You should carefully consider the following risk factors, in addition to other information included in this Form 10-Q and in other documents we file with the SEC, in evaluating Curis and our business. If any of the scenarios described in the following risk factors occurs, our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially adversely affected. The following risk factors restate and supersede the risk factors previously disclosed in “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was filed with the SEC on March 19, 2020.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR FINANCIAL RESULTS AND NEED FOR FINANCING
We have identified conditions and events that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
As of March 31, 2020, we had $12.5 million in existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. We expect these available cash resources to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the third quarter of 2020. We have based this assessment on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect. Based on our available cash resources, we do not have sufficient cash on hand to support current operations within the next 12 months from the date of filing this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. If we are unable to obtain sufficient funding, we will be forced to delay, reduce in scope or eliminate some of our research and development programs, including related clinical trials and operating expenses, potentially delaying the time to market for, or preventing the marketing of, any of our product candidates, which could adversely affect our business prospects and our ability to continue operations, and would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategies. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, we may have to liquidate our assets and may receive less than the value at which those assets are carried on our audited financial statements, and it is likely that investors will lose all or a part of their investment. The report from our independent registered public accounting firm issued in connection with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains, and future reports may contain, statements expressing substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we seek additional financing to fund our business activities in the future and there remains substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide funding to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Furthermore, high volatility in the capital markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and could continue to have, a negative impact on the price of our common stock, and could adversely impact our ability to raise additional funds.
We will require substantial additional capital, which may be difficult to obtain, and if we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our drug development programs or commercialization efforts.
We will require substantial funds to continue our research and development programs and to fulfill our planned operating goals. Our planned operating and capital requirements currently include the support of our current and future research and development activities for CA-4948, CI-8993 and fimepinostat as well as development candidates we have and may continue to license under our collaborations with Aurigene and ImmuNext. We will require substantial additional capital to fund the further development of these programs, as well as to fund our general and administrative costs and expenses. Moreover, our agreements with collaborators impose significant potential financial obligations on us. For example, under our collaboration, license and option agreement with Aurigene, we are required to make milestone, royalty and option fee payments for discovery, research and preclinical development programs that will be performed by Aurigene, which impose significant potential financial obligations on us. The collaboration includes multiple programs, and we had the option to exclusively license compounds once a development candidate is nominated within each respective program. In addition, if we choose to exercise
our option under the option and license agreement with ImmuNext, or the ImmuNext Agreement, we will be required to make milestone, royalty, and option fee payments in connection with the development of CI-8993.
Based upon our current operating plan, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $12.5 million as of March 31, 2020, should enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the third quarter of 2020. Based on our available cash resources, we do not have sufficient cash on hand to support current operations within the next 12 months from the date of filing this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Our ability to raise additional funds will depend on financial, economic and market conditions, many of which are outside of our control, and we may be unable to raise financing when needed, or on terms favorable to us, or at all. Furthermore, high volatility in the capital markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and could continue to have, a negative impact on the price of our common stock, and could adversely impact our ability to raise additional funds. In addition, in light of our limited cash resources, we may seek to engage in one or more strategic alternatives, such as a strategic partnership with one or more parties, the licensing, sale or divestiture of some of our assets or proprietary technologies or the sale of our company, but there can be no assurance that we would be able to enter into such a transaction or transactions on a timely basis or on terms favorable to us, or at all. Our failure to raise capital through a financing or strategic alternative as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy. If we are unable to raise sufficient capital we would be unable to fund our operations and may be required to evaluate alternatives, which could include dissolving and liquidating our assets or seeking protection under the bankruptcy laws, and a determination to file for bankruptcy could occur at a time that is earlier than when we would otherwise exhaust our cash resources. If we decide to dissolve and liquidate our assets or to seek protection under the bankruptcy laws, it is unclear to what extent we would be able to pay our obligations, and, accordingly, it is further unclear whether and to what extent any resources would be available for distributions to stockholders.
In February 2020 we entered into a common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, or Aspire Capital, which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $30.0 million of shares of our common stock over the 30-month term of the Purchase Agreement. To date, we have received gross proceeds of $3.0 million from our upfront sale of common stock to Aspire Capital in connection with execution of the purchase agreement. The extent to which we utilize the purchase agreement with Aspire Capital as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our common stock, the volume of trading in our common stock and the extent to which we are able to secure funds from other sources. The number of shares that we may sell to Aspire Capital under the purchase agreement on any given day and during the term of the agreement is subject to certain limitations and restrictions. These limits and restrictions include among others, limits on the number of shares we can sell to Aspire Capital on any one trading day and specified Nasdaq limitations. Accordingly, we may not be able to sell shares under the agreement at prices or amounts that we deem acceptable, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell the remaining $27.0 million of common stock contemplated under the purchase agreement. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources-Common Stock Purchase Agreement” for additional information. Additionally, we and Aspire Capital may not effect any sales of shares of our common stock under the purchase agreement during the continuance of an event of default. Even if we are able to access the full remaining $27.0 million under the purchase agreement, we will still need additional capital to fully implement our business, operating and development plans.
In addition, in March 2020, we entered into a sales agreement with JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC, or JonesTrading, pursuant to which, from time to time, we may offer and sell through JonesTrading up to $30.0 million of the common stock registered under our universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 pursuant to one or more “at the market” offerings. To date, we have not made any sales of common stock pursuant to the sales agreement. The extent to which we utilize the sales agreement with JonesTrading as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our common stock, general market conditions, the extent to which we are able to secure funds from other sources, and restrictions on our ability to sell common stock pursuant to the sales agreement to the extent we are then subject to restrictions on our ability to utilize the Form S-3 shelf registration statement to sell more than one-third of the market value of our public float, meaning the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates shares held by non-affiliates, in any trailing 12-month period. Accordingly, we may not be able to sell shares under the agreement at prices or amounts that we deem acceptable, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell the $30.0 million of common stock contemplated under the sales agreement.
Furthermore, there are a number of factors that may affect our future capital requirements and further accelerate our need for additional working capital, many of which are outside our control, including the following:
•unanticipated costs in our research and development programs;
•the timing and cost of obtaining regulatory approvals for our drug candidates and maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements;
•the timing and amounts of potential option payments under the ImmuNext Agreement, for patent rights and technology used in our drug development programs;
•payments due to licensors, including Aurigene and ImmuNext if we exercise our option under the ImmuNext Agreement, for patent rights and technology used in our drug development programs;
•the costs of commercialization activities for any of our drug candidates that receive marketing approval, to the extent such costs are our responsibility, including the costs and timing of establishing drug sales, marketing, distribution and manufacturing capabilities;
•unplanned costs to prepare, file, prosecute, defend and enforce patent claims and other patent-related costs, including litigation costs and technology license fees;
•unexpected losses in our cash investments or an inability to otherwise liquidate our cash investments due to unfavorable conditions in the capital markets;
•impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and responsive actions relating thereto; and
•our ability to continue as a going concern.
We have incurred substantial losses, expect to continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future and may never generate significant revenue or achieve profitability.
We have incurred significant annual net operating losses in every year since our inception. We expect to continue to incur significant and increasing net operating losses for at least the next several years. Our net losses were $9.7 million and $9.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of March 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $1.0 billion. As noted below, we have identified conditions and events that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. We have not completed the development of any drug candidate on our own. Other than Erivedge®, which is being commercialized and further developed by Genentech and Roche under our June 2003 collaboration with Genentech, we may never have a drug candidate approved for commercialization. We have financed our operations to date primarily through public offerings and private placements of our common stock, other debt financings, and amounts received through various licensing and collaboration agreements. We have devoted substantially all of our financial resources and efforts to research and development and general and administrative expense to support such research and development. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. Net losses and negative cash flows have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our stockholders’ deficit and working capital.
We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:
•continue to develop and conduct clinical trials with respect to drug candidates;
•seek to identify and develop additional drug candidates;
•acquire or in-license other drug candidates or technologies;
•seek regulatory and marketing approvals for our drug candidates that successfully complete clinical trials, if any;
•establish sales, marketing, distribution and other commercial infrastructure in the future to commercialize various drugs for which we may obtain marketing approval, if any;
•require the manufacture of larger quantities of drug candidates for clinical development and, potentially, commercialization;
•maintain, expand, and protect our intellectual property portfolio;
•hire and retain additional personnel, such as clinical, quality control and scientific personnel; and
•add equipment and physical infrastructure as may be required to support our research and development programs.
Our ability to become and remain profitable depends on our ability to generate significant revenue. Our only current source of revenues comprises licensing and royalty revenues that we earn under our collaboration with Genentech related to the development and commercialization of Erivedge. Sales of Erivedge may be adversely impacted by decreases in new
prescriptions as a result of a decline in patient medical visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, a portion of our royalty and royalty related revenues under our collaboration with Genentech will be paid to TPC Investments I LP and TPC Investments II LP, or the Purchasers, pursuant to the royalty interest purchase agreement we and Curis Royalty entered into with the Purchasers and Lind SA LLC, or Agent, on March 22, 2019, or the Oberland Purchase Agreement.
We do not expect to generate significant revenues other than those related to Erivedge unless and until we are, or any collaborator is, able to obtain marketing approval for, and successfully commercialize, one or more of our drug candidates other than Erivedge. Successful commercialization will require achievement of key milestones, including initiating and successfully
completing clinical trials of our drug candidates, obtaining marketing approval for these drug candidates, manufacturing, marketing, and selling those drugs for which we, or any of our collaborators, may obtain marketing approval, satisfying any post marketing requirements and obtaining reimbursement for our drugs from private insurance or government payors. Because of the uncertainties and risks associated with these activities, we are unable to accurately predict the timing and amount of revenues and whether or when we might achieve profitability. We and any collaborators may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, or any collaborators do, we may never generate revenues that are large enough for us to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our research and development efforts, diversify our pipeline of drug candidates, or continue our operations and cause a decline in the value of our common stock.
We face risks related to health epidemics and other widespread outbreaks of contagious disease, including the novel coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, which may delay our ability to complete our ongoing clinical trial or delay the initiation of future clinical trials, disrupt regulatory activities, or have other adverse effects on our business and operations. In addition, this pandemic has caused substantial disruption in the financial markets and economies, which could result in adverse effects on our business and operations.
Significant outbreaks of contagious diseases, and other adverse public health developments, could have a material impact on our business operations and operating results. In December 2019, an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a strain of novel coronavirus, COVID-19, began in China. That outbreak has led to millions of confirmed cases worldwide, including in the United States and other countries where we are conducting clinical trials or activities in support thereof. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on January 30, 2020 and declared it a pandemic on March 11, 2020. In addition to those who have been directly affected, billions more have been affected by governmental efforts around
the world to slow the spread of the outbreak. The outbreak and government measures taken in response have also had a
significant impact, both direct and indirect, on businesses and commerce. While we expect the outbreak to have an adverse
effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations, we are unable to predict the extent or nature of the future
progression of the outbreak or its effects on our business and operations at this time.
We have enrolled, and will seek to enroll, cancer patients in clinical trials at sites located both in the United States and internationally. Many of our clinical trial sites have imposed restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have a negative impact on our ability to conduct our clinical trials. For example, all of our clinical trial sites for our ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial for CA-4948 in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas, including those with MYD88 alterations, are at large academic research hospitals that have imposed restrictions on entry which could potentially prohibit clinical trial monitors and patients from entering the trial sites. As a result, further enrollment in our ongoing clinical trial for CA-4948 in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas may be delayed and patients currently enrolled in the trial may cease treatment due to the restrictions described above or fear of visiting or inability to visit our trial sites. In addition, we do not currently know the duration or to what degree medical facilities, including our clinical trial sites, will continue to be impacted by the pandemic. As a result, enrollment in this trial has been slower than expected and the timeline of our ongoing clinical trial in CA-4948 may be delayed. In addition, we have not initiated enrollment for our planned Phase 1 clinical trial in CA-4948 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. Clinical trial sites for this study may also impose restrictions similar to those described above. As a result, initiation of enrollment in this trial has been slower than expected and we may not be able to enroll this trial on our planned timeline, which would cause a delay in the overall timeline for this trial. Similarly, we have not initiated our planned Phase 1 clinical trial for CI-8993, and initiation and enrollment of this study may be delayed due to the factors discussed above. In the event that clinical trial sites are slowed down or closed to enrollment in our ongoing and planned clinical trials, this could also have a material adverse impact on our clinical trial plans and timelines. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic may redirect resources of regulators in a way that would adversely impact our ability to progress regulatory approvals. In addition, we may face impediments to regulatory meetings and approvals relating to our clinical trials due to measures intended to limit in-person interactions.
We and our collaborators, third-party contract manufacturers, contract research organizations and clinical sites may experience delays or disruptions in supply of product candidates and/or procuring items that are essential for our research and development activities, including, for example, raw materials used in the manufacturing of our product candidates, medical and laboratory supplies used in our clinical trials or preclinical studies or animals that are used for preclinical testing, in each case, for which there may be shortages because of ongoing efforts to address the outbreak. Some of our product candidates, or materials contained therein, come from facilities located in areas impacted by COVID-19, including India, China, and Europe. In addition, any disruptions could impact the supply, manufacturing or distribution of Erivedge, and sales of Erivedge may be negatively impacted by a decrease in new prescriptions as a result of a decline in patient medical visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which could negatively impact the amount and timing of any royalty revenue we may receive from Genentech related to Erivedge. There is no guarantee that the recent COVID-19, or any potential future, outbreak would not impact our supply chain, which could have a material adverse impact on our clinical trial plans and business operations.
We are also experiencing delays in closing down our clinical trial sites related to our fimepinostat and CA-170 trials due to restrictions on non-essential workers imposed at those sites in response to COVID-19, which has delayed the winding down of these trials and may result in additional costs and expenses. In addition, we have been unable to relocate to our new headquarters.
Any negative impact that the outbreak has on the ability of our suppliers to provide materials for our product candidates or on recruiting or retaining patients in our clinical trials could cause costly delays to clinical trial activities, which could adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval for and to commercialize our product candidates, increase our operating expenses, and have a material adverse effect on our financial results. Additionally, the pandemic has already caused significant disruptions in the financial markets, and may continue to cause such disruptions, which could impact our ability to raise additional funds and has also impacted, and may continue to impact, the volatility of our stock price and trading in our stock. Moreover, it is possible the pandemic will significantly impact economies worldwide, which could result in adverse effects on our business and operations. We cannot be certain what the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be on our business and it has the potential to materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
In connection with the Oberland Purchase Agreement, we transferred and encumbered certain royalty and royalty related payments on commercial sales of Erivedge, Curis Royalty granted a first priority lien and security interest in all of its assets, including its rights to the Erivedge royalty payments, and we granted the Purchasers a first priority lien and security interest in our equity interest in Curis Royalty. As a result, in the event of a default by us or Curis Royalty we could lose all retained rights to future royalty and royalty related payments, we could be required to repurchase the Purchased Receivables at a price that is a multiple of the payments we have received, and our ability to enter into future arrangements may be inhibited, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and stock price.
Pursuant to the Oberland Purchase Agreement, the Purchasers acquired the rights to a portion of certain royalty and royalty related payments excluding a portion of non-U.S. royalties retained by Curis Royalty, referred to as the Purchased Receivables, owed by Genentech under our collaboration agreement with Genentech. In connection with entering into the Oberland Purchase Agreement, Curis Royalty and the Agent entered into a security agreement and Curis and the Purchasers entered into a pledge agreement.
Following an event of default under the security agreement entered into between Curis Royalty and the Agent in connection with the transaction, the Agent has the right to stop all allocations of payments that would have otherwise been allocated to Curis Royalty pursuant to the Oberland Purchase Agreement and instead retain all such payments. In addition, the Oberland Purchase Agreement provides that after the occurrence of an event of default by Curis Royalty under the security agreement, as described below, the Purchasers shall have the option, for a period of 180 days, to require Curis Royalty to repurchase the Purchased Receivables at a price, referred to as the Put/Call Price, equal to a percentage, beginning at a low triple digit percentage and increasing over time up to a low-mid triple digit percentage, of the sum of the upfront purchase price and any portion of the milestone payments paid in a lump sum by the Purchasers, if any, minus certain payments previously received by the Purchasers with respect to the Purchased Receivables.
Pursuant to the security agreement, Curis Royalty granted to the Agent a first priority lien and security interest in all of its assets and all real, intangible and personal property, including all of its right, title and interest in and to the Erivedge royalty payments. The security interest secures the obligations of Curis Royalty arising under the Oberland Purchase Agreement, the security agreement or otherwise with respect to the due and prompt payment of (i) an amount equal to the Put/Call Price and (ii) all fees, costs, expenses, indemnities and other payments of Curis Royalty under or in respect of the Oberland Purchase Agreement and the security agreement.
The obligations of Curis Royalty under the Oberland Purchase Agreement may be accelerated upon the occurrence of an event of default under the security agreement (subject to certain cure periods), which events of default include:
•any royalty and royalty related payments to be remitted into a certain Curis Royalty designated account controlled by the Agent pursuant to a control agreement, referred to as the royalty account, into which all royalty and royalty related payments must be paid by Curis or Curis Royalty are not so remitted in accordance with the Oberland Purchase Agreement;
•any representation or warranty made by Curis or Curis Royalty in the Oberland Purchase Agreement or any other transaction document proves to be incorrect or misleading in any material respect when made;
•a default by Curis or Curis Royalty in the performance of affirmative and negative covenants set forth in the Oberland Purchase Agreement or any other transaction document;
•a default by Curis in the performance or observance of its indemnity obligations under the Oberland Purchase Agreement;
•the failure by Genentech to pay material amounts owed under the Genentech collaboration agreement because of an actual breach or default by Curis under the Genentech collaboration agreement;
•the failure of the security agreement to create a valid and perfected first priority security interest in any of the collateral;
•a material breach or default by Curis under our agreement with Curis Royalty pursuant to which we transferred our rights to the royalty revenues under the Genentech collaboration agreement to Curis Royalty;
•the voluntary or involuntary commencement of bankruptcy proceedings by either Curis or Curis Royalty and other insolvency related events;
•any materially adverse effect on the binding nature of any of the Oberland Purchase Agreement, Security Agreement, Pledge Agreement or other transaction documents, the Genentech collaboration agreement or our agreement with Curis Royalty;
•any person shall be designated as an independent director of Curis Royalty other than in accordance with Curis Royalty’s limited liability company operating agreement; or
•Curis shall at any time cease to own, of record and beneficially, 100% of the equity interests in Curis Royalty.
Upon the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under the security agreement, the Agent may exercise its rights and remedies under the security agreement with respect to Curis Royalty and to the collateral pledged thereunder, including, among other things, acceleration of the obligations under the security agreement, the sale or other realization of the collateral and performance of Curis Royalty’s obligations under the purchase and sale agreement. Additionally, Curis granted to the Agent a first priority lien and security interest of Curis’ equity interest in Curis Royalty pursuant to a pledge agreement. Upon the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under the security agreement, the Agent may exercise its rights and remedies under the pledge agreement with respect to the equity interests, including, among other things, the rights to receive distributions and exercise voting rights with respect to the equity interests and to sell or otherwise realize upon the collateral in satisfaction of the obligations. The exercise by the Agent of the foregoing rights shall be deemed to constitute an exercise by the Purchasers of their put option under the Oberland Purchase Agreement.
If any of the above events of default were to occur, Curis Royalty may not have sufficient funds to pay the Put/Call price and the Agent could foreclose on the secured royalty and royalty related payment stream and/or our equity interests in Curis Royalty. In such an event, we could lose our right to royalty and royalty related payments not transferred to the Purchasers pursuant to the Oberland Purchase Agreement and we could lose our rights in Curis Royalty. In addition, in the event Genentech exercises its set-off rights against royalty payments to Curis Royalty pursuant to our collaboration agreement with Genentech, we may be required to satisfy our royalty-sharing obligations to the Purchasers with amounts from our working capital. The Oberland Purchase Agreement also contains exculpation and indemnification obligations of Curis and Curis Royalty on behalf of the Agent and the Purchasers. Further, the encumbrance of all of Curis Royalty’s assets, including the right to royalties from sales of Erivedge, and our equity interests in Curis Royalty pursuant to the security agreement and pledge agreement, respectively, may inhibit us from raising additional funds or entering into other strategic arrangements. Any of these consequences of an event of default could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and stock price.
The amount of royalty revenue we received from sales of Erivedge has been adversely affected by a competing drug, and may further be affected in the future.
Pursuant to the terms of our collaboration agreement with Genentech, our subsidiary Curis Royalty is entitled to receive royalties on net sales of Erivedge that range from 5% to 7.5% based upon global Erivedge sales by Roche and Genentech. The royalty rate applicable to Erivedge may be decreased in certain specified circumstances, including when a competing drug product that binds to the same molecular target as Erivedge is approved by the applicable country’s regulatory authority and is being sold in such country by a third-party for use in the same indication as Erivedge, or when there is no issued intellectual property covering Erivedge in a territory in which sales are recorded. During the third quarter of 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA and the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, approved an additional Hedgehog signaling pathway inhibitor marketed by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., or Sun Pharmaceutical, sonidegib (Odomzo®), for the treatment of adults with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma, or BCC.
Sales of sonidegib (Odomzo) were first recorded in the U.S. during the fourth quarter of 2015 and, accordingly, Genentech has reduced royalties on its net sales in the U.S. of Erivedge from 5-7.5% to 3-5.5%. Furthermore, we anticipate that Genentech will reduce by 2% royalties on net sales of Erivedge outside of the United States on a country-by-country basis to the extent that sonidegib is approved by the applicable country’s regulatory authority and is being sold in such country. We also believe that sales of sonidegib have, and are likely to continue to, adversely affect sales of Erivedge, including those in the U.S. and ex-U.S. countries, which would adversely affect the resulting revenue we may receive from Genentech. In addition, we may experience a decrease in sales of Erivedge as a result of potential decreases in new prescriptions if patient medical visits
decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A decrease in sales of Erivedge, or in the royalty rate that we receive for sales of Erivedge could adversely affect our operating results.
Fluctuations in our quarterly and annual operating results could adversely affect the price of our common stock.
Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly. Some of the factors that may cause our operating results to fluctuate on a period-to-period basis include:
•payments we may be required to make to collaborators such as Aurigene and ImmuNext to exercise license rights and satisfy milestones and royalty obligations;
•the status of, and level of expenses incurred in connection with, our programs, including development costs relating to CA-4948, CI-8993, and fimepinostat as well as funding programs that we have licensed or may in the future license and develop under our collaborations with Aurigene and ImmuNext;
•fluctuations in sales of Erivedge and related royalty and milestone payments, including fluctuations resulting from the sales of competing drug products such as sonidegib, which is approved in the U.S. and Europe for the treatment of locally advanced BCC and is now being marketed and sold by Sun Pharmaceuticals or from a decrease in new prescriptions of Erivedge as a result of a decline in patient medical visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic; costs and expenses relating to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our development programs, ongoing clinical trial activities and operations;
•any intellectual property infringement lawsuit or other litigation in which we may become involved;
•the implementation of restructuring and cost-savings strategies;
•the occurrence of an event of default under the Oberland Purchase Agreement;
•the implementation or termination of collaboration, licensing, manufacturing or other material agreements with third-parties, and non-recurring revenue or expenses under any such agreement; and
•compliance with regulatory requirements.
If the estimates we make and the assumptions on which we rely in preparing our financial statements prove inaccurate, our actual results may vary significantly.
Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, the amounts of charges taken by us, and disclosures related thereto. Such estimates and judgments include the carrying value of our property, the value of equipment and intangible assets, revenue recognition, and the value of certain liabilities, the repayment term of our loan from HealthCare Royalty, for periods prior to its termination, and stock-based compensation expense. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. However, these estimates and judgments, and their underlying assumptions, may change over time. Accordingly, our actual financial results may vary significantly from the estimates contained in our financial statements.
For a further discussion of the estimates and judgments that we make and the critical accounting policies that affect these estimates and judgments, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” set forth in this report.
RISKS RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF OUR DRUGS
We depend heavily on the success of our most advanced drug candidates. All of our drug candidates are still in early clinical or preclinical development. Preclinical studies and clinical trials of our drug candidates may not be successful. If we are unable to commercialize our drug candidates or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Our ability to generate drug candidate(s) and/or drug product revenues, which we do not expect will occur for many years, if ever, will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of our most advanced drug candidates, including CA-4948, CI-8993, and fimepinostat. Due to preliminary efficacy data and current market conditions, we have determined that no further patients will be enrolled in our Phase 1 combination study of fimepinostat with venetoclax. While we are currently evaluating potential future studies for fimepinostat, our success depends heavily on our ongoing and future clinical trials of CA-4948 and CI-8993, both of which are in early stage clinical development.
The success of our drug candidates will depend on many factors, including the following:
•successful enrollment in, and completion of, ongoing and future clinical trials of CA-4948 and CI-8993 and other compounds that we may develop under our collaboration and license agreements with Aurigene and ImmuNext;
•our ability to fund our business operations, including our ongoing and future clinical trials;
•Aurigene’s ability to successfully discover and preclinically develop other drug candidates under the collaboration agreement;
•a safety, tolerability and efficacy profile that is satisfactory to the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority for marketing approval;
•receipt of requisite marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities;
•the extent of any required post marketing approval commitments to applicable regulatory authorities;
•establishment of supply arrangements with third-party raw materials suppliers and manufacturers;
•establishment of arrangements with third-party manufacturers to obtain finished drug products that is appropriately packaged for sale;
•adequate ongoing availability of raw materials and drug products for clinical development and any commercial sales;
•obtaining and maintaining patent, trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity, both in the U.S. and internationally;
•protection of the rights in our intellectual property portfolio;
•successful launch of commercial sales following any marketing approval;
•a continued acceptable safety profile following any marketing approval;
•commercial acceptance by patients, the medical community and third-party payors; and
•our ability to compete with other therapies.
If we do not achieve one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to successfully market, commercialize, or distribute our most advanced drug candidate, which would materially harm our business.
The therapeutic efficacy of our drug candidates is unproven in humans, and we may not be able to successfully develop and commercialize drug candidates pursuant to these programs.
Our drug candidates, including CA-4948, CI-8993, fimepinostat, and CA-170, are novel chemical and biologic entities and their potential benefit as therapeutic cancer drugs is unproven. Our ability to generate revenues from these drug candidates, which we do not expect will occur in the short-term, if ever, will depend heavily on their successful development and commercialization, which is subject to many potential risks. For example, our drug candidates may not prove to be effective inhibitors of the molecular targets they are being designed to act against, and may not demonstrate in patients any or all of the pharmacological benefits that may have been demonstrated in preclinical studies. These drug candidates may interact with human biological systems in unforeseen, ineffective or harmful ways. If the FDA determines that any of our drug candidates are associated with significant side effects or have characteristics that are unexpected, we may need to delay or abandon their development or limit development to certain uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk benefit perspective. Moreover, we may determine after conducting clinical trials or related studies that certain of our drug candidates do not possess the anticipated therapeutic characteristics, and we may decide to abandon or discontinue any one of our clinical studies. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2019, we announced initial data from a clinical study of CA-170 in patients with mesothelioma in conjunction with the Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer conference and based on this data, we decided no further patients will be enrolled in this study. In March 2020, we announced that although we observed no significant drug-drug interaction in our Phase 1 study of fimepinostat in combination with venetoclax, we did not see an efficacy signal that would warrant continuation of the study. Accordingly, no further patients will be enrolled in this study. We are currently evaluating future studies for fimepinostat.
Moreover, many drug candidates that initially showed promise in early stage testing for treating cancer have later been found to cause side effects that prevented further development of the compound or resulted in their removal from the market. As a result of these and other risks described herein that are inherent in the development and commercialization of novel therapeutic agents, we may not successfully maintain third-party licensing or collaboration transactions with respect to, or successfully commercialize, our drug candidates, in which case we will not achieve profitability and the value of our stock may decline.
If clinical trials of any future drug candidates that we, or any collaborators, may develop fail to satisfactorily demonstrate safety and efficacy to the FDA and other regulators, we, or any collaborators, may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of these drug candidates.
We, and any collaborators, are not permitted to commercialize, market, promote or sell any drug candidate in the U.S. without obtaining marketing approval from the FDA. Foreign regulatory authorities, such as the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, impose similar requirements. We, and any collaborators, must complete extensive preclinical development and clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our drug candidates in humans before we will be able to obtain these approvals.
Clinical testing is expensive, is difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is inherently uncertain as to outcome. We cannot guarantee that any clinical trials will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all, particularly given that many of our clinical trial sites are research hospitals that have imposed restrictions on entry and other activity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The clinical development of our drug candidates is susceptible to the risk of failure inherent at any stage of drug development, including failure to demonstrate a favorable pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profile, efficacy in a clinical trial or across a broad population of patients, the occurrence of adverse events or undesirable side effects that are severe or medically or commercially unacceptable, failure to comply with protocols or applicable regulatory requirements and determination by the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority that a drug candidate may not continue development or is not approvable. It is possible that even if one or more of our drug candidates has a beneficial effect, that effect will not be detected during clinical evaluation as a result of one or more of a variety of factors, including the size, duration, design, measurements, conduct or analysis of our clinical trials. Conversely, as a result of the same factors, our clinical trials may indicate an apparent positive effect of a drug candidate that is greater than the actual positive effect, if any. Similarly, in our clinical trials we may fail to detect toxicity or intolerability caused by our drug candidates, or we may mistakenly believe that our drug candidates are toxic or not well tolerated when that is not in fact the case.
Any inability to successfully complete preclinical and clinical development could result in additional costs to us, or any collaborators, and impair our ability to generate revenues from drug sales, regulatory and commercialization milestones and royalties. Moreover, if we, or any collaborators, are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other testing of our drug candidates beyond the trials and testing that we or they contemplate, if we, or they, are unable to successfully complete clinical trials of our drug candidates or other testing, or the results of these trials or tests are unfavorable, uncertain or are only modestly favorable, or there are unacceptable safety concerns associated with our drug candidates, we, or any future collaborators, may:
•incur additional unplanned costs;
•be delayed in obtaining marketing approval for our drug candidates;
•not obtain marketing approval at all;
•obtain approval for indications or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired;
•obtain approval with labeling that includes significant use or distribution restrictions or significant safety warnings, including boxed warnings;
•be subject to additional post marketing testing or other requirements; or
•be required to remove the drug from the market after obtaining marketing approval.
Our failure to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials of our drug candidates and to demonstrate the efficacy and safety necessary to obtain regulatory approval to market any of our drug candidates would significantly harm our business.
Adverse events or undesirable side effects caused by, or other unexpected properties of, drug candidates that we develop may be identified during development and could delay or prevent their marketing approval or limit their use.
Adverse events or undesirable side effects caused by, or other unexpected properties of, any drug candidates that we may develop could cause us, any collaborators, an institutional review board or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials of one or more of our drug candidates and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of marketing approval by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. If any of our drug candidates is associated with adverse events or undesirable side effects or has properties that are unexpected, we, or any collaborators, may need to abandon development or limit development of that drug candidate to certain uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. Many compounds that initially showed promise in clinical or earlier stage testing have later been found to cause undesirable or unexpected side effects that prevented further development of the compound. For example, CI-8993 was originally developed as part of a license and collaboration agreement between ImmuNext and Janssen Biotech, Inc., or Janssen. In 2016, Janssen initiated clinical development of CI-8993 in a Phase 1 Study evaluating safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ascending doses of
CI-8993 in patients with advanced solid tumors. The study enrolled 12 patients, in which one patient experienced dose-limiting side effects related to cytokine release syndrome. Janssen opted to close the study.
If we, or any collaborators, experience any of a number of possible unforeseen events in connection with clinical trials of our drug candidates, potential clinical development, marketing approval or commercialization of our drug candidates could be delayed or prevented.
We, or any collaborators, may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, clinical trials that could delay or prevent clinical development, marketing approval or commercialization of our current drug candidates or any future drug candidates that we, or any collaborators, may develop, including:
•regulators or institutional review boards may not authorize us, any collaborators or our or their investigators to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site;
•we, or any collaborators, may have delays in reaching or fail to reach agreement on acceptable clinical trial contracts or clinical trial protocols with prospective trial sites;
•clinical trials of our drug candidates may produce unfavorable or inconclusive results, including with respect to the safety, tolerability, efficacy, or pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profile of the drug candidate;
•we, or any collaborators, may decide, or regulators may require us or them, to conduct additional clinical trials or abandon drug development programs;
•the number of patients required for clinical trials of our drug candidates may be larger than we, or any collaborators, anticipate, patient enrollment in these clinical trials may be slower than we, or any collaborators, anticipate or participants may drop out of these clinical trials at a higher rate than we, or any collaborators, anticipate;
•our estimates of the patient populations available for study may be higher than actual patient numbers and result in our inability to sufficiently enroll our trials;
•the cost of planned clinical trials of our drug candidates may be greater than we anticipate;
•our third-party contractors or those of any collaborators, including those manufacturing our drug candidates or components or ingredients thereof or conducting clinical trials on our behalf or on behalf of any collaborators, may fail to comply with regulatory requirements or meet their contractual obligations to us or any collaborators in a timely manner or at all;
•patients that enroll in a clinical trial may misrepresent their eligibility to do so or may otherwise not comply with the clinical trial protocol, resulting in the need to drop the patients from the clinical trial, increase the needed enrollment size for the clinical trial or extend the clinical trial’s duration;
•we, or any collaborators, may have to delay, suspend or terminate clinical trials of our drug candidates for various reasons, including a finding that the participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks, undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics of the drug candidate such as an unfavorable pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic profile;
•regulators or institutional review boards may require that we, or any collaborators, or our or their investigators suspend or terminate clinical research for various reasons, including noncompliance with regulatory requirements or their standards of conduct, a finding that the participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks, undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics of the drug candidate or findings of undesirable effects caused by a chemically or mechanistically similar drug or drug candidate;
•the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our, or any collaborators’, clinical trial designs or our or their interpretation of data from preclinical studies and clinical trials;
•the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may fail to approve or subsequently find fault with the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we, or any collaborators, enter into agreements for clinical and commercial supplies;
•the supply or quality of raw materials or manufactured drug candidates or other materials necessary to conduct clinical trials of our drug candidates may be insufficient, inadequate or not available at an acceptable cost, or we may experience interruptions in supply;
•the approval policies or regulations of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient to obtain marketing approval; and
•constraints on our, or any collaborators’, ability to conduct or complete clinical trials for our drug candidates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including slowdowns in patient enrollment, restrictions on patient monitoring at hospital clinical trial sites, closures of third party facilities, and other disruptions to clinical trial activities.
Drug development costs for us, or any collaborators, will increase if we, or they, experience delays in testing or pursuing marketing approvals and we, or they, may be required to obtain additional funds to complete clinical trials and prepare for possible commercialization of our drug candidates. We do not know whether any preclinical tests or clinical trials will begin as planned, will need to be restructured, or will be completed on schedule or at all. Significant preclinical study or clinical trial delays also could shorten any periods during which we, or any collaborators, may have the exclusive right to commercialize our drug candidates or allow our competitors, or the competitors of any collaborators, to bring drugs to market before we, or any collaborators, do and impair our ability, or the ability of any collaborators, to successfully commercialize our drug candidates and may harm our business and results of operations. In addition, many of the factors that lead to clinical trial delays may ultimately lead to the denial of marketing approval of any of our drug candidates.
If we experience delays in the enrollment of patients in our clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.
We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our drug candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials. Patient enrollment is a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials, and is affected by many factors, including:
•the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic;
•the size and nature of the patient population;
•the severity of the disease under investigation;
•the availability of approved therapeutics for the relevant disease;
•the proximity of patients to clinical sites;
•the eligibility criteria and design for the trial;
•efforts to facilitate timely enrollment;
•competing clinical trials; and
•clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages and risks of the drug being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs that may be approved for the indications we are investigating.
In addition, many of our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for drug candidates that could be competitive with our drug candidates. Patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials may instead enroll in clinical trials of our competitors’ drug candidates or rely upon treatment with existing therapies that may preclude them from eligibility for our clinical trials.
Our inability, or the inability of any future collaborators, to enroll a sufficient number of patients for our, or their, clinical trials could result in significant delays or may require us or them to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether. Enrollment delays in our clinical trials, including for clinical trials of CA-4948, CI-8993, and fimepinostat, may result in increased development costs for our drug candidates, which could cause the value of our stock price to decline.
Results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be predictive of results of future late stage clinical trials.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to replicate in human clinical trials the results we observed in animal models. Moreover, the outcome of preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and interim results of clinical trials do not necessarily predict success in future clinical trials. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in late stage clinical trials after achieving positive results in earlier development, and we could face similar setbacks. The design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a drug and flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. We have limited experience in designing clinical trials and may be unable to design and execute a clinical trial to support marketing approval. In addition, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses. Many companies that believed their drug candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval for the drug candidates. Even if we, or any collaborators, believe that the results of clinical trials for our drug candidates warrant marketing approval, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree and may not grant marketing approval of our drug candidates.
In some instances, there can be significant variability in safety or efficacy results between different clinical trials of the same drug candidate due to numerous factors, including changes in trial procedures set forth in protocols, differences in the size and type of the patient populations, changes in and adherence to the dosing regimen and other clinical trial protocols and the rate of dropout among clinical trial participants. If we fail to receive positive results in clinical trials of our drug candidates, the development timeline and regulatory approval and commercialization prospects for our most advanced drug candidates, and, correspondingly, our business and financial prospects would be negatively impacted.
Interim, “top-line,” initial, and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available or as additional analyses are conducted, and audit and verification procedures could result in material changes to the final data.
From time to time, we publish interim, “top-line,” initial, or preliminary data from our clinical studies. Interim data from clinical trials that we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available. Initial, preliminary or “top-line” data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the data we previously published. As a result, interim, “top-line,” initial, and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. Material adverse changes between such data and final published data could significantly harm our business prospects.
We have never obtained marketing approval for a drug candidate and we may be unable to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approval for any of our current drug candidates or any future drug candidates that we, or any future collaborators, may develop.
We have never obtained marketing approval for a drug candidate. It is possible that the FDA may refuse to accept for substantive review any new drug applications, or NDAs, or Biologics Licensing Applications, or BLAs, that we submit for our drug candidates or may conclude after review of our data that our application is insufficient to obtain marketing approval of our drug candidates. If the FDA does not accept or approve our NDAs or BLAs for any of our drug candidates, it may require that we conduct additional clinical trials, preclinical studies or manufacturing validation studies and submit that data before it will reconsider our applications. Depending on the extent of these or any other FDA-required trials or studies, approval of any NDA, BLA or application that we submit may be delayed by several years, or may require us to expend more resources than we have available. It is also possible that additional trials or studies, if performed and completed, may not be considered sufficient by the FDA to approve our NDAs or BLAs. Any delay in obtaining, or an inability to obtain, marketing approvals would prevent us from commercializing our drug candidates or any companion diagnostics, generating revenues and achieving and sustaining profitability. If any of these outcomes occur, we may be forced to abandon our development efforts for our drug candidates, which could significantly harm our business.
Even if any drug candidates that we, or any collaborators, may develop receive marketing approval, we or others may later discover that the drug is less effective than previously believed or causes undesirable side effects that were not previously identified, which could compromise our ability, or that of any collaborators, to market the drug.
Clinical trials of any drug candidates we may develop will be conducted in carefully defined subsets of patients who have agreed to enter into clinical trials. Consequently, it is possible that our clinical trials, or those of any collaborator, may indicate an apparent positive effect of a drug candidate that is greater than the actual positive effect, if any, or alternatively fail to identify undesirable side effects. If, following approval of a drug candidate, we, or others, discover that the drug is less effective than previously believed or causes undesirable side effects that were not previously identified, any of the following adverse events could occur:
•regulatory authorities may withdraw their approval of the drug or seize the drug;
•we, or any future collaborators, may be required to recall the drug, change the way the drug is administered or conduct additional clinical trials;
•additional restrictions may be imposed on the marketing of, or the manufacturing processes for, the particular drug;
•we may be subject to fines, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties;
•regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, such as a “black box” warning or a contraindication;
•we, or any future collaborators, may be required to create a Medication Guide outlining the risks of the previously unidentified side effects for distribution to patients;
•we, or any future collaborators, could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients;
•the drug may become less competitive; and
•our reputation may suffer.
Any of these events could harm our business and operations, and could negatively impact our stock price.
Even if our drug candidates receive marketing approval, they may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success, in which case we may not generate significant revenues or become profitable.
We have never commercialized a drug, and even if one of our drug candidates is approved by the appropriate regulatory authorities for marketing and sale, it may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. Physicians are often reluctant to switch their patients from existing therapies even when new and potentially more effective or convenient treatments enter the market. Further, patients often acclimate to the therapy that they are currently taking and do not want to switch unless their physicians recommend switching drugs or they are required to switch therapies due to lack of reimbursement for existing therapies.
Efforts to educate the medical community and third-party payors on the benefits of our drug candidates may require significant resources and may not be successful. If any of our drug candidates is approved but does not achieve an adequate level of market acceptance, we may not generate significant revenues and we may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our drug candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:
•the efficacy and safety of the drug;
•the potential advantages of the drug compared to competitive therapies;
•the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
•whether the drug is designated under physician treatment guidelines as a first-, second- or third-line therapy;
•our ability, or the ability of any future collaborators, to offer the drug for sale at competitive prices;
•the drug’s convenience and ease of administration compared to alternative treatments;
•the willingness of the target patient population to try, and of physicians to prescribe, the drug and patient adherence to the drug’s dosing regimen once prescribed;
•limitations or warnings, including distribution or use restrictions, contained in the drug’s approved labeling;
•the strength of sales, marketing and distribution support;
•changes in the standard of care for the targeted indications for the drug; and
•availability and amount of coverage and reimbursement from government payors, managed care plans and other third-party payors.
We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular drug candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on drug candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we focus on research programs and drug candidates that we believe may have the best potential in certain specific indications. As a result, we may delay or forgo pursuit of certain opportunities with our other drug candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial drugs or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future proprietary research and development programs and drug candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable drug candidates. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular drug candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that drug candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such drug candidate. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2019, we announced initial data from a clinical study of CA-170 in patients with mesothelioma in conjunction with the Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer conference. Based on this data, we decided no further patients will be enrolled in the study.
We have no sales, marketing, or distribution experience and, as such, plan to rely primarily on third-parties who may not successfully market or sell any drugs we develop.
We have no sales, marketing, or drug distribution experience or capabilities. If we receive required regulatory approvals to commercialize any of our drug candidates, we plan to rely primarily on sales, marketing and distribution arrangements with third-parties, including our collaborative partners. For example, as part of our agreements with Genentech, we have granted Genentech the exclusive rights to distribute drugs resulting from such collaboration, and Genentech is currently commercializing Erivedge. We may have to enter into additional marketing and/or sales arrangements in the future and we may not be able to enter into these additional arrangements on terms that are favorable to us, if at all. In addition, we may have limited or no control over the sales, marketing, and distribution activities of these third-parties, and sales through these third-parties could be less profitable for us than direct sales. These third-parties could sell competing drugs and may devote
insufficient sales efforts or resources to our drugs. Our future revenues will be materially dependent upon the successful efforts of these third-parties.
We may seek to independently market and sell drugs that are not already subject to agreements with other parties. If we undertake to perform sales, marketing and distribution functions ourselves, we could face a number of additional risks, including:
•we may not be able to attract and build a significant and skilled marketing staff or sales force;
•the cost of establishing a marketing staff or sales force may not be justifiable in light of the revenues generated by any particular drug; and
•our direct sales and marketing efforts may not be successful.
We face substantial competition, and our competitors may discover, develop or commercialize drugs before or more successfully than we do.
Our drug candidates face competition from existing and new technologies and drugs being developed by biotechnology, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as universities and other research institutions. For example, there are several companies developing drug candidates that target the same molecular targets that we are targeting or that are testing drug candidates in the same cancer indications that we are testing. For example, while we are not aware of other molecules in clinical testing that are designed as one chemical entity to inhibit both PI3K and HDAC that targets MYC, there are commercially available drugs that individually target PI3K or HDAC and there are multiple companies testing PI3K or HDAC inhibitors that are in various stages of clinical development.
We are aware of multiple other companies in pre-clinical development of IRAK4 inhibitors for oncology indications, including, Nimbus Discovery, Inc./Genentech, TG Therapeutics, Inc./Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Incorporated, Noxopharm Ltd., and Kymera Therapeutics Inc. VISTA (V-domain Ig Suppressor of T-cell Activation) is a novel immuno-oncology target which we are not aware of any other active clinical-stage programs. In addition, there are multiple approved products on the market that inhibit PD1/PDL1, including Bristol-Myers Squibb Company’s Opdivo™, Merck & Co., Inc.'s Keytruda™, Roche Holding AG's Tecentriq™, Merck & Co., Inc., KGaA / Pfizer Inc.'s Bavencio™, AstraZeneca plc’s Imfinzi™, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc./Sanofi S.A.'s Libtayo™, and a number of drug candidates in various stages of development (by Novartis AG, TESARO Inc., and others). We are also aware of multiple other companies developing drugs to target TIM3, including Novartis AG, Incyte Corporation, TESARO, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, and others.
We are aware of several companies that have clinical development programs relating to compounds that modulate the Hedgehog signaling pathway and may compete with Erivedge, including: Exelixis, Inc./Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS-833923 / XL139), PellePharm, Inc. (patidegib), and Cyclene Pharmaceuticals Inc./Senhwa Biosciences Inc. (silmitasertib / CX-4945). Furthermore, glasdegib (Daurismo™) is marketed by Pfizer Inc. for the treatment of newly diagnosed adult AML patients for whom intensive chemotherapy is not an option, and sonidegib (Odomzo™) is marketed by Sun Pharmaceutical, for the treatment of adults with locally advanced BCC. Under the terms of our collaboration agreement with Genentech, our royalty on sales of Erivedge has been reduced as a result of sales of sonidegib.
Many of our competitors have substantially greater capital resources, research and development staffs and facilities, and more extensive experience than we have. As a result, efforts by other biotechnology, medical device and pharmaceutical companies could render our programs or drugs uneconomical or result in therapies superior to those that we develop alone or with a collaborator. For those programs that we have selected for internal development, we face competition from companies that are more experienced in drug development and commercialization, obtaining regulatory approvals and drug manufacturing. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Other smaller companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third-parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. As a result, any of these companies may be more successful in obtaining collaboration agreements or other monetary support, approval and commercialization of their drugs and/or may develop competing drugs more rapidly and/or at a lower cost.
If we are not able to compete effectively, then we may not be able, either alone or with others, to advance the development and commercialization of our drug candidates, which would adversely affect our ability to grow our business and become profitable.
For a list of commercially available-drugs that individually target PI3K or HDAC and a list of companies testing PI3K or HDAC inhibitors in various stages of development, see “Business - Competition.”
Even if we, or any collaborators, are able to commercialize any drug candidate that we, or they, develop, the drug may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party payor reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives, any of which could harm our business.
The commercial success of our drug candidates will depend substantially, both domestically and abroad, on the extent to which the costs of our drug candidates will be paid by third-party payors, including government health care programs and private health insurers. If coverage is not available, or reimbursement is limited, we, or any collaborators, may not be able to successfully commercialize our drug candidates. Even if coverage is provided, the approved reimbursement amount may not be high enough to allow us, or any collaborators, to establish or maintain pricing sufficient to realize a sufficient return on our or their investments. In the U.S., no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for drugs exists among third-party payors and coverage and reimbursement levels for drugs can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time consuming and costly process that may require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our drugs to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance.
There is significant uncertainty related to third-party payor coverage and reimbursement of newly approved drugs. Marketing approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new drug products vary widely from country to country. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or drug licensing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we, or any future collaborators, might obtain marketing approval for a drug in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay commercial launch of the drug, possibly for lengthy time periods, which may negatively impact the revenues we are able to generate from the sale of the drug in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability or the ability of any future collaborators to recoup our or their investment in one or more drug candidates, even if our drug candidates obtain marketing approval.
Patients who are provided medical treatment for their conditions generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their treatment. Therefore, our ability, and the ability of any future collaborators, to commercialize successfully any of our drug candidates will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement for these drugs and related treatments will be available from third-party payors. Third-party payors decide which medications they will cover and establish reimbursement levels. The healthcare industry is acutely focused on cost containment, both in the U.S. and elsewhere. Government authorities and other third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications, which could affect our ability or that of any future collaborators to sell our drug candidates profitably. These payors may not view our drugs, if any, as cost-effective, and coverage and reimbursement may not be available to our customers, or those of any future collaborators, or may not be sufficient to allow our drugs, if any, to be marketed on a competitive basis. Cost-control initiatives could cause us, or any future collaborators, to decrease the price we, or they, might establish for drugs, which could result in lower than anticipated drug revenues. If the prices for our drugs, if any, decrease or if governmental and other third-party payors do not provide coverage or adequate reimbursement, our prospects for revenue and profitability will suffer.
There may also be delays in obtaining coverage and reimbursement for newly approved drugs, and coverage may be more limited than the indications for which the drug is approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that any drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Reimbursement rates may vary, by way of example, according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used. Reimbursement rates may also be based on reimbursement levels already set for lower cost drugs or may be incorporated into existing payments for other services.
In addition, increasingly, third-party payors are requiring higher levels of evidence of the benefits and clinical outcomes of new technologies and are challenging the prices charged. Further, the net reimbursement for drug products may be subject to additional reductions if there are changes to laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the U.S. An inability to promptly obtain coverage and adequate payment rates from both government-funded and private payors for any of our drug candidates for which we, or any future collaborator, obtain marketing approval could significantly harm our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize drugs and our overall financial condition.
Product liability lawsuits against us could divert our resources, cause us to incur substantial liabilities and limit commercialization of any drugs that we may develop.
Product liability claims are inherent in the process of researching, developing and commercializing human healthcare drugs and could expose us to significant liabilities and prevent or interfere with the development or commercialization of our drug candidates. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the drug, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we
may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our drug candidates. Regardless of their merit or eventual outcome, such liability claims would require us to spend significant time, money and other resources to defend such claims, and could result in:
•decreased demand for our drug candidates or drugs that we may develop;
•injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
•withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
•significant costs to defend resulting litigation;
•substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;
•loss of revenue;
•reduced resources of our management to pursue our business strategy; and
•the reduced ability or inability to commercialize any drugs that we may develop.
Although we currently have product liability insurance for our clinical trials, this insurance is subject to deductibles and coverage limitations and may not be adequate in scope to protect us in the event of a successful drug liability claim. The cost of any product liability litigation or other proceeding, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial. We will need to increase our insurance coverage if and when we commercialize any drug that receives marketing approval. In addition, insurance coverage is becoming increasingly expensive. If we are unable to obtain or maintain sufficient insurance coverage at an acceptable cost or to otherwise protect against potential product liability claims, it could prevent or inhibit the development and commercial production and sale of our drug candidates, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR DEPENDENCE ON THIRD-PARTIES
We are reliant on Genentech and Roche for the successful development and commercialization of Erivedge. If Genentech and Roche do not successfully commercialize Erivedge for advanced BCC or develop Erivedge for other indications, our future prospects may be substantially harmed.
Erivedge is FDA-approved for people with advanced BCC in the U.S. Erivedge is also approved in over 60 foreign countries. Genentech and/or Roche have filed regulatory submissions seeking approval to commercialize Erivedge for this same indication. Our levels of revenue in each period and our near-term prospects substantially depend upon Genentech’s ability to successfully continue to commercialize Erivedge for patients with advanced BCC and to demonstrate its superiority over existing therapies and standards of care. The further development and commercialization of Erivedge could be unsuccessful if:
•Erivedge becomes no longer accepted as safe, efficacious, cost-effective and preferable for the treatment of advanced BCC to current therapies in the medical community and by third-party payors;
•Genentech and/or Roche fail to continue to apply the necessary financial resources and expertise to manufacturing, marketing and selling Erivedge for advanced BCC, and to regulatory approvals for this indication outside of the U.S.;
•Genentech and/or Roche do not continue to develop and implement effective marketing, sales and distribution strategies and operations for development and commercialization of Erivedge for advanced BCC;
•Genentech and/or Roche do not continue to develop, validate and maintain a commercially viable manufacturing process for Erivedge that is compliant with current good manufacturing practices;
•Genentech and/or Roche do not successfully obtain third-party reimbursement and generate commercial demand that results in sales of Erivedge for advanced BCC in any geographic areas where requisite approvals have been, or may be, obtained;
•we, Genentech, or Roche encounter third-party patent interference, derivation, inter partes review, post grant review, reexamination or patent infringement claims with respect to Erivedge;
•Genentech and/or Roche do not comply with regulatory and legal requirements applicable to the sale of Erivedge for advanced BCC;
•competing drug products are approved for the same indications as Erivedge, such as is the case with sonidegib, which is being marketed and sold by Sun Pharmaceutical, both in the U.S. and abroad for the treatment of adults with locally advanced BCC;
•new safety risks are identified;
•Erivedge does not demonstrate acceptable safety and efficacy in current or future clinical trials, or otherwise does not meet applicable regulatory standards for approval in indications other than advanced BCC;
•Genentech and/or Roche determine to reprioritize Genentech’s commercial or development programs and reduce or terminate Genentech’s efforts on the development or commercialization of Erivedge; or
•Genentech does not exercise its first right to maintain or defend intellectual property rights associated with Erivedge.
In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Oberland Purchase Agreement, a portion of our royalty and royalty related revenues under our collaboration with Genentech will be paid to the Purchasers.
We depend on third-parties for the research and, as applicable, development and commercialization of certain programs. If one or more of our collaborators fails or delays in developing or, as applicable, commercializing drug candidates based upon our technologies, our business prospects and operating results would suffer and our stock price would likely decline.
Pursuant to our collaboration with Genentech, we have granted to Genentech exclusive rights to develop and commercialize drugs based upon our Hedgehog signaling pathway technologies. Collaborations involving our drug candidates, including our collaborations with Aurigene, Genentech and ImmuNext, pose the following risks to us:
•Our collaborators each have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to their respective collaboration with us. If a collaborator fails to allocate sufficient time, attention and resources to our collaboration, the successful development and commercialization of drug candidates under such collaboration is likely to be adversely affected. For example, we are dependent on ImmuNext to conduct certain non-clinical research activities to support our expected Phase 1 clinical trial of CI-8993.
•Our collaborators may develop and commercialize, either alone or with others, drugs that are similar to or competitive with the drug candidates that are the subject of our respective collaborations. For example, Genentech and Roche are involved in the commercialization of many cancer medicines and are seeking to develop several other cancer drug therapies, and Aurigene has other active cancer-focused discovery programs and has also entered into license agreements with other companies that focus on cancer therapies.
•Our collaborators may change the focus of their development and commercialization efforts or pursue higher-priority programs.
•Our collaborators may enter into one or more transactions with third-parties, including a merger, consolidation, reorganization, sale of substantial assets, sale of substantial stock or change of control. Any such transaction could divert the attention of our collaborative partner’s management and adversely affect its ability to retain and motivate key personnel who are important to the continued development of the programs under such collaboration. In addition, an acquirer could determine to reprioritize our collaborator’s development programs such that our collaborator ceases to diligently pursue the development of our programs, and/or terminates our collaboration.
•Our collaborators may, under specified circumstances, terminate their collaborations with us on short notice and for circumstances outside of our control, which could make it difficult for us to attract new collaborators or adversely affect how we are perceived in the scientific, biotech, pharma and financial communities.
•Our collaborators may utilize our intellectual property rights in such a way as to invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property rights, or expose us to potential liability.
•Disputes may arise between collaborators and us regarding ownership of or other rights in the intellectual property generated in the course of the collaborations.
•If any of our collaborators were to breach or terminate its arrangement with us, the development and commercialization of the affected drug candidate or program could be delayed, curtailed or terminated.
If Genentech and other third-parties are not successful in commercializing products that reach successful development, our revenues and business will suffer.
As development of certain of our drug candidates advance, we must begin to plan for their launch and commercial distribution. Potential competitors may have substantially greater financial and other resources and may be able to expend more funds and effort than Genentech or other third-parties engaged by us in marketing competing products. There can be no assurance that Genentech or other third-parties will succeed in commercializing our products, or that the pricing of our products will allow us to generate significant revenues. There can be no assurance that Genentech or other third-parties engaged to commercialize our products will devote sufficient resources to marketing and commercialization of our products. Genentech’s or other third-party’s failure to successfully commercialize our products will have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
We may not be successful in establishing additional strategic collaborations, which could adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize drug candidates.
We intend to seek corporate collaborators or licensees for the further development and commercialization of one or more of our drug candidates in one or more geographic territories, particularly in territories outside of the U.S. We do not currently have the resources or capacity to advance these programs into later stage clinical development (i.e., Phase 3) or commercialization on our own, but we are seeking to build such a capacity to enable us to retain development and certain commercial rights to most of our programs in at least the U.S., should we elect to do so. Our success will depend, in part, on either our ability to build such capacity, or our ability to enter into one or more collaborations for our drug candidates. We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators and a number of recent business combinations in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry may result in a reduced number of potential future collaborators. In addition, collaborations are complex and time-consuming to negotiate and document. We may not be able to negotiate collaborations on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to do so, we may have to curtail the development of the product candidate for which we are seeking to collaborate, reduce or delay its development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay its potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any sales or marketing activities, or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. Moreover, we may not be successful in our efforts to establish a collaboration or other alternative arrangements because our research and development pipeline may be insufficient, our programs may be deemed to be at too early of a stage of development for collaborative effort and/or third-parties may not view our drug candidates and programs as having the requisite potential to demonstrate safety and efficacy or as sufficiently differentiated compared to existing or emerging treatments. We are also restricted under the terms of certain of our existing collaboration agreements from entering into collaborations regarding or otherwise developing drug candidates that are similar to the drug candidates that are subject to those agreements, such as developing drug candidates that inhibit the same molecular target. In addition, collaboration agreements that we enter into in the future may contain further restrictions on our ability to enter into potential collaborations or to otherwise develop specified drug candidates. Even if we are successful in our efforts to establish new collaborations, the terms that we agree upon may not be favorable to us and such collaboration agreements may not lead to development or commercialization of drug candidates in the most efficient manner, or at all.
Moreover, if we fail to establish and maintain additional collaborations related to our drug candidates:
•the development of certain of our current or future drug candidates may be terminated or delayed;
•our cash expenditures related to development of certain of our current or future drug candidates would increase significantly and we may need to seek additional financing;
•we may be required to hire additional employees or otherwise develop additional expertise, such as clinical, regulatory, sales and marketing expertise, for which we have not budgeted;
•we will have to bear all of the risk related to the development of any such drug candidates; and
•our future prospects may be adversely affected and our stock price could decline.
We rely in part on third-parties to conduct clinical trials of our internally-developed drug candidates, and if such third-parties perform inadequately, including failing to meet deadlines for the completion of such trials, research or testing, then we will not be able to successfully develop and commercialize drug candidates and grow our business.
We rely heavily on third-parties such as consultants, clinical investigators, contract research organizations and other similar entities to complete certain aspects of our preclinical testing and clinical trials and provide services in connection with such clinical trials, and expect to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Despite having contractual remedies available to us under our agreements with such contractors, we cannot control whether or not they devote sufficient time, skill and resources to our ongoing development programs. These third parties may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic or government measures taken in response to the pandemic in ways that negatively impact their ability to fulfill their contractual obligations to us in connection with our clinical trials. Furthermore, these third-parties may also have relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors. These third-parties may not complete activities on schedule, or at all, or may not conduct our clinical trials in accordance with the established clinical trial protocol or design. In addition, the FDA and its foreign equivalents require us to comply with certain standards, referred to as “good clinical practices,” and applicable regulatory requirements, for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials. These requirements assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of trial participants are protected. Our reliance on third-parties does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. If any of our third-party contractors do not comply with good clinical practices or other applicable regulatory requirements, we may not be able to use the data and reported results from the applicable trial. Any failure by a third-party to conduct our clinical trials as planned or in accordance with regulatory requirements could delay or otherwise adversely affect our efforts to obtain regulatory approvals for and commercialize our drug candidates.
We depend on third-parties to produce our drug candidates, and if these third-parties do not successfully formulate or manufacture these drug candidates, our business will be harmed.
We have no internal manufacturing experience or capabilities, and therefore cannot manufacture any of our drug candidates on either a clinical or commercial scale. In order to continue to develop drug candidates, apply for regulatory approvals, and commercialize drugs, we or any collaborators must be able to manufacture drug candidates in adequate clinical and commercial quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements, including those related to quality control and quality assurance, at acceptable costs and in a timely manner. The manufacture of our drug candidates may be complex, difficult to accomplish and difficult to scale-up when large-scale production is required. Manufacture may be subject to delays, inefficiencies and low yields of quality drugs. The cost of manufacturing some of our drug candidates may make them prohibitively expensive.
To the extent that we or any collaborators seek to enter into manufacturing arrangements with third-parties, we and such collaborators will depend upon these third-parties to perform their obligations in a timely and effective manner and in accordance with government regulations. We may be unable to establish any agreements with contract manufacturers or to do so on acceptable terms. Contract manufacturers may breach their manufacturing agreements because of factors beyond our and our collaborators’ control, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or government measures taken in response to
the pandemic, or may terminate or fail to renew a manufacturing agreement based on their own business priorities, becoming costly and/or inconvenient for us and our collaborators. Even if we are able to establish agreements with contract manufacturers, reliance on contract manufacturers entails additional risks, including:
•manufacturing delays if our third-party contractors give greater priority to the supply of other products over our product candidates or otherwise do not satisfactorily perform according to the terms of the agreements between us and them, or if unforeseen events in the manufacturing process arise;
•the failure of third-party contractors to comply with applicable regulatory requirements;
•the possible mislabeling of clinical supplies, potentially resulting in the wrong dose amounts being supplied or active drug or placebo not being properly identified;
•the possibility of clinical supplies not being delivered to clinical sites on time, leading to clinical trial interruptions, or of drug supplies not being distributed to commercial vendors in a timely manner, resulting in lost sales; and
•the possible misappropriation of our proprietary information, including our trade secrets and know-how.
Any manufacturing problem, the loss of a contract manufacturer or any loss of storage could be disruptive to our operations, delay our clinical trials and, if our products are approved for sale, result in lost sales.
Any contract manufacturers with whom we or our collaborators enter into manufacturing arrangements will be subject to ongoing periodic, unannounced inspection by the FDA and state and foreign agencies or their designees to ensure strict compliance with current good manufacturing practices and other governmental regulations and corresponding foreign standards. Any failure by contract manufacturers, collaborators, or us to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, denial by regulatory authorities of marketing approval for drug candidates, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, imposition of clinical holds, seizures or recalls of drug candidates, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect our business. If we or a collaborator need to change manufacturers, the FDA and corresponding foreign regulatory agencies must approve any new manufacturers in advance. This would involve testing and pre-approval inspections to ensure compliance with FDA and foreign regulations and standards.
If third-party manufacturers fail to perform their obligations, our competitive position and ability to generate revenue may be adversely affected in a number of ways, including;
•we, and any collaborators, may not be able to initiate or continue certain preclinical and/or clinical trials of our drug candidates under development;
•we, and any collaborators, may be delayed in submitting applications for regulatory approvals for our drug candidates; and
•we, and any collaborators, may not be able to meet commercial demand for any approved drug products.
Because we rely on a limited number of suppliers for the raw materials used in our drug candidates, any delay or interruption in the supply of such raw materials could lead to delays in the manufacture and supply of our drug candidates.
We rely on third-parties to supply certain raw materials necessary to produce our drug candidates for preclinical studies and clinical trials. There are a small number of suppliers for certain raw materials that we use to manufacture our drug
candidates. We purchase these materials from our suppliers on a purchase order basis and do not have long-term supply agreements in place. Any reliance on suppliers may involve several risks, including a potential inability to obtain critical materials and reduced control over production costs, delivery schedules, reliability and quality. Any unanticipated disruption to our contract manufacturing caused by problems at suppliers could delay shipment of our product candidates, increase our cost of goods sold and result in lost sales with respect to any approved products. Although we generally do not begin a preclinical study or clinical trial unless we believe we have a sufficient supply of a drug candidate to complete such study or trial, any significant delay in the supply of raw materials for our drug candidates for a preclinical study or an ongoing clinical trial due to the need to replace a third-party supplier could considerably delay completion of certain preclinical studies and/or clinical trials. Moreover, if we are unable to purchase sufficient raw materials after regulatory approval for our drug candidates, the commercial launch of our drug candidates could be delayed, or there could be a supply shortage, each of which would impair our ability to generate revenues from their sale.
Any contamination in our manufacturing process, shortages of raw materials or failure of any of our key suppliers to deliver necessary components could result in delays in our clinical development or marketing schedules.
Any contamination could materially adversely affect our ability to produce drug candidates on schedule and could, therefore, harm our results of operations and cause reputational damage. A material shortage, contamination, recall or restriction on the use of substances in the manufacture of our drug candidates, or the failure of any of our key suppliers to deliver necessary components required for the manufacture of our drug candidates, could adversely impact or disrupt the commercial manufacture or the production of clinical material, which could materially and adversely affect our development timelines and our business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects.
RISKS RELATING TO EMPLOYEE MATTERS AND MANAGING GROWTH
If we are not able to attract and retain key management and scientific personnel and advisors, we may not successfully develop our drug candidates or achieve our other business objectives.
We depend upon our senior management team. The loss of the service of any of the key members of our senior management may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of drug development and other business objectives. Our officers all serve pursuant to “at will” employment arrangements and can terminate their employment with us at any time. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or other employees. In the future, we may be dependent on other members of our management, scientific and development team.
Our ability to compete in the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified managerial, scientific and medical personnel. Our industry has experienced a high rate of turnover of management personnel in recent years. If we lose one or more of our executive officers or other key employees, our ability to successfully implement our business strategy could be seriously harmed. Furthermore, replacing executive officers or other key employees may be difficult and take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to develop, market and commercialize drugs successfully. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these additional key employees on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similarly qualified personnel. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions.
We rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by other entities and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with those entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, our ability to develop and commercialize our drug candidates will be limited.
We may seek to acquire complementary businesses and technologies or otherwise seek to expand our operations and grow our business, which may divert management resources and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
We may seek to expand our operations, including through internal growth and/or the acquisition of businesses and technologies that we believe are a strategic complement to our business model. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates or expansion strategies and successfully complete such acquisitions or successfully execute any such other expansion strategies. We may never realize the anticipated benefits of any efforts to expand our business. Furthermore, the expansion of our business, either through internal growth or through acquisitions, poses significant risks to our existing operations, financial condition and operating results, including:
•a diversion of management attention from our existing operations;
•increased operating complexity of our business, requiring greater personnel and resources;
•significant additional cash expenditures to expand our operations and acquire and integrate new businesses and technologies;
•unanticipated expenses and potential delays related to integration of the operations, technology and other resources of any acquired companies;
•uncertainty related to the value, benefits or legitimacy of intellectual property or technologies acquired;
•retaining and assimilating key personnel and the potential impairment of relationships with our employees;
•incurrence of debt, other liabilities and contingent liabilities, including potentially unknown contingent liabilities; and
•dilutive stock issuances.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
We may not be able to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technologies and drugs, our licensors may not be able to obtain and maintain patent protection for the technology or drugs that we license from them, and the patent protection we or they do obtain may not be sufficient to stop our competitors from using similar technology.
The long-term success of our business depends in significant part on our ability to:
•obtain patents to protect our technologies and discoveries;
•protect trade secrets from disclosure to competitors;
•operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others; and
•prevent others from infringing on our proprietary rights.
The patent positions of pharmaceutical and life science companies, including ours, are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions. The laws, procedures and standards that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and various foreign intellectual property offices use to grant and maintain patents, and the standards that courts use to interpret patents, are not always applied predictably or uniformly and have changed in significant ways and are expected to continue to change. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent or in the same manner as the laws of the U.S. For example, European patent law restricts the patentability of methods of treatment of the human body more than U.S. law does. Consequently, the level of protection, if any, that will be obtained and provided by our patents if we attempt to enforce them, and they are challenged, is uncertain.
Patents may not issue from any of the patent applications that we own or license. If patents do issue, the type and extent of patent claims issued to us may not be sufficient to protect our technology from exploitation by our competitors. Our patents also may not afford us protection against competitors with similar technology. Assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, currently, the first to file a patent application is generally entitled to the patent. Prior to March 16, 2013, in the U.S., patent applications were subject to a “first to invent” rule of law. Applications filed on or after March 16, 2013 (with the exception of certain applications claiming priority to applications filed prior to March 16, 2013, such as continuations and divisionals) are subject to new laws including a “first to file” rule of law. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Additionally, how the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and U.S. courts will interpret the new laws remains significantly uncertain at this time. We cannot be certain that any existing or future application will be subject to the “first to file” or “first to invent” rule of law, that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our existing patents or pending patent applications subject to the prior laws, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions subject to the new laws.
We may not have rights under patents that may cover one or more of our drug candidates. Patents of others may overlap with our own patents regarding one or more of our drug candidates. In some cases, these patents may be owned or controlled by third-party competitors and may prevent or impair our ability to exploit our technology. As a result, we or our current or potential future collaborative partners may be required to obtain licenses under third-party patents to develop and commercialize some of our drug candidates. If we are unable to secure licenses to such patented technology on acceptable terms, we or our collaborative partners may not be able to develop and commercialize the affected drug candidate or candidates.
It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection. Moreover, in some circumstances, we do not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain the patents, covering technology or drugs that we license from third-parties and are reliant on our licensors. For example, while under our collaboration with ImmuNext, we have the right to review and comment on patent filing, prosecution, maintenance and other patent matters, we do not control the patent process until we have exercised our option to obtain an exclusive license. If we do not control the filing, prosecution of certain patent rights, we
cannot be certain that these patents and applications will be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in courts or patent offices in the U.S. and abroad. Such challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and drugs, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and drugs. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing, and regulatory review of new drug candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing drugs similar or identical to ours.
We may become involved in expensive and unpredictable patent litigation or other contentious intellectual property proceedings, which could result in liability for damages or require us to cease our development and commercialization efforts.
There are substantial threats of litigation and other adversarial opposition proceedings regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical and life science industries. We may become a party to patent litigation or other proceedings regarding intellectual property rights.
Situations that may give rise to patent litigation or other disputes over the use of our intellectual property include:
•initiation of litigation or other proceedings against third-parties to enforce our patent rights, to seek to invalidate the patents held by third-parties or to obtain a judgment that our drug candidates do not infringe such third-parties’ patents;
•participation in interference and/or derivation proceedings to determine the priority of invention if our competitors file U.S. patent applications that claim technology also claimed by us;
•initiation of opposition, reexamination, post grant review or inter partes review proceedings by third-parties that seek to limit or eliminate the scope of our patent protection;
•initiation of litigation by third-parties claiming that our processes or drug candidates or the intended use of our drug candidates infringes their patent or other intellectual property rights; and
•initiation of litigation by us or third-parties seeking to enforce contract rights relating to intellectual property that may be important to our business.
Any patent litigation or other proceeding, even if resolved favorably, will likely require us to incur substantial costs and be a distraction to management. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the cost of such litigation or other proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. In addition, our collaborators and licensors may have rights to file and prosecute claims of infringement of certain of our intellectual property, and we are reliant on them. If a patent litigation or other intellectual property proceeding is resolved unfavorably, we or any collaborative partners may be enjoined from manufacturing or selling our future drugs without a license from the other party and be held liable for significant damages. Moreover, we may not be able to obtain required licenses on commercially acceptable terms or any terms at all. In addition, we could be held liable for lost profits if we are found to have infringed a valid patent, or liable for treble damages if we are found to have willfully infringed a valid patent. Litigation results are highly unpredictable, and we or any collaborative partner may not prevail in any patent litigation or other proceeding in which we may become involved. Any changes in, or unexpected interpretations of, the patent laws may adversely affect our ability to enforce our patent position. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could damage our ability to compete in the marketplace.
We face risks relating to the enforcement of our intellectual property rights in China and India that could adversely affect our business.
We have conducted chemical development work through contract research agreements with contract research organizations, or CROs, in China and India. We seek to protect our intellectual property rights under this arrangement through, among other things, non-disclosure and assignment of invention covenants. Enforcement of intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the U.S. or other countries. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we might need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. The experience and capabilities of Chinese courts in handling intellectual property litigation vary, and outcomes are unpredictable. Further, such litigation may require significant expenditure of cash and management efforts and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. An adverse determination in any such litigation will impair our intellectual property rights and may harm our business, prospects and reputation.
In addition, we collaborate with Aurigene, an Indian company, in the development of new therapeutic compounds. Some or all of the intellectual property arising from this collaboration may be developed by Aurigene’s employees, consultants, and third-party contractors, and we have exercised our option right under the collaboration agreement to obtain exclusive licenses to Aurigene’s rights in this intellectual property. Accordingly, our rights depend in part on Aurigene’s contracts with its employees and contractors and Aurigene’s ability to protect its trade secrets and other confidential information in India, both before and after we exercise our option to obtain exclusive license rights on a program-by-program basis. Enforcement of intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in India may not be as effective as in the U.S. or other countries. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we or Aurigene might need to resort to litigation to protect our trade secrets and confidential information. The experience and capabilities of Indian courts in handling intellectual property litigation vary, and outcomes are unpredictable. Further, such litigation may require significant expenditure of cash and management efforts and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. An adverse determination in any such litigation would impair our intellectual property rights and may harm our business, prospects and reputation.
If we are unable to keep our trade secrets confidential, our technology and proprietary information may be used by competitors.
We rely heavily on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect this information through confidentiality and intellectual property license or assignment provisions in agreements with our employees, consultants and other third-party contractors, including our contract research agreements with CROs in China and India, as well as through other security measures. Similarly, our agreements with Genentech, Aurigene and ImmuNext require each collaborator to enter into such agreements with its employees, consultants, and other third-party contractors. The confidentiality and intellectual property provisions of our agreements and security measures may be breached, and we or they may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently developed by competitors.
We have agreements under which we license rights to technology from third-parties, and we could lose license rights to intellectual property that are important to our business under certain circumstances. We are party to agreements that provide us licenses of intellectual property or sharing of rights to intellectual property that is important to our business, and we may enter into additional agreements in the future that provide us licenses to valuable technology. These licenses, including our agreements with Aurigene and ImmuNext, impose, and future licenses may impose, various commercialization, milestone and other obligations on us, including the obligation to terminate our use of licensed subject matter under certain contingencies. If a licensor becomes entitled to, and exercises, termination rights under a license, we would lose valuable rights and could lose our ability to develop our drugs. We may need to license other intellectual property to commercialize future drugs. Our business may suffer if any current or future licenses terminate, if the licensors fail to abide by the terms of the license or fail to prevent infringement by third-parties, if the licensed patents or other rights are found to be invalid, or if we are unable to enter into necessary licenses on acceptable terms. In addition, during the option period under our agreement with ImmuNext, we are obligated to assign to ImmuNext all rights to inventions made by Curis alone or jointly with ImmuNext in conducting clinical and non-clinical activities under the agreement during such period and any related patent rights. In the event we exercise our option under the agreement, such rights would be assigned to Curis, in the case of inventions made by Curis alone, or joint ownership to Curis and ImmuNext, in the case of inventions made jointly by Curis and ImmuNext, upon the option exercise date. In the event we do not exercise our option under the agreement with ImmuNext, we will lose all rights to any inventions made by Curis alone or jointly with ImmuNext in conducting clinical and non-clinical activities under the agreement upon expiration of the option period.
We may be subject to claims that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.
As is common in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, we employ individuals who were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our current and potential competitors. Although no claims against us are currently pending, we may be subject to claims that such employees, or as a result, we, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. 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 be a distraction to management.
RISKS RELATING TO REGULATORY APPROVAL AND MARKETING OF OUR DRUG CANDIDATES AND OTHER LEGAL COMPLIANCE MATTERS
Even if we complete the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials, the marketing approval process is expensive, time consuming and uncertain and may prevent us or any future collaborators from obtaining approvals for the commercialization of some or all of our drug candidates. As a result, we cannot predict when or if, and in which territories, we, or any future collaborators, will obtain marketing approval to commercialize a drug candidate.
The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, selling, marketing, promotion and distribution of drugs are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities. We, and any future collaborators, are not permitted to market our drug candidates in the U.S. or in other countries until we, or they, receive approval of an NDA or a BLA from the FDA or marketing approval from applicable regulatory authorities outside the U.S. Our drug candidates are in various stages of development and are subject to the risks of failure inherent in drug development. We have not submitted an application for or received marketing approval for any of our drug candidates in the U.S. or in any other jurisdiction. We have limited experience in conducting and managing the clinical trials necessary to obtain marketing approvals, including FDA approval of an NDA or a BLA.
The process of obtaining marketing approvals, both in the U.S. and abroad, is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. It may take many years, if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon a variety of factors, including the type, complexity and novelty of the drug candidates involved. Securing marketing approval requires the submission of extensive preclinical and clinical data and supporting information to regulatory authorities for each therapeutic indication to establish the drug candidate’s safety and efficacy. Securing marketing approval also requires the submission of information about the drug manufacturing process to, and inspection of manufacturing facilities by, the regulatory authorities. The FDA or other regulatory authorities may determine that our drug candidates are not safe and effective, only moderately effective or have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that preclude our obtaining marketing approval or prevent or limit commercial use. Moreover, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may fail to approve the companion diagnostics we contemplate developing with partners. Any marketing approval we ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post approval commitments that render the approved drug not commercially viable.
In addition, changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment or promulgation of additional statutes, regulations or guidance or changes in regulatory review for each submitted drug application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. Regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit or prevent marketing approval of a drug candidate. Any marketing approval we, or any future collaborators, ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post approval commitments that render the approved drug not commercially viable.
Any delay in obtaining or failure to obtain required approvals could negatively affect our ability or that of any future collaborator to generate revenue from the particular drug candidate, which likely would result in significant harm to our financial position and adversely impact our stock price.
Failure to obtain marketing approval in foreign jurisdictions would prevent our drug candidates from being marketed abroad. Any approval we are granted for our drug candidates in the U.S. would not assure approval of our drug candidates in foreign jurisdictions.
In order to market and sell our drugs in the European Union and other foreign jurisdictions, we, and any future collaborators, must obtain separate marketing approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval may differ substantially from that required to obtain FDA approval. The marketing approval process outside the U.S. generally includes all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. In addition, in many countries outside the U.S., a drug must be approved for reimbursement before the drug can be approved for sale in that country. We, and any future collaborators, may not obtain approvals from regulatory authorities outside the U.S. on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions, and approval by one regulatory authority outside the U.S. does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions or by the FDA. We may file for marketing approvals but not receive the necessary approvals to commercialize our drugs in any market.
Additionally, on June 23, 2016, the electorate in the United Kingdom voted in favor of leaving the European Union, commonly referred to as Brexit. Following protracted negotiations, the United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, 2020. Under the withdrawal agreement, there is a transitional period until December 31, 2020 (extendable up to two years). Discussions between the United Kingdom and the European Union have so far mainly focused on finalizing withdrawal issues and transition agreements, but have been extremely difficult. To date, only an outline of a trade agreement has been reached. Much remains open but the Prime Minister has indicated that the United Kingdom will not seek to extend the transitional
period beyond the end of 2020. If no trade agreement has been reached before the end of the transitional period, there may be significant market and economic disruption. The Prime Minister has also indicated that the UK will not accept high regulatory alignment with the EU.
Since a significant proportion of the regulatory framework in the United Kingdom is derived from European Union directives and regulations, the referendum could materially impact the regulatory regime with respect to the approval of our product candidates in the United Kingdom or the European Union. Any delay in obtaining, or an inability to obtain, any marketing approvals, as a result of Brexit or otherwise, would prevent us from commercializing our product candidates in the United Kingdom and/or the European Union and restrict our ability to generate revenue and achieve and sustain profitability. If any of these outcomes occur, we may be forced to restrict or delay efforts to seek regulatory approval in the United Kingdom and/or European Union for our product candidates, which could significantly and materially harm our business.
We, or any future collaborators, may not be able to obtain orphan drug designation or orphan drug exclusivity for our drug candidates and, even if we do, that exclusivity may not prevent the FDA or the EMA from approving competing drugs.
Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the U.S. and Europe, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, the FDA may designate a drug 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 annually in the U.S. We, or any future collaborators, may seek orphan drug designations for drug candidates and may be unable to obtain such designations.
Even if we, or any future collaborators, obtain orphan drug designation for a drug candidate, we, or they, may not be able to obtain orphan drug exclusivity for that drug candidate. Generally, a drug with orphan drug designation only becomes entitled to orphan drug exclusivity if it receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, in which case the FDA or the EMA will be precluded from approving another marketing application for the same drug for that indication for the applicable exclusivity period. The applicable exclusivity period is seven years in the U.S. 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.
Even if we, or any future collaborators, obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a drug, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the drug from competition because different drugs can be approved for the same condition and the same drug can be approved for different conditions. 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.
On August 3, 2017, Congress passed the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017, or FDARA. FDARA, among other things, codified the FDA’s pre-existing regulatory interpretation, to require that a drug sponsor demonstrate the clinical superiority of an orphan drug that is otherwise the same as a previously approved drug for the same rare disease in order to receive orphan drug exclusivity. The new legislation reverses prior precedent holding that the Orphan Drug Act unambiguously requires that the FDA recognize the orphan exclusivity period regardless of a showing of clinical superiority. The FDA may further reevaluate the Orphan Drug Act and its regulations and policies. We do not know if, when, or how the FDA may change the orphan drug regulations and policies in the future, and it is uncertain how any changes might affect our business. Depending on what changes the FDA may make to its orphan drug regulations and policies, our business could be adversely impacted.
Even if we, or any future collaborators, obtain marketing approvals for our drug candidates, the terms of approvals and ongoing regulation of our drugs may limit how we manufacture and market our drugs, which could impair our ability to generate revenue.
Once marketing approval has been granted, an approved drug and its manufacturer and marketer are subject to ongoing review and extensive regulation. We, and any future collaborators, must therefore comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotion for any of our drug candidates for which we or they obtain marketing approval. Promotional communications with respect to prescription drugs are subject to a variety of legal and regulatory restrictions and must be consistent with the information in the drug’s approved labeling. Thus, we and any future collaborators will not be able to promote any drugs we develop for indications or uses for which they are not approved.
In addition, manufacturers of approved drugs and those manufacturers’ facilities are required to comply with extensive FDA requirements, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMPs, which include requirements relating to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation and reporting requirements. We, our contract manufacturers, any future collaborators and their contract
manufacturers could be subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA to monitor and ensure compliance with cGMPs.
Accordingly, assuming we, or any future collaborators, receive marketing approval for one or more of our drug candidates, we, and any future collaborators, and our and their contract manufacturers will continue to expend time, money and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production, drug surveillance and quality control.
If we, and any future collaborators, are not able to comply with post approval regulatory requirements, we, and any future collaborators, could have the marketing approvals for our drugs withdrawn by regulatory authorities and our, or any future collaborators’, ability to market any future drugs could be limited, which could adversely affect our ability to achieve or sustain profitability. Further, the cost of compliance with post approval regulations may have a negative effect on our operating results and financial condition.
Any of our drug candidates for which we, or any future collaborators, obtain marketing approval in the future could be subject to post marketing restrictions or withdrawal from the market and we, or any future collaborators, may be subject to substantial penalties if we, or they, fail to comply with regulatory requirements or if we, or they, experience unanticipated problems with our drugs following approval.
Any of our drug candidates for which we, or any future collaborators, obtain marketing approval, as well as the manufacturing processes, post approval studies and measures, labeling, advertising and promotional activities for such drug, among other things, will be subject to ongoing requirements of and review by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post marketing information and reports, registration and listing requirements, requirements relating to manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance and corresponding maintenance of records and documents, requirements regarding the distribution of samples to physicians and recordkeeping. Even if marketing approval of a drug candidate is granted, the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the drug may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, including the requirement to implement an FDA-sanctioned Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy.
The FDA may also impose requirements for costly post marketing studies or clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of a drug. The FDA and other agencies, including the Department of Justice, closely regulate and monitor the post approval marketing and promotion of drugs to ensure that they are manufactured, marketed and distributed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved labeling. The FDA imposes stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off label use and if we, or any future collaborators, do not market any of our drug candidates for which we, or they, receive marketing approval for only their approved indications, we, or they, may be subject to warnings or enforcement action for off label marketing. Violation of the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other statutes, including the False Claims Act, relating to the promotion and advertising of prescription drugs may lead to investigations or allegations of violations of federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws and state consumer protection laws.
In addition, later discovery of previously unknown adverse events or other problems with our drugs or their manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may yield various results, including:
•restrictions on such drugs, manufacturers or manufacturing processes;
•restrictions on the labeling or marketing of a drug;
•restrictions on drug distribution or use;
•requirements to conduct post marketing studies or clinical trials;
•warning letters or untitled letters;
•withdrawal of the drugs from the market;
•refusal to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications that we submit;
•recall of drugs;
•restrictions on coverage by third-party payors;
•fines, restitution or disgorgement of profits or revenues;
•suspension or withdrawal of marketing approvals;
•refusal to permit the import or export of drugs;
•drug seizure; or
•injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
We may seek a Breakthrough Therapy designation for one or more of our drug candidates, but we might not receive such designation, and even if we do, such designation may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process.
We may seek a Breakthrough Therapy designation for one or more of our drug candidates. A Breakthrough Therapy is defined as a drug that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. For drug candidates that have been designated Breakthrough Therapies, interaction and communication between the FDA and the sponsor of the trial can help to identify the most efficient path for clinical development while minimizing the number of patients placed in ineffective control regimens. Drugs designated Breakthrough Therapies by the FDA may also be eligible for priority review if supported by clinical data at the time the NDA is submitted to the FDA.
Designation as a Breakthrough Therapy is within the discretion of the FDA. Accordingly, even if we believe that one of our drug candidates meets the criteria for designation as a Breakthrough Therapy, the FDA may disagree and instead determine not to make such designation. Even if we receive Breakthrough Therapy designation, the receipt of such designation for a drug candidate may not result in a faster development or regulatory review or approval process compared to drugs considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures and does not assure ultimate approval by the FDA. In addition, even if one or more of our drug candidates qualify as Breakthrough Therapies, the FDA may later decide that the drug candidates no longer meet the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.
Receipt of Fast Track designation for one or more of our drug candidates, such as fimepinostat, may not actually lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process.
If a drug is intended for the treatment of a serious condition and nonclinical or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical need for this condition, a drug sponsor may apply for FDA Fast Track designation. We have received Fast Track designation for the development of fimepinostat in adult patients with relapsed or refractory, or R/R, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, or DLBCL, after two or more lines of systemic therapy. However, Fast Track designation does not ensure that we will receive marketing approval or that approval will be granted within any particular timeframe for fimepinostat or any other product candidate that may receive Fast Track designation. We may not experience a faster development or regulatory review or approval process with Fast Track designation compared to conventional FDA procedures. The FDA may withdraw Fast Track designation for fimepinostat or any other product candidate that may receive Fast Track designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Fast Track designation alone for fimepinostat or any other product candidate does not guarantee qualification for the FDA’s priority review procedures.
Under the CURES Act and the Trump Administration’s regulatory reform initiatives, the FDA’s policies, regulations and guidance may be revised or revoked and that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates, which would impact our ability to generate revenue.
In December 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act, or Cures Act, was signed into law. The Cures Act, among other things, is intended to modernize the regulation of drugs and spur innovation, but its ultimate implementation is unclear. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
We also cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the U.S. or abroad. For example, certain policies of the Trump Administration may impact our business and industry. Namely, the Trump Administration has taken several executive actions, including the issuance of a number of Executive Orders, that could impose significant burdens on, or otherwise materially delay, the FDA’s ability to engage in routine regulatory and oversight activities such as implementing statutes through rulemaking, issuance of guidance, and review and approval of marketing applications. An under-staffed FDA could result in delays in the FDA’s responsiveness or in its ability to review submissions or applications, issue regulations or guidance, or implement or enforce regulatory requirements in a timely fashion or at all. Moreover, on January 30, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order, applicable to all executive agencies, including the FDA, which requires that for each notice of proposed rulemaking or final regulation to be issued in fiscal year 2017, the agency shall identify at least two existing regulations to be repealed, unless prohibited by law. These requirements are referred to as the “two-for-one” provisions. This Executive Order includes a budget neutrality provision that requires the total incremental cost of all new regulations in the 2017 fiscal year, including repealed regulations, to be no greater than zero, except in limited circumstances. For fiscal years 2018 and beyond, the Executive Order requires agencies to identify regulations to offset any incremental cost of a new regulation and approximate the total costs or savings associated with each new regulation or repealed regulation. In interim guidance issued by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget on February 2, 2017, the administration indicates that the
“two-for-one” provisions may apply not only to agency regulations, but also to significant agency guidance documents. In addition, on February 24, 2017, President Trump issued an executive order directing each affected agency to designate an agency official as a “Regulatory Reform Officer” and establish a “Regulatory Reform Task Force” to implement the two-for-one provisions and other previously issued executive orders relating to the review of federal regulations. However, it is difficult to predict how these requirements will be implemented, and the extent to which they will impact the FDA’s ability to exercise its regulatory authority. If these executive actions impose constraints on the FDA’s ability to engage in oversight and implementation activities in the normal course, our business may be negatively impacted.
Inadequate funding for the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.
The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and statutory, regulatory, and policy changes. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of the SEC and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.
Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, over the last several years, including the 35-day period between December 22, 2018 and January 25, 2019, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and the SEC, have had to furlough critical FDA, SEC and other government employees and stop critical activities. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs again, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, in our operations as a public company, future government shutdowns could impact our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations.
Current and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us and any future collaborators to obtain marketing approval and commercialize our drug candidates and affect the prices we, or they, may obtain.
In the U.S. and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could, among other things, prevent or delay marketing approval of our drug candidates, restrict or regulate post approval activities and affect our ability, or the ability of any future collaborators, to profitably sell any drugs for which we, or they, obtain marketing approval. We expect that current laws, as well as other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we, or any future collaborators, may receive for any approved drugs.
Among the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, of potential importance to our business and our drug candidates are the following:
•an annual, non-deductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports specified branded prescription drugs and biologic agents;
•an increase in the statutory minimum rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program;
•expansion of healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including the civil False Claims Act and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, new government investigative powers and enhanced penalties for noncompliance;
•a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must agree to offer 50% point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for a manufacturer’s outpatient drugs to be covered under Medicare Part D;
•extension of manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability;
•expansion of eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs;
•expansion of the entities eligible for discounts under the Public Health Service pharmaceutical pricing program;
•new requirements to report certain financial arrangements with physicians and teaching hospitals;
•a new requirement to annually report drug samples that manufacturers and distributors provide to physicians; and
•a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities in, and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for such research.
Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted. These changes include the Budget Control Act of 2011, which, among other things, led to aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2% per fiscal year that started in 2013 and will stay in effect through 2024 unless additional Congressional action is taken, and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years. These new laws may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding and otherwise affect the prices we may obtain for any of our product candidates for which we may obtain regulatory approval or the frequency with which any such product candidate is prescribed or used. Further, there have been several recent U.S. congressional inquiries and proposed state and federal legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, reduce the costs of drugs under Medicare and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products.
We will continue to evaluate the effect that the ACA and its possible repeal and replacement could have on our business. It is possible that repeal and replacement initiatives, if enacted into law, could ultimately result in fewer individuals having health insurance coverage or in individuals having insurance coverage with less generous benefits. While the timing and scope of any potential future legislation to repeal and replace ACA provisions is uncertain in many respects, it is also possible that some of the ACA provisions that generally are not favorable for the research based pharmaceutical industry could also be repealed along with ACA coverage expansion provisions. Accordingly, such reforms, if enacted, could have an adverse effect on anticipated revenue from product candidates that we may successfully develop and for which we may obtain marketing approval and may affect our overall financial condition and ability to develop commercialize product candidates.
Since enactment of the ACA, there have been numerous legal challenges and Congressional actions to repeal and replace provisions of the law. For example, with enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which was signed by the President on December 22, 2017, Congress repealed the “individual mandate.” The repeal of this provision, which requires most Americans to carry a minimal level of health insurance, became effective in 2019. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the repeal of the individual mandate will cause 13 million fewer Americans to be insured in 2027 and premiums in insurance markets may rise. The Trump Administration has also taken executive actions to undermine or delay implementation of the ACA. Since January 2017, President Trump has signed two Executive Orders designed to delay the implementation of certain provisions of the ACA or otherwise circumvent some of the requirements for health insurance mandated by the ACA. One Executive Order directs federal agencies with authorities and responsibilities under the ACA to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision of the ACA that would impose a fiscal or regulatory burden on states, individuals, healthcare providers, health insurers, or manufacturers of pharmaceuticals or medical devices. The second Executive Order terminates the cost-sharing subsidies that reimburse insurers under the ACA. Several state Attorneys General filed suit to stop the administration from terminating the subsidies, but their request for a restraining order was denied by a federal judge in California on October 25, 2017. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, has recently proposed regulations that would give states greater flexibility in setting benchmarks for insurers in the individual and small group marketplaces, which may have the effect of relaxing the essential health benefits required under the ACA for plans sold through such marketplaces. Further, on June 14, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the federal government was not required to pay more than $12 billion in ACA risk corridor payments to third-party payors who argued were owed to them. This decision is under review by the U.S. Supreme Court during its current term. The full effects of this gap in reimbursement on third-party payors, the viability of the ACA marketplace, providers, and potentially our business, are not yet known.
In addition, CMS has proposed regulations that would give states greater flexibility in setting benchmarks for insurers in the individual and small group marketplaces, which may have the effect of relaxing the essential health benefits required under the ACA for plans sold through such marketplaces. On November 30, 2018, CMS announced a proposed rule that would amend the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit regulations to reduce out of pocket costs for plan enrollees and allow Medicare plans to negotiate lower rates for certain drugs. Among other things, the proposed rule changes would allow Medicare Advantage plans to use pre authorization, or PA, and step therapy, or ST, for six protected classes of drugs, with certain exceptions, permit plans to implement PA and ST in Medicare Part B drugs; and change the definition of “negotiated prices” while a definition of “price concession” in the regulations. It is unclear whether these proposed changes we be accepted, and if so, what effect such changes will have on our business. Litigation and legislation over the ACA are likely to continue, with unpredictable and uncertain results.
Further, on December 14, 2018, a U.S. District Court judge in the Northern District of Texas ruled that the individual mandate portion of the ACA is an essential and inseverable feature of the ACA, and therefore because the mandate was repealed as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. The current administration and CMS have both stated that the ruling will have no immediate effect, and on December 30, 2018 the same judge issued an order staying the judgment pending appeal. The current Administration has recently represented to the court of appeals considering this judgment that it does not oppose the lower court’s ruling. On July 10, 2019, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral argument in this case. In those arguments, the current administration argued in support of upholding
the lower court decision. However, in a subsequent filing, the U.S. Department of Justice contended that the ACA should be invalidated only in the states that are suing, rather than all states. On December 18, 2019, that court affirmed the lower court’s ruling that the individual mandate portion of the ACA is unconstitutional and it remanded the case to the district court for reconsideration of the severability question and additional analysis of the provisions of the ACA. On January 21, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the decision of the Court of Appeals on an expedited basis. On March 3, 2020, that court did
agree to hear this case. Litigation and legislation over the ACA are likely to continue, with unpredictable and uncertain results.
The costs of prescription pharmaceuticals in the U.S. has also been the subject of considerable discussion in the U.S., and members of Congress and the Administration have stated that they will address such costs through new legislative and administrative measures. The pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is also subject to governmental control outside the U.S. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after the receipt of marketing approval for a product. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of our product candidates to other available therapies. If reimbursement of our products is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our ability to generate revenues and become profitable could be impaired. In the European Union, similar political, economic and regulatory developments may affect our ability to profitably commercialize our products. In addition to continuing pressure on prices and cost containment measures, legislative developments at the European Union or member state level may result in significant additional requirements or obstacles that may increase our operating costs.
Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. congressional inquiries and proposed federal and proposed and enacted state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, reduce the costs of drugs under Medicare and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. At the federal level, Congress and the Trump administration have each indicated that it will continue to seek new legislative and/or administrative measures to control drug costs. For example, on May 11, 2018, the Administration issued a plan to lower drug prices. Under this blueprint for action, the Administration indicated that the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS will: take steps to end the gaming of regulatory and patent processes by drug makers to unfairly protect monopolies; advance biosimilars and generics to boost price competition; evaluate the inclusion of prices in drug makers’ ads to enhance price competition; speed access to and lower the cost of new drugs by clarifying policies for sharing information between insurers and drug makers; avoid excessive pricing by relying more on value based pricing by expanding outcome based payments in Medicare and Medicaid; work to give Part D plan sponsors more negotiation power with drug makers; examine which Medicare Part B drugs could be negotiated for a lower price by Part D plans, and improving the design of the Part B Competitive Acquisition Program; update Medicare’s drug-pricing dashboard to increase transparency; prohibit Part D contracts that include “gag rules” that prevent pharmacists from informing patients when they could pay less out-of-pocket by not using insurance; and require that Part D plan members be provided with an annual statement of plan payments, out-of-pocket spending, and drug price increases. In addition, on December 23, 2019, the Trump Administration published a proposed rulemaking that, if finalized, would allow states or certain other non-federal government entities to submit importation program proposals FDA for review and approval. Applicants would be required to demonstrate their importation plans pose no additional risk to public health and safety and will result in significant cost savings for consumers. At the same time, FDA issued draft guidance that would allow manufacturers to import their own FDA-approved drugs that are authorized for sale in other countries (multimarket approved products).
At the state level, individual states are increasingly aggressive in passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. In addition, regional health care authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other health care programs. These measures could reduce the ultimate demand for our products, once approved, or put pressure on our product pricing. We expect that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our product candidates or additional pricing pressures.
Moreover, legislative and regulatory proposals have also been made to expand post approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for pharmaceutical drugs. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether the FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing approvals of our drug candidates, if any, may be. In addition, increased scrutiny by the U.S. Congress of the FDA’s approval process may significantly delay or prevent marketing approval, as well as subject us and any future collaborators to more stringent drug labeling and post marketing testing and other requirements.
Governments outside the U.S. tend to impose strict price controls, which may adversely affect our revenues, if any.
In some countries, such as the countries of the European Union, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after the receipt of marketing approval for a drug. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we, or any future collaborators, may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of our drug to other available therapies. If reimbursement of our drugs is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our business could be harmed.
We may be subject to certain healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, curtailment or restricting of our operations, and diminished profits and future earnings.
Healthcare providers, third-party payors and others will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any drugs for which we obtain marketing approval. Our future arrangements with healthcare providers and third-party payors will expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we market, sell and distribute any drugs for which we obtain marketing approval. Potentially applicable U.S. federal and state healthcare laws and regulations include the following:
Anti-Kickback Statute. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service, for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid;
False Claims Laws. The federal false claims laws, including the civil False Claims Act, impose criminal and civil penalties, including those from civil whistleblower or qui tam actions against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented to the federal government claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government;
HIPAA. The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPPA, imposes criminal and civil liability for executing or attempting to execute a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program;
HIPAA and HITECH. HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH Act, also imposes obligations on certain types of individuals and entities, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information;
False Statements Statute. The federal false statements statute prohibits knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services;
Transparency Requirements. The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics, and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to report annually to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services information related to physician payments and other transfers of value and physician ownership and investment interests; and
Analogous State and Foreign Laws. Analogous state laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, and transparency laws, may apply to sales or marketing arrangements, and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers, and some state laws require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government, in addition to requiring drug manufacturers to report information related to payments to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures. Many state laws also govern the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts. Foreign laws also govern the privacy and security of health information in many circumstances.
Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third-parties, and our business generally, will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion of drugs from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, disgorgement, contractual damages, and reputational harm, any of which could substantially disrupt our operations. If any of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we expect to do business is found not to be in
compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs.
The provision of benefits or advantages to physicians to induce or encourage the prescription, recommendation, endorsement, purchase, supply, order or use of medicinal products is also prohibited in the European Union. The provision of benefits or advantages to physicians is governed by the national anti-bribery laws of European Union Member States, such as the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, or Bribery Act. Infringement of these laws could result in substantial fines and imprisonment.
Payments made to physicians in certain European Union Member States must be publicly disclosed. Moreover, agreements with physicians often must be the subject of prior notification and approval by the physician’s employer, his or her competent professional organization and/or the regulatory authorities of the individual European Union Member States. These requirements are provided in the national laws, industry codes or professional codes of conduct, applicable in the European Union Member States. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in reputational risk, public reprimands, administrative penalties, fines or imprisonment.
Compliance with global privacy and data security requirements could result in additional costs and liabilities to us or inhibit our ability to collect and process data globally, and the failure to comply with such requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
The regulatory framework for the collection, use, safeguarding, sharing, transfer and other processing of information worldwide is rapidly evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. Globally, virtually every jurisdiction in which we operate has established its own data security and privacy frameworks with which we must comply. For example, the collection, use, disclosure, transfer, or other processing of personal data regarding individuals in the EU, including personal health data, is subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which became effective on May 25, 2018. The GDPR is wide-ranging in scope and imposes numerous requirements on companies that process personal data, including requirements relating to processing health and other sensitive data, obtaining consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, providing information to individuals regarding data processing activities, implementing safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of personal data, providing notification of data breaches, and taking certain measures when engaging third-party processors. The GDPR also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data to countries outside the EU, including the U.S., and permits data protection authorities to impose large penalties for violations of the GDPR, including potential fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global revenues, whichever is greater. The GDPR also confers a private right of action on data subjects and consumer associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies, and obtain compensation for damages resulting from violations of the GDPR.
Similar actions are either in place or under way in the United States. There are a broad variety of data protection laws that are applicable to our activities, and a wide range of enforcement agencies at both the state and federal levels that can review companies for privacy and data security concerns based on general consumer protection laws. The Federal Trade Commission and state Attorneys General all are aggressive in reviewing privacy and data security protections for consumers. New laws also are being considered at both the state and federal levels. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act—which went into effect on January 1, 2020—is creating similar risks and obligations as those created by GDPR, though the California Consumer Privacy Act does exempt certain information collected as part of a clinical trial subject to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (the Common Rule). Many other states are considering similar legislation. A broad range of legislative measures also have been introduced at the federal level. Accordingly, failure to comply with federal and state laws (both those currently in effect and future legislation) regarding privacy and security of personal information could expose us to fines and penalties under such laws. There also is the threat of consumer class actions related to these laws and the overall protection of personal data. Even if we are not determined to have violated these laws, government investigations into these issues typically require the expenditure of significant resources and generate negative publicity, which could harm our reputation and our business.
Given the breadth and depth of changes in data protection obligations, preparing for and complying with such requirements has required and will continue to require significant time, resources and a review of our technologies, systems and practices, as well as those of any third-party collaborators, service providers, contractors or consultants that process or transfer personal data collected in the European Union. The GDPR and other changes in laws or regulations associated with the enhanced protection of certain types of sensitive data, such as healthcare data or other personal information from our clinical trials, could require us to change our business practices or lead to government enforcement actions, private litigation or significant penalties against us and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws with respect to our operations and non-compliance with such laws can subject us to criminal and/or civil liability and harm our business.
We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or FCPA, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, and possibly other state and national anti-bribery
and anti-money laundering laws in countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, agents, third-party intermediaries, joint venture partners and collaborators from authorizing, promising, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or benefits to recipients in the public or private sector. We may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or government-affiliated hospitals, universities, and other organizations. In addition, we may engage third-party intermediaries to promote our clinical research activities abroad and/or to obtain necessary permits, licenses, and other regulatory approvals. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of these third-party intermediaries, our employees, representatives, contractors, partners, and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities.
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics mandates compliance with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws applicable to our business throughout the world. However, we cannot assure you that our employees and third-party intermediaries will comply with this code or such anti-corruption laws. Noncompliance with anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws could subject us to whistleblower complaints, investigations, sanctions, settlements, prosecution, other enforcement actions, disgorgement of profits, significant fines, damages, other civil and criminal penalties or injunctions, suspension and/or debarment from contracting with certain persons, the loss of export privileges, reputational harm, adverse media coverage, and other collateral consequences. If any subpoenas, investigations, or other enforcement actions are launched, or governmental or other sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially harmed. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a materially significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and significant defense and compliance costs and other professional fees. In certain cases, enforcement authorities may even cause us to appoint an independent compliance monitor which can result in added costs and administrative burdens.
We are subject to governmental export and import controls that could impair our ability to compete in international markets due to licensing requirements and subject us to liability if we are not in compliance with applicable laws.
Our drug products and other materials are subject to export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, and various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls. Exports of our drugs and solutions outside of the U.S. must be made in compliance with these laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we and certain of our employees could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of export or import privileges, fines, which may be imposed on us and responsible employees or managers, and, in extreme cases, the incarceration of responsible employees or managers.
In addition, changes in our drugs or solutions or changes in applicable export or import laws and regulations may create delays in the introduction, provision, or sale of our drugs and solutions in international markets, prevent customers from using our drugs and solutions or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our drugs and solutions to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any limitation on our ability to export, provide, or sell our drugs and solutions could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could harm our business.
We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. From time to time and in the future, our operations may involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials, and may also produce hazardous waste products. Even if we contract with third-parties for the disposal of these materials and waste products, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from the use or disposal of our hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for failure to comply with such laws and regulations.
We maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous materials, but this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. However, we do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us.
In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Current or future environmental laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. In addition, failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.
Unfavorable global economic conditions could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our results of operations could be adversely affected by general conditions in the global economy and in the global financial markets. The most recent global financial crisis caused extreme volatility and disruptions in the capital and credit markets, and the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the global economy, increased economic uncertainty, caused volatility and disruptions in financial markets, and could lead to a global recession. A severe or prolonged economic downturn, such as the most recent global financial crisis, could result in a variety of risks to our business, including weakened demand for our drug candidates and our ability to raise additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all. This is particularly true in the European Union, which is undergoing a continued severe economic crisis. A weak or declining global economy could strain our suppliers, possibly resulting in supply disruption, or cause delays in payments for our services by third-party payors or our collaborators. Any of the foregoing could harm our business and we cannot anticipate all of the ways in which the current economic climate and financial market conditions could adversely impact our business.
Our internal computer systems and information technology, or those of our collaborators or other contractors or consultants, may fail, suffer interruptions or suffer security breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our drug development programs and harm to our business.
Our internal computer systems and those of our current and any future collaborators and other contractors or consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures.
In addition, we, and our collaborators, contractors or consultants, rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store clinical trial data and other electronic information, and manage or support a variety of business processes, including operational and financial transactions and records, personal identifying information, payroll data and workforce scheduling information. We purchase some of our information technology from vendors, on whom our systems depend. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for the processing, transmission and storage of company and customer information. Although we have taken steps to protect the security of our information systems and the data maintained in those systems, no such measures can eliminate the possibility of the systems' improper functioning or the improper access or disclosure of confidential or personally identifiable information such as in the event of cyber-attacks. Security breaches, whether through physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, ransomware, impersonation of authorized users, attacks by hackers or other means, can create system disruptions or shutdowns or the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees, collaborators, or other contractors or consultants to disclose sensitive information or take other actions, including making fraudulent payments or downloading malware, by using “spoofing” and “phishing” emails or other types of attacks. Our employees may be targeted by such fraudulent activities. Outside parties may also subject us to distributed denial of services attacks or introduce viruses or other malware through “trojan horse” programs to our users’ computers in order to gain access to our systems and the data stored therein. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and continuously become more sophisticated, often are not recognized until launched against a target and may be difficult to detect for a long time, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventive or detective measures.
If company, clinical, personal or otherwise protected information is improperly accessed, tampered with or distributed, we may face significant financial exposure, including incurring significant costs to remediate possible injury to the affected parties. We may also be subject to sanctions and civil or criminal penalties if we are found to be in violation of the privacy or security rules under federal, state, or international laws protecting confidential information. While we have not experienced any such material system failure, accident, service interruption or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a disruption of our development programs and our business operations, whether due to a loss of our trade secrets or other proprietary information or other similar disruptions. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. Any failure to maintain proper functionality and security of our internal computer and information systems could result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, interrupt our operations, damage our reputation, subject us to liability, claims or regulatory penalties, harm our competitive position and delay the further development and commercialization of our drug candidates.
Our employees may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could cause significant liability for us and harm our reputation.
We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct, including intentional failures to comply with FDA regulations or similar regulations of comparable foreign regulatory authorities, provide accurate information to the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, comply with manufacturing standards we have established, comply with federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations and similar laws and regulations established and enforced by comparable
foreign regulatory authorities, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us. Employee misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. It is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws, standards or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business and results of operations, including the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR COMMON STOCK
If we fail to meet the requirements for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, our common stock could be delisted from trading, which would decrease the liquidity of our common stock and our ability to raise additional capital.
Our common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Global Market. We are required to meet specified requirements to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, including a minimum market value of listed securities of $50.0 million, a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share for our common stock, and other continued listing requirements.
In the past we have, from time to time, received deficiency letters from Nasdaq as a consequence of our failure to satisfy such requirements.
On April 13, 2020, we received a deficiency letter from Listing Qualifications Department, or the Staff of the Nasdaq Stock Market, or Nasdaq notifying us that our Market Value of Listed Securities, or MVLS, had closed for the last 30 consecutive business days below the minimum $50.0 million requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(2)(A), or the Minimum MVLS Requirement. The Staff also noted in its letter that we are not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(3)(A), which requires listed companies to have total assets and total revenue of at least $50.0 million each for the most recently completed fiscal year or for two of the three most recently completed fiscal years.
In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(C), we have 180 calendar days from our receipt of the deficiency letter to regain compliance with the Minimum MVLS Requirement, or the MVLS Compliance Period. The expiration of the MVLS Compliance Period is October 12, 2020, or the MVLS Compliance Expiration Date. In order to regain compliance, our MVLS must close at $50.0 million or more for a minimum of ten consecutive business days during the MVLS Compliance Period. In its letter, the Staff advised us that if at any time during the MVLS Compliance Period our MVLS closes at $50.0 million or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, the Staff will provide written confirmation of compliance and this matter will be closed. In the event we fail to regain compliance prior to the MVLS Compliance Expiration Date, we will receive written notification that our securities are subject to delisting from the Nasdaq Global Market, or a Delisting Notice. At that time, we may appeal the Staff’s delisting determination to a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel, or the Panel. We expect that our stock would remain listed pending the Panel’s decision. However, there can be no assurance that, if we do appeal the delisting determination by the Staff to the Panel, that such appeal would be successful.
In addition, on April 24, 2020, we received a deficiency letter from the Staff of Nasdaq notifying us that, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the bid price for our common stock had closed below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement for continued inclusion on the Nasdaq Global Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1), or the Bid Price Rule. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), or the Compliance Period Rule, we have been provided an initial period of 180 calendar days to regain compliance. However, given the extraordinary market conditions in the financial markets, Nasdaq has determined to toll the compliance period for the bid price requirement through June 30, 2020. The compliance period is scheduled to resume on July 1, 2020 and we will have 180 calendar days, or until December 28, 2020, or the Compliance Date, to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule. If, at any time before the Compliance Date, the bid price for our common stock closes at $1.00 or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days as required under the Compliance Period Rule, the Staff will provide written notification to us that we comply with the Bid Price Rule, unless the Staff exercises its discretion to extend this 10 day period pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(G).
Although we have been able to regain compliance with the listing requirements within the manner and time periods prescribed by Nasdaq in the past, there can be no assurance that, we will be able to regain compliance with respect to the current deficiencies or that we will be able to maintain or regain compliance with the Nasdaq continued listing requirements in the future. If we fail to satisfy the Nasdaq Global Market’s continued listing requirements, we may transfer to the Nasdaq Capital Market, which generally has lower financial requirements for initial listing, to avoid delisting, or, if we fail to meet its listing requirements, the OTC Bulletin Board. However, we may not be able to satisfy the initial listing requirements for the Nasdaq Capital Market. A transfer of our listing to the Nasdaq Capital Market or having our common stock trade on the OTC Bulletin Board could adversely affect the liquidity of our common stock. Any such event could make it more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate quotations for the price of, our common stock, and there also would likely be a reduction in our
coverage by securities analysts and the news media, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline further. We may also face other material adverse consequences in such event, such as negative publicity, a decreased ability to obtain additional financing, diminished investor and/or employee confidence, and the loss of business development opportunities, some or all of which may contribute to a further decline in our stock price.
Our stock price may fluctuate significantly and the market price of our common stock could drop below the price paid by our investors.
The trading price of our common stock has been volatile and is likely to continue to be volatile in the future. For example, our stock traded within a range of a high price of $18.75 and a low price of $0.60 per share for the period January 1, 2015 through April 28, 2020. The stock market, particularly in recent years, has experienced significant volatility with respect to pharmaceutical and biotechnology company stocks. Prices for our stock will be determined in the marketplace and may be influenced by many factors, including:
•the timing and result of clinical trials of our drug candidates;
•the success of, and announcements regarding, existing and new technologies and/or drug candidates by us or our competitors;
•regulatory actions with respect to our product candidates or our competitors’ products and product candidates;
•market conditions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors;
•rumors relating to us or our collaborators or competitors;
•commencement or termination of collaborations for our development programs;
•litigation or public concern about the safety of our drug candidates;
•actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results and any subsequent restatement of such results;
•the amount and timing of any royalty revenue we receive from Genentech related to Erivedge;
•actual or anticipated changes to our research and development plans;
•deviations in our operating results from the estimates of securities analysts;
•entering into new collaboration agreements or termination of existing collaboration agreements;
•adverse results or delays in clinical trials being conducted by us or any collaborators;
•any intellectual property disputes or other lawsuits involving us;
•third-party sales of large blocks of our common stock;
•sales of our common stock by our executive officers, directors or significant stockholders;
•equity sales by us of our common stock to fund our operations;
•the loss of any of our key scientific or management personnel;
•FDA or international regulatory actions;
•limited trading volume in our common stock;
•general economic and market conditions, including adverse changes in the domestic and international financial markets, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
•the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.
While we cannot predict the individual effect that these factors may have on the price of our common stock, these factors, either individually or in the aggregate, could result in significant variations in price during any given period of time.
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources.
We and our collaborators may not achieve projected research, development, commercialization and marketing goals in the time frames that we or they announce, which could have an adverse impact on our business and could cause our stock price to decline.
We set goals for, and make public statements regarding, the timing of certain accomplishments, such as the commencement and completion of preclinical studies, and clinical trials, and other developments and milestones relating to our business and our collaboration agreements. Our collaborators may also make public statements regarding their goals and
expectations for their collaborations with us. The actual timing of any such events can vary dramatically due to a number of factors including delays or failures in our and our current and potential future collaborators’ preclinical studies or clinical trials, the amount of time, effort and resources committed to our programs by all parties, and the inherent uncertainties in the regulatory approval and commercialization process. As a result:
•our or our collaborators’ preclinical studies and clinical trials may not advance or be completed in the time frames we or they announce or expect;
•we or our collaborators may not make regulatory submissions, receive regulatory approvals or commercialize approved drugs as predicted; and
•we or our collaborators may not be able to adhere to our or their current schedule for the achievement of key milestones under any programs.
If we or any collaborators fail to achieve research, development and commercialization goals as planned, our business could be materially adversely affected and the price of our common stock could decline.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
Under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, if a company undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in its equity ownership by certain stockholders over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes (such as research tax credits) to offset its post-change taxable income or taxes may be limited. Changes in our stock ownership, some such changes being out of our control, may have resulted or could in the future result in an ownership change. If such an ownership change occurred or occurs in the future, utilization of a portion of our net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards could be limited in future periods and a portion of the carryforwards could expire before being available to reduce future income tax liabilities.
There is also a risk that due to regulatory changes, such as suspensions on the use of net operation losses, or other unforeseen reasons, our existing net operating losses could expire or otherwise become unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities. As described below in “Changes in tax laws or in their implementation or interpretation may adversely affect our business and financial condition,” the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the TCJA, as amended by CARES Act, includes changes to U.S. federal tax rates and the rules governing net operating loss carryforwards that may significantly impact our ability to utilize our net operating losses to offset taxable income in the future. In addition, state net operating losses generated in one state cannot be used to offset income generated in another state. For these reasons, even if we attain profitability, we may be unable to use a material portion of our net operating losses and other tax attributes.
Our effective tax rate may fluctuate, and we may incur obligations in tax jurisdictions in excess of accrued amounts.
We are subject to taxation in numerous U.S. states and territories. As a result, our effective tax rate is derived from a combination of applicable tax rates in the various places that we operate. In preparing our financial statements, we estimate the amount of tax that will become payable in each of such places. Nevertheless, our effective tax rate may be different than experienced in the past due to numerous factors, including as a result of applying the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, (as such provisions may be elaborated on or further developed in guidance, regulations and technical corrections pertaining to the TCJA), changes in the mix of our profitability from state to state, the results of examinations and audits of our tax filings, our inability to secure or sustain acceptable agreements with tax authorities, changes in accounting for income taxes and changes in tax laws. Any of these factors could cause us to experience an effective tax rate significantly different from previous periods or our current expectations and may result in tax obligations in excess of amounts accrued in our financial statements.
Changes in tax laws or in their implementation or interpretation may adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Recent changes in tax law may adversely affect our business or financial condition. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted the TCJA, which significantly reformed the Code. The TCJA, among other things, contained significant changes to corporate taxation, including a reduction of the corporate tax rate from a top marginal rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21%, the limitation of the tax deduction for net interest expense to 30% of adjusted taxable income (except for certain small businesses), the limitation of the deduction for net operating losses arising in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 to 80% of current year taxable income and elimination of net operating loss carrybacks for losses arising in taxable years ending after December 31, 2017 (though any such net operating losses may be carried forward indefinitely), the imposition of a one-time taxation of offshore earnings at reduced rates regardless of whether they are repatriated, the elimination of U.S. tax on foreign earnings (subject to certain important exceptions), the allowance of immediate deductions for certain new investments instead of deductions for depreciation expense over time, and the modification or repeal of many business deductions and credits.
As part of Congress’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, or FFCR Act, was enacted on March 18, 2020, and the CARES Act was enacted on March 27, 2020. Both contain numerous tax provisions. In particular, the CARES Act retroactively and temporarily (for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2021) suspends application of the 80%-of-income limitation on the use of net operating losses, which was enacted as part of the TCJA. It also provides that net operating losses arising in any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2021 are generally eligible to be carried back up to five years. The CARES Act also temporarily (for taxable years beginning in 2019 or 2020) relaxes the limitation of the tax deductibility for net interest expense by increasing the limitation from 30 to 50% of adjusted taxable income.
Regulatory guidance under the TCJA, the FFCR Act and the CARES Act is and continues to be forthcoming, and such guidance could ultimately increase or lessen impact of these laws on our business and financial condition. It is also likely that Congress will enact additional legislation in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, some of which could have an impact on our company. In addition, it is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the TCJA, the FFCR Act or the CARES Act.
Future sales of shares of our common stock, including by us, employees and large stockholders or pursuant to our common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital and sales agreement with JonesTrading or our universal shelf registration statement could result in dilution to our stockholders and negatively affect our stock price.
Most of our outstanding common stock can be traded without restriction at any time. As such, sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell such shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock.
As of March 31, 2020, Aurigene beneficially owned approximately 14.9% of our outstanding common stock. Subject to certain restrictions, Aurigene is able to sell its common shares in the public market from time to time without registering them, subject to certain limitations on the timing, amount and method of those sales imposed by Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Pursuant to our registration rights agreement with Aurigene, Aurigene has the right, subject to certain conditions and with certain exceptions, to require us to file registration statements covering the common shares it owns or to include those common shares in registration statements that we may file. Following their registration and sale under the applicable registration statement, those shares would become freely tradable. By exercising its registration rights and selling a large number of shares common stock, Aurigene could cause the price of our common stock to decline. In addition, the perception in the public markets that sales by Aurigene might occur could also adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
We have a significant number of shares that are subject to outstanding options and in the future, we may issue additional options, warrants or other derivative securities convertible into our common stock. The exercise of any such options, warrants or other derivative securities, and the subsequent sale of the underlying common stock, could cause a further decline in our stock price. These sales also might make it difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
We currently have on file with the SEC a “universal” shelf registration statement which allows us to offer and sell registered common stock, preferred stock, and warrants from time to time pursuant to one or more offerings at prices and terms to be determined at the time of sale.
In February 2020 we entered into a common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital, which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $30.0 million of shares of our common stock over the 30-month term of the Purchase Agreement. To date, we have received gross proceeds of $3.0 million of our common stock from our upfront sale of common stock to Aspire Capital in connection with execution of the purchase agreement and $27.0 million remains available for sale under the purchase agreement. In addition, as consideration for Aspire Capital’s obligation under the purchase agreement, we issued 646,551 shares of our common stock to Aspire Capital as a commitment fee in connection with entering in the agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement, we have registered for sale the shares we have already issued to Aspire Capital and the additional shares that we may in the future sell to Aspire Capital pursuant to our universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3. We also entered into a registration rights agreement with Aspire Capital in connection with entering into the agreement setting forth our obligation to maintain an effective registration statement covering any shares of common stock sold or to be sold to Aspire Capital, subject to the terms of the registration rights agreement.
The extent to which we utilize the purchase agