future products could be limited, which could adversely affect our ability to achieve or sustain profitability. Further, the cost of compliance with post-approval regulations may have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition.
Any of our product candidates for which we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approval in the future could be subject to post-marketing restrictions or withdrawal from the market and we, or our collaborators, may be subject to substantial penalties if we, or they, fail to comply with regulatory requirements or if we, or they, experience unanticipated problems with our products following approval.
Any of our product candidates for which we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approval in the future, as well as the manufacturing processes, post-approval studies and measures, labeling, advertising and promotional activities for such product, among other things, will be subject to continual requirements of and review by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration and listing requirements, requirements relating to manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance and corresponding maintenance of records and documents, requirements regarding the distribution of samples to physicians and recordkeeping. Even if marketing approval of a product candidate is granted, the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, including the requirement to implement a REMS.
The FDA may also impose requirements for costly post-marketing studies or clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of a product. The FDA and other agencies, including the Department of Justice, closely regulate and monitor the post-approval marketing and promotion of products to ensure that they are manufactured, marketed and distributed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved labeling. The FDA imposes stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label use and if we, or our collaborators, do not market any of our product candidates for which we, or they, receive marketing approval for only their approved indications, we, or they, may be subject to warnings or enforcement action for off-label marketing. Violation of the FDCA and other statutes, including the False Claims Act, relating to the promotion and advertising of prescription drugs may lead to investigations or allegations of violations of federal and state health care fraud and abuse laws and state consumer protection laws.
In addition, later discovery of previously unknown adverse events or other problems with our products or their manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may yield various results, including:
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restrictions on such products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes;
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restrictions on the indication, patient population or other parameters for which the drug is approved;
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restrictions on the labeling or marketing of a product;
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restrictions on product distribution or use;
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requirements to conduct post-marketing studies or clinical trials;
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warning letters or untitled letters;
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withdrawal of the products from the market;
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refusal to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications that we submit;
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recall of products;
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fines, restitution or disgorgement of profits or revenues;
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reputational damage;
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suspension or withdrawal of marketing approvals;
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refusal to permit the import or export of products;
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product seizure; or
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injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
Recently enacted and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us and our collaborators to obtain marketing approval of and commercialize our product candidates and affect the prices we, or they, may obtain.
In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability, or the ability of our collaborators, to profitably sell any products for which we, or they, obtain marketing approval.
In the United States, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, or the MMA, changed the way Medicare covers and pays for pharmaceutical products. The legislation expanded Medicare coverage for drug purchases by the elderly and introduced a new reimbursement methodology based on average sales prices for physician administered drugs. In addition, this legislation provided authority for limiting the number of drugs that will be covered in any therapeutic class. Cost reduction initiatives and other provisions of this legislation could decrease the coverage and price that we receive for any approved products. While the MMA only addresses drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, private payors often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates. Therefore, any reduction in reimbursement that results from the MMA may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors.
In March 2010, President Obama signed into law the PPACA.
Among the provisions of the PPACA of potential importance to our product candidates are the following:
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an annual, non-deductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports specified branded prescription drugs and biologic agents;
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an increase in the statutory minimum rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program;
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expansion of healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute, new government investigative powers and enhanced penalties for noncompliance;
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a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must agree to offer 50% point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices;
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extension of manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability;
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expansion of eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs;
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expansion of the entities eligible for discounts under the Public Health Service pharmaceutical pricing program new requirements to report financial arrangements with physicians and teaching hospitals;
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a new requirement to annually report drug samples that manufacturers and distributors provide to physicians; and
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a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities in and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for such research.
In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the PPACA was enacted. These changes included aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2% per fiscal year, starting in 2013. In January 2013, President Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several providers and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years. These new laws may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding.
Legislative and regulatory proposals have been made to expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for pharmaceutical products. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether the FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing approvals of our product candidates, if any, may be. In addition, increased scrutiny by the U.S. Congress of the FDA’s approval process may significantly delay or prevent marketing approval, as well as subject us and our collaborators to more stringent product labeling and post-marketing testing and other requirements.
Our future relationships with customers and third-party payors will be subject to applicable anti-kickback, fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm and diminished profits and future earnings.
Healthcare providers, physicians and third-party payors will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain marketing approval. Our future arrangements with third-party payors and customers, if any, will subject us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations. The laws and regulations may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we market, sell and distribute any products for which we obtain marketing approval. Restrictions under applicable federal and state healthcare laws and regulations in the United States include the following:
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Anti-Kickback Statute. The federal Healthcare Anti-Kickback statute prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward, or in return for, either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation or arranging of, any good or service, for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program such as Medicare and Medicaid;
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False Claims Act. The federal False Claims Act imposes criminal and civil penalties, including through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented false or fraudulent claims for payment by a federal healthcare program or making a false statement or record material to payment of a false claim or avoiding, decreasing or concealing an obligation to pay money to the federal government, with potential liability including mandatory treble damages and significant per-claim penalties;
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HIPAA. HIPAA imposes criminal and civil liability for executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services and, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and its implementing regulations, also imposes obligations, including mandatory contractual terms and technical safeguards, with respect to maintaining the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information;
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Transparency Requirements. Federal transparency laws require certain manufacturers of covered drugs to report payments and other transfers of value to physicians, other healthcare providers and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and other healthcare providers and their immediate family members; and
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Analogous State and Foreign Laws. Analogous state and foreign laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, can apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services. In addition, some state laws require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry's voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government in addition to requiring drug manufacturers to report information related to payments to physicians and other health care providers or marketing expenditures and govern the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of
which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.
Some state laws require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government and require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures. State and foreign laws also govern the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not pre-empted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.
Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion of products from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. If any of the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business is found to be not in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs.
If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. From time to time, our operations may involve the use of hazardous materials, including chemicals and biological materials, and may also produce hazardous waste products. Even if we contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and waste products, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from the use or disposal of our hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for failure to comply with such laws and regulations.
We maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous materials, but this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us.
In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Current or future environmental laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. In addition, failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.
Governments outside the United States tend to impose strict price controls, which may adversely affect our revenues, if any.
In some countries, such as the countries of the European Union, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after the receipt of marketing approval for a product. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we, or our collaborators, may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of our product to other available therapies. If reimbursement of our products is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our business could be materially harmed.
RISKS RELATED TO DATA PROTECTION AND CYBERSECURITY
Our failure to comply with data protection laws and regulations could lead to government enforcement actions, private litigation and/or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business.
We are subject to data protection laws and regulations that address privacy and data security. The legislative and regulatory landscape for data protection continues to evolve, and in recent years there has been an increasing focus on privacy and data security issues. In the United States, numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including state data breach notification laws,
state health information privacy laws and federal and state consumer protection laws govern the collection, use, disclosure and protection of health-related and other personal information. Failure to comply with data protection laws and regulations could result in government enforcement actions, which could include civil or criminal penalties, private litigation and/or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business. In addition, we may obtain health information from third parties that are subject to privacy and security requirements under HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. We could be subject to criminal penalties if we knowingly obtain or disclose individually identifiable health information in a manner that is not authorized or permitted.
The collection and use of personal health data in the European Union is governed by the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which came into effect in May 2018. This regulation imposes several requirements relating to the consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information provided to the individuals, notification of data processing obligations to the competent national data protection authorities and the security and confidentiality of the personal data. The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the European Union to the United States. Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR and the related national data protection laws of the European Union Member States may result in significant fines and other administrative penalties.
Significant disruptions of information technology systems or security breaches could adversely affect our business.
We are increasingly dependent upon information technology systems, infrastructure and data to operate our business. In the ordinary course of business, we collect, store and transmit large amounts of confidential information (including, among other things, trade secrets or other intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information). It is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such confidential information. We also have outsourced elements of our operations to third parties, and as a result we manage a number of third-party vendors who may or could have access to our confidential information. The size and complexity of our information technology systems, and those of third-party vendors with whom we contract, and the large amounts of confidential information stored on those systems, make such systems vulnerable to service interruptions or to security breaches from inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees, consultants, third-party vendors, and/or business partners, or from cyber-attacks by malicious third parties. Cyber-attacks are increasing in their frequency, sophistication and intensity, and have become increasingly difficult to detect. Cyber-attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. Cyber-attacks could also include phishing attempts or e-mail fraud to cause payments or information to be transmitted to an unintended recipient.
Significant disruptions of our information technology systems, or those of our third-party vendors, or security breaches could adversely affect our business operations and/or result in the loss, misappropriation and/or unauthorized access, use or disclosure of, or the prevention of access to, confidential information, including, among other things, trade secrets or other intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information, and could result in financial, legal, business and reputational harm to us. For example, any such event that leads to unauthorized access, use or disclosure of personal information, including personal information regarding our patients or employees, could harm our reputation, require us to comply with federal and/or state breach notification laws and foreign law equivalents, and otherwise subject us to liability under laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of personal information. Security breaches and other inappropriate access can be difficult to detect, and any delay in identifying them may lead to increased harm of the type described above. While we have implemented security measures to protect our information technology systems and infrastructure, there can be no assurance that such measures will prevent service interruptions or security breaches that could adversely affect our business.
RISKS RELATED TO EMPLOYEE MATTERS AND MANAGING GROWTH
Our future success depends on our ability to retain our Chief Executive Officer and other key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.
Our industry has experienced a high rate of turnover of management personnel in recent years. Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified managerial, scientific and clinical personnel. We are highly dependent on the pharmaceutical research and development and business development expertise of Roger D. Tung, our President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as the other principal members of our management, scientific and development team. Although we have formal employment agreements with our executive officers, these agreements do not prevent them from terminating their employment with us at any time. In addition, although we maintain a key-man insurance policy with respect to Dr. Tung, we do not carry key-man insurance on any of our other executive officers or employees and may not carry any key-man insurance in the future.
If we lose one or more of our executive officers, our ability to implement our business strategy successfully could be seriously harmed. Furthermore, replacing executive officers may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to develop, gain marketing approval of and commercialize products successfully. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these additional key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, our ability to develop and commercialize product candidates will be limited.
We expect to grow our organization and, as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.
As our pipeline grows and matures, we expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, including in the areas of drug manufacturing, regulatory affairs and sales, clinical development, marketing and distribution. Our management may need to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from our day-to-day activities to devote time to managing these growth activities. To manage these growth activities, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a company with such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Moreover, the expected expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMMON STOCK
The price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock.
The trading price of our comment stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. The stock market in general and the market for smaller pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:
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the success or failure of existing or new competitive products or technologies;
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the timing, advancement of and results of nonclinical studies and clinical trials of any of our product candidates;
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commencement or termination of collaborations for our development programs;
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failure, delays, changes to or discontinuation of any of our development programs;
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regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries;
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regulatory actions relating to our product candidates;
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developments or disputes concerning patent applications, issued patents or other proprietary rights;
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the recruitment or departure of key personnel;
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disclosures by our collaborators relating to our product candidates or competitive programs;
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merger or acquisition activity of our collaborators;
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the level of expenses related to any of our product candidates or clinical development programs;
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the results of our efforts to develop additional product candidates or products;
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actual or anticipated changes in estimates as to financial results, development timelines or recommendations by securities analysts;
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announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;
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receipt or expectation of receipt of revenues such as milestones, royalties, grants and license fees;
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sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or other stockholders;
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programmed trading based on technical stock chart or other inputs;
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portfolio restructuring by large stockholders or decisions by stockholders to rapidly acquire or sell our shares;
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addition or removal of our stock from stock indices;
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variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;
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changes in estimates or recommendations by securities analysts that cover our stock;
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actions by short-sellers or supporters of our stock, including social media postings or reports;
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changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;
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market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;
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legalization or the anticipation of possible legalization of drug reimportation from other countries;
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actual or anticipated changes in FDA practices;
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general economic, industry and market conditions; and
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the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.
An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.
Although we have listed our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market, an active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained. In the absence of an active trading market for our common stock, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above the price at which they acquired their shares or at the times that they would like to sell. An inactive trading market may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our shares as consideration.
We have broad discretion in the use of our cash reserves and may not use them effectively.
Our management has broad discretion to use our cash reserves and could use our cash reserves in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause the price of our common stock to decline and delay the development of our product candidates. Pending their use, we may invest our cash reserves in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.
We are a “smaller reporting company,” and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are a smaller reporting company under applicable SEC regulations. For so long as we remain a smaller reporting company, we are permitted and plan to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements, including reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation. We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
We will continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company.
As a public company, we are incurring and expect to continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. We expect that these expenses will further increase now that we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, as of January 1, 2020.
Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or SOX, we are required to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of each fiscal year and to report on this evaluation in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year. As an emerging growth company, we had previously not been required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. However, now that we are no longer an emerging growth company, we have included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K our first attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. We will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, engage outside consultants and maintain a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, continue to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and maintain a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, there is a risk that in the future we will not be able to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by SOX Section 404. If we identify one or more material weaknesses, it could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.
A significant portion of our total outstanding shares may be sold into the market in the near future, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline significantly, even if our business is doing well.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of common stock intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock.
In addition, as of February 21, 2020, there were 5,470,485 shares subject to outstanding options and restricted stock units under our equity compensation plans, all of which shares are registered under the Securities Act. These shares will be able to be freely sold in the public market upon exercise, as permitted by any applicable vesting requirements, except to the extent they are held by our affiliates, in which case such shares will become eligible for sale in the public market as permitted by Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Furthermore, as of February 21, 2020, there were 1,861,273 shares subject to outstanding warrants to purchase common stock, 1,800,000 shares of which are registered under the Securities Act. The remaining 61,273 shares will become eligible for sale in the public market, to the extent such warrant is exercised, as permitted by Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future, accordingly, stockholders must rely on capital appreciation, if any, for any return on their investment.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently plan to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the operation, development and growth of our business. Furthermore, any future debt agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be the sole source of gain for our stockholders for the foreseeable future.
Our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders, if they choose to act together, have the ability to substantially influence all matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
Our executive officers and directors, combined with our stockholders who own more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, and all affiliates, in the aggregate, beneficially own a substantial percentage of our capital stock. As a result, if these stockholders were to choose to act together, they would be able to substantially influence all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these persons, if they choose to act together, would substantially influence the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of ownership control may:
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delay, defer or prevent a change in control;
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entrench our management or the board of directors; or
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impede a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us that other stockholders may desire.
Future sales of a substantial number of our common shares by our principal stockholders could depress the trading price of our common stock.
If our principal stockholders sell substantial amounts of shares of our common stock in the public market or if the market anticipates that these sales could occur, the market price of shares of our common stock could decline. These sales may make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate, or to use equity as consideration for future acquisitions.
Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our corporate charter and our by-laws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which our stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors. Among other things, these provisions:
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establish a classified board of directors such that all members of the board of directors are not elected at one time;
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allow the authorized number of our directors to be changed only by resolution of our board of directors;
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limit the manner in which stockholders can remove directors from the board;
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establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on at stockholder meetings;
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require that stockholder actions must be effected at a duly called stockholder meeting and prohibit actions by our stockholders by written consent;
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limit who may call a special meeting of stockholders;
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authorize our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to institute a “poison pill” that would work to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, effectively preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our board of directors; and
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require the approval of the holders of at least 75% of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast to amend or repeal certain provisions of our charter or by-laws.
Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner. This could discourage, delay or prevent someone from acquiring us or merging with us, whether or not it is desired by, or beneficial to, our stockholders.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. There can be no assurance that analysts will cover us, or provide favorable coverage. If one or more analysts downgrade our stock or change their opinion of our stock, our share price may decline. In addition, if one or more analysts cease coverage of our Company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
Changes in tax law could adversely affect our business and financial condition or holders of our common stock.
The rules dealing with U.S. federal, state and local income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to tax laws (which changes may have retroactive application) could adversely affect us or holders of our common stock. In recent years, many such changes have been made and changes are likely to continue to occur in the future. Future changes in tax laws could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow, financial condition or results of operations. We urge stockholders to consult with their legal and tax advisers regarding the implications of potential changes in tax laws on an investment in our common stock.
ITEM 1B.
ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
ITEM 2.
ITEM 2. Properties
We lease our principal facilities, which consist of approximately 56,000 square feet of office and laboratory space located at 65 Hayden Avenue, Lexington, Massachusetts. The lease expires on January 1, 2029. We believe that our facilities are sufficient for our current needs for the foreseeable future.
ITEM 3.
ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings
In April 2018, the PTAB instituted an IPR brought against the '149 patent by Incyte. The '149 patent covers the composition of matter of deuterated analogs of ruxolitinib, including CTP-543. In April 2019, the PTAB issued a final written decision in connection with the IPR that held that the claims of the '149 patent were unpatentable as obvious. In January 2020, the Federal Circuit granted our motion to vacate and remand the PTAB final written decision in light of the recent Federal Circuit ruling on the Constitution’s Appointments Clause (Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., No. 18-2140). As a result, the IPR will be remanded for reconsideration by a new panel of PTAB judges. The Federal Circuit’s grant of our motion will take effect on March 16, 2020 unless Incyte or the Director of the PTO, who intervened in the case, seeks rehearing of the Federal Circuit’s decision. If a request for rehearing were to be denied, the Federal Circuit’s decision would ordinarily take effect seven days after the denial. The '149 patent remains valid and enforceable while the IPR is being reconsidered by the PTAB and until any future appeals by us have been exhausted in the event that the PTAB reaches a similar decision to invalidate the '149 patent.
ITEM 4.
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
Part II
ITEM 5.
ITEM 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
MARKET INFORMATION
Our common stock has been publicly traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “CNCE” since February 13, 2014.
HOLDERS
As of January 31, 2020, there were 12 holders of record of our common stock. This number does not include beneficial owners whose shares are held by nominees in street name.
DIVIDENDS
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. We do not intend to pay any cash dividends to the holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future.
ITEM 6.
ITEM 6.
Selected Financial Data
We are not required to provide the information required by this Item because we are a smaller reporting company.
ITEM 7.
ITEM 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this report, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should read the “Risk Factors” section in Part I, Item 1A. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
OVERVIEW
We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company applying our extensive knowledge of deuterium chemistry to discover and develop novel small molecule drugs. Selective incorporation of deuterium into known molecules has the potential, on a case-by-case basis, to provide better pharmacokinetic or metabolic properties, thereby enhancing their clinical safety, tolerability or efficacy. Our approach typically starts with previously studied compounds, including approved drugs, that we believe may be improved with deuterium substitution. Our technology provides the opportunity to develop products that may compete with the non-deuterated drug in existing markets or to leverage its known activity to expand into new indications and may enable compounds not otherwise well-suited for human drug development to be clinically developed. Our deuterated chemical entity platform, or DCE Platform®, has broad potential across numerous therapeutic areas. As discussed in detail in Part I, Item 1. above, we have a robust pipeline of wholly owned programs which includes clinical stage candidates targeting autoimmune and CNS disorders, and a number of preclinical compounds that we are currently assessing.
Since our inception in 2006, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to our research and development efforts, including activities to develop our DCE Platform and our core capabilities in deuterium chemistry, identify potential product candidates, undertake nonclinical studies and clinical trials, manufacture clinical trial material in compliance with cGMPs, provide general and administrative support for these operations and establish our intellectual property. We have generated an accumulated deficit of $194.7 million since inception through December 31, 2019 and will require substantial additional capital to fund our research and development. We do not have any products approved for sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales.
We have funded our operations primarily through the public offering and private placement of our equity, debt financing and funding from collaborations, patent assignments and other arrangements. In March 2015, we sold 3,300,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $15.15 per share, resulting in net proceeds to us of $46.7 million, after deducting the underwriting discounts, commissions and offering-related transaction costs. During January 2020, we completed an underwriting public offering pursuant to which we sold 5,735,283 shares of common stock at the public offering price of $9.92 per share. In addition, we sold to a certain existing investor pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,800,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $9.919 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price for the common stock less the $0.001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. The aggregate gross proceeds we received from the public offering was $74.7 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering related expenses of $4.8 million.
On March 3, 2017, we entered into the Vertex Agreement with Vertex, pursuant to which we agreed to sell and assign to Vertex CTP-656, now known as VX-561, and other cystic fibrosis assets of ours for up to $250.0 million, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions. On July 25, 2017, the transaction contemplated by the Vertex Agreement closed, and Vertex paid us $160.0 million in cash consideration, with $16.0 million initially held in escrow, which was released to us in February 2019. Additional information concerning the sale of CTP-656 is discussed in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly from year to year, depending on the timing and magnitude of cash payments received pursuant to collaboration and licensing arrangements and other agreements and the timing and magnitude of clinical trial and other development activities under our current development programs. We generated net losses of $78.2 million and $56.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for at least the next several years. We expect our expenses will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities as we continue research and development efforts and develop and conduct additional nonclinical studies and clinical trials with respect to our product candidates.
We do not expect to generate revenue from product sales unless and until we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approval for one or more of our product candidates, which we expect will take a number of years and is subject to significant uncertainty. If we obtain, or believe that we are likely to obtain, marketing approval for any product candidates for which we retain commercialization rights, and intend to commercialize a product, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. We expect to seek to fund our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaboration and licensing arrangements and other sources for at least the next several years. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. Our failure to raise capital or enter into such other arrangements as and when needed would force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our research and development programs and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and our ability to develop our products. We will need to generate significant revenues to achieve sustained profitability and we may never do so.
COLLABORATIONS
We have entered into a number of collaborations for the research, development and commercialization of deuterated compounds. To date, our collaborations have provided us with significant funding for both our specific development programs and our DCE Platform. Our collaborators also have applied their considerable scientific, development, regulatory and commercial capabilities to the development of our compounds. In addition, in some instances, where we develop and seek to collaborate with respect to deuterated analogs of marketed drugs or of drug candidates that are more advanced in clinical trials, our collaborators may be eligible for an expedited development or regulatory pathway by relying on previous clinical data regarding their corresponding non-deuterated compound. We believe that our collaborations have contributed to our ability to progress our product candidates and build our DCE Platform.
Our collaborations are discussed further in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ASSET PURCHASE AGREEMENT
On March 3, 2017, we entered into the Vertex Agreement pursuant to which we sold and assigned to Vertex CTP-656, now known as VX-561, and other cystic fibrosis assets of ours. On July 25, 2017, the transaction contemplated by the Vertex Agreement closed, and Vertex paid us $160.0 million in cash consideration, with $16.0 million initially held in escrow, which was released to us in February 2019. Additional information concerning the sale of CTP-656 is discussed in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Additionally, upon the achievement of certain milestone events, Vertex has agreed to pay us an aggregate of up to $90.0 million. Of this amount, $50.0 million will become payable to us upon receipt of FDA marketing approval for a combination treatment regimen containing CTP-656 for patients with cystic fibrosis, and $40.0 million will become payable to us upon completion of a pricing and reimbursement agreement in the first of the United Kingdom, Germany or France with respect to a combination treatment regimen containing CTP-656 for patients with cystic fibrosis.
FINANCIAL OPERATIONS OVERVIEW
Revenue
We have not generated any revenue from the sales of products. All of our revenue to date has been generated through collaboration, license and research arrangements with collaborators and nonprofit organizations for the development and commercialization of product candidates, a patent assignment agreement and an asset sale. On January 1, 2018, we adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which is also referred to as Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, 606. We adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective approach. For detailed information regarding the adoption of ASC 606 and the impact on our consolidated financial statements, see Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The terms of these agreements may include one or more of the following types of payments: non-refundable license fees, payments for research and development activities, payments based upon the achievement of specified milestones, payment of license exercise or option fees relating to product candidates and royalties on any net product sales. To date, we have received non-refundable upfront payments, several milestone payments, payments for research and development services provided to our collaborators, a change in control payment pursuant to a patent assignment agreement and a payment for the sale of an
asset. However, we have not yet earned any license exercise or option fees, sales-based milestone payments or royalty revenue as a result of product sales.
In the future, we will seek to generate revenue from a combination of product sales and milestone payments and royalties on product sales in connection with our current collaborations, our asset sale with Vertex or other collaborations we may enter into.
Research and development expenses
Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for the development of our product candidates, which include:
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employee-related expenses, including salary, benefits, travel and stock-based compensation expense;
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expenses incurred under agreements with contract research organizations and investigative sites that conduct our clinical trials;
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the cost of acquiring, developing and manufacturing clinical trial materials;
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facilities, depreciation and other expenses, which include direct and allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities, insurance and other supplies;
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platform-related lab expenses, which includes costs related to synthesis, analysis and in vitro and in vivo characterization of deuterated compounds to support the selection and progression of potential product candidates;
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expenses related to consultants and advisors; and
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costs associated with nonclinical activities and regulatory operations.
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Costs for certain development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information and data provided to us by our vendors and our clinical sites.
A significant portion of our research and development costs have been external costs, which we track on a program-by-program basis. These external costs include fees paid to investigators, consultants, central laboratories and contract research organizations in connection with our clinical trials, and costs related to acquiring and manufacturing clinical trial materials. Our internal research and development costs are primarily personnel-related costs, depreciation and other indirect costs. We do not track our internal research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis, as they are deployed across multiple projects under development.
The successful development of any of our product candidates is highly uncertain. As such, at this time, we cannot reasonably predict with certainty the duration and completion costs of the current or future clinical trials of any of our product candidates or if, when or to what extent we will generate revenues from the commercialization and sale of any of our product candidates that obtain marketing approval. We may never succeed in achieving regulatory approval for any of our product candidates. The duration, costs and timing of clinical trials and development of our product candidates will depend on a variety of factors, including:
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the scope and rate of progress of our ongoing as well as any additional clinical trials and other research and development activities;
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conduct of and results from ongoing as well as any additional clinical trials and research and development activities;
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significant and changing government regulation;
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the terms and timing and receipt of any regulatory approvals;
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the performance of our collaborators;
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our ability to manufacture any of our product candidates that we are developing or may develop in the future; and
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the expense and success of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights, including potential claims that we infringe other parties' intellectual property.
A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of a product candidate could mean a significant change in the cost and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. For example, if the FDA or another regulatory authority were to require us to conduct clinical trials or other research and development activities beyond those that we currently anticipate will be required for the completion of clinical development of a product candidate, or if we experience significant delays in enrollment in any of our clinical trials, we could be required to expend significant additional financial resources and time on the completion of clinical development.
Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials and the manufacturing that is typically required for those later-stage clinical trials. We expect research and development costs to increase significantly for the foreseeable future as our product candidate development programs progress, but we do not believe that it is possible at this time to accurately project total program-specific expenses through commercialization. There are numerous factors associated with the successful commercialization of any of our product candidates, including future trial design and various regulatory requirements, many of which cannot be determined with accuracy at this time based on our stage of development. Additionally, future commercial and regulatory factors beyond our control will impact our clinical development programs and plans.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related costs for personnel, including stock-based compensation and travel expenses for our employees in executive, operational, finance, legal, business development and human resource functions. Other general and administrative expenses include facility-related costs, depreciation and other expenses not allocated to research and development expense and professional fees for directors, accounting and legal services and expenses associated with obtaining and maintaining patents. In both 2019 and 2018, we incurred expenses for intellectual property matters related to CTP-543.
We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as our pipeline grows and matures. Additionally, if and when we believe that a regulatory approval of the first product candidate that we intend to commercialize on our own appears likely, we anticipate an increase in payroll and related expenses as a result of our preparation for commercial operations, especially as it relates to the sales, marketing and distribution of our product candidates.
Investment income
Investment income consists of interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments. The amount of investment income earned in any particular period may vary primarily as a result of the amount of cash equivalents and investments held during the period and the types of securities included in our portfolio during the period. Our current investment policy is to maintain a diversified investment portfolio of U.S. government-backed securities and money market mutual funds consisting of U.S. government-backed securities.
Unrealized loss on marketable equity securities
Unrealized loss on marketable equity securities consists of changes in the fair value of shares of common stock of Processa held by us, as discussed further in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Income taxes
We record a provision or benefit for income taxes on pre-tax income or loss based on our estimated effective tax rate for the year. We had a pre-tax net loss of $78.2 million and recorded no income tax provision or benefit during the year ended December 31, 2019. We recorded $0.3 million in income tax provision during the year ended December 31, 2018 as a result of taxes assessed on the $16.0 million initially held in escrow under the Vertex Agreement.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND SIGNIFICANT JUDGMENTS AND ESTIMATES
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make judgments and estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our judgments and estimates in light of changes in circumstances, facts and experience. The effects of material revisions in estimates, if any, will be reflected in the consolidated financial statements prospectively from the date of change in estimates.
While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following accounting policies used in the preparation of our financial statements require the most significant judgments and estimates:
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revenue recognition;
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prepaid and accrued research and development expenses; and
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stock-based compensation.
Revenue recognition
We have primarily generated revenue through arrangements with collaborators for the development and commercialization of product candidates.
We adopted ASC 606 effective January 1, 2018. ASC 606 is a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The revenue standard is based on the principle that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The revenue standard also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts and costs to obtain or fulfill contracts. We applied ASC 606 on January 1, 2018 to all contracts using the modified retrospective approach. For additional details regarding our adoption of ASC 606 and our associated accounting policies, refer to Notes 2 and 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Prepaid and accrued research and development expenses
As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual cost. The majority of our service providers invoice us monthly in arrears for services performed or when contractual milestones are met. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in our financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of our estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:
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contract research organizations in connection with clinical trials;
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investigative sites in connection with clinical trials;
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vendors in connection with nonclinical development activities; and
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vendors related to product manufacturing, development and distribution of clinical supplies.
We generally accrue expenses related to research and development activities based on the services received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with multiple contract research organizations that conduct and manage clinical trials on our behalf as well as other vendors that provide research and development services. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the clinical expense. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of subjects and the completion of clinical trial milestones. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from our estimate, we adjust the accrual or prepaid accordingly. Non-refundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made.
Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, if our estimates of the status and timing of services performed differ from the actual status and timing of services performed, we may report amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. To date, there have been no material differences from our estimates to the amounts actually incurred.
Stock-based compensation
Since our inception in April 2006, we have applied the fair value recognition provisions of FASB ASC Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation, or ASC 718, to account for stock-based compensation arrangements with our employees.
Stock-based compensation arrangements with non-employees has not been significant. We use the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model for determining the estimated fair value for stock-based awards on the date of grant, which requires the use of subjective assumptions to determine the fair value of stock-based awards, including the award’s expected term and the price volatility of the underlying stock. We recognize the value of the portion of the awards that is ultimately expected to vest as expense over the requisite vesting periods on a ratable basis for the entire award. Our stock option awards granted to employees generally have a ten-year term and typically vest over a four-year period.
Expected volatility was estimated using a weighted average of our historical volatility of our common stock and the historical volatility of the common stock of a representative group of publicly traded companies from the biopharmaceutical industry with similar characteristics as us, including stage of product development and therapeutic focus. We will continue to apply this process until a sufficient amount of historical information regarding the volatility of our own stock price becomes available.
The expected term of awards represents the period of time that the awards are expected to be outstanding. We use the simplified method as prescribed by the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin, or SAB, No. 107, Share-Based Payment, as we do not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the expected term of stock options granted to employees.
We utilize a dividend yield of zero based on the fact that we have never paid cash dividends and have no current intention of paying cash dividends. The risk-free interest rate was estimated using an average of treasury bill interest rates over a period commensurate with the expected term of the option at the time of grant. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.
We have computed the fair value of employee stock options at the date of grant using the following weighted-average assumptions:
We have granted restricted stock units and performance stock units to our employees and members of our senior management team. We recognize compensation expense for restricted stock units ratably over the required service period. For awards with performance conditions in which the award does not vest unless the performance condition is met, we recognize expense only if we estimate that achievement of the performance condition is probable. If we conclude that vesting is probable, we recognize expense from the date that we reach this conclusion through the estimated vesting date using an accelerated attribution method.
PENDING AND RECENTLY ADOPTED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
For detailed information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements and the expected impact on our consolidated financial statements, see Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Discussion of the year ended December 31, 2019
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019.
License and research and development revenue
License and research and development revenue was $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The revenue recognized in 2019 was primarily a result of the License Agreement, or the Cipla Agreement, entered into in the first quarter of 2019 with Cipla Technologies LLC, or Cipla. We recognized $1.0 million in revenue associated with this arrangement for the year ended December 31, 2019. For additional details related to the Cipla Agreement, see Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The decrease in license and research and development revenue compared to $10.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 is due to the upfront consideration received from Processa of 2,090,301 shares of its common stock with a fair value of $10.5 million on the date of the transaction, which was recorded in fiscal year 2018. For additional details related to the transaction with Processa, see Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
As of December 31, 2019, we had deferred revenue of:
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$7.8 million related to our collaboration with Celgene Corporation, or Celgene, consisting of $1.3 million related to the R&D Services Performance Obligation, $0.1 million related to the Supply Performance Obligation and $6.4 million related to the First and Second Discount Performance Obligations; and
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$2.8 million related to a payment received from GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK.
Research and development expenses
The following table summarizes our external research and development expenses, by program, for the year ended December 31, 2019, with our internal research expenses separately classified by category.
Research and development expenses were $59.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. CTP-543 expenses primarily related to clinical development, including multiple Phase 2 clinical trials. CTP-692 expenses were attributable to the Phase 1 clinical trials completed in 2019 and manufacturing costs to support the advancement of the CTP-692 program into a Phase 2
clinical trial. Employee-related expenses consisted primarily of cash and non-cash stock-based compensation expenses. Facility-related expenses consisted primarily of rent and maintenance of our premises. External costs for other programs includes a $0.5 million payment to the nonprofit organization Fast Forward in the first quarter of 2019 under an existing agreement related to CTP-354 between us and Fast Forward, which was triggered by the upfront payment pursuant to the Cipla Agreement, and costs incurred to develop our research pipeline.
The $16.7 million increase in research and development costs for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018 is due to multiple CTP-543 Phase 2 clinical trials, multiple CTP-692 Phase 1 clinical trials and manufacturing costs to support the continued development of CTP-692.
General and administrative expenses
The following table summarizes our general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019.
General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 consisted primarily of salaries and related costs for personnel, including non-cash stock-based compensation. Other general and administrative expenses included accounting and legal services, office and facility-related costs.
Total general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 decreased by $2.7 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2018. Salaries and benefits decreased $1.7 million and legal costs decreased $0.8 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2018. These decreases are slightly offset by an increase of $0.2 million in audit and other professional fees compared to the year ended December 31, 2018.
Investment income
Investment income was $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 and consisted of interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments.
Unrealized loss on marketable equity securities
We recorded an unrealized loss on marketable equity securities of $2.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. Unrealized loss on marketable equity securities consists of changes in the fair value of shares of common stock of Processa held by us, as discussed further in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Discussion of the year ended December 31, 2018
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018.
License and research and development revenue
License and research and development revenue was $10.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. In 2018, we granted Processa an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license to develop, manufacture and commercialize CTP-499 in exchange for upfront consideration of 2,090,301 shares of common stock of Processa with a fair value of $10.5 million on the date of the transaction, which was recorded as license and research and development revenue during fiscal year 2018. For further details related to our transaction with Processa, refer to Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Research and development expenses
The following table summarizes our external research and development expenses, by program, for the year ended December 31, 2018, with our internal research expenses separately classified by category.
Research and development expenses were $43.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. CTP-543 expenses primarily related to ongoing Phase 2 clinical study and manufacturing costs to support continued advancement of the CTP-543 program. CTP-692 expenses were attributable to costs incurred related to Phase 1 clinical trials and manufacturing activities to support the development of CTP-692. Employee-related expenses consisted primarily of cash and non-cash stock-based compensation expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018. Facility-related expenses consisted primarily of rent and other office costs. External costs for other programs consisted of costs incurred to develop our research pipeline.
General and administrative expenses
The following table summarizes our general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Investment income
Investment income was $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and consisted of interest income earned on cash equivalents and investments.
Unrealized loss on marketable equity securities
The unrealized loss on marketable equity securities of $2.9 million consisted of changes in the fair value of shares of common stock of Processa held by us, as discussed further in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Provision for income taxes
We recorded $0.3 million in income tax expense during the year ended December 31, 2018. The provision for 2018 primarily consisted of interest owed to federal and state tax authorities due to the deferral of $16.0 million in income from Vertex for cash initially held in escrow but received in February 2019.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
We have incurred cumulative losses and negative cash flows from operations since our inception in April 2006, and as of December 31, 2019, we had an accumulated deficit of $194.7 million. We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for at least the next several years. We expect that our research and development and general and administrative expenses will continue to increase and, as a result, we will need additional capital to fund our operations, which we may raise through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaboration and licensing arrangements and other sources.
We have financed our operations to date primarily through the public offering and private placement of our equity, debt financing and funding from collaborations and patent assignments. During February 2014, we completed our initial public offering, or IPO, whereby we sold 6,649,690 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $14.00 per share, raising aggregate net proceeds of $83.1 million. During March 2015, we sold 3,300,000 shares of common stock through an underwritten public offering at a price to the public of $15.15 per share, raising aggregate net proceeds of $46.7 million. During January 2020, we completed an underwriting public offering pursuant to which we sold 5,735,283 shares of common stock at the public offering price of $9.92 per share. In addition, we sold to a certain existing investor pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,800,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $9.919 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price for the common stock less the $0.001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. The aggregate gross proceeds we received from the public offering was $74.7 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering related expenses of $4.8 million.
In June 2015, we received proceeds of $50.2 million in connection with a change in control payment from Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Auspex, relating to the acquisition of Auspex by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., or Teva.
In July 2017, the transaction contemplated by the Vertex Agreement closed, as discussed further in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and Vertex paid us $160.0 million in cash consideration, with $16.0 million initially held in escrow, which was released to us in February 2019.
As of December 31, 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents and investments of $106.4 million. Cash in excess of immediate requirements is invested in accordance with our investment policy, primarily with a view to liquidity and capital preservation.
Currently, our funds are held in U.S. government-backed securities and money market mutual funds consisting of U.S. government-backed securities.
Cash flows
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash for each of the periods presented:
Discussion of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018
Operating activities. The cash used in operating activities generally approximates our net loss adjusted for non-cash items and changes in operating assets and liabilities. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we received a $16.0 million payment from Vertex for funds previously held in escrow to secure potential indemnity claims, as discussed further in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, our operating activities used cash of $48.8 million as compared to cash used by operating activities of $48.0 million during the prior year. The cash used during both 2019 and 2018 was largely driven by our development activities associated with CTP-543 and CTP-692, our wholly owned development programs.
Investing activities. Net cash used in investing activities consisted of purchases of investments, purchases of fixed assets and proceeds from the maturity of investments. Net cash used to purchase investments for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $97.8 million and $99.4 million, respectively. Net cash provided by maturities of investments for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $181.1 million and $140.2 million, respectively. Purchases of fixed assets for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $0.7 million and $2.9 million, respectively. The decrease in the purchases of fixed assets during the 2019 period is primarily due to new office and laboratory equipment purchased in 2018 to support our new office and laboratory space, as discussed further in Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Financing activities. During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, our financing activities generated cash of $1.5 million and used cash of $0.2 million, respectively. Cash generated during the year ended December 31, 2019 consisted of $1.1 million of proceeds from the exercise of stock options and $1.0 million of proceeds from the exercise of warrants, offset by $0.7 million used to pay withholding taxes on behalf of employees in connection with the vesting and settlement of restricted stock units, in exchange for the surrender of shares of common stock by employees. Cash used during the year ended December 31, 2018 was attributable to paying $1.2 million of withholding taxes on behalf of employees in connection with the vesting and settlement of restricted stock units, in exchange for the surrender of shares of common stock by employees, offset by $1.0 million in proceeds from the exercise of stock options.
Operating capital requirements
We do not anticipate commercializing any of our product candidates for several years. We anticipate that we will continue to generate losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect the losses to increase as we continue the development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates and begin to commercialize any approved products for which we retain commercialization rights. We are subject to all of the risks incident in the development of new drug products, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business, as well as additional risks stemming from the unproven nature of deuterated drugs.
Based on our current expectations, including with respect to our development plans, we believe that our cash and cash equivalents and investments as of December 31, 2019, together with the net proceeds of the public offering that we received on January 30, 2020, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second half of
2021. However, we will require additional capital for the further development of our existing product candidates and may also need to raise additional funds sooner to pursue other development activities related to additional product candidates.
To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales. We do not expect to generate significant revenue from product sales unless and until we, or our collaborators, obtain marketing approval of and commercialize one of our current or future product candidates. Because our product candidates are in various stages of development and the outcome of these efforts is uncertain, we cannot estimate the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete development and commercialization of our product candidates or whether or when we will achieve profitability. We anticipate that we will continue to generate losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect the losses to increase as we continue the development of, and seek marketing approvals for, our product candidates and begin to commercialize any approved products for which we retain commercialization rights.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaboration and licensing arrangements and other sources. Except for any obligations of our collaborators to reimburse us for research and development expenses or to make milestone payments under our agreements with them, we do not have any additional committed external sources of funds. Additional capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of additional debt or equity securities, it could result in dilution to our existing stockholders, increased fixed payment obligations and the issuance of securities with rights senior to those of our common stock. We may become subject to covenants under any future indebtedness that could limit our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends, which could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business.
Our expectation with respect to the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary as a result of a number of factors, including those discussed in the "Risk Factors" section in Part I, Item 1A. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. If we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we lack sufficient capital, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
We did not have during the periods presented, and we do not currently have, any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC.
ITEM 7A.
ITEM 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are exposed to market risk related to changes in interest rates. Our current investment policy is to maintain a diversified investment portfolio in U.S. government-backed securities and money market mutual funds consisting of U.S. government-backed securities. Our cash is deposited in and invested through highly rated financial institutions in North America. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had $106.4 million and $153.3 million of cash, cash equivalents and investments, respectively. The fair value of cash equivalents and investments is subject to change as a result of potential changes in market interest rates. Due to the short-term maturities of our cash equivalents and the low risk profile of these investments, an immediate 100 basis point change in interest rates at levels as of December 31, 2019 would not have a material effect on the fair value of our cash equivalents and short-term investments.
We contract with suppliers of raw materials and contract manufacturers internationally. Transactions with these providers are predominantly settled in U.S. dollars and, therefore, we believe that we have only minimal exposure to foreign currency exchange risks. We do not hedge against foreign currency risks.
Inflation generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor and clinical trial costs. We do not believe that inflation had a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations during the years ended December 31, 2019 or 2018.
ITEM 8.
ITEM 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Report of independent registered public accounting firm
Consolidated balance sheets
Consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss
Consolidated statements of stockholders’ equity
Consolidated statements of cash flows
Notes to consolidated financial statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 27, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Adoption of ASU No. 2016-02
As discussed in Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for leases in 2019 due to the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), and related amendments.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2007.
Boston, Massachusetts
February 27, 2020
See accompanying notes.
See accompanying notes.
See accompanying notes.
See accompanying notes.
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Nature of Business
Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or the Company, was incorporated on April 12, 2006 as a Delaware corporation and has its operations based in Lexington, Massachusetts. The Company is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that is applying its extensive knowledge of deuterium chemistry to discover and develop novel small molecule drugs. The Company’s approach typically starts with previously studied compounds, including approved drugs, that the Company believes may be improved with deuterium substitution. The Company’s pipeline includes multiple clinical stage candidates targeting autoimmune and CNS disorders, and a number of preclinical compounds that it is currently assessing.
During February 2014, the Company completed its IPO, whereby the Company sold 6,649,690 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $14.00 per share, raising aggregate net proceeds of $83.1 million. In March 2015, the Company sold 3,300,000 shares of common stock in a public offering at a price to the public of $15.15 per share, resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $46.7 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. During January 2020, the Company completed an underwriting public offering pursuant to which it sold 5,735,283 shares of common stock at the public offering price of $9.92 per share. In addition, the Company sold to a certain existing investor pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,800,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $9.919 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price for the common stock less the $0.001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. The aggregate gross proceeds the Company received from the public offering was $74.7 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering related expenses of $4.8 million.
In June 2015, the Company received a one-time payment of $50.2 million from Auspex pursuant to a patent assignment agreement between the Company and Auspex. The Company became eligible to receive the payment due to a change of control of Auspex, which was acquired by Teva in May 2015.
In March 2017, the Company entered into the Vertex Agreement with Vertex, pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell and assign to Vertex CTP-656, now known as VX-561, and other cystic fibrosis assets of the Company for up to $250.0 million, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions. In July 2017, the transaction contemplated by the Vertex Agreement closed, and Vertex paid the Company $160.0 million in cash consideration, with $16.0 million initially held in escrow. In February 2019, the $16.0 million held in escrow was released to the Company. Additional information concerning the sale of CTP-656 is discussed in Note 12.
The Company had cash and cash equivalents and investments of $106.4 million as of December 31, 2019. The Company believes that its cash and cash equivalents and investments as of December 31, 2019 will be sufficient to allow the Company to fund its current operating plan for at least the next twelve months from the date of issuance of the financial statements. The Company may pursue additional cash resources through public or private financings, by establishing collaborations with or licensing its technology to other companies and through other arrangements.
Since its inception, the Company has generated an accumulated deficit of $194.7 million through December 31, 2019. The Company's operating results may fluctuate significantly from year to year, depending on the timing and magnitude of clinical trial and other development activities under its current development programs. Substantially all of the Company's net losses have resulted from costs incurred in connection with its research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with its operations. The Company expects to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years.
The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry, including, but not limited to, risks of failure or unsatisfactory results of nonclinical studies and clinical trials, the need to obtain additional financing to fund the future development of its pipeline, the need to obtain marketing approval for its product candidates, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of its product candidates, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with government regulations, development by competitors of technological innovations and ability to transition from pilot-scale manufacturing to large-scale production of products.
Unless otherwise indicated, all amounts in the following tables are in thousands except share and per share amounts.
2. Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
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The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP. Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, or decision making group, in making decisions on how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company's chief operating decision maker is the Chief Executive Officer. The Company and the Chief Executive Officer view the Company's operations and manage its business as one operating segment: the development of pharmaceutical products on its own behalf or in collaboration with others. All material long-lived assets of the Company reside in the United States. The Company does use contract research organizations and research institutions located outside the United States. Some of these expenses are subject to collaboration reimbursement, which is presented as a component of license and research and development revenue in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.
The Company considers events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date but before the financial statements are issued to provide additional evidence relative to certain estimates or to identify matters that require additional disclosure.
Use of Estimates and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management used estimates in the following areas, among others: revenue recognition; prepaid and accrued research and development expenses; stock-based compensation expense; and the evaluation of the existence of conditions and events that raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments
Cash equivalents include all highly liquid investments maturing within 90 days from the date of purchase. Investments consist of securities with original maturities greater than 90 days when purchased. The Company classifies these investments as available-for-sale and records them at fair value in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Unrealized gains or losses are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Premiums or discounts from par value are amortized to investment income over the life of the underlying investment.
Although available to be sold to meet operating needs or otherwise, securities are generally held through maturity. The Company classifies all investments as current assets as these assets are readily available for use in current operations. The cost of securities sold is determined based on the specific identification method for purposes of recording realized gains and losses. During 2019 and 2018, there were no realized gains or losses on sales of investments, and no investments were adjusted for other than temporary declines in fair value.
The Company reviews available-for-sale securities for other-than-temporary impairment whenever the fair value of an available-for-sale security is less than the amortized cost and evidence indicates that an available-for-sale security’s carrying amount is not recoverable within a reasonable period of time. Other-than-temporary impairments of investments are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations if the Company has experienced a credit loss, has the intent to sell the security or if it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before recovery of the amortized cost basis. Evidence considered in this assessment includes reasons for the impairment, compliance with the Company’s investment policy, the severity and the duration of the impairment and changes in value subsequent to the end of the period.
Deferred Offering Costs
Costs incurred such as legal, accounting and other professional fees incurred in the course of preparing for a capital raise are deferred on the balance sheet as deferred offering costs. At the time of the completion of the offering, the costs are reclassified as a reduction of the proceeds of the capital raise as part of additional paid-in capital. Should the offering be terminated, deferred offering costs are charged to operations during the period in which the offering is terminated.
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Marketable Equity Securities
Marketable equity securities consist of the fair value of shares of common stock of Processa held by the Company, as discussed further in Note 12. The Company recognizes the effects of changes in fair value of equity securities within net income.
The Company reviews investments in marketable securities for other-than-temporary impairment whenever the fair value of the investment is less than the cost and evidence indicates that an investment’s carrying amount is not recoverable within a reasonable period of time. To determine whether an impairment is other-than-temporary, the Company considers whether it has an intent to sell, or whether it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell, the investment before recovery of the investment’s cost basis. Evidence considered in this assessment includes reasons for the impairment, the severity and the duration of the impairment and changes in value subsequent to year-end.
Fair Value of Financial Measurements
The Company has certain financial assets and liabilities that are recorded at fair value which have been classified as Level 1, 2 or 3 within the fair value hierarchy as described in the accounting standards for fair value measurements:
•
Level 1-quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets;
•
Level 2-quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets; and
•
Level 3-valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant value drivers are unobservable.
For additional information related to fair value measurements, see Note 3.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist principally of money market funds, investments (including interest receivable) and accounts receivable. The Company's current investment policy is to maintain a diversified investment portfolio in U.S. government-backed securities and money market mutual funds consisting of U.S. government-backed securities. The Company's cash is deposited in and invested through highly rated financial institutions in North America.
The Company has not experienced any credit losses in these accounts and does not believe it is exposed to any significant credit risk on these funds. The Company has no foreign exchange contracts, option contracts or other foreign exchange hedging arrangements.
As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, substantially all of the Company’s cash was deposited in accounts at two financial institutions, thus limiting the amount of credit exposure to any one financial institution. These amounts at times may exceed federally insured limits.
Accounts receivable generally represent amounts due from collaboration partners. The Company monitors economic conditions to identify facts or circumstances that may indicate that any of its accounts receivable are at risk of collection.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are recognized at cost and depreciated over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of their useful life or the related lease term. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred, whereas major improvements are capitalized as additions to property and equipment. Potential impairment is assessed when there is evidence that events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recovered. No such impairment losses have been recorded through December 31, 2019.
Rent Expense
Rent expense for the year ended December 31, 2019 consists of the Company's facility at 65 Hayden Avenue, Lexington, Massachusetts. The Company ceased recognizing rent expense for its previous facility at 99 Hayden Avenue when the lease
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expired on September 30, 2018. The Company began recognizing rent expense for 65 Hayden Avenue on January 1, 2018 when it obtained access to the premises.
The Company's operating lease for its facility at 65 Hayden Avenue in Lexington, Massachusetts provides for scheduled annual rent increases throughout the lease term, which expires on January 1, 2029. Additionally, the Company has received certain lease incentives, which are recognized as a reduction to rent expense over the remaining lease term. Refer to Note 11 for additional details regarding the Company’s operating lease.
Contingencies
The Company records liabilities for legal and other contingencies when information available to the Company indicates that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Legal costs in connection with legal and other contingencies are expensed as costs are incurred. No liabilities for legal and other contingencies were accrued as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.
Revenue Recognition
The Company has generated revenue through arrangements with collaborators and nonprofit organizations for the development and commercialization of product candidates, a patent assignment agreement and an asset sale.
On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted FASB ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and all related amendments, which is also referred to as ASC 606. ASC 606 is a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most legacy revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. ASC 606 is based on the principle that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve this core principle, ASC 606 provides that an entity should apply the following steps: (1) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (3) determine the transaction price, (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (5) recognize revenue when, or as, the entity satisfies a performance obligation. ASC 606 also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts and costs to obtain or fulfill contracts. The Company applied ASC 606 on January 1, 2018 to all contracts using the modified retrospective approach. As a result of the adoption, the cumulative effect to retained earnings at January 1, 2018 was $15.8 million. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods.
The adoption of the new standard had an immaterial impact on the Company’s reported revenues, operating income and changes in operating cash flows for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 as compared to what reported amounts would have been under legacy guidance. The cumulative effect of the changes made to the consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of ASC 606 was as follows:
The impact of adopting ASC 606 primarily relates to the treatment of the consideration held in escrow under the Vertex Agreement. Under previous authoritative guidance, the Company concluded that it would not recognize the Vertex escrow consideration until it was received. However, under ASC 606, the Vertex escrow consideration represents variable consideration and was included in the transaction price at contract inception, as discussed further in Note 12. There was no material effect on the accounting for income taxes resulting from the adoption of ASC 606.
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Research and Development Costs
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Research and development expenses are comprised of costs incurred in providing research and development activities, including salaries and benefits, facilities costs, overhead costs, contract research and development services and other outside costs. Non-refundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made.
External research and development expenses associated with the Company’s programs include clinical trial site costs, research compounds and clinical manufacturing costs, costs incurred for consultants and other outside services, such as data management and statistical analysis support and materials and supplies used in support of the clinical and nonclinical programs. Internal costs of the Company’s clinical program include salaries, benefits, stock-based compensation and an allocation of the Company’s facility costs. When third-party service providers’ billing terms do not coincide with the Company’s period-end, the Company is required to make estimates of its obligations to those third parties, including clinical trial and pharmaceutical development costs, contractual services costs and costs for supply of its drug candidates, incurred in a given accounting period and record accruals at the end of the period. The Company bases its estimates on its knowledge of the research and development programs, services performed for the period, past history for related activities and the expected duration of the third-party service contract, where applicable.
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation
The Company issues stock options and restricted stock units, or RSUs, to certain employees, officers and directors. The Company accounts for stock compensation using the fair value method, which results in the recognition of compensation expense over the vesting period of the awards. See Note 8 for additional information.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are recorded in accordance with ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, or ASC 740, which provides for deferred taxes using an asset and liability approach. The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or tax returns. The Company provides deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the Company’s financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is provided to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount that will more likely than not be realized.
The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740. The Company evaluates tax positions taken, or expected to be taken, in the course of preparing its tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are “more likely than not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions not deemed to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold would be recognized as a tax expense. As of December 31, 2019 or 2018, the Company did not have any significant uncertain tax positions.
For additional details regarding the accounting for income taxes, see Note 10.
Guarantees
As permitted under Delaware law, the Company indemnifies its officers and directors for certain events or occurrences while the officer or director is, or was, serving at the Company’s request in such capacity. The term of the indemnification is for the officer’s or director’s lifetime. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make is unlimited; however, the Company has directors’ and officers’ insurance coverage that limits its exposure and enables it to recover a portion of any future amounts paid.
The Company leases office space under a non-cancelable operating lease, which is further described in Note 11. The Company has standard indemnification arrangements under the lease that require it to indemnify the landlord against all costs, expenses, fines, suits, claims, demands, liabilities and actions directly resulting from any breach, violation or non-performance of any covenant or condition of the Company’s lease.
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Pursuant to the Vertex Agreement, as discussed further in Note 12, the Company agreed to indemnify Vertex for certain matters, including breaches of specified representations and warranties, covenants included in the Vertex Agreement and specified tax claims. Representations and warranties, other than certain fundamental representations and warranties, survived for a period of eighteen months following the closing, and the maximum liability of the Company for claims by Vertex related to the breaches of such representations and warranties, with limited exceptions, was limited to the escrow amount, or $16.0 million. In January 2019, the escrow period expired, and the escrow of $16.0 million was released to the Company in February 2019.
As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had not experienced any material losses related to these indemnification obligations, and no material claims with respect thereto were outstanding. The Company does not expect significant claims related to these indemnification obligations and, consequently, concluded that the fair value of these obligations is negligible, and no related reserves were established.
Comprehensive Loss
Comprehensive loss is defined as the change in equity of a business enterprise during a period from transactions, other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. Comprehensive loss consists of net loss and other comprehensive loss, which includes certain changes in equity that are excluded from net loss. Comprehensive loss has been disclosed in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Accumulated other comprehensive loss is presented separately on the consolidated balance sheets and consists entirely of unrealized holdings losses on investments as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for the rights and obligations created by all leases with terms of more than 12 months. On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2016-02 and all related amendments. For discussion regarding the impact of this accounting pronouncement, refer to Note 11.
In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, that expands the scope of Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees. ASU 2018-07 provides that an entity should apply the requirements of Topic 718 to non-employee awards except for certain exemptions specified in the amendment. The Company adopted this new standard effective January 1, 2019, and it did not have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In August 2018, the SEC issued Release No. 33-10532 that amends and clarifies certain financial reporting requirements. The principal change to the Company’s financial reporting is the inclusion of the annual disclosure requirement of changes in stockholders’ equity in Rule 3-04 of Regulation S-X to interim periods. The Company adopted this new rule beginning with its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.
Pending Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses. The new standard requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. As a smaller reporting company, ASU 2016-13 will become effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that ASU 2016-13 will have on its financial statements and related disclosures.
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangible-Goodwill and Other Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract. The standard aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs in a cloud computing arrangement service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred for internal-use software. The new guidance also prescribes the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow classification of the capitalized implementation costs and related amortization expense, and requires additional quantitative and qualitative disclosures. ASU 2018-15 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that ASU 2018-15 will have on its financial statements and related disclosures.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
On December 18, 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The standard includes removal of certain exceptions to the general principles of ASC 740, Income Taxes, and simplification in several other areas. ASU 2019-12 is effective for public business entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those reporting periods, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that ASU 2019-12 will have on its financial statements and related disclosures.
3. Fair Value Measurements
The tables below present information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured and carried at fair value as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 and indicate the level within the fair value hierarchy where each measurement is classified. The carrying amounts reflected in the consolidated balance sheets for cash, prepaid expenses and other current assets, restricted cash, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature.
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4. Cash, Cash Equivalents, Investments and Marketable Equity Securities
Cash, cash equivalents, available for sale investments and marketable equity securities included the following as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:
5. Restricted Cash
Restricted cash as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 was held as collateral for stand-by letters of credit issued by the Company to its landlords in connection with the current lease for its principal facilities located at 65 Hayden Avenue, Lexington, Massachusetts. For additional information regarding the Company's lease, see Note 11. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash consisted of the following as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:
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6. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment consist of the following as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:
Depreciation and amortization expense was charged to operations in the amounts of $1.7 million and $1.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
7. Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities
Accrued expenses and other liabilities consist of the following as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:
8. Stock Compensation
Stock incentive plans
The Company previously sponsored an Amended and Restated 2006 Stock Option and Grant Plan, or the 2006 Plan, which provided for the issuance of shares of common stock in the form of incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options, awards of stock and direct stock purchase opportunities to directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. The 2006 Plan was replaced by the Company’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, or the 2014 Plan, which became effective in February 2014. The 2014 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights and other stock-based awards. In addition, the 2014 Plan includes an “evergreen provision” that allows for an annual increase in the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2014 Plan. Effective January 1, 2020, 954,603 shares were added to the 2014 Plan for future issuance pursuant to this evergreen provision.
The 2006 Plan has no shares remaining available for grant, although existing stock options granted under the 2006 Plan remain outstanding. As of December 31, 2019, 1,265,774 shares were available for future grant under the 2014 Plan.
Stock options
Stock options are granted with an exercise price equal to the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Stock options generally vest ratably over three or four years and have contractual terms of ten years. Stock options are valued using the Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model and compensation cost is recognized based on such fair value over the period of vesting.
The following table provides certain information related to the Company's outstanding stock options as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:
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The weighted-average fair value of options granted in the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 reflect the following weighted-average assumptions:
Expected volatility. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, expected volatility was estimated using a weighted average of the Company's historical volatility of its common stock and the historical volatility of the common stock of a group of similar companies that were publicly traded. The Company will continue to apply this process until a sufficient amount of historical information regarding the volatility of its own stock price becomes available.
Expected term. The expected term of awards represents the period of time that the awards are expected to be outstanding. The expected term was determined using the simplified method as prescribed by SAB No. 107, Share-Based Payment, as the Company does not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the expected term of stock options granted to employees.
Risk-free interest rate. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the risk-free interest rate was estimated using an average of treasury bill interest rates over a period commensurate with the expected term of the option at the time of grant.
Expected dividend yield. The expected dividend yield is zero, as the Company has not paid any dividends to date and has no current intention of paying cash dividends.
Forfeiture rate. The Company elected to estimate potential forfeiture of stock grants and adjust compensation cost recorded accordingly. The estimate of forfeitures is adjusted over the requisite service period to the extent that actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Changes in estimated forfeitures are recognized through a cumulative catch-up in the period of change and impact the amount of stock compensation expense to be recognized in future periods. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company assumed forfeiture rates of approximately 7%.
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The following is a summary of stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2019:
(1)
Represents the number of vested stock option shares as of December 31, 2019, plus the number of unvested stock option shares that the Company estimated as of December 31, 2019 would vest, based on the unvested stock option shares as of December 31, 2019 and an estimated forfeiture rate of 7%.
As of December 31, 2019, there was $15.0 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options that are expected to vest. The stock option costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average remaining vesting period of 2.4 years.
Restricted stock units
On July 6, 2017, the Company granted 0.5 million RSUs, or the 2017 RSU grant, to executives and employees. The awards granted to non-executive employees were service-based, whereas the awards granted to executives were a blend of service-based and performance-based. Assuming all service and performance conditions were achieved, fifty percent of the RSUs would vest on March 31, 2018, and the remaining fifty percent of the RSUs would vest on March 31, 2019. Certain executive awards were subject to the achievement of defined performance criteria prior to March 31, 2018, including the closing of the transaction contemplated by the Vertex Agreement and the institution by the PTAB of the PGR petition filed by the Company against Incyte. In January 2018, the PTAB did not grant the Company's petition to institute the PGR and, as a result, the corresponding performance-based awards did not vest on March 31, 2018.
The Company used the accelerated attribution method to recognize expense over the required service period based on its estimate of the number of performance-based awards vested. For any change in the estimate of the number of performance-based awards that were probable of vesting, the Company cumulatively adjusted compensation expense in the period that the change in estimate was made.
On August 15, 2019, the 2019 RSU grant date, the Company granted 0.4 million RSUs, or the 2019 RSU grant, to certain executives and employees. All awards are service-based and vest annually over two years. On the first anniversary of the 2019 RSU grant date, thirty-five percent of the RSUs will vest. The remainder of the RSUs will vest on the second anniversary of the 2019 RSU grant date.
RSUs are not included in issued and outstanding common stock until the shares are vested and settled. As of December 31, 2019, all achieved RSUs from the 2017 RSU grant had vested, and no RSUs from the 2019 RSU grant had vested. The fair value of an RSU is measured based on the market price of the underlying common stock as of the date of grant.
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The following is a summary of RSU activity, including both service-based and performance-based RSUs for the year ended December 31, 2019:
As of December 31, 2019, there was $3.5 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to RSUs that are expected to vest. The RSU costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average remaining vesting period of 1.6 years.
Stock-based compensation expense
Total compensation cost recognized for all stock-based compensation awards in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss is as follows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:
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9. Loss Per Share
Basic net loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss allocable to common stockholders by the weighted-average common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration of common stock equivalents. For purposes of the diluted net loss per share calculation, common stock equivalents are excluded from the calculation if their effect would be anti-dilutive. As such, basic and diluted net loss per share applicable to common stockholders are the same for periods with a net loss.
The following table illustrates the determination of loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:
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10. Income Taxes
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded net loss before taxes of $78.2 million and, since it maintains a full valuation allowance on its deferred tax assets, the Company did not record an income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2019. On July 25, 2017, the transaction contemplated by the Vertex Agreement closed, as discussed in Note 12, and Vertex paid the Company $160.0 million in cash consideration, with $16.0 million initially held in escrow. For income tax purposes, the $16.0 million held in escrow was recognized under the installment method and therefore deferred until the cash was received by the Company in February 2019. Under Section 453A of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, or Code, the Company is required to recognize interest on the deferred tax liability with respect to the portion of the installment sale outstanding as of the close of each taxable year that exceeds $5.0 million. As a result, the Company accrued interest of $0.2 million for 2018. The $16.0 million initially held in escrow was released to the Company in February 2019, and the Company recognized no interest for 2019.
Additionally, during 2019, the Company recorded unrealized gains on its investments in available-for-sale securities in other comprehensive income. Intraperiod tax allocation rules require the Company to allocate its provision for income taxes between continuing operations and other categories of earnings, such as other comprehensive income. In periods in which the Company has a year-to-date pre-tax loss from continuing operations and pre-tax income in other categories of earnings, such as other comprehensive income, the Company must allocate the tax provision to the other categories of earnings. The Company then records a related tax benefit in continuing operations. As a result of these rules, the Company recorded a benefit of $0.1 million in continuing operations, with a corresponding reduction in other comprehensive income of $0.1 million, related to its unrealized gains on its investments in available-for-sale securities during 2018. There was no impact to the Company for 2019 as a result of these rules.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, repealed the corporate alternative minimum tax, or AMT, for years after 2017. Corporations that were previously subject to the AMT and have AMT tax credit carryforwards as of December 31, 2017, are eligible for a refund of these credits for tax years beginning after 2017 and before 2022. The Company was subject to AMT in the amount of $1.9 million in 2017. Since the AMT paid on its 2017 tax return generated an AMT credit that will be refundable between 2018 and 2022, the Company recorded a $1.9 million income tax receivable rather than a tax expense for 2017. Further, the Company also had a deferred tax asset for its AMT credit carryforward related to its AMT liability paid in 2015 in the amount of $0.3 million. This deferred tax asset was previously offset by a full valuation allowance. As a result of the change in law, the Company reclassified the 2015 AMT credit carryforward from deferred tax assets to income tax receivable during 2017. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had a $2.3 million income tax receivable related to AMT taxes in prior years.
The Company’s ability to use its operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards to offset taxable income is subject to restrictions under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code. Net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards are subject to an annual limitation in the event of certain cumulative changes in the ownership interest of significant stockholders over a three-year period in excess of 50 percent, as defined under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code. Such changes would limit the Company’s use of its operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. In such a situation, the Company may be required to pay income taxes, even though significant operating loss and tax credit carryforwards exist. Additionally, any future financing could result in a change in control, as defined by Sections 382 and 383 of the Code, which could further limit the Company's use of its operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. In determining the tax provisions for 2018, the Company assessed its ability to use its net operating loss carryforwards in accordance with Sections 382 and 383 of the Code.
A reconciliation of the federal statutory income tax rate and the Company’s effective income tax rate is as follows for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The significant components of the Company’s net deferred tax assets consist of the following as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:
Subject to the limitations described above and the impacts of the TCJA, as of December 31, 2019, the Company had gross federal net operating loss carryforwards of $153.0 million and state net operating loss carryforwards of $101.6 million available to reduce future taxable income, of which $54.8 million of the gross federal net operating loss carryforwards and $101.6 million of the state net operating loss carryforwards will expire at various dates beginning in 2034. Approximately $98.2 million of the federal net operating loss carryforwards will be carried forward indefinitely. The Company also had federal and state tax credit carryforwards of $14.2 million and $5.5 million, respectively, available to reduce future tax liabilities, which expire at various dates through 2039.
Realization of the future tax benefits is dependent on many factors, including the Company’s ability to generate taxable income within the carryforward period. The Company currently has deferred tax assets in excess of its deferred tax liabilities, resulting in the Company having net deferred tax assets. The Company has evaluated the positive and negative evidence bearing upon the realizability of its net deferred tax assets and concluded that it is more likely than not that the Company will not realize the benefit of its net deferred tax assets. As a result, the net deferred tax assets have been fully reserved as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had no unrecognized tax benefits. The Company has not conducted a study of its research and development credit carryforwards. A study may result in an adjustment to the Company’s research and development credit carryforwards; however, until a study is completed and any adjustment is known, no amounts will be presented as an uncertain tax position. A full valuation allowance has been provided against the Company’s research and development credit carryforwards and, if an adjustment is required, this adjustment would be offset by an adjustment to the valuation allowance. Thus, there would be no impact to the consolidated balance sheet or statement of operations if an adjustment were required.
Interest and penalty charges, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits would be classified as income tax expense in the statement of operations. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had no accrued interest related to uncertain tax positions.
The Company is currently open to examination under the statute of limitations by the IRS and state jurisdictions for the tax years ended 2016 through 2018. Carryforward tax attributes generated in years prior to 2016 may still be adjusted upon future examination if they have or will be used in a future period. The Company is currently not under examination by the IRS or any other jurisdictions for any tax years. Since the Company is in a loss carryforward position, the Company is generally subject to examination by the U.S. federal, state and local income tax authorities for all tax years in which a loss carryforward is available.
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
11. Commitments
Lease
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which is also referred to as ASC 842. ASC 842 requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for the rights and obligations created by all leases with terms of more than 12 months. ASC 842 also requires certain qualitative and quantitative disclosures designed to give financial statement users information on the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.
The Company adopted ASC 842 effective January 1, 2019. The Company has elected to employ the transitionary relief offered by the FASB under ASU 2018-11, and implement the new standard without the restatement of comparative periods' financial information. ASU 2018-11 also provides for recognizing the effects of applying ASC 842 as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2019; however, no such adjustment was required by the Company.
The Company has elected to employ the package of practical expedients offered under ASC 842, which allow the Company to not reassess the following:
•
the presence of a lease in any expired or existing contracts;
•
the lease classification for any expired or existing leases; and
•
the initial direct costs for any existing leases.
The Company currently has a lease, or the Lease, for approximately 56,000 square feet of office and laboratory space located at 65 Hayden Avenue, Lexington, Massachusetts, or the Premises, which was classified as an operating lease under the previous leasing standard, ASC 840. The Lease is also classified as an operating lease under ASC 842 in accordance with the Company's election of the practical expedient under ASC 842. Pursuant to the package of practical expedients, the Company did not reassess initial direct costs for the Premises. Additionally, the Company made the policy election to adopt the practical expedient to not separate lease components from non-lease components for the right-to-use asset class of office and laboratory space. This policy election results in the Company accounting for the lease component, the use of the Premises and the non-lease components, which include the use of the parking garage, building elevators and HVAC, as a single lease component.
The Company occupied the Premises in the third quarter of 2018; however, the Company gained access to the space on January 1, 2018 in order to start making certain tenant improvements. Accordingly, the lease commencement date was determined to be January 1, 2018 under the prior guidance of ASC 840, and therefore the Company began recognizing lease expense as of that date. The Lease term extends ten years following January 1, 2019. The Company is entitled to two five-year options to extend the Lease; however, these options were not included in the calculation of the Lease asset or liability. The Company elected to employ the provision under ASC 842 to use hindsight with respect to determining the lease term (i.e., consideration of the actual outcome of lease renewals, termination options and purchase options) and in assessing any impairment of right-of-use assets for existing leases. The Company notes that no events such as renewals or termination options have occurred with respect to the Lease for the Premises. Therefore, the hindsight practical expedient under ASC 842 had no impact on the accounting term as previously determined under ASC 840. As of December 31, 2019, the remaining lease term for the Premises is 9 years.
The Lease provides for annual base rent of approximately $2.8 million in the first year following the Base Rent Commencement Date of January 1, 2019, which increases on a yearly basis by 3.0% (subject to an abatement of base rent of approximately $0.5 million at the beginning of the second year of the Lease term if the Company is not in default under the Lease). There are no variable payments, exercise purchase options, penalties, fees or residual value guarantees under the Lease. The Company is also obligated to pay the landlord for certain costs, taxes and operating expenses related to the Premises, subject to certain exclusions; however, the Company concluded that these payments are not in-substance fixed payments and therefore are not included in the calculation of the related lease liability and asset under ASC 842.
The Company recorded the liability associated with the Lease for the Premises at the present value of the lease payments not yet paid, discounted using the discount rate for the Lease established at the commencement date. Since the Lease does not provide an implicit rate, the Company had to estimate the incremental borrowing rate, or IBR, as of the commencement date. The IBR is defined under ASC 842 as the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term for an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment.
The IBR for the Lease was determined by establishing a credit rating of the Company using the Rank Order Model. Based on the established credit rating, the Company determined a borrowing rate using the Recovery Rate method, adjusted for the risk-free rate, which resulted in an IBR of approximately 13%. The Company used this IBR of 13% to discount the remaining lease
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
payments over the remaining lease term and recorded a lease liability of $16.9 million on January 1, 2019. This lease liability will be amortized over the remaining lease term in an amount equal to the difference between the cash rent paid and the monthly interest calculated on the remaining lease liability. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had a current lease liability of $0.3 million and a non-current lease liability of $16.0 million recorded in its consolidated balance sheets.
The Company received an improvement allowance from the landlord of approximately $5.0 million for certain permitted costs related to the design of the Company's improvements to the Premises, consisting of normal tenant improvements. The Company is deemed to be the owner of these tenant improvements during the lease term. These $5.0 million of improvements are included in the Company’s property, plant and equipment balances in its consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019 and are depreciated over the shorter of their useful life or the related lease term.
On January 1, 2019, the Company recorded a right-of-use asset in the amount of $9.5 million, which represented the lease liability of $16.9 million, adjusted for previously accrued rent of $2.9 million and previously recorded unamortized lease incentives (the improvement allowance) in the amount of $4.5 million. The right-of-use asset will be amortized over the remaining Lease term in an amount equal to the difference between the calculated straight-line expense of the total Lease payments less the monthly interest calculated on the remaining lease liability. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had a long-term lease asset of $9.3 million recorded in its consolidated balance sheets.
The following table presents a summary of the amount by which each financial statement line item was affected by the adoption of ASC 842:
The adoption of ASC 842 did not have a material impact on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2019, or the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2019.
The Company will recognize rent expense, calculated as the remaining cost of the Lease allocated over the remaining Lease term, on a straight-line basis. Rent expense will be presented as part of continuing operations in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recognized $2.4 million in rent expense.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company paid $2.8 million in rent relating to the Lease. As a payment arising from an operating lease, the $2.8 million will be classified within operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
As of December 31, 2019, the discount rate for the Lease was 13.08%, and the remaining Lease term for the Premises was 9 years.
Future minimum lease payments under the Company's non-cancelable operating leases as of December 31, 2019 were as follows:
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Prior to the adoption of ASC 842, and pursuant to the legacy guidance within ASC 840, the Company recorded rent expense on a straight-line basis through the end of the lease term and also recorded deferred rent on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company recorded the tenant improvement allowance as a deferred lease incentive and was amortizing the deferred lease incentive through a reduction of rent expense ratably over the lease term.
As of December 31, 2018, the future minimum lease payments due under the Lease were as follows:
The Company recorded total rent expense of $3.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 pursuant to ASC 840.
12. Revenue
The Company's revenue is generated through collaborative licensing agreements, patent assignments and sales of intellectual property. The Company generates its revenue through one segment and the revenue recognized under each of the Company's arrangements during the current and prior period is described below. The terms of these agreements may contain multiple promised goods or services or optional goods and services, including licenses to product candidates, referred to as exclusive licenses, as well as research and development activities to be performed by the Company on behalf of the collaboration partner related to the licensed product candidates.
Revenue recognition
Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for transferring those goods or providing services. The Company accounts for a contract when it has approval and commitment from both parties, the rights of the parties are identified, payment terms are identified, the contract has commercial substance and collectability of consideration is probable.
When determining whether the customer has obtained control of the goods or services, the Company considers the point at which the customer may benefit from the goods or services. For licenses to product candidates, revenue is recognized upon grant or transfer of the exclusive license, as the Company's licenses are considered functional in nature. For research, development and manufacturing activities, revenue is recognized as the work is performed using either the output or input method.
Performance obligations
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer, and is the unit of account in ASC 606. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The Company's contracts may contain multiple performance obligations if a promise to transfer goods or services is separately identifiable from other promises in a contract and, therefore, is considered distinct. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the Company determines the standalone selling price of each performance obligation and allocates the total transaction price using the relative selling price basis. The Company recognizes performance obligations based on their nature.
Significant payment terms
The Company’s revenue arrangements include payments to the Company of one or more of the following: a non-refundable, upfront payment; milestone payments; payment of license exercise or option fees with respect to product candidates; fees for research and development services rendered; and royalties on commercial sales of licensed product candidates, if any. To date, the Company has received upfront payments, several milestone payments and certain research and development service payments, but has not received any license exercise or option fees or earned royalty revenue as a result of product sales.
Under ASC 606, the Company estimates the amount of consideration to which it will be entitled in exchange for satisfying performance obligations. Based on the Company’s current contracts, variable consideration primarily exists in the following forms: development and regulatory milestones, royalties and sales-based milestones. The Company utilizes the "most likely amount" variable consideration method for estimating development and regulatory milestone consideration to include in the transaction price. The Company only includes an amount of variable consideration in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal in the cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. The Company refers to this as the variable consideration constraint.
Due to the uncertainty associated with the occurrence of the underlying events which would trigger development and regulatory milestone consideration under its revenue arrangements, with the exception of those development and regulatory milestones received to date, the Company has concluded the variable consideration associated with all development and regulatory milestones to be fully constrained as of the ASC 606 transition date and as of December 31, 2019, and therefore has not included such consideration in the transaction price for any of its revenue arrangements. The Company will reassess this conclusion at each subsequent reporting period and will only include amounts associated with regulatory or development milestones in the transaction price when, or if, the variable consideration is determined to be released from the constraint.
To date, the Company has not recognized any royalties or sales-based milestones under its licensing and collaboration arrangements. Royalties and sales-based milestones qualify for the sales-and-usage exemption under ASC 606 as (i) royalties are based strictly on the sales-and-usage by the licensee and (ii) a license of intellectual property is the sole or predominant item to which such royalties relate. Based on this exemption, these royalties are earned under the terms of a license agreement in the period the products are sold by the Company's collaborator and the Company has a present right to payment.
In accordance with ASC 606, the Company is required to adjust the transaction price for the effects of the time value of money if the timing of payments agreed to by the parties to the contract, explicitly or implicitly, provides the Company or its customer with a significant benefit of financing the transfer of goods or services. The Company concluded that its licensing and collaboration arrangements do not contain a significant financing component because the payment structure of its agreements arise from reasons other than providing a significant benefit of financing.
Contract assets
The Company did not have a contract asset as of December 31, 2019 as compared to $16.0 million as of December 31, 2018. The decrease in the contract asset balance is the result of the receipt of the $16.0 million that had initially been held in escrow for indemnification purposes related to the asset purchase by Vertex, and was released to the Company in February 2019.
Contract liabilities
As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had $10.5 million in contract liabilities related to unsatisfied performance obligations as well as variable consideration paid in advance, but currently constrained from recognition. The contract liabilities consist of the following deferred revenue:
•
$7.8 million related to the Company's collaboration with Celgene, $1.4 million of which is attributable to the CTP-730 program and is currently expected to be recognized as revenue in the next twelve months as the Company satisfies its remaining research and development activities pursuant to mutually agreed upon development plans, and $6.4 million
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
of which is attributable to two additional license programs that the Company will not recognize as revenue unless Celgene exercises its rights with respect to those programs, or in the second quarter of 2020 at such time that Celgene's rights lapse; and
•
$2.8 million related to a payment received from GSK that the Company will not recognize as revenue until all repayment obligations lapse.
Contract liabilities are presented as deferred revenue and classified as current or non-current based on the timing of when the Company expects to recognize revenue. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, no deferred revenue was recognized into revenue. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, $16 thousand of deferred revenue was recognized into revenue.
Revenue arrangements
Vertex
On March 3, 2017, the Company entered into the Vertex Agreement with Vertex pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell and assign to Vertex CTP-656, now known as VX-561, and other cystic fibrosis assets of the Company. On July 25, 2017, or the Vertex Closing Date, the transaction contemplated by the Vertex Agreement closed, and Vertex paid the Company $160.0 million in cash consideration, with $16.0 million initially held in escrow, which was released to the Company in February 2019. In addition, Vertex has agreed to pay the Company an aggregate of up to $90.0 million upon the achievement of certain milestone events.
As of December 31, 2018, the Vertex indemnification variable consideration represented a contract asset to be released from escrow 18 months following the Vertex Closing Date and was classified as a current asset in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. Additionally, the variable consideration related to the regulatory milestone payments are fully constrained due to the uncertainty associated with the achievement of the respective milestones. Accordingly, no contract asset was recorded as of December 31, 2019.
Processa
On October 4, 2017, the Company entered into an Option and License Agreement, or the Option Agreement, with Promet Therapeutics, LLC, or Promet, pursuant to which the Company granted Promet an option to obtain an exclusive license to CTP-499, a deuterated analog of 1-(S)-5-hydroxyhexyl-3,7-dimethylxanthine, or HDX, an active metabolite of pentoxifylline, provided certain conditions were met. On October 5, 2017, Promet closed an asset purchase agreement with Heatwurx, Inc., a public company, creating Processa.
On March 19, 2018, the Company entered into an Amendment to the Option Agreement, or the Amendment, and a Securities Purchase Agreement, or the Securities Agreement, both with Promet and Processa. Pursuant to the Amendment, the Company granted Promet, who then assigned to Processa, an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license to develop, manufacture and commercialize CTP-499, now known as PCS-499. Upon transfer of the license and as consideration for the license, the Company received 2,090,301 shares of common stock of Processa. In December 2019, Processa implemented a reverse stock split, and the Company now owns 298,615 shares of common stock of Processa.
The Company is also eligible to receive royalties on worldwide net sales.
The Amendment contained one performance obligation: an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license to develop, manufacture and commercialize CTP-499. The Company determined that the transaction price was $10.5 million, which was based on the fair value of the non-cash consideration received on March 19, 2018, which consisted of 2,090,301 shares of publicly traded common stock of Processa. The transaction price of $10.5 million was allocated to the single performance obligation. The performance obligation was considered satisfied at contract inception, as the exclusive license transferred control to the customer at this point in time. Accordingly, revenue of $10.5 million was recognized during the first quarter of 2018.
Subsequent changes to the fair value of the underlying securities are recognized as unrealized gains or losses on marketable equity securities within the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.
The Amendment contains consideration that is variable based on royalties upon the customer's commercial success with the licensed product. The consideration related to royalty payments is considered variable consideration that is fully constrained in
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
accordance with the royalty recognition constraint. The variable consideration related to royalties will be recognized in the period the products are sold by Processa and the Company has a present right to payment.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recognized $34 thousand in revenue related to intellectual property cost reimbursements. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recognized $10.5 million in revenue related to the transfer of the license.
Cipla
The Company entered into the Cipla Agreement with Cipla on January 16, 2019, or the Cipla Closing Date, pursuant to which the Company granted Cipla an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license to develop, manufacture and commercialize CTP-354, a novel GABAA receptor subtype-selective modulator. As consideration for the license, the Company received an upfront payment of $1.0 million.
The Cipla Agreement also provides Cipla the option to purchase the Company’s existing inventory of CTP-354 held as of the effective date, valued in aggregate at $0.3 million. Additionally, upon the achievement of certain milestone events, Cipla has agreed to pay the Company an aggregate of up to $57.0 million. The first milestone payment the Company may be entitled to receive is $3.0 million when the first IND for the first CTP-354 product goes into effect.
Furthermore, the Company is eligible to receive royalties on worldwide net sales of future product sales at defined percentages ranging from the mid-single to high-single digits.
The Cipla Agreement contained one performance obligation: an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license to develop, manufacture and commercialize CTP-354, referred to as the Transfer of License Performance Obligation. The Company concluded that the option to purchase existing inventory did not provide Cipla a material right, and as such, was treated as a separate contract. The transaction price was determined to be $1.0 million based on the upfront consideration received as of the Cipla Closing Date.
As of the Cipla Closing Date, the Transfer of License Performance Obligation was satisfied, as the control of CTP-354 transferred to Cipla, the customer. As a result, the full transaction price was recognized as revenue on the Cipla Closing Date. The sale of existing inventory is recognized as goods are transferred to the customer.
The arrangement with Cipla contains consideration that is variable based on the customer’s achievement of certain development and regulatory milestones in addition to royalties upon the customer’s commercial success with the licensed product. The next milestone payment the Company may be entitled to receive of $3.0 million related to the first IND for the first CTP-354 product going into effect is considered variable consideration that is fully constrained due to the uncertainty associated with the achievement of the development milestone. The consideration related to royalties is also variable consideration that is fully constrained in accordance with the royalty recognition constraint. The variable consideration related to royalties will be recognized in the period the products are sold by Cipla and the Company has a present right to payment.
The Company recognized $1.0 million in revenue associated with the sale of existing inventory and the Transfer of License Performance Obligation for the year ended December 31, 2019.
13. Open Market Sale Agreement
On March 1, 2019, the Company entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement, or the ATM Agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or Jefferies, with respect to an at-the-market offering program under which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time at its sole discretion, shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $50 million, referred to as Placement Shares, through Jefferies as its sales agent. The Company will pay Jefferies a commission equal to 3.0% of the gross sales proceeds of any Placement Shares sold through Jefferies under the ATM Agreement, and also has provided Jefferies with customary indemnification and contribution rights. In addition, the Company has agreed to reimburse certain legal expenses and fees by Jefferies in connection with the offering up to a maximum of $50 thousand, in addition to certain ongoing disbursements of Jefferies' counsel. As of February 24, 2020, the Company has sold 36,167 shares of its common stock in accordance with the ATM Agreement for net proceeds of $0.4 million, after payment of cash commissions of 3.0 percent of the gross proceeds to its sales agent. Additionally, the Company incurred approximately $0.3 million related to legal, accounting and other fees in connection with the ATM Agreement as of December 31, 2019.
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
14. 401(k) Retirement Plan
In January 2008, the Company established the Concert Pharmaceuticals 401(k) Retirement Plan, or the 401(k) Plan, in which substantially all of its permanent employees are eligible to contribute a percentage of base wages up to an amount not to exceed an annual statutory maximum. The Company matches 50% of the first 6% of an employee’s contributions subject to statutory limits.
The Company made matching contributions under the 401(k) Plan of $0.4 million and $0.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
15. Warrant to Purchase Redeemable Securities
On June 8, 2017, the Company entered into a Loan Agreement with Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc., or Hercules. In connection with the entry into the Loan Agreement, the Company issued warrants, or the Warrants, to certain entities affiliated with Hercules, exercisable for an aggregate of 61,273 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $12.24 per share. The Warrants have a five-year term, expiring June 8, 2022, and may be exercised on a cashless basis. The Warrants had a total relative fair value of $0.5 million upon issuance and were recorded as a debt discount.
Pursuant to ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, the Warrants were classified as equity and were initially measured at relative fair value. Subsequent changes to fair value will not be recognized so long as the instrument continues to be equity classified. To determine the relative fair value, the Company measured the fair value of the Warrants as of June 8, 2017 using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model. The significant assumptions used in estimating the fair value of the Warrants include the volatility of the stock underlying the warrants, risk-free interest rate and estimated life of the warrant. The Company used the following weighted-average assumptions:
Consistent with the Company’s weighted-average assumptions used in determining the fair value of options, expected volatility was estimated using a weighted average of the Company's historical volatility of its common stock and the historical volatility of the common stock of a group of similar companies that were publicly traded.
16. Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
17. Subsequent Events
During January 2020, the Company completed an underwriting public offering pursuant to which it sold 5,735,283 shares of its common stock at the public offering price of $9.92 per share. In addition, the Company sold to a certain existing investor pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,800,000 shares of common stock at a purchase price of $9.919 per pre-funded warrant, which represents the per share public offering price for the common stock less the $0.001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant. The aggregate gross proceeds the Company received from the public offering was $74.7 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering related expenses of $4.8 million.
ITEM 9.
ITEM 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
ITEM 9A.
ITEM 9A.
Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act refers to controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and our management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives.
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2019, the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based upon such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of such date.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, a company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by a company’s board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that:
•
pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of a company’s assets;
•
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that a company’s receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of the company’s management and directors; and
•
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Under the supervision of and with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 based on the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013 framework). Based on this assessment, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2019.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which appears herein.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the three months ended December 31, 2019 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes and our report dated February 27, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
February 27, 2020
ITEM 9B.
ITEM 9B.
Other Information
None.
Part III
Item 10.
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The information required by Item 10 will be included in our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 11.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required by Item 11 will be included in our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 12.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required by Item 12 will be included in our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 13.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required by Item 13 will be included in our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 14.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The information required by Item 14 will be included in our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed no later than 120 days after December 31, 2019, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Part IV
Item 15.
Item 15.
Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(1)
Financial Statements
Our consolidated financial statements are set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are incorporated herein by reference.
(2)
Financial Statement Schedules
Schedules have been omitted since they are either not required or not applicable or the information is otherwise included herein.
(3)
Exhibits
* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
# Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
† Confidential treatment requested as to certain portions, which portions have been omitted and filed separately with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
Not applicable.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on February 27, 2020.
CONCERT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
By:
/s/ Roger D. Tung, Ph.D.
Roger D. Tung, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.