Item 1. Business.
Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the “Company”, “Delcath”, “Delcath Systems”, “we”, “our”, and “us” refers to Delcath Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation, incorporated in August 1988, and all entities included in our consolidated financial statements. Our corporate offices are located at 1633 Broadway, Suite 22C, New York, New York 10019. Our telephone number is (212) 489-2100 and our internet address is www.delcath.com.
Company Overview
We are an interventional oncology company focused on the treatment of primary and metastatic liver cancers. Our lead product candidate, Melphalan Hydrochloride for Injection for use with the Delcath Hepatic Delivery System, or Melphalan/HDS, is designed to administer high-dose chemotherapy to the liver while controlling systemic exposure and associated side effects. In Europe, Melphalan/HDS is approved for sale under the trade name Delcath CHEMOSAT ® Hepatic Delivery System for Melphalan, or CHEMOSAT.
Our primary research focus is on ocular melanoma liver metastases, or mOM, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, or ICC, a type of primary liver cancer, as well as certain other cancers that are metastatic to the liver. We believe that the disease states we are investigating are unmet medical needs that represent significant market opportunities.
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We are investigating the objective response rate of Melphalan/HDS in patients with mOM in our FOCUS Clinical Trial for Patients with Hepatic Dominant Ocular Melanoma, or the FOCUS Trial, a global registration clinical trial. For information on the FOCUS Trial, see “Business—Clinical Development Program—The FOCUS Trial”.
We are also conducting the ALIGN Trial, a global Phase 3 clinical trial of Melphalan/HDS in patients with ICC, or the ALIGN Trial. For information on the ALIGN Trial, see “Business—Clinical Development Program—The ALIGN Trial” below.
In addition to the FOCUS Trial and the ALIGN Trial, our commercial development plan also includes a registry for CHEMOSAT cases performed in Europe and sponsorship of select investigator-initiated trials, or IITs.
In the United States, Melphalan/HDS is considered a combination drug and device product and is regulated as a drug by the United States Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA. The FDA has granted us six orphan drug designations, including three orphan designations for the potential use of the drug melphalan for the treatment of patients with mOM, hepatocellular carcinoma and ICC. Melphalan/HDS has not been approved for sale in the United States.
In Europe, our CHEMOSAT product is regulated as a Class IIb medical device and received its CE Mark in 2012. We are commercializing the CHEMOSAT system in select markets in the United Kingdom and the European Union, or EU, where we believe the prospect of securing reimbursement coverage for the use of CHEMOSAT is strongest.
Cancers in the Liver—A Significant Unmet Need
According to the American Cancer Society’s, or ACS, Cancer Facts & Figures 2018 report, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, with an estimated 609,640 deaths and 1.7 million new cases were expected to be diagnosed in 2018. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for approximately 9.6 million deaths and 18.1 million new cases in 2018 according to GLOBOCAN, the database of the International Association of Cancer Registries. The financial burden of cancer is enormous for patients, their families and society. The Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research estimates that the direct medical costs (total of all healthcare expenditures) for cancer in the United States in 2015 was $80.2 billion. The liver is often the life-limiting organ for cancer patients and cancer that spreads to the liver is one of the leading causes of cancer death. Cancer that begins in one area of the body often metastasizes to the liver. Patient prognosis is generally poor once cancer has spread to the liver. Consequently, cancers of the liver remain a major unmet medical need globally.
Liver Cancers—Incidence and Mortality
Cancers of the liver consist of primary liver cancer and metastatic liver cancer. Primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, including ICC) originates in the liver or biliary tissue and is particularly prevalent in populations where the primary risk factors for the disease, such as hepatitis-B, hepatitis-C, high levels of alcohol consumption, aflatoxin, cigarette smoking and exposure to industrial pollutants, are present. Metastatic liver cancer, also called liver metastasis, or secondary liver cancer, results from the spread or “metastases” of a primary cancer into the liver. These metastases often continue to grow even after the primary cancer in another part of the body has been removed. Given the vital biological functions of the liver, including processing nutrients from food and filtering toxins from the blood, it is not uncommon for metastases to settle in the liver. In many cases patients die not as a result of their primary cancer, but from the tumors that metastasize to their liver. In the United States, metastatic liver disease is more prevalent than primary liver cancer.
There are few effective treatment options for certain cancers in the liver. Traditional treatment options include surgery, systemic chemotherapy, immunotherapy, liver transplant, radiation therapy, interventional radiology techniques, and isolated hepatic perfusion. We believe that CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS represent a potentially important advancement in regional therapy for primary liver cancer and certain other cancers metastatic to the liver and are uniquely positioned to treat the entire liver either as a standalone therapy or as a complement to other therapies.
Ocular Melanoma
Ocular melanoma frequently metastasizes to the liver. Based on third party research that we commissioned in 2018, we estimate that approximately 3,700-4,700 cases of ocular melanoma are diagnosed in the United States and Europe annually, and that approximately 50-55% of these patients will develop metastatic disease. Of metastatic cases of ocular melanoma, approximately 90% of patients will develop liver involvement. According to Lane et al., JAMA Ophthalmol. 2018 Sep 1;136(9):981-98, once ocular melanoma has spread to the liver, median overall survival for these patients is generally 3.9 months (untreated) to 6.3 months (treated). There is no one standard of care for patients with ocular melanoma liver metastases. Based on the research conducted in 2018, we estimate that approximately 1,400-2,150 patients with ocular melanoma liver metastases in the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU may be eligible for treatment with the Melphalan/HDS annually. Based on our reimbursement experience with CHEMOSAT, we estimate
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the annual addressable market for this indication in the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU is approximately $200 million per year.
Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Primary liver cancers include HCC and ICC. According to GLOBOCAN, an estimated 78,500 new cases of primary liver cancers are diagnosed in the United States and Europe annually. According to the ACS, approximately 42,810 new cases of these cancers are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2020 leading to approximately 30,160 deaths.
ICC is the second most common form of primary liver cancer and according to Wang et al., 2013 J Clin Oncol 31:1188-1195 accounts for 5-30% of primary liver cancers diagnosed in the United States and Europe annually. We believe that 90% of ICC patients are not candidates for surgical resection, and that approximately 20-30% of these may be candidates for certain focal interventions. According to third party research that we commissioned in 2018 we estimate that approximately 11,000 ICC patients in the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU annually could be candidates for treatment with Melphalan/HDS. Based on our reimbursement experience with CHEMOSAT, we estimate the annual addressable market for this indication in the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU is approximately $825 million per year.
According to the ACS, the overall five-year survival rate for primary liver cancers in the United States is approximately 18%. For patients diagnosed with a localized stage of disease, the ACS estimates 5-year survival at 33%.
About CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS
Our product administers concentrated regional chemotherapy to the liver. This “whole organ” therapy is performed by isolating the circulatory system of the liver, infusing the liver with a chemotherapeutic agent, and then filtering the blood prior to returning it to the patient’s circulatory system. During the procedure, known as percutaneous hepatic perfusion, PHP ®, or PHP therapy, three catheters are placed percutaneously through standard interventional radiology techniques. The catheters temporarily isolate the liver from the body’s circulatory system, allow administration of the chemotherapeutic agent melphalan hydrochloride directly to the liver, and collect blood exiting the liver for filtration by our proprietary filters. The filters absorb the chemotherapeutic agent in the blood, thereby reducing systemic exposure to the drug and related toxic side effects, before the filtered blood is returned to the patient’s circulatory system.
PHP therapy is performed in an interventional radiology suite in approximately two to three hours. Patients remain in an intensive care or step-down unit overnight for observation following the procedure. Treatment with CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS is repeatable, and a new disposable system is used for each treatment. Patients treated in clinical settings are permitted up to six treatments. In commercial treatment settings, patients have received up to eight treatments. In the United States, melphalan hydrochloride for injection will be included as part of the system, if approved. In Europe, the system is sold separately and used in conjunction with melphalan hydrochloride commercially available from a third party. In our clinical trials, melphalan hydrochloride for injection is provided to both European and United States clinical trial sites.
Early development of Melphalan/HDS System—FDA Complete Response Letter
Based on clinical trials conducted using an earlier version of our Melphalan/HDS system, in August 2012 we submitted an NDA under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, seeking FDA approval for use of our Melphalan/HDS system for the percutaneous intra-arterial administration of melphalan hydrochloride for use in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma in the liver and, subsequently, amended the application to ocular melanoma metastatic to the liver with an earlier version.
In the Spring of 2013, an Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee, or ODAC panel, convened by the FDA voted 16 to 0, with no abstentions, that the benefits of treatment with the early version of Melphalan/HDS did not outweigh the risks associated with the procedure. A significant portion of FDA’s presentation to the ODAC panel was focused on the FDA’s assessment of treatment related risks, including the analysis of treatment-related deaths that occurred during clinical trials. The FDA also expressed concerns about hypotension, or low blood pressure, during the procedure, length of hospital stay, as well as risks of stroke, heart attack, renal failure, and bone marrow suppression.
In September 2013, the FDA issued a complete response letter, or CRL, relating to our NDA. The FDA issues a CRL after the review of an NDA has been completed and questions remain that preclude approval of the NDA in its current form. The deficiencies identified by FDA in the CRL included, a statement that we had to perform additional “well-controlled randomized trial(s) to establish the safety and efficacy of Melphalan/HDS using overall survival as the primary efficacy outcome measure,” and which “demonstrates that the clinical benefits of Melphalan/HDS outweigh its risks.” The FDA also required that the additional clinical trial(s) be
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conducted using the product we intended to market, and that certain clinical, clinical pharmacology, human factors and product quality elements be addressed.
In January 2016, we entered into a Special Protocol Assessment agreement, or SPA, with the FDA on the design of a new Phase 3 clinical trial of Melphalan/HDS to treat patients with hepatic dominant ocular melanoma. This SPA represented an agreement with FDA that a specific Phase 3 trial would adequately address objectives that, if met, would support the submission for regulatory approval of Melphalan/HDS. The primary endpoint was overall survival, and secondary endpoints included progression-free survival, overall response rate and quality-of-life measures. In the summer of 2018, we amended the protocol for the trial which, after much discussion regarding improvement of the enrollment rate with FDA, resulted in the trial protocol design becoming a non-randomized, single-arm study with a different primary endpoint (objective response rate), which effectively terminated the SPA.
We believe that the protocol amendments and other procedure refinements instituted during clinical trials and subsequently in commercial treatment usage in Europe, including changes to the way blood pressure is managed and monitored, may help address these procedure related risks. Collection of adequate safety data on all aspects of the procedure is a major focus of the clinical trials in our current clinical development program.
Procedure and Product Refinements
In 2012, we introduced the Generation Two version of the CHEMOSAT system, which offered improved hemofiltration and other device component product enhancements. Reports from treating physicians in both Europe and the United States using the Generation Two CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS have indicated that these product improvements and procedure refinements have improved the safety profile of our product. Since 2017, physicians in Europe and the United States have presented and published the results of research that indicated an improved safety profile by decreasing the percentage of adverse events experienced by treated patients, as well as efficacy in multiple tumor types. Collection of adequate safety data on all aspects of the procedure is a major focus of our clinical trials.
Clinical Development Program
The focus of our clinical development program is to generate clinical data for CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS in various disease states to demonstrate efficacy and validate the safety profile of the current version of the product and treatment procedure. We believe that the improvements we have made to CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS and to the PHP therapy have addressed the adverse event profile and procedure-related risks that led to the issuance of the CRL. Our clinical development program is also designed to support clinical adoption of and reimbursement for CHEMOSAT in Europe, and to support regulatory approvals and reimbursement in various jurisdictions, including the United States.
The FOCUS Trial
In July 2018, we commenced an amended clinical trial of Melphalan/HDS, titled A Single-arm, Multi-Center, Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Melphalan/HDS Treatment in Patients with Hepatic-Dominant Ocular Melanoma, or the FOCUS Trial. Under the revised study protocol, the FOCUS Trial will study a minimum of 80 patients with ocular melanoma metastatic to the liver. The primary endpoint of the FOCUS Trial is objective response rate, or ORR as measured by RECISTv1.1. Secondary endpoints include duration of response, disease control rate, overall survival and progression-free survival. Additional exploratory outcome measures include time to objective response, hepatic progression-free survival, hepatic objective response, and quality of life, safety and other pharmacokinetic measures. Patients previously enrolled in the Melphalan/HDS arm of the original trial will continue to be treated and statistically evaluated as part of the revised FOCUS Trial. The FOCUS Trial is being conducted at approximately 30 sites in the United States and Europe.
The rarity of ocular melanoma, absence of crossover to the experimental trial arm, and the commercial availability of PHP® Therapy in Europe impeded enrollment in this trial under the original protocol. While the revised protocol of the FOCUS Trial was intended to accelerate the completion of patient enrollment, enrollment of patients in this trial was adversely affected by a lack of capital to fund the trial. Enrollment of the required patients has been completed. We expected to announce top-line data from this trial in mid-2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our ability to enroll and treat patients in this trial and to monitor data at our clinical trial sites. As a result, we will not be able to release the top-line data from the FOCUS Trial within the timeframe we had anticipated. Once our clinical trial sites are able to return to normal operating procedures, we will assess the impact and update our expected timing accordingly.
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The ALIGN Trial
In April 2018 we initiated a pivotal trial of Melphalan/HDS in patients with ICC, titled A Randomized, Controlled Study to Compare the Efficacy, Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Melphalan/HDS Treatment Given Sequentially Following Cisplatin/Gemcitabine versus Cisplatin/Gemcitabine (Standard of Care) in Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma, or the ALIGN Trial. The ALIGN Trial is being conducted under an SPA with the FDA. The ALIGN Trial will study approximately 295 ICC patients at approximately 40 clinical sites in the U.S. and Europe. The primary endpoint of the ALIGN Trial is overall survival, or OS, and secondary and exploratory endpoints include safety, progression-free survival, or PFS, ORR and quality-of-life measures. Under the terms of the SPA agreement for the ALIGN Trial, the pivotal trial design adequately addresses objectives that, if met, would support FDA regulatory requirements for approval of Melphalan/HDS in ICC. However, final determinations for marketing application approval are made by FDA after a complete review of a marketing application and are based on the totality of data in the application.
Although, the first patient was enrolled in the ALIGN Trial in October 2018, we have experienced difficulties enrolling trial subjects under the existing trial protocol because patients that have received standard of care treatment outside of the trial are excluded. We intend to seek FDA approval to amend the trial protocol so that such patients are no longer excluded.
Prior Phase 2 Trials
In 2014 we initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial program in Europe and the United States of Melphalan/HDS in the treatment of HCC and ICC. Due to differences in treatment practice patterns between Europe and the United States, we established separate European and United States trial protocols for the HCC Phase 2 program with different inclusion and exclusion patient selection criteria:
Protocol 201 NCT02406508—Conducted in the United States, this trial was intended to assess the safety and efficacy of Melphalan/HDS followed by sorafenib. This trial was terminated earlier than planned so that we could focus our resources on our ocular melanoma study and is no longer enrolling patients.
Protocol 202 NCT02415036—Conducted in Europe, this trial was intended to assess the safety and efficacy of Melphalan/HDS without sorafenib. The trial was also designed to evaluate overall response rate via mRECIST criteria, progression free survival and to characterize the systemic exposure of melphalan and assess patient quality of life. This trial was terminated earlier than planned so that we could focus our resources on our ocular melanoma study and is no longer enrolling patients.
ICC Cohort—In 2015 we expanded Protocol 202 to include a cohort of patients with ICC. The trial for this cohort was conducted at the same centers participating in the Phase 2 HCC trial. Enrollment of this cohort was completed in 2017; however, analysis of the data has only recently begun due to resource constraints. We expect the results of this trial to be announced before the end of 2020.
ICC Retrospective Data Collection—We did not proceed with the Phase 2 ICC trial because efficacy data for this indication was obtained from multicenter patient outcomes identified in the retrospective data collection of our commercial ICC cases conducted by our European investigators. These outcomes and observations were discussed with Key Opinion Leaders at a Delcath-organized medical advisory panel meeting and led to the conclusion that PHP therapy does “demonstrate an efficacy signal in ICC and is worthy of full clinical investigation.” Data from the retrospective data collection were published in 2018 in “European Radiology” in a paper titled “Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion (Chemosaturation) with Melphalan in Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: European Multicentre Study on Safety, Short Term Effects and Survival”. Details of the findings from this study are discussed below under “Recent Data Presentations”.
European Clinical Data Generation
In April 2015, we created a prospective patient registry in Europe to collect uniform essential patient safety, efficacy, and QoL information using observational study methods. This registry is intended to gather data in multiple tumor types from commercial cases performed by participating cancer centers in Europe. Registry data is considered to be supportive data and, as such, cannot be used for either registration approval, promotional or competitive claims. However, we believe the patient registry will provide a valuable supportive data repository that contains real-world evidence, from a commercial setting, that can be used to identify further clinical development opportunities, support clinical adoption and reimbursement in Europe.
In addition, we also provide support for a number of IITs.
Recent Data Presentations
In July 2019 results from a single-institution retrospective study conducted by University Hospital of Tubingen in Germany on the use of the Delcath CHEMOSAT® Hepatic Delivery System to treat patients with metastatic ocular melanoma with liver metastases were published in the journal Cancer Imaging.
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The study, Chemosaturation with percutaneous hepatic perfusion of melphalan for liver dominant metastatic uveal melanoma: a single center experience, by Dr. Christoph Artzner, et al, evaluated the safety and efficacy of PHP® therapy in 16 patients with unresectable liver metastases from ocular melanoma treated with CHEMOSAT between June 2015 and December 2018. Tumor response was evaluated following each PHP treatment using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, and serious adverse events, or SAEs, were evaluated using Common Criteria for Adverse Events.
The 16 patients underwent a total of 28 PHP treatments. Results of the study in the 15 evaluable patients showed that after the first PHP treatment, nine patients (60%) had a partial response, or PR, five patients (33%) had stable disease, and one patient (7%) had progressive disease for an initial disease control rate of 93%. Median PFS after the first treatment was 11.1 months. Six patients received a second PHP treatment, three patients received three treatments, and a single patient received six treatments. Median overall survival, or OS, was 27.4 months.
Safety analysis showed that grade three SAEs were observed in 14% of treatments, consisting of anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. The sole grade four SAE observed was in one patient who suffered a cardiac arrest during the first PHP treatment and was removed from the study. Subsequent evaluation determined that this patient had coronary artery occlusion which was successfully treated. Retrospective evaluation of this patient’s pre-procedure imaging revealed signs of coronary artery disease, and investigators subsequently modified their screening procedures for cardiovascular risk factors. Investigators stated that most SAEs were grade one or two and that 5% of the reported grade three and four SAEs required additional intervention.
Investigators concluded that for patients with liver-dominant metastatic uveal melanoma, treatment with PHP Therapy had “observed rates for OS and PFS that exceeded the reported outcomes for traditional systemic treatment.” Investigators stated that SAEs were frequent, but most did not require additional intervention, and that care should be taken in patients with suspected coronary heart disease.
In April 2019 results from a prospective Phase 2 study conducted by Leiden University Medical Center, or LUMC, in the Netherlands on the use of CHEMOSAT to treat patients with metastatic ocular melanoma with liver metastases were presented at the European Conference on Interventional Oncology annual meeting.
The LUMC study titled “Percutaneous hepatic perfusion with melphalan in patients with unresectable liver metastases from ocular melanoma using the Delcath System’s second-generation hemofiltration system: a prospective phase II study” was conducted by a team led and presented by Dr. Mark Burgmans. The study evaluated 35 patients with unresectable liver metastases from ocular melanoma treated with CHEMOSAT between February 2014 and June 2017. The 35 patients underwent a total of 72 PHP therapy treatments, and tumor response was evaluable in 32 patients. Primary endpoints were overall response, overall survival, and progression free survival. Secondary measures included safety measures and hematologic toxicity.
Results of the study showed that one patient had a complete response and 22 had partial response, for a combined overall response rate of 74.1%. Overall survival was 20.3 months and mean progression free survival was 8.1 months.
Safety analysis showed a total of 14 SAEs were recorded. The hematologic toxicities were in a majority of the cases self-limiting and manageable. The investigators concluded that “PHP Therapy with the Generation Two version of CHEMOSAT is an effective and safe treatment for patients with hepatic metastases from ocular melanoma.”
Market Access and Commercial Clinical Adoption
Europe
Our European marketing activities include establishing strategic alliances with partners that include license, supply, sales and marketing arrangements. In December 2018, we entered into a License Agreement, or License, with medac GmbH, or medac, for the commercialization of CHEMOSAT in Europe. Under the terms of the medac License, medac has the exclusive right to sell and market CHEMOSAT in all member states of the EU, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Under the medac License, we are entitled to a combination of upfront and success-based milestone payments as well as a fixed transfer price per unit of CHEMOSAT and specified royalties.
Since launching CHEMOSAT in Europe, over 750 commercial treatments have been performed at over 25 European cancer centers. Physicians in Europe have used CHEMOSAT to treat patients with a variety of cancers in the liver, primarily ocular melanoma liver metastases, and other tumor types, including cutaneous melanoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and liver metastases from colorectal cancer, breast, pancreatic and neuroendocrine.
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European Reimbursement
A critical driver of utilization growth for CHEMOSAT in Europe is the expansion of reimbursement mechanisms for the procedure in our priority markets. In Europe, there is no centralized pan-European medical device reimbursement body. Reimbursement is administered on a regional and national basis. Medical devices are typically reimbursed under Diagnosis Related Groups, or DRG, as part of a procedure. Prior to obtaining permanent DRG reimbursement codes, in certain jurisdictions, we are actively seeking interim reimbursement from existing mechanisms that include specific interim reimbursement schemes, new technology payment programs as well as existing DRG codes. In most EU countries, the government provides healthcare and controls reimbursement levels. Since the EU has no jurisdiction over patient reimbursement or pricing matters in its member states, the methodologies for determining reimbursement rates and the actual rates may vary by country.
Under the terms of the medac License, medac is required to provide support for reimbursement applications in the European markets covered by our agreement. CHEMOSAT is approved for reimbursement in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Government Regulation
Our products are subject to extensive and rigorous government regulation by foreign regulatory agencies and the FDA. Foreign regulatory agencies, the FDA and comparable regulatory agencies in state and local jurisdictions impose extensive requirements upon the clinical development, pre-market clearance and approval, manufacturing, labeling, marketing, advertising and promotion, pricing, storage and distribution of pharmaceutical and medical device products. Failure to comply with applicable foreign regulatory agency or FDA requirements may result in Warning Letters, fines, civil or criminal penalties, suspension or delays in clinical development, recall or seizure of products, partial or total suspension of production or withdrawal of a product from the market.
United States Regulatory Environment
In the United States, the FDA regulates drug and device products under the FDCA, and its implementing regulations. Melphalan/HDS is subject to regulation as a combination product, which means it is composed of both a drug product and device product. If marketed individually, each component would therefore be subject to different regulatory pathways and reviewed by different centers within the FDA. A combination product, however, is assigned to a center that will have primary jurisdiction over its pre-market review and regulation based on a determination of its primary mode of action, which is the single mode of action that provides the most important therapeutic action. In the case of the Melphalan/HDS, the primary mode of action is attributable to the drug component of the product, which means that the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, has primary jurisdiction over its pre-market development and review.
The process required by the FDA before drug product candidates may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
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submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin and must be updated periodically, but at least annually;
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completion of extensive preclinical laboratory tests and preclinical animal studies, all performed in accordance with the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice, or GLP, regulations;
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performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the product candidate for each proposed indication;
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submission to the FDA of an NDA after completion of all pivotal clinical trials;
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a determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of an NDA to file the NDA for review;
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satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facilities at which the product is produced and tested to assess compliance with current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, regulations; and
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FDA review and approval of an NDA prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the drug in the United States.
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The development and approval process requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals for our product will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.
The results of preclinical tests (which include laboratory evaluation as well as GLP studies to evaluate toxicity in animals) for a particular product candidate, together with related manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted as part of an IND to the FDA. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day time period, raises concerns or questions about the conduct of the proposed clinical trial, including concerns that human research subjects will be exposed to unreasonable health risks. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. IND submissions may not result in FDA authorization to commence a clinical trial. A separate submission to an existing IND must also be made for each successive clinical trial conducted during product development. Further, an independent
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institutional review board, or IRB, for each medical center proposing to conduct the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at that center and it must monitor the study until completed. The FDA, the IRB or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Clinical testing also must satisfy extensive good clinical practice regulations and regulations for informed consent and privacy of individually identifiable information. Similar requirements to the United States IND are required in the EU and other jurisdictions in which we may conduct clinical trials.
Clinical Trials
For purposes of NDA submission and approval, clinical trials are typically conducted in the following sequential phases, which may overlap:
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Phase 1 Clinical Trials. Studies are initially conducted in a limited population to test the product candidate for safety, dose tolerance, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, typically in healthy humans, but in some cases in patients.
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Phase 2 Clinical Trials. Studies are generally conducted in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, explore the initial efficacy of the product for specific targeted indications and to determine dose range or pharmacodynamics. Multiple Phase 2 clinical trials may be conducted by the sponsor to obtain information prior to beginning larger and more expensive Phase 3 clinical trials.
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Phase 3 Clinical Trials. These are commonly referred to as pivotal studies. When Phase 2 evaluations demonstrate that a dose range of the product is effective and has an acceptable safety profile, Phase 3 clinical trials are undertaken in large patient populations to further evaluate dosage, provide substantial evidence of clinical efficacy and further test for safety in an expanded and diverse patient population at multiple, geographically dispersed clinical trial centers.
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Phase 4 Clinical Trials. The FDA may approve an NDA for a product candidate, but require that the sponsor conduct additional clinical trials to further assess the drug after NDA approval under a post-approval commitment. In addition, a sponsor may decide to conduct additional clinical trials after the FDA has approved an NDA. Post-approval trials are typically referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials.
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Sponsors of clinical trials may submit proposals for the design, execution, and analysis for their pivotal trials under a SPA. A SPA is an evaluation by the FDA of a protocol with the goal of reaching an agreement that the Phase 3 trial protocol design, clinical endpoints, and statistical analyses are acceptable to support regulatory approval of the drug product candidate with respect to effectiveness for the indication studied. Under a SPA, the FDA agrees to not later alter its position with respect to adequacy of the design, execution or analyses of the clinical trial intended to form the primary basis of an effectiveness claim in an NDA, without the sponsor’s agreement, unless the FDA identifies a substantial scientific issue essential to determining the safety or efficacy of the drug after testing begins.
Prior to initiating our currently ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial(s), we submitted a proposal for the design, execution and analysis under a SPA.
New Drug Applications
The results of drug development, preclinical studies and clinical trials are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA. NDAs also must contain extensive chemistry, manufacturing and control information. An NDA must be accompanied by a significant user fee, which may be waived in certain circumstances. Once the submission has been accepted for filing, the FDA’s goal is to review applications within ten months of submission or, if the application relates to an unmet medical need in a serious or life-threatening indication, six months from submission. The review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA may refer the application to an advisory committee for review, evaluation and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved. For new oncology products, the FDA will often solicit an opinion from an ODAC, a panel of expert authorities knowledgeable in the fields of general oncology, pediatric oncology, hematologic oncology, immunologic oncology, biostatistics, and other related professions. The ODAC panel reviews and evaluates data concerning the safety and effectiveness of marketed and investigational human drug products for use in the treatment of cancer, and makes appropriate recommendations to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee. The FDA may deny approval of an NDA by issuing a Complete Response Letter, or CRL, if the applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied. A CRL may require additional clinical data and/or an additional pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial(s), and/or other significant, expensive and time-consuming requirements related to clinical trials, preclinical studies or manufacturing. Data from clinical trials are not always conclusive and the FDA may interpret data differently than we or our collaborators interpret data. Approval may be contingent on a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, that limits the labeling, distribution or promotion of a drug product. Once issued, the FDA may withdraw product approval if ongoing regulatory requirements are not met or if safety problems occur after the product
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reaches the market. In addition, the FDA may require testing, including Phase IV clinical trials, and surveillance programs to monitor the safety effects of approved products which have been commercialized, and the FDA has the power to prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of these post-marketing programs or other information.
There are three primary regulatory pathways for a New Drug Application under Section 505 of the FDCA: Section 505 (b)(1), Section 505 (b)(2) and Section 505(j). A Section 505 (b)(1) application is used for approval of a new drug (for clinical use) whose active ingredients have not been previously approved. A Section 505 (b)(2) application is used for a new drug that relies on data not developed by the applicant. Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA was enacted as part of the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, also known as the Hatch-Waxman Act. This statutory provision permits the approval of an NDA where at least some of the information required for approval comes from studies not conducted by or for the applicant and for which the applicant has not obtained a right of reference. The Hatch-Waxman Act permits the applicant to rely in part upon the FDA’s findings of safety and effectiveness for previously approved products. Section 505(j) application, also known as an abbreviated NDA, is used for a generic version of a drug that has already been approved.
Orphan Drug Exclusivity
Some jurisdictions, including the United States, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Pursuant to the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA grants orphan drug designation to drugs intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States. The orphan designation is granted for a combination of a drug entity and an indication and therefore it can be granted for an existing drug with a new (orphan) indication. Applications are made to the Office of Orphan Products Development at the FDA and a decision or request for more information is rendered in 60 days. NDAs for designated orphan drugs are exempt from user fees, obtain additional clinical protocol assistance, are eligible for tax credits up to 50% of research and development costs, and are granted a seven-year period of exclusivity upon approval. The FDA cannot approve the same drug for the same condition during this period of exclusivity, except in certain circumstances where a new product demonstrates superiority to the original treatment. Exclusivity begins on the date that the marketing application is approved by the FDA for the designated orphan drug, and an orphan designation does not limit the use of that drug in other applications outside the approved designation in either a commercial or investigational setting.
We have received six orphan drug designations: two for melphalan for the treatment of patients with cutaneous melanoma, as well as patients with ocular melanoma; one for melphalan for the treatment of patients with neuroendocrine tumors; one for doxorubicin for the treatment of patients with primary liver cancer; one for melphalan for the treatment of HCC; and one for melphalan for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, which includes ICC.
The granting of orphan drug designations does not mean that the FDA has approved a new drug. Companies must still pursue the rigorous development and approval process that requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals for our product will be granted at all, or on a timely basis.
Other Regulatory Requirements
Products manufactured or distributed pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including recordkeeping, annual product quality review and reporting requirements. Adverse event experience with the product must be reported to the FDA in a timely fashion and pharmacovigilance programs to proactively look for these adverse events are mandated by the FDA. Drug manufacturers and their subcontractors are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with ongoing regulatory requirements, including cGMPs, which impose certain procedural and documentation requirements upon us and our third-party manufacturers. Following such inspections, the FDA may issue notices on Form 483 and Untitled Letters or Warning Letters that could cause us or our third-party manufacturers to modify certain activities. A Form 483 Notice, if issued at the conclusion of an FDA inspection, can list conditions the FDA investigators believe may have violated cGMP or other FDA regulations or guidelines. In addition to Form 483 Notices and Untitled Letters or Warning Letters, failure to comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements can subject a manufacturer to possible legal or regulatory action, such as suspension of manufacturing, seizure of product, injunctive action or possible civil penalties. We cannot be certain that we or our present or future third-party manufacturers or suppliers will be able to comply with the cGMP regulations and other ongoing FDA regulatory requirements. If we or our present or future third-party manufacturers or suppliers are not able to comply with these requirements, the FDA may require us to recall our products from distribution or withdraw any potential approvals of an NDA for that product.
The FDA closely regulates the post-approval marketing and promotion of drugs, including standards and regulations for direct-to-consumer advertising, dissemination of off-label information, industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities and promotional activities involving the Internet. Drugs may be marketed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. Further, if there are any modifications to the drug, including changes in indications, labeling, or manufacturing processes or facilities, we may be required to submit and obtain FDA approval of a new or supplemental NDA, which may require us
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to develop additional data or conduct additional preclinical studies and clinical trials. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in adverse publicity, Warning Letters, corrective advertising and potential civil and criminal penalties.
Physicians may prescribe legally available products for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and that differ from those tested by us and approved by the FDA. Such off-label uses are common across medical specialties, in particular in oncology. Physicians may believe that such off-label uses are the best treatment for many patients in varied circumstances. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments. The FDA does, however, impose stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label use.
European Regulatory Environment
In the EU, the CHEMOSAT system is subject to regulation as a medical device. The EU is composed of the 27 Member States of the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Under the EU Medical Devices Directive (Directive No 93/42/ECC of 14 June 1993, as last amended), drug delivery products such as the CHEMOSAT system is governed by the EU laws on pharmaceutical products only if they are (i) placed on the market in such a way that the device and the pharmaceutical product form a single integral unit which is intended exclusively for use in the given combination, and (ii) the product is not reusable. In such cases, the drug delivery product is governed by the EU Code on Medicinal Products for Human Use (Directive 2001/83/EC, as last amended), while the essential requirements of the EU Medical Devices Directive apply to the safety and performance-related device features of the product. Because we do not intend to place the CHEMOSAT system on the EU market as a single integral unit with melphalan, the product is governed solely by the EU Medical Devices Directive, while the separately marketed drug is governed by the EU Code relating to Medicinal Products for Human Use and other EU legislation applicable to drugs for human use.
Before we may commercialize a medical device in the EU, we must comply with the essential requirements of the EU Medical Devices Directive. Compliance with these requirements entitles a manufacturer to affix a CE conformity mark, without which the products cannot be commercialized in the EU. To demonstrate compliance with the essential requirements and obtain the right to affix the CE conformity mark, medical device manufacturers must undergo a conformity assessment procedure, which varies according to the type of medical device and its classification. In April 2011, we obtained authorization to affix a CE Mark for the Generation One CHEMOSAT system and began European commercialization with this version of the CHEMOSAT system in early 2012. In April 2012, the Company obtained authorization to affix a CE Mark for the Generation Two CHEMOSAT system, and since this time all procedures in Europe have been performed with this version of the system.
The Medical Devices Directive establishes a classification system placing devices into Class I, IIa, IIb, or III, depending on the risks and characteristics of the medical device. For certain types of low risk medical devices (i.e., Class I devices which are non-sterile and do not have a measuring function), the manufacturer may issue an EC Declaration of Conformity based on a self-assessment of the conformity of its products with the essential requirements of the EU Medical Devices Directives. Other devices are subject to a conformity assessment procedure requiring the intervention of a Notified Body, which is an organization designated by a Member State of the EU to conduct conformity assessments.
CHEMOSAT is regulated as a Class IIb medical device. As a Class IIb medical device, the Notified Body is not required to carry out an examination of the product’s design dossier as part of its conformity assessment prior to commercialization. The Company must continue to comply with the essential requirements of the EU Medical Devices Directive (Directive 93/42 EC) and is subject to a conformity assessment procedure requiring the intervention of a Notified Body. The conformity assessment procedure for Class IIb medical devices requires the manufacturer to apply for the assessment of its quality system for the design, manufacture and inspection of its medical devices by a Notified Body. The Notified Body will audit the system to determine whether it conforms to the provisions of the Medical Devices Directive. If the Notified Body’s assessment is favorable, it will issue a Full Quality Assurance Certificate, which enables the manufacturer to draw a Declaration of Conformity and affix the CE mark to the medical devices covered by the assessment. Thereafter, the Notified Body will carry out periodic audits to ensure that the approved quality system is applied by the manufacturer.
A manufacturer without a registered place of business in a Member State of the EU which places a medical device on the market under its own name must designate an Authorized Representative established in the EU who can act before, and be addressed by, the Competent Authorities on the manufacturer’s behalf with regard to the manufacturer’s obligations under the EU Medical Devices Directive. We appointed such a representative prior to establishing our infrastructure in the EU. With the Delcath Systems Ltd. infrastructure now firmly in place, the Authorized Representative responsibilities have been formally transferred internally and there is no longer a need for a third-party representative.
In the EU, we must also comply with the Medical Device Vigilance System, which is designed to improve the protection of health and safety of patients, users and others by reducing the likelihood of recurrence of incidents related to the use of a medical device. Under this system, incidents are defined as any malfunction or deterioration in the characteristics and/or performance of a device, as well as any inadequacy in the labeling or the instructions for use which, directly or indirectly, might lead to or might have led to the death of a patient, or user or of other persons or to a serious deterioration in their state of health. When a medical device is suspected to be a
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contributory cause of an incident, its manufacturer or authorized representative in the EU must report it to the Competent Authority of the Member State where the incident occurred. Incidents are generally investigated by the manufacturer. The manufacturer’s investigation is monitored by the Competent Authority, which may intervene, or initiate an independent investigation if considered appropriate. An investigation may conclude in the adoption of a Field Safety Corrective Action, or FSCA. An FSCA is an action taken by a manufacturer to reduce a risk of death or serious deterioration in the state of health associated with the use of a medical device that is already placed on the market. An FSCA may include device recall, modification exchange and destruction.
FSCAs must be notified by the manufacturer or its authorized representative to its customers and/or the end users of the medical device via a Field Safety Notice.
In the EU, the off-label promotion of a pharmaceutical product is strictly prohibited under the EU Community Code on Medicinal Products, which provides that all information provided within the context of the promotion of a drug must comply with the information contained in its approved summary of product characteristics. Our product instructions and indication reference the chemotherapeutic agent melphalan hydrochloride. However, no melphalan labels in the EU reference our product, and the labels vary from country to country with respect to the approved indication of the drug and its mode of administration. In the exercise of their professional judgment in the practice of medicine, physicians are generally allowed, under certain conditions, to use or prescribe a product in ways not approved by regulatory authorities. Physicians intending to use our device must obtain melphalan separately for use with the CHEMOSAT system and must use melphalan independently at their discretion.
In the EU, the advertising and promotion of our products is also subject to EU Member States laws implementing the EU Medical Devices Directive, Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising and Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, as well as other EU Member State legislation governing the advertising and promotion of medical devices. These laws may further limit or restrict the advertising and promotion of our products to the general public and may also impose limitations on our promotional activities with health care professionals.
Failure to comply with the EU Member State laws implementing the Medical Devices Directive, with the EU and EU Member State laws on the promotion of medicinal products or with other applicable regulatory requirements can result in enforcement action by the EU Member State authorities, which may include any of the following: fines, imprisonment, orders forfeiting products or prohibiting or suspending their supply to the market, or requiring the manufacturer to issue public warnings, or to conduct a product recall.
The European Commission recently reviewed the Medical Device Directive legislative framework and promulgated REGULATION (EU) 2017/745 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 5 April 2017 on medical devices, amending Directive 2001/83/EC, Regulation EC) No 178/2002 and Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and repealing Council Directives 90/385/EEC and 93/42/EEC. This new Medical Device Regulation became effective on May 25, 2017, marking the start of a 3-year transition period for manufacturers selling medical device in Europe to comply with the new medical device regulation, or MDR, which governs all facets of medical devices. The transition task is highly complex and touches every aspect of product development, manufacturing production, distribution and post marketing evaluation.
Effectively addressing these changes will require a complete review of our device operations to determine what is necessary to comply. We do not believe the MDR regulatory changes will impact our business at this time, though implementation of the medical device legislation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations or restrict our operations.
Other International Regulations
We continue to evaluate commercial opportunities in select markets when resources are available and at an appropriate time.
Intellectual Property
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain patents and trademarks, maintain trade secret and know-how protection, enforce our proprietary rights against infringers, and operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of third parties. Because of the length of time and expense associated with developing new products and bringing them through the regulatory approval process, the health care industry places considerable emphasis on obtaining patent protection and maintaining trade secret protection for new technologies, products, processes, know-how, and methods. We hold rights in eight U.S. utility patents, one U.S. design patent, five pending U.S. utility patent applications, six issued foreign counterpart utility patents (including the validation of a European
patent directed to our filter apparatus in eight European countries, six issued foreign counterpart design patents, and eight pending foreign counterpart patent applications. In July 2017, a patent directed to our chemotherapy filtration system was issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In October 2018 and February 2019 patents directed to our chemotherapy filtration system and a method of using our filter and frame apparatus were issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A Notice of Allowance was obtained from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the patent application entitled “Apparatus For Removing Chemotherapy Compounds from Blood” with allowed claims to a kit of parts capable of being assembled for delivering a small
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molecule chemotherapeutic agent to a subject. The allowed claims are directed to CHEMOSAT. A Hong Kong patent directed to our Filter and Frame Apparatus was issued in March of 2018. A European patent was granted for our chemotherapy filtration system in November 2018 and a European patent application directed to a method of using our filter and frame apparatus was granted in April 2019 by the European Patent Office.
When appropriate, we actively pursue protection of our proprietary products, technologies, processes, and methods by filing United States and international patent and trademark applications. We seek to pursue additional patent protection for technology invented through research and development, manufacturing, and clinical use of the CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS that will enable us to expand our patent portfolio around advances to our current systems, technology, and methods for our current applications as well as beyond the treatment of cancers in the liver.
There can be no assurance that the pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents, that patents issued to or licensed by us will not be challenged or circumvented by competitors, or that these patents will be found to be valid or sufficiently broad to protect our technology or provide us with a competitive advantage.
To maintain our proprietary position, we also rely on trade secrets and proprietary technological experience to protect proprietary manufacturing processes, technology, and know-how relating to our business. We rely, in part, on confidentiality agreements with our marketing partners, employees, advisors, vendors and consultants to protect our trade secrets and proprietary technological expertise. In addition, we also seek to maintain our trade secrets through maintenance of the physical security of the premises where our trade secrets are located. There can be no assurance that these agreements will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, that others will not independently develop equivalent proprietary information or that third parties will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets and proprietary knowledge.
In certain circumstances, United States patent law allows for the extension of a patent’s duration for a period of up to five years after FDA approval. We intend to seek extension for one of our patents after FDA approval if it has not expired prior to the date of approval. In addition to our proprietary protections, the FDA has granted us six orphan drug designations that provide us a seven-year period of exclusive marketing beginning on the date that our NDA is approved by the FDA for the designated orphan drug. While the exclusivity only applies to the indication for which the drug has been approved, we believe that this exclusivity will provide us with added protection once commercialization of an orphan drug designated product begins.
There has been and continues to be substantial litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical and medical device areas. If a third party asserts a claim against us, we may be forced to expend significant time and money defending such actions and an adverse determination in any patent litigation could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require us to redesign our product, require us to seek licenses from third parties, and, if licenses are not available, prevent us from manufacturing, selling or using our system. Additionally, we plan to enforce our intellectual property rights vigorously and may find it necessary to initiate litigation to enforce our patent rights or to protect our trade secrets or know-how. Patent litigation can be costly and time consuming and there can be no assurance that the outcome will be favorable to us.
Competition
The healthcare industry is characterized by extensive research, rapid technological progress and significant competition from numerous healthcare companies and academic institutions. Competition in the cancer treatment industry is intense. We believe that the primary competitive factors for products addressing cancer include safety, efficacy, ease of use, reliability and price. We also believe that physician relationships, especially relationships with leaders in the medical and surgical oncology communities, are important competitive factors. We also believe that the current global economic conditions and new healthcare reforms could put competitive pressure on us, including reduced selling prices and potential reimbursement rates, and overall procedure rates. Certain markets in Europe are experiencing the effects of continued economic weakness, which is affecting healthcare budgets and reimbursement.
CHEMOSAT competes and, if approved by the FDA Melphalan/HDS will compete, with all forms of liver cancer treatments, including surgery, systemic chemotherapy, focal therapies and palliative care. In the disease states we are targeting there are also numerous clinical trials sponsored by third-parties, which can compete for potential patients in the near term and may ultimately lead to new competitive therapies.
For ocular melanoma liver metastases, there are currently no approved or effective treatment options, and patients are generally treated with a variety of local and regional techniques. There are numerous companies developing and marketing devices for the performance of focal therapies, including Boston Scientific Corporation, the Covidien Products division of Medtronic plc, Merit Medical Systems, Inc., Celenova BioSciences Inc., Sirtex Medical Limited, AngioDynamics, Inc., and many others.
For ICC, gemcitabine plus cisplatin remains the standard of care for the treatment of ICC in patients who are not candidates for surgery.
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Several therapies have been recently approved for unresectable or metastatic cutaneous melanoma, which may encompass liver metastases. Dabrafenib (Tafinlar™, GlaxoSmithKline plc), is indicated as single agent for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E mutation, and in combination with trametinib in unresectable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations. Furthermore, trametinib (MEKINIST™, GlaxoSmithKline plc) is indicated as single agent (in addition to in combination with dabrafinib) for treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations. Previously approved melanoma therapies such as the biologic ipilimumab (Yervoy™, Bristol Myers Squibb Company) and the B-RAF targeted drug vemurafenib (Zelboraf™, Genentech, Inc.) may also make up the competitive landscape for the treatment of metastatic liver disease.
Many of these treatments are approved in Europe and other global markets.
Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technological, research and development, marketing and personnel resources. In addition, some of our competitors have considerable experience in conducting clinical trials, regulatory, manufacturing and commercialization capabilities. Our competitors may develop alternative treatment methods, or achieve earlier product development, in which case the likelihood of us achieving meaningful revenues or profitability will be substantially reduced.
Manufacturing and Quality Assurance
We manufacture certain critical medical device components including our proprietary filter media and assemble and package the CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS at our facility in Queensbury, New York. We have established our European headquarters and distribution facility in Galway, Ireland where we conduct final manufacturing, processing and assembly. We use third-parties to manufacture some components of the CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS. The CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS and its components must be manufactured and sterilized in accordance with approved manufacturing and pre-determined performance specifications. In addition, certain components will require sterilization prior to distribution and we use third-party vendors to perform the sterilization process.
We are required to comply with the FDA’s cGMP regulations and international quality system regulations including those established by the International Standards Organization (ISO) with respect to products sold in the EU. We are required to maintain ISO 13485 certification for medical devices to be sold in the EU, which requires, among other items, an implemented quality system that applies to component quality, supplier control, product design and manufacturing operations. Our facilities are ISO 13485:2016 certified.
Employees
As of March 25, 2020, we had approximately 33 full time employees located in the United States and in Europe. None of our employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We believe our relationship with our employees is good.
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Item 1A.Risk Factors
An investment in our securities involve a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with the financial and other information contained in this annual report, before you decide to purchase our securities. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock and the market value of the securities offered hereby could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business and Financial Condition
Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our independent registered public accounting firm issued a report dated March 25, 2020 in connection with the audit of our financial statements as of December 31, 2019, which includes an explanatory paragraph describing the existence of conditions that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. In addition, the notes to our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 25, 2020, contain a disclosure describing the existence of conditions that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital and/or enter into strategic alliances when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs or any commercialization efforts. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. If we are not able to continue as a going concern, it is likely that holders of our common stock will lose all of their investment.
Drug development is an inherently uncertain process with a high risk of failure at every stage of development. We received a complete response letter from the FDA declining to approve our existing New Drug Application, or NDA, in its current form.
Preclinical testing and clinical trials are long, expensive and highly uncertain processes and failure can unexpectedly occur at any stage of clinical development. Drug development is very risky, and it takes several years to complete clinical trials. The start or end of a clinical trial is often delayed or halted due to changing regulatory requirements, manufacturing challenges, required clinical trial administrative actions, slower than anticipated patient enrollment, changing standards of care, availability or prevalence of use of a comparator treatment or required prior therapy, clinical outcomes including insufficient efficacy, safety concerns, or our own financial constraints.
In response to our NDA, which we submitted to FDA in August 2012 seeking approval for use of our Melphalan/HDS Kit for the treatment of patients with ocular melanoma of the liver, in September 2013, the FDA denied approval of the NDA in its current form and issued a complete response letter, or CRL. A CRL is issued by the FDA when the review of an NDA is completed, and deficiencies remain that preclude approval of the NDA in its current form. The deficiencies in the CRL included, but were not limited to, a statement that we must perform additional “well-controlled randomized trial(s) to establish the safety and efficacy of Melphalan/HDS Kit using overall survival as the primary efficacy outcome measure” and which “demonstrates that the clinical benefits of Melphalan/HDS Kit outweigh its risks.” The FDA also required that the additional clinical trial(s) be conducted using the product we intend to market. Prior to conducting additional clinical trials, we were required to satisfy certain other requirements of the CRL, including, but not limited to, product quality testing and human factors information.
We have initiated a pivotal Phase 3 trial in ocular melanoma metastases. We had a SPA agreement with FDA for this study, which was initially designed as a randomized trial with a primary endpoint of overall survival. We subsequently amended the protocol so that the trial is a non-randomized, single-arm study with a primary endpoint of objective response rate. Although the changes to the protocol invalidated the SPA agreement, FDA stated that it would not object to our conducting a study outside of a SPA agreement. However, we will need to justify how the results of the study support a favorable risk-benefit assessment, particularly whether the response rate is sufficient to overcome the toxicity of Melphalan/HDS.
In addition, we conduct and participate in numerous clinical trials with a variety of study designs, patient populations and trial endpoints to support additional indications for Melphalan/HDS and HDS with other drug therapies. In 2014, we initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial with Melphalan/HDS for hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, in both the United States and Europe. In 2015, the Phase 2 clinical trial for HCC was expanded to include a cohort of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a type of primary liver cancer, or ICC. The trial for this cohort was conducted at the same centers participating in the Phase 2 HCC trial. Unfavorable or inconsistent clinical data from clinical trials, including the Phase 2 clinical trial for HCC, the market’s perception of these clinical data or FDA’s perception of this clinical data, may adversely impact our ability to obtain approval, and our financial condition. Additionally, even if the results of our Phase 2 clinical trial for HCC and ICC are positive, there is a substantial risk that it will fail to have positive results in Phase 3 clinical trials with regard to efficacy, safety or other clinical outcomes and may never obtain regulatory approval.
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The Company does not expect to generate significant revenue for the foreseeable future.
Our entire focus has been on developing, commercializing, and obtaining regulatory authorizations and approvals of CHEMOSAT® and Melphalan/HDS and we have only developed this system for the treatment of cancers in the liver. If CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS for the treatment of cancers in the liver fail as commercial products, we have no other products to sell. In addition, since CHEMOSAT currently is approved for commercialization solely in the European Union, or the EU, and limited other jurisdictions, if medac GmbH, or medac, our third-party licensee, is unsuccessful in commercializing the product in the EU and/or if Melphalan/HDS is not approved in the United States and elsewhere, we will have no means of generating revenue. In September 2013, the FDA issued a CRL with respect to our NDA for Melphalan/HDS. A CRL is issued by the FDA when the review of a file is completed and questions remain that preclude approval of the NDA in its then current form. Accordingly, we do not expect to realize any revenues from product sales in the United States in the next few years, if at all. As a result, our revenue sources are, and will remain, extremely limited unless and until our product candidates are approved by the FDA or other additional foreign regulatory agencies and successfully marketed. CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS may not be successful in clinical trials, approved by the FDA or other additional foreign regulatory agency or marketed at any time in the foreseeable future or at all.
Continuing losses may exhaust our capital resources.
As of December 31, 2019, we had $10.0 million in cash and cash equivalents. We have had minimal revenue to date, and have a substantial accumulated deficit, recurring operating losses and negative cash flow. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we incurred net losses of approximately $8.9 million and $19.2 million, respectively and expect to continue to incur losses in 2020. To date, we have funded operations through a combination of private placements and public offerings of our securities, including convertible notes. If we continue to incur losses, we may exhaust our capital resources, and as a result may be unable to complete our clinical trials, engage in product development and the regulatory approval process and commercialization of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS or any other versions of these products. If we are unable to raise capital or generate sufficient revenue, we may not be able to pay our debts when they become due and may have to seek protection under federal bankruptcy law or enter into a receivership.
If we cannot raise additional capital, our potential to generate future revenues will be significantly limited since we may not be able to further commercialize CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS, complete our clinical trials or conduct future product development and clinical trials.
We will require additional substantial financing to complete our clinical trial program or seek other approvals, to conduct future development, clinical trials and to further commercialize our product in the EU and any other markets where we may receive approval for our products. If financing is unavailable to make the required payments under these agreements, we could be subject to legal liability and our ability to complete product development projects or clinical trials could be impaired. We do not know if additional financing will be available when needed at all or on acceptable terms. If we are unable to obtain additional financing as needed, we may not be able to further commercialize CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS, obtain regulatory approvals or complete our development projects or clinical trials, which would result in a complete loss of an investment in our securities.
Our liquidity and capital requirements will depend on numerous factors, including:
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clinical studies, including registration trials in ocular melanoma liver metastases and in ICC;
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the timing and costs of our various United States and foreign regulatory filings, obtaining approvals and complying with regulations;
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the timing and costs associated with developing our manufacturing operations;
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the timing of product commercialization activities, including marketing and distribution arrangements overseas;
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the timing and costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing intellectual property rights; and
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the impact of competing technological and market developments.
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Insufficient funds may require us to curtail or stop our commercialization activities, regulatory submissions or ongoing activities for regulatory approval, research and development and clinical trials, which will significantly limit our potential to generate future revenues.
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Risks Related to FDA and Foreign Regulatory Approval
Our failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, regulatory approvals may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS are subject to extensive and rigorous government regulation by the FDA and other foreign regulatory agencies. The FDA regulates the research, development, pre-clinical and clinical testing, manufacture, safety, effectiveness, record keeping, reporting, labeling, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale, distribution, import and export of pharmaceutical and medical device products. Failure to comply with FDA and other applicable regulatory requirements may, either before or after product approval, subject us to either civil or criminal administrative or judicially-imposed sanctions and/or other penalties.
In the United States, the FDA regulates drug and device products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and its implementing regulations. Melphalan/HDS is subject to regulation by the FDA as a combination product, which means it is composed of both a drug product and device product. If marketed individually, each component would therefore be subject to different regulatory pathways and reviewed by different centers within the FDA. A combination product, however, is assigned to a center that will have primary jurisdiction over its pre-market review and regulation based on a determination of the product’s primary mode of action, which is the single mode of action that provides the most important therapeutic action. In the case of Melphalan/HDS, the primary mode of action is attributable to the drug component of the product, which means that the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has primary jurisdiction over its pre-market development and review.
We are not permitted to market Melphalan/HDS in the United States unless and until we obtain regulatory approval from the FDA. To market the product in the United States, we must submit to the FDA and obtain FDA approval of an NDA. An NDA must be supported by extensive clinical and preclinical data, as well as extensive information regarding chemistry, manufacturing and controls, or CMC, to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the applicable product candidate. The number and types of preclinical studies and clinical trials that will be required varies depending on the product candidate, the disease or condition that the product candidate is designed to target and the regulations applicable to any particular product candidate. Despite the time and expense associated with preclinical and clinical studies, failure can occur at any stage, and we could encounter problems that cause it to repeat or perform additional preclinical studies, CMC studies or clinical trials. The FDA and similar foreign authorities could delay, limit or deny approval of a product candidate for many reasons, including because they:
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may not deem a product candidate to be adequately safe and effective;
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may determine that the risk: benefit profile is not favorable;
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may not find the data from preclinical studies, CMC studies and clinical trials to be sufficient to support a claim of safety and efficacy;
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may interpret data from preclinical studies, CMC studies and clinical trials significantly differently than we;
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may not approve the manufacturing processes or facilities associated with our product candidates;
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may change approval policies (including with respect to our product candidates’ class of drugs) or adopt new regulations; or
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may not accept a submission due to, among other reasons, the content or formatting of the submission.
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Furthermore, we cannot be certain that we or our present or future third-party manufacturers or suppliers will be able to comply with the cGMP regulations and other ongoing FDA regulatory requirements. If we or our present or future third-party manufacturers or suppliers are not able to comply with these requirements, the FDA may require us to recall our products from distribution or withdraw any potential approvals of an NDA for that product.
Undesirable side effects caused by any product candidate that we develop could result in the denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other regulatory authorities for any or all targeted indications or cause us to evaluate the future of our development programs. The regulatory review and approval process is lengthy, expensive and inherently uncertain. As part of the U.S. Prescription Drug User Fee Act, the FDA has a goal to review and act on a percentage of all submissions in a given time frame. In August 2012, we submitted the Melphalan/HDS NDA seeking an indication for ocular melanoma liver metastases. In September 2013, the FDA declined to approve the NDA and issued a CRL. The deficiencies in the CRL included, but were not limited to, a statement that we must perform additional “well-controlled randomized trial(s) to establish the safety and efficacy of Melphalan/HDS using overall survival as the primary efficacy outcome measure” and which “demonstrates that the clinical benefits of Melphalan/HDS outweigh its risks.” The FDA also requires that the additional clinical trial(s) be conducted using the product we intends to market. Prior to conducting additional clinical trials, we must satisfy certain other requirements of the CRL, including, but not limited to, product quality testing and human factors information. However, even if we complete these clinical trials and satisfy all the requirements of the CRL, we may not obtain regulatory approval from the FDA. Continued failure to obtain, or additional delays in obtaining, regulatory approvals may:
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adversely affect the commercialization of the current version of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS or any products that we develops in the future;
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impose additional costs on us;
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diminish any competitive advantages that may be attained; and
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adversely affect our ability to generate revenues.
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We have obtained the right to affix the CE Mark for the CHEMOSAT Hepatic Delivery System as a medical device for the delivery of melphalan. Since we may only promote the device within this specific indication, if physicians are unwilling to obtain melphalan separately for use with CHEMOSAT, our ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT in the EU will be significantly limited.
In the EU, CHEMOSAT is regulated as a Class IIb medical device indicated for the intra-arterial administration of a chemotherapeutic agent, melphalan hydrochloride, to the liver with additional extracorporeal filtration of the venous blood return. Our ability to market and promote CHEMOSAT is limited to this approved indication. To the extent that our promotion of CHEMOSAT is found to be outside the scope of its approved indication, we may be subject to fines or other regulatory action, limiting our ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT in the EU.
We are limited to marketing CHEMOSAT in the EU as a medical device for the delivery of melphalan. If physicians are unwilling to obtain melphalan separately for use with CHEMOSAT, our ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT in the EU will be significantly limited. Our product instructions and indication reference the chemotherapeutic agent melphalan. However, no melphalan labels in the EU reference our product, and the labels vary from country to country with respect to the approved indication of the drug and its mode of administration. As a result, the delivery of melphalan with our device may not be within the applicable label with respect to some indications in some Member States of the EU where the drugs are authorized for marketing. Physicians intending to use CHEMOSAT must obtain melphalan separately for use with CHEMOSAT and must use melphalan independently at their discretion. If physicians are unwilling to obtain melphalan separately from CHEMOSAT and/or to prescribe the use of melphalan independently, our sales opportunities in the EU will be significantly limited.
We are subject to significant ongoing regulatory obligations and oversight in the EU and will be subject to such obligations in any other country where we receive marketing authorization or approval.
In April 2012, we obtained the required certification from its European Notified Body, enabling us to complete an EC Declaration of Conformity with the essential requirements of the EU Medical Devices Directive and affix the CE Mark to the Generation Two version of CHEMOSAT. In order to maintain the right to affix the CE Mark in the EU, we are subject to compliance obligations, and any material changes to the approved product, such as manufacturing changes, product improvements or revised labeling, may require further regulatory review. Additionally, we are subject to ongoing audits by our European Notified Body, and the right to affix the CE Mark to the Generation Two version of CHEMOSAT may be withdrawn for a number of reasons, including the later discovery of previously unknown problems with the product.
To the extent that CHEMOSAT or Melphalan/HDS is approved by the FDA or any other regulatory agency, we will be subject to similar ongoing regulatory obligations and oversight in those countries where approval is obtained. For example, we may be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase IV clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate. In addition, if the FDA approves a product candidate, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for the product will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with current good manufacturing practice, or cGMPs, , good clinical practices, or GCPs, , and good laboratory practices, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA for all products in clinical development, for any pre-clinical or clinical trials that we conducts post-approval. In addition, post-marketing requirements for CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS may include implementation of a risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, or REMS, program to ensure that the benefits of the product outweigh its risks. A REMS may include a medication guide, a patient package insert, a communication plan to healthcare professionals, restrictions on distribution or use and/or other elements to assure safe use of the product.
Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:
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refusals or delays in the approval of applications or supplements to approved applications;
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refusal of a regulatory authority to review pending market approval applications or supplements to approved applications;
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restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, withdrawal of the product from the market or voluntary or mandatory product recalls or seizures;
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fines, Warning Letters or untitled letters, or holds on clinical trials;
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import or export restrictions;
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injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties;
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restrictions on product administration, requirements for additional clinical trials or changes to product labeling or REMS programs; or
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recommendations by regulatory authorities against entering into governmental contracts with us.
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If we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
The development and approval process in the United States will take many years, require substantial resources and may never lead to the approval of Melphalan/HDS by the FDA for use in the United States.
We cannot sell or market Melphalan/HDS with melphalan or other chemotherapeutic agents in the United States without prior FDA approval of an NDA for Melphalan/HDS. Although melphalan and other drugs have been approved by the FDA for use as chemotherapeutic agents, regulatory approval is required in the United States for the combined medical device component and drug component and the specific indication, dose and route of administration of melphalan or other chemotherapeutic agents or compounds used in our system. We are seeking approval of Melphalan/HDS for a substantially higher dose of melphalan than prior approved doses of melphalan and such other chemotherapeutic agents or other compounds. We must obtain separate regulatory approvals for Melphalan/HDS with melphalan and every other chemotherapeutic agent or other compound used with the system that we intend to market, and all the manufacturing facilities used to manufacture components or assemble our system must be inspected and meet legal requirements. Securing regulatory approval requires the submission of extensive pre-clinical and clinical data and other supporting information for each proposed therapeutic indication in order to establish to the FDA’s satisfaction the product’s safety, efficacy, potency and purity for each intended use. The pre-clinical testing and clinical trials of Melphalan/HDS with melphalan or any other chemotherapeutic agent or compound we uses in its system must comply with the regulations of the FDA and other federal, state and local government authorities in the United States. Clinical development is a long, expensive and uncertain process and is subject to delays. We may encounter delays or rejections for various reasons, including our inability to enroll enough patients to complete the clinical trials. Moreover, approval policies or regulations may change. If we do not obtain and maintain regulatory approval for Melphalan/HDS and the use of melphalan or other chemotherapeutic agents, on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.
In August 2012, we submitted a NDA seeking an indication for ocular melanoma liver metastases for Melphalan/HDS. In September 2013, the FDA issued a CRL indicating that we must perform additional well-controlled randomized trial(s) to establish the safety and efficacy of Melphalan/HDS using overall survival as the primary efficacy outcome measure and which demonstrates that the clinical benefits of Melphalan/HDS outweigh its risks. Our current Phase 3 trial in ocular melanoma liver metastases, the FOCUS Trial, is not randomized and uses a different primary efficacy outcome measure. Failure to obtain FDA approval will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Even if we obtain regulatory approval for Melphalan/HDS in the United States, our ability to market Melphalan/HDS would be limited to those uses that are approved.
The FDA closely regulates the post-approval marketing and promotion of drugs, including standards and regulations for direct-to-consumer advertising, dissemination of off-label information, industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities and promotional activities involving the Internet. Drugs may be marketed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. If the FDA approves an application for Melphalan/HDS, our ability to market and promote Melphalan/HDS would be limited to the approved indication, so even with FDA approval, Melphalan/HDS may only be promoted in this limited market. Physicians may prescribe legally available drugs for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and that differ from those tested by us and approved by the FDA. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments. The FDA does, however, impose stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label use, and FDA approval may otherwise limit our sales practices and our ability to promote, sell and distribute the product. Thus, we may only market Melphalan/HDS, if approved by the FDA, for its approved indication and could be subject to enforcement action for off-label marketing. Further, if there are any modifications to the product, including changes in indications, labeling or manufacturing processes or facilities, we may be required to submit and obtain FDA approval of a new or supplemental NDA, which may require we to develop additional data or conduct additional preclinical studies and clinical trials. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in adverse publicity, Warning Letters, corrective advertising and potential civil and criminal penalties.
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If future clinical trials are unsuccessful, significantly delayed or not completed, we may not be able to market Melphalan/HDS for other indications.
The clinical trial data on our product is limited to specific types of liver cancer. In 2010, we concluded a Phase 3 clinical trial of Melphalan/HDS in patients with metastatic ocular and cutaneous melanoma to the liver and also completed a multi-arm Phase 2 clinical trial of Melphalan/HDS in patients with primary and metastatic melanoma stratified into four arms.
We have initiated an open-label Phase 3 clinical trial in ocular melanoma liver metastases called the FOCUS Trial. We also have initiated a Phase 3 registration trial to treat patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), called the ALIGN trial.
It may take several years to complete the testing of Melphalan/HDS for use in the treatment of these indications, and failure can occur at any stage of development, for many reasons, including:
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any pre-clinical or clinical test may fail to produce results satisfactory to the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities;
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pre-clinical or clinical data can be interpreted in different ways, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval;
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negative or inconclusive results from a pre-clinical study or clinical trial or adverse medical events during a clinical trial could cause a pre-clinical study or clinical trial to be repeated or a program to be terminated, even if other studies or trials relating to the program are successful;
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the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities can place a clinical hold on a trial if, among other reasons, it finds that patients enrolled in the trial are or would be exposed to an unreasonable and significant risk of illness or injury;
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we may encounter delays or rejections based on changes in regulatory agency policies during the period in which we are developing a system or the period required for review of any application for regulatory agency approval;
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enrollment in our clinical trials may proceed more slowly than expected;
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our clinical trials may not demonstrate the safety and efficacy of any system or result in marketable products;
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the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may request additional clinical trials, including an additional Phase 3 trial, relating to our NDA submissions;
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the FDA or a foreign regulatory authority may change its approval policies or adopt new regulations that may negatively affect or delay our ability to bring a system to market or require additional clinical trials; and
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a system may not be approved for all the requested indications.
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The failure or delay of clinical trials could cause an increase in the cost of product development, delay filing of an application for marketing approval or cause we to cease the development of Melphalan/HDS for other indications. If we are unable to develop Melphalan/HDS for other indications, the future growth of our business could be negatively impacted. In addition, we have limited clinical data relating to the effectiveness of Melphalan/HDS in certain types of cancer. Such limited data could slow the adoption of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS and significantly reduce our ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS.
We may not be able to obtain or maintain orphan drug designation or exclusivity for our product candidates.
FDA has granted us six orphan drug designations and we may seek additional orphan drug designations in the future.
Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States and Europe, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States.
Generally, if a product with an orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, which precludes the FDA or the EMA from approving another marketing application for the same indication for that drug during that time period. The applicable period is seven years in the United States and ten years in Europe. The European exclusivity period can be reduced to six years if a drug no longer meets the criteria for orphan drug designation or if the drug is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified. Orphan drug exclusivity may be lost if the FDA or the EMA determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.
We cannot assure you that any future application for orphan drug designation with respect to any product candidate will be granted. If we are unable to obtain orphan drug designation in the United States, we will not be eligible to obtain the period of market exclusivity that could result from orphan drug designation or be afforded the financial incentives associated with orphan drug designation. Even if
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we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs can be approved for the same condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve the same drug for the same condition if the FDA concludes that the later drug is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care.
We rely on third parties to conduct certain elements of the clinical trials for CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS, and if they do not perform their obligations to us, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approvals for our system.
We design the clinical trials for Melphalan/HDS, but rely on academic institutions, corporate partners, contract research organizations and other third parties to assist in managing, monitoring and otherwise carrying out these trials. We rely heavily on these parties for the execution of our clinical studies and control only certain aspects of their activities. Accordingly, we may have less control over the timing and other aspects of these clinical trials than if we conducted them entirely on its own. We rely on third parties to conduct monitoring and data collection of our ongoing and future clinical trials, including our Phase 3 ocular melanoma trial and pivotal ICC trial. Although we rely on these third parties to manage the data from these clinical trials, we are responsible for confirming that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with our general investigational plan and protocol. Moreover, the FDA and foreign regulatory agencies require us to comply with GCPs for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that the data and results are credible and accurate and that the trial participants are adequately protected. The FDA enforces these GCP regulations through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. Our reliance on third parties does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements and if we or the third parties upon whom we rely for our clinical trials fail to comply with the applicable GCPs, the data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or other foreign regulatory agencies may require us to perform additional trials before approving our marketing application. We cannot assure you that, upon inspection, the FDA will determine that any of our clinical trials comply or complied with GCPs. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with product that complies with the FDA’s cGMP requirements. Our failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process, and may result in a failure to obtain regulatory approval for Melphalan/HDS if these requirements are not met.
Purchasers of CHEMOSAT in the EU may not receive third-party reimbursement or such reimbursement may be inadequate. Without adequate reimbursement, commercialization of CHEMOSAT in the EU may not be successful.
We have obtained the right to affix the CE Mark for CHEMOSAT, and under the definitive licensing agreement, or the medac License, for CHEMOSAT commercialization in Europe with medac, medac intends to seek third-party or government reimbursement within those countries in the EU where it expects to market and sell CHEMOSAT. In Germany, we had received a ZE diagnostic-related group code, or ZE Code, which, beginning in 2016, permits hospitals in Germany to obtain reimbursement for CHEMOSAT procedures. Negotiations on the amount of reimbursement to be received under the ZE Code were concluded in 2016 and the procedure was reimbursed under the ZE Code in 2017. Reimbursement negotiations under the ZE system are conducted annually. Consequently, reimbursement obtained may not be for the full amount sought. In countries where medac is able to obtain reimbursement, local policy could limit our ability to obtain adequate and consistent reimbursement and limit other sales opportunities in those countries.
In other countries, until medac obtains government reimbursement, it will rely on private payors or local pre-approved funds where available. There are also no assurances that third-party payors or government health agencies of Member States of the EU will reimburse use of CHEMOSAT in the long term or at all. Further, each country has its own protocols regarding reimbursement, so successfully obtaining third party or government health agency reimbursement in one country does not necessarily translate to similar reimbursement in other EU countries. Physicians, hospitals and other health care providers may be reluctant to purchase CHEMOSAT if they do not receive substantial reimbursement for the cost of using the product from third-party payors or government entities. The lack of adequate reimbursement may significantly limit sales opportunities in the EU.
The success of our products may be harmed if the government, private health insurers or other third-party payers do not provide sufficient coverage or reimbursement.
Our ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT under the medac License and Melphalan/HDS successfully will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for the costs of such products and related treatments will be available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other third-party payors. Melphalan/HDS is currently not approved by the FDA. Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance plans and their foreign equivalents will not reimburse the use of Melphalan/HDS since the product is currently not approved outside the EU. We will seek reimbursement by third-party payors of the cost of Melphalan/HDS after its use is approved, but there are no assurances that adequate third-party coverage will be available to establish and maintain price levels sufficient for us to realize an appropriate return on our investment in developing new therapies. Government, private health insurers and other third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain healthcare costs by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement for new therapeutic products approved for marketing. Accordingly, even if coverage and reimbursement are
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provided by government, private health insurers and third-party payors for uses of our products, market acceptance of these products would be adversely affected if the reimbursement available proves to be unprofitable for healthcare providers.
Implementation of healthcare reforms in the United States and in significant overseas markets may limit the ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS and the demand for CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS. Healthcare providers may respond to such cost-containment pressures by choosing lower cost products or other therapies. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or the ACA, was enacted in the United States, which included a number of provisions aimed at improving quality and decreasing costs. The Trump administration has taken executive actions and has eliminated the individual shared responsibility penalty portion of ACA. A court decision finding that the ACA is unconstitutional is on appeal.
CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS may not achieve sufficient acceptance by the medical community to sustain our business.
The commercial success of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS, if approved, will depend upon their acceptance by the medical community and third-party payers as clinically useful, cost effective and safe. Acceptance by the medical community may depend on the extent to which leaders in the scientific and medical communities publish scientific papers in reputable academic journals. If testing and clinical practice do not confirm the safety and efficacy of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS or even if further testing and clinical practice produce positive results but the medical community does not view these favorably, and CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS as effective and desirable, our efforts to market CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS may fail, which would cause us to cease operation.
We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state health care fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws and health information privacy and security laws. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.
If we obtain FDA approval for any of our drug candidates and begin commercializing those products in the United States, our operations will be directly, or indirectly through our customers, subject to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the federal False Claims Act. These laws may affect, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs. In addition, we may be subject to patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:
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the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce, or in return for, the purchase or recommendation of an item or service reimbursable under a federal health care program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
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federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws, which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors that are false or fraudulent;
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the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations, which impose certain requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information;
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the federal transparency requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies to report to the Department of Health and Human Services information related to physician payments and other transfers of value and physician ownership and investment interests; and
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state law and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers, and state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.
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Although compliance programs can mitigate the risk of investigation and prosecution for violations of these laws, the risks cannot be entirely eliminated. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including exclusion from payment by federal health care programs, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. Moreover, achieving and sustaining compliance with applicable federal and state privacy, security and fraud laws may prove costly.
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Compliance with laws and regulations pertaining to the privacy and security of health information may be time consuming, difficult and costly, particularly in light of increased focus on privacy issues in countries around the world, including the U.S. and the EU.
We are subject to various domestic and international privacy and security regulations. The confidentiality, collection, use and disclosure of personal data, including clinical trial patient-specific information, are subject to governmental regulation generally in the country that the personal data were collected or used. In the United States we are subject to various state and federal privacy and data security regulations, including but not limited to HIPAA and as amended in 2014 by the HITECH Act. HIPAA mandates, among other things, the adoption of uniform standards for the electronic exchange of information in common health care transactions, as well as standards relating to the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information, which require the adoption of administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect such information. In the EU personal data includes any information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person with health information carrying additional obligations, including obtaining the explicit consent from the individual for collection, use or disclosure of the information. In addition, we are subject to EU regulation with respect to protection of and cross-border transfers of such data out of the EU, and this regulation will become more stringent in May 2018 when the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect. Furthermore, the legislative and regulatory landscape for privacy and data protection continues to evolve, and there has been an increasing amount of focus on privacy and data protection issues. The United States and the EU and its member states continue to issue new privacy and data protection rules and regulations that relate to personal data and health information.
Compliance with these laws may be time consuming, difficult and costly. If we fail to comply with applicable laws, regulations or duties relating to the use, privacy or security of personal data we could be subject to the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties, be forced to alter our business practices and suffer reputational harm.
Changes in health care law and implementing regulations, including government restrictions on pricing and reimbursement, as well as health care policy and other health care payor cost-containment initiatives, may have a material adverse effect on us.
In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the health care system and efforts to control health care costs, including drug prices, that could have a significant negative impact on our business, including preventing, limiting or delay regulatory approval of our drug candidates and reducing the sales and profits derived from our products once they are approved.
For example, in the United States, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, or ACA, substantially changed the way health care is financed by both governmental and private insurers and significantly affects the pharmaceutical industry. Many provisions of ACA impact the biopharmaceutical industry, including that in order for a biopharmaceutical product to receive federal reimbursement under the Medicare Part B and Medicaid programs or to be sold directly to U.S. government agencies, the manufacturer must extend discounts to entities eligible to participate in the drug pricing program under the Public Health Services Act, or PHS. Since its enactment, there have been judicial and Congressional challenges and amendments to certain aspects of ACA. There is continued uncertainty about the implementation of ACA, including the potential for further amendments to the ACA and legal challenges to or efforts to repeal the ACA.
We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether government regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes would be on the marketing approvals, sales, pricing, or reimbursement of our drug candidates or products, if any, may be.
The “Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019” (“COVID-19”) pandemic has materially and adversely affected our clinical trial operations and may materially and adversely affect our financial results.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many countries, including the United States and several European countries, where we are currently conducting our FOCUS Trial and ALIGN Trial. In response to the pandemic, hospitals participating in the trials in affected countries have taken a number of actions, including restricting elective and other procedures that are not deemed to be life-threatening, suspending clinical trial activities and limiting access to data monitoring. As a result, patients enrolled in our clinical trials have had the start of their treatments postponed and ongoing treatment regimens may be delayed. In addition, we do not have sufficient access to monitor trial data on a timely basis. These restrictions have had a materially adverse impact on our clinical operations. For example, as noted under “Business - Clinical Development Program - The FOCUS Trial,” the completion of our FOCUS Trial and the release of the top-line data will be delayed beyond our prior expectations. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may impact our clinical trial operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the duration of the outbreak, the spread and severity of COVID-19, and the effectiveness of governmental actions in response to the pandemic. Furthermore, the spread of COVID-19 may materially impact our ability to recruit and retain patients.
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We expect that actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will also negatively impact sales of CHEMOSAT. As noted above, some hospitals are restricting procedures that are not deemed to be life-threatening at this time. Because CHEMOSAT is not deemed to be a life-threatening procedure, we expect that the number of procedures performed will decline. While we do not expect revenues from CHEMOSAT procedures to be material to us, a decrease in the number of procedures performed will adversely affect our expected revenues and our financial results.
These consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will delay and could adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval for and to commercialize our products, increase our operating expenses, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
Consolidation in the healthcare industry could lead to demands for price concessions.
The cost of healthcare has risen significantly over the past decade and numerous initiatives and reforms initiated by legislators, regulators and third-party payors to curb these costs have resulted in a consolidation trend in the medical device industry. Group purchasing organizations, independent delivery networks and large single accounts in the United States and foreign markets may result in a consolidation of purchasing decisions for potential healthcare provider customers. We expect that market demand, government regulation, third-party reimbursement policies and societal pressures will continue to change the worldwide healthcare industry, resulting in further business consolidations and alliances which may exert further downward pressure on the price of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Further, third-party payors may deny reimbursement if they determine that CHEMOSAT and/or Melphalan/HDS is not used in accordance with established payor protocols regarding cost effective treatment methods or is used outside its approved indication or for forms of cancer or with drugs not specifically approved by the FDA or other foreign regulatory bodies in the future. Without reimbursement, physicians, hospitals and other health care providers will be less likely to purchase CHEMOSAT and/or Melphalan/HDS, thereby harming our results of operations.
Risks Related to Manufacturing, Commercialization and Market Acceptance of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS
There are three third-party manufacturers of melphalan in certain countries of the EU of which we are aware. If any of these manufacturers fails to provide end-users with adequate supplies of melphalan or fails to comply with the requirements of regulatory authorities, we may be unable to successfully commercialize our product in the EU.
Under the current regulatory scheme in the EU, CHEMOSAT is approved for marketing as a device only, and doctors will separately obtain melphalan for use with CHEMOSAT. Although melphalan has been approved in the EU for over a decade, we are aware that there are currently three approved manufacturers of melphalan in certain countries of the EU. As a result, there may not be sufficient supply of melphalan for use with CHEMOSAT, and any adverse change in a manufacturer’s commercial operations or regulatory approval status may seriously impair our sales opportunities in the EU. Additionally, melphalan is not available in certain foreign countries outside the EU where we may seek to market CHEMOSAT. If supply of melphalan remains limited or unavailable, we will be unable to commercialize CHEMOSAT in these markets, thereby limiting future sales opportunities.
If we cannot maintain or enter into acceptable arrangements for the production of melphalan and other chemotherapeutic agents we will be unable to successfully commercialize Melphalan/HDS in the United States or complete our global Phase 3 trial in ocular melanoma liver metastases, registration trial in ICC, or any future clinical trials.
We have entered into a manufacturing and supply agreements with several suppliers for our supply of melphalan for injection for our clinical trials. We may pursue agreements with additional contract manufacturers to produce melphalan and other chemotherapeutic agents for use in the future for our clinical trial program and the commercialization of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS, as well as for labeling and finishing services. We may not be able to enter into such arrangements on acceptable terms or at all. Every manufacturer is subject to inspection by FDA and must meet all cGMP regulatory requirements. To manufacture melphalan or other chemotherapeutic agents on our own, we would have to develop a manufacturing facility that complies with FDA requirements and regulations for the production of melphalan and each other chemotherapeutic agent we choose to manufacture for use with our system. Developing these resources would be an expensive and lengthy process and would have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability. If we are unable to obtain sufficient melphalan and labeling services on acceptable terms, if it should encounter delays or difficulties in our relationships with current and future suppliers or if current and future suppliers of melphalan do not comply with applicable regulations for the manufacturing and production of melphalan, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially harmed.
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If we cannot successfully manufacture CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS, our ability to develop and commercialize the system would be impaired.
We manufacture certain components of our products, including our proprietary filter media, and assemble and package CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS at our facility in Queensbury, New York. We have established our European headquarters and packaging/labeling/distribution facility in Galway, Ireland where we intend to conduct final manufacturing and assembly in the future. We currently utilizes third-parties to manufacture some components of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS.
We have a limited manufacturing history and we may not be able to manufacture our products in sufficient commercial quantities, in a cost-effective manner or in compliance with the regulatory requirements applicable to such manufacturing. Additionally, we may have difficulty obtaining components for our products from our third-party suppliers in a timely manner or at all which may adversely affect our ability to deliver CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS to purchasers.
In addition to limiting sales opportunities, delays in manufacturing CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS may adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval in the United States and other jurisdictions. Our ability to conduct timely clinical trials in the United States and abroad depends on our ability to manufacture the system, including sourcing the chemotherapeutic agents or other compounds through third parties in accordance with FDA and other regulatory requirements. If we are unable to manufacture CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS in a timely manner, we may not be able to conduct the clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval and commercialize our product.
We have implemented quality systems throughout our organization designed to enable us to satisfy the various international quality system regulations including those of the FDA with respect to products sold in the United States and those established by the International Standards Organization, or ISO, with respect to products sold in the EU. We are required to maintain ISO 13485 certification for medical devices to be sold in the EU, which requires, among other items, an implemented quality system that applies to component quality, supplier control, product design and manufacturing operations. All of our facilities are presently ISO 13485:2016 certified. If our Queensbury, NY fails to maintain compliance with ISO 13485 and FDA cGMP or fails to pass facility inspection or audits, our ability to manufacture at the facility could be limited or terminated. In the future, we may manufacture and assemble CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS in our Galway, Ireland facility or elsewhere in the EU, and any facilities in the EU would have to obtain and maintain similar approvals or certifications of compliance.
We do not have written contracts with all of our suppliers for the manufacture of components for CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS.
We do not have written contracts with all suppliers for the manufacture of components for CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS. If we are unable to obtain an adequate supply of the necessary components or negotiate acceptable terms, we may not be able to manufacture CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS in commercial quantities or in a cost-effective manner, and commercialization of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS in the United States, the EU and elsewhere may be delayed. In addition, certain components are available from only a limited number of sources. Components of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS are currently manufactured for us in small quantities and may require significantly greater quantities to further commercialize the product. We may not be able to find alternate sources of comparable components. If we are unable to obtain adequate supplies of components from existing suppliers or need to switch to an alternate supplier and obtain FDA or other regulatory agency approval of that supplier, commercialization of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS may be delayed.
Even if we receive FDA or other foreign regulatory approvals, we may be unsuccessful in commercializing CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS in markets outside the EU, because of inadequate infrastructure or an ineffective commercialization strategy.
Outside the EU, even if we obtain regulatory approval from the FDA or other foreign regulatory agencies, our ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS may be limited due to our inexperience in developing a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure. If we are unable to develop this infrastructure in the United States or elsewhere or to collaborate with an alliance partner to market our products in the United States or foreign countries, particularly in Asia, our efforts to commercialize CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS or any other product outside of the EU may be less successful.
Even if we are successful in commercializing CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS in the EU, we may not be successful in the United States and other foreign countries. Each country requires a different commercialization strategy, so our EU marketing strategy may not translate to other markets. Without a successful commercialization strategy tailored for each market, our efforts to promote and market CHEMOSAT in each of our target markets may fail in any or all of those markets.
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Our plan to use collaborative arrangements with third parties to help finance and to market and sell CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS may not be successful.
We may be unable to enter into collaborative agreements without additional clinical data or unable to continue a collaborative agreement as a result of unsuccessful future clinical trials. Additionally, we may face competition in its search for alliances. As a result, we may not be able to enter into any additional alliances on acceptable terms, if at all. Our collaborative relationships may never result in the successful development or commercialization of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS or any other product. The success of any collaboration will depend upon our ability to perform our obligations under any agreements as well as factors beyond our control, such as the commitment of our collaborators and the timely performance of their obligations. The terms of any such collaboration may permit our collaborators to abandon the alliance at any time for any reason or prevent us from terminating arrangements with collaborators who do not perform in accordance with our expectations or our collaborators may breach their agreements with us. In addition, any third parties with which we collaborate may have significant control over important aspects of the development and commercialization of our products, including research and development, market identification, marketing methods, pricing, composition of sales force and promotional activities. We will not control the amount and timing of resources that any collaborator may devote to our research and development programs or the commercialization, marketing or distribution of our products. We may not be able to prevent any collaborators from pursuing alternative technologies or products that could result in the development of products that compete with CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS or the withdrawal of their support for our products. The failure of any such collaboration could have a material adverse effect on our business.
If we fail to overcome the challenges inherent in international operations, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Currently we have only received authorization to market CHEMOSAT in the EU, and intend to seek similar authorization or approvals in other foreign countries. As a result, we expect international sales of CHEMOSAT to account for a significant portion of our revenue, which exposes us to risks inherent in international operations. To accommodate our international sales, we will need to further invest financial and management resources to develop an international infrastructure that will meet the needs of our customers. Accordingly, we will face additional risks resulting from our international operations including:
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difficulties in enforcing agreements and collecting receivables in a timely manner through the legal systems of many countries outside the United States;
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the failure to satisfy foreign regulatory requirements to market its products on a timely basis or at all;
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availability of, and changes in, reimbursement within prevailing foreign healthcare payment systems;
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difficulties in managing foreign relationships and operations, including any relationships that we establish with foreign sales or marketing employees and agents;
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limited protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;
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fluctuations in currency exchange rates;
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the possibility that foreign countries may impose additional withholding taxes or otherwise tax our foreign income, impose tariffs or adopt other restrictions on foreign trade;
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the possibility of any material shipping delays;
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significant changes in the political, regulatory, safety or economic conditions in a country or region;
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protectionist laws and business practices that favor local competitors; and
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trade restrictions, including the imposition of, or significant changes to, the level of tariffs, customs duties and export quotas.
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If we fail to overcome the challenges it encounters in our international operations, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Rapid technological developments in treatment methods for liver cancer and competition with other forms of liver cancer treatments could affect our ability to achieve meaningful revenues or profit.
Competition in the cancer treatment industry is intense. CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS compete with all forms of liver cancer treatments that are alternatives to surgical resection. Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources and considerable experience in conducting clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approvals. If these competitors develop more effective or more affordable products or treatment methods, or achieve earlier product development, our revenues or profitability will be substantially reduced.
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If another company has orphan drug designations for the same drug and indication as us and receives marketing approval before we do, then we will be blocked from marketing approval for seven years from the date of its approval for the same indication of use unless we can make a showing of the clinical superiority of our drug.
The loss of key personnel could adversely affect our business.
Our success depends upon the efforts of our employees. The loss of any of our senior executives or other key employees could harm its business. Competition for experienced personnel is intense and, if key individuals leave us, we could be adversely affected if suitable replacement personnel are not quickly identified and hired. Competition for qualified individuals exists in all functional areas, which makes it difficult to attract and retain the qualified employees we need to operate our business. Our success also depends in part on our ability to attract and retain highly qualified scientific, technical, commercial and administrative personnel. If we are unable to attract new employees and retain our current key employees, our ability to compete could be adversely affected and the development and commercialization of our products could be delayed or negatively impacted.
We rely on the proper function, availability and security of information technology systems to operate our business and a cyber-attack or other breach of these systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We rely on information technology systems to process, transmit, and store electronic information in our day-to-day operations. Similar to other companies, the size and complexity of our information technology systems makes them vulnerable to a cyber-attack, malicious intrusion, breakdown, destruction, loss of data privacy, or other significant disruption. Our information systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect, and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology, evolving systems and regulatory standards. Any failure by us to maintain or protect our information technology systems and data integrity, including from cyber-attacks, intrusions or other breaches, could result in the unauthorized access to personally identifiable information, theft of intellectual property or other misappropriation of assets, or otherwise compromise our confidential or proprietary information and disrupt our operations. Any of these event may cause us to have difficulty preventing, detecting, and controlling fraud, be subject to legal claims and liability, have regulatory sanctions or penalties imposed, have increases in operating expenses, incur expenses or lose revenues as a result of a data privacy breach or theft of intellectual property, or suffer other adverse consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Any current or future outbreak of a health epidemic or other adverse public health developments, such as the current outbreak of the COVID-19, could disrupt our manufacturing and supply chain, and adversely affect our business and operating results.
Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of health epidemics, specifically COVID-19. For example, our materials suppliers could be disrupted by conditions related to COVID-19, or other epidemics, possibly resulting in disruption to our supply chain. If our suppliers are unable or fail to fulfill their obligations to us for any reason, we may not be able to manufacture our products and satisfy customer demand or our obligations under sales agreements in a timely manner, and our business could be harmed as a result. At this point in time, there is uncertainty relating to the potential effect of COVID-19 on our business. Infections may become more widespread and should that limit our ability to manufacture our products or cause supply disruptions it would have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, a significant health epidemic could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could affect the market for our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
Intellectual property rights may not provide adequate protection, which may permit third parties to compete against us more effectively.
Our success depends significantly on our ability to maintain and protect our proprietary rights in the technologies and inventions used in or embodied by our product. To protect our proprietary technology, we rely on patent protection, as well as a combination of copyright, trade secret and trademark laws, as well as nondisclosure, confidentiality, license and other contractual restrictions in our manufacturing, consulting, employment and other third party agreements. These legal means may afford only limited protection, however, and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep any competitive advantage.
We have not and may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on our product and technologies in any or all countries throughout the world could be prohibitively expensive. The requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly developing countries, and the
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breadth of patent claims allowed can be inconsistent. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as laws in the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from copying our inventions in foreign countries, to the extent we can in the United States. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection that covers the commercial products to develop their own competing products that are the same or substantially the same as our commercial product and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but judicial systems do not adequately enforce patents to cause infringing activities to be ceased.
We do not have patent rights in certain foreign countries in which a market for our product and technologies exists or may exist in the future. Moreover, in foreign jurisdictions where we do have patent rights, proceedings to enforce such rights could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly, and our patent applications at risk of not issuing, and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Thus, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing and selling in foreign countries products that are the same as or similar to our product and technologies.
Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
Moreover, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In addition, periodic maintenance fees on issued patents often must be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies over the lifetime of the patent. While an unintentional lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our product or procedures, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing products that are the same as or similar to our product and technologies.
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain patents, which can be an expensive, time consuming, and uncertain process, and the value of the patents is dependent in part on the breadth of coverage and the relationship between the coverage and the commercial product.
The patent position of medical drug and device companies is generally highly uncertain. The degree of patent protection we require may be unavailable or severely limited in some cases and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us sufficient exclusivity, or to gain or keep our competitive advantage. For example:
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we might not have been the first to invent or the first to file patent applications on the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications and issued patents;
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others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies;
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the patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business;
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any patents we obtain or license from others in the future may not encompass commercially viable products, may not provide us with any competitive advantages or may be challenged by third parties;
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any patents we obtain or license from others in the future may not be valid or enforceable; and
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we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable The process of applying for patent protection itself is time consuming and expensive and we cannot assure you that we have prepared or will be able to prepare, file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is possible that innovation over the course of development and commercialization may lead to changes in CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS methods and/or devices that cause such methods and/or devices to fall outside the scope of the patent protection we have obtained and the patent protection we have obtained may become less valuable. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of inventions made in the course of development and commercialization activities before it is too late to obtain patent protection on them. In addition, our patents and applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. It is possible that defects of form in the preparation or filing of our patents or patent applications may exist, or may arise in the future, for example, with respect to proper priority claims, inventorship, claim scope or patent term adjustments. Moreover, we cannot assure you that all of our pending patent applications will issue as patents or that, if issued, they will issue in a form that will be advantageous to us.
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Our success depends in part on our ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS prior to the expiration of our patent protection.
Due to the uncertainty of the patent prosecution process, there are no guarantees that any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of a patent. Even if we are successful in obtaining a patent, patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the natural expiration of a utility patent typically is generally 20 years after it is filed. Various extensions may be available; however, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Without patent protection for our CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS methods and devices, we may be open to competition from generic versions of such methods and devices.
We may in the future become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, or to defend our products against assertion of intellectual property rights by a third party, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our patents or misappropriate or otherwise violate our intellectual property rights. To stop any such infringement or unauthorized use, litigation may be necessary. Our intellectual property has not been tested in litigation. There is no assurance that any of our issued patents will be upheld if later challenged or will provide significant protection or commercial advantage. A court may declare our patents invalid or unenforceable, may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question, or may interpret the claims of our patents narrowly, thereby substantially narrowing the scope of patent protection they afford. Because of the length of time and expense associated with bringing new medical drugs and devices to the market, the healthcare industry has traditionally placed considerable emphasis on patent and trade secret protection for significant new technologies. Other parties may challenge patents, patent claims or patent applications licensed or issued to us or may design around technologies we have patented, licensed or developed.
In addition, third parties may initiate legal or administrative proceedings against us to challenge the validity or scope of our intellectual property rights, such as inter partes review, post-grant review, re-examination or opposition proceedings, before the USPTO, the European Patent Office or other foreign counterparts. Third parties may also allege an ownership right in our patents, as a result of their past employment or consultancy with us. Many of our current and potential competitors have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to defend their intellectual property rights than we can. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property. Competing products may also be sold in other countries in which our patent coverage might not exist or be as strong. If we lose a foreign patent lawsuit, alleging our infringement of a competitor’s patents, we could be prevented from marketing our product in one or more foreign countries.
The medical device industry has been characterized by frequent and extensive intellectual property litigation. Our competitors or other patent holders may assert that our products and the methods employed in our products are covered by their patents. Although we have performed a search for third-party patents and believe we have adequate defenses available if faced with any allegations that we infringe these third-party patents, it is possible that CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS could be found to infringe these patents. It is also possible that our competitors or potential competitors may have patents, or have applied for, will apply for, or will obtain patents that will prevent, limit or interfere with our ability to make, have made, use, sell, import or export our product. If our products or methods are found to infringe, we could be prevented from manufacturing or marketing our product.
Companies in the medical drug/device industry may use intellectual property infringement litigation to gain a competitive advantage. In the United States, patent applications filed in recent years are confidential for 18 months, while older applications are not publicly available until the patent issues. As a result, avoiding patent infringement may be difficult. Litigation may be necessary to enforce any patents issued or assigned to us or to determine the scope and validity of third-party proprietary rights. Litigation could be costly and could divert our attention from our business. There are no guarantees that we will receive a favorable outcome in any such litigation. If a third party claims that we infringed its patents, any of the following may occur:
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we may become liable for substantial damages for past infringement if a court decides that our technologies infringe upon a competitor’s patent;
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a court may prohibit us from selling or licensing our product without a license from the patent holder, which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms or at all, or which may require us to pay substantial royalties or grant cross-licenses to our patents; and
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we may have to redesign our product so that it does not infringe upon others’ patent rights, which may not be possible or could require substantial funds or time.
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Litigation related to infringement and other intellectual property claims such as trade secrets, with or without merit, is unpredictable, can be expensive and time-consuming, and can divert management’s attention from our core business. If we lose this kind of litigation, a court could require us to pay substantial damages, treble damages, and attorneys’ fees, and could prohibit us from using technologies essential to our product, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. If relevant patents are upheld as valid and enforceable and we are found to infringe, we could be prevented from selling our product unless we can obtain licenses to use technology or ideas covered by such patents. We do not know whether any
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necessary licenses would be available to us on satisfactory terms, if at all. If we cannot obtain these licenses, we could be forced to design around those patents at additional cost or abandon the product altogether. 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 this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
If others have filed patent applications with respect to inventions for which we already have patents issued to us or have patent applications pending, we may be forced to participate in interference or derivation proceedings declared by the USPTO to determine priority of invention, which could also be costly and could divert our attention from our business. If the USPTO declares an interference and determines that our patent or application is not entitled to a priority date earlier than that of the other patent application, our ability to maintain or obtain those patent rights will be curtailed. Similarly, if the USPTO declares a derivation proceeding and determines that the invention covered by our patent application was derived from another, we will not be able to obtain patent coverage of that invention.
Because of the extensive time required for development, testing and regulatory review of a potential product, it is possible that, before CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS or any other product can be commercialized, any related patent may expire or remain in force for only a short period following commercialization, thereby reducing any advantages of the patent. Not all of our United States patent rights have corresponding patent rights effective in Europe or other foreign jurisdictions. Similar considerations apply in any other country where we are prosecuting patent applications, have been issued patents, or have decided not to pursue patent protection relating to our technology. The laws of foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do laws of the United States.
Changes in patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product and our technologies.
Legislation introduced earlier this decade increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to United States patent law. These include provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted, redefine prior art, may affect patent litigation, and switch the United States patent system from a “first-to-invent” system to a “first-inventor-to-file” system. Under a “first-inventor-to-file” system, assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application generally will be entitled to the patent on an invention regardless of whether another inventor had made the invention earlier. The USPTO recently developed new regulations and procedures to govern administration of the Leahy-Smith Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act, in particular, the first-inventor-to-file provisions, only became effective on March 16, 2013. As case law continues to develop in response to this legislation, it is not yet clear what the full impact of the Leahy-Smith Act will have on the operation of our business. However, the Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents.
In addition, patent reform legislation may pass in the future that could lead to additional uncertainties and increased costs surrounding the prosecution, enforcement, and defense of our patents and applications. Furthermore, the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have made, and will likely continue to make, changes in how the patent laws of the United States are interpreted. Similarly, foreign courts have made, and will likely continue to make, changes in how the patent laws in their respective jurisdictions are interpreted. We cannot predict future changes in the interpretation of patent laws or changes to patent laws that might be enacted into law by United States and foreign legislative bodies. Those changes may materially affect our patents or patent applications and our ability to obtain and enforce or defend additional patent protection in the future.
Our trademarks may be infringed or successfully challenged, resulting in harm to our business.
We rely on our trademarks as one means to distinguish our product from the products of our competitors, and we have registered or applied to register many of these trademarks. The USPTO or foreign trademark offices may deny our trademark applications, however, and even if published or registered, these trademarks may be ineffective in protecting our brand and goodwill and may be successfully opposed or challenged. Third parties may oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of our trademarks. In addition, third parties may use marks that are confusingly similar to our own, which could result in confusion among our customers, thereby weakening the strength of our brand or allowing such third parties to capitalize on our goodwill. In such an event, or if our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our product, which could result in loss of brand recognition and could require us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands. Our competitors may infringe our trademarks and we may not have adequate resources to enforce our trademark rights in the face of any such infringement.
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We may rely primarily on trade secret protection for important proprietary technologies in the European Union.
In addition to patent and trademark protection, we also rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. Specifically in the EU, we rely on design patent and trade secret protection for CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS. Without utility patent protection in the EU covering the current version of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS, CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS will only be covered by design patent and trade secret protection. Unlike patents, trade secrets are only recognized under applicable law if they are kept secret by restricting their disclosure to third parties. We protect our trade secrets and proprietary knowledge in part through confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants and other parties. However, certain consultants and third parties with whom we have business relationships, and to whom in some cases we have disclosed trade secrets and other proprietary knowledge, may also provide services to other parties in the medical device industry, including companies, universities and research organizations that are developing competing products. In addition, some of our former employees who were exposed to certain of our trade secrets and other proprietary knowledge in the course of their employment may seek employment with, and become employed by, our competitors. We cannot be assured that consultants, employees and other third parties with whom we have entered into confidentiality agreements will not breach the terms of such agreements by improperly using or disclosing our trade secrets or other proprietary knowledge. Monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures of our intellectual property is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be effective. In addition, we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for any 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, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets.
Trade secret protection does not prevent independent discovery of the technology or proprietary information or use of the same. Competitors may independently duplicate or exceed our technology in whole or in part. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If we are not successful in maintaining the confidentiality of our technology, the loss of trade secret protection or know-how relating to CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS will significantly impair our ability to commercialize CHEMOSAT in the EU, and our value and results of operations will be harmed. In particular, we rely on trade secret protection for the filter media, which is a key component of our system.
Similar considerations apply in other foreign countries where we receive approval as mentioned in the section “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Intellectual Property and Other Rights”. Since we do not have issued patents for the current version of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS in these countries, our ability to successfully commercialize CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS will depend on our ability to maintain trade secret protection in these markets.
We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our competitors or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with our competitors.
We could in the future be subject to claims that we or our employees have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information of former employers, competitors, or other third parties. Although we endeavor to ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the intellectual property, proprietary information, know-how or trade secrets of others in their work for us, we may in the future be subject to claims that we caused an employee to breach the terms of his or her non-competition or non-solicitation agreement, or that we or these individuals have, inadvertently or otherwise, used or disclosed the alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information of a former employer or competitor. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and could be a distraction to management. If our defense to those claims fails, in addition to paying monetary damages, a court could prohibit us from using technologies or features that are essential to our product, if such technologies or features are found to incorporate or be derived from the trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers or other third parties. An inability to incorporate technologies or features that are important or essential to our product may prevent us from selling our product. In addition, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Moreover, any such litigation or the threat thereof may adversely affect our ability to hire employees or contract with independent sales representatives. A loss of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize our product.
Risks Related to Products Liability
We may be the subject of product liability claims or product recalls, and we may be unable to maintain insurance adequate to cover potential liabilities.
Our business exposes us to potential liability risks that may arise from clinical trials and the testing, manufacture, marketing, sale and use of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS. In addition, because CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS are intended for use in patients with cancer, there is an increased risk of death among the patients treated with our system which may increase the risk of product liability lawsuits related to clinical trials or commercial sales. We may be subject to claims against us even if the injury is due to the actions of others. For example, if the medical personnel that use our system on patients are not properly trained or are negligent in the
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use of the system, the patient may be injured, which may subject us to claims. Were such a claim asserted, we would likely incur substantial legal and related expenses even if we prevail on the merits. Claims for damages, whether or not successful, could cause delays in clinical trials and result in the loss of physician endorsement, adverse publicity and/or limit our ability to market and sell the system, resulting in loss of revenue. In addition, it may be necessary for us to recall products that do not meet approved specifications, which would also result in adverse publicity, as well as resulting in costs connected to the recall and loss of revenue. A successful products liability claim or product recall would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we currently carry product liability and clinical trial insurance coverage, it may be insufficient to cover one or more large claims.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
The market price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be volatile and fluctuate significantly, which could result in substantial losses for investors.
The trading price of our common stock has been, and we expect it to continue to be, volatile. The price at which our common stock trades depends upon a number of factors, including historical and anticipated operating results, our financial situation, announcements of technological innovations or new products by us or its competitors, its ability or inability to raise the additional capital needed and the terms on which it may be raised, and general market and economic conditions. Some of these factors are beyond our control. Broad market fluctuations may lower the market price of our common stock and affect the volume of trading, regardless of our financial condition, results of operations, business or prospects. Among the factors that may cause the market price of its common stock to fluctuate are the risks described in this “Risk Factors” section and other factors, including:
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fluctuations in quarterly operating results or the operating results of competitors;
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variance in financial performance from the expectations of investors;
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changes in the estimation of the future size and growth rate of our markets;
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changes in accounting principles or changes in interpretations of existing principles, which could affect financial results;
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failure of our products to achieve or maintain market acceptance or commercial success;
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conditions and trends in the markets served;
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changes in general economic, industry and market conditions;
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success of competitive products and services;
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changes in market valuations or earnings of competitors;
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changes in pricing policies or the pricing policies of competitors;
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announcements of significant new products, contracts, acquisitions or strategic alliances by us or our competitors;
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potentially negative announcements, such as a review of any of our filings by the SEC, changes in accounting treatment or restatements of previously reported financial results or delays in our filings with the SEC:
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changes in legislation or regulatory policies, practices or actions;
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the commencement or outcome of litigation involving us, our general industry or both;
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our filing for protection under federal bankruptcy laws;
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recruitment or departure of key personnel;
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changes in capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt;
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actual or expected sales of common stock by stockholders; and
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the trading volume of our common stock.
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In addition, the stock markets, in general, the OTC and the market for pharmaceutical companies in particular, may experience a loss of investor confidence. Such loss of investor confidence may result in extreme price and volume fluctuations in our common stock that are unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of its business, financial condition or results of operations. These broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our common stock and expose it to securities class action litigation. Such litigation, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and divert management’s attention and resources, which could further materially harm our financial condition and results of operations.
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Under certain circumstances, we may become obligated to pay liquidated damages or to issue additional shares of common stock under the terms of certain of our outstanding securities.
We are liable to Rosalind for liquidated damages under the terms of the registration rights agreements relating to the Private Placements and the Debt Exchange for the period from December 28, 2019 and January 7, 2020. Furthermore, if we issue new shares at a price less than $23.04 per share, under the terms of the Preferred Stock and the 2019 Warrants, the Conversion Price of the Series E and Series E-1 Preferred Stock and the Exercise Price of the 2019 Warrants will be reduced to the offering price per share upon the consummation of a new offering which will require us to issue additional shares of common stock upon the conversion of the Preferred Stock. We will also be liable for liquidated damages if we fail to comply with certain covenants contained in the registration rights agreements relating to the Private Placements and the Debt Exchange.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise additional equity capital.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our shares of common stock or other equity-related securities would have on the market price of our common stock.
We have a history of reverse splits, which have severely impacted our common stock price.
Since our initial public offering in 2000, we have effected five reverse stock splits, for a cumulative ratio since our IPO of 1:31,360,000,000. Each such reverse split has resulted in an effective decline in the price of our common stock. There can be no assurance that we will not be required to effect one or more additional reverse stock splits which could further impact the market price and liquidity of our common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws may reduce the likelihood of a potential change of control, or make it more difficult for our stockholders to replace management.
Certain provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws could have the effect of making it more difficult for our stockholders to replace management at a time when a substantial number of stockholders might favor a change in management. These provisions include:
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providing for a staggered board; and
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authorizing the board of directors to fill vacant directorships or increase the size of its board of directors.
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Furthermore, our board of directors has the authority to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to determine the rights and preferences of the shares of any such series without stockholder approval. Any series of preferred stock is likely to be senior to the common stock with respect to dividends, liquidation rights and, possibly, voting rights. The board’s ability to issue preferred stock may have the effect of discouraging unsolicited acquisition proposals, thus adversely affecting the market price of our common stock.
We have never declared or paid any dividends to the holders of our common stock and we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
We intend to retain all earnings for use in connection with the expansion of our business and for general corporate purposes. The board of directors will have the sole discretion in determining whether to declare and pay dividends in the future. The declaration of dividends will depend on profitability, financial condition, cash requirements, future prospects and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Our ability to pay cash dividends in the future could be limited or prohibited by the terms of financing agreements that we may enter into or by the terms of any preferred stock that may be authorized and issued. We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, holders of our common stock must rely on stock appreciation for any return on their investment.
If we engage in acquisitions, reorganizations or business combinations, we will incur a variety of risks that could adversely affect our business operations or our stockholders.
From time to time, we may consider strategic alternatives, such as acquiring businesses, technologies or products or entering into a business combination with another company. If we do pursue such a strategy, we could, among other things:
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issue equity securities that would dilute current stockholders’ percentage ownership;
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incur substantial debt that may place strains on our operations;
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spend substantial operational, financial and management resources in integrating new businesses, personnel, intellectual property, technologies and products;
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assume substantial actual or contingent liabilities;
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reprioritize our programs and even cease development and commercialization of CHEMOSAT and Melphalan/HDS;
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suffer the loss of key personnel, or
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merge with, or otherwise enter into a business combination with, another company in which our stockholders would receive cash or shares of the other company or a combination of both on terms that certain of our stockholders may not deem desirable.
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Although we intend to evaluate and consider different strategic alternatives, we have no agreements or understandings with respect to any acquisition, reorganization or business combination at this time.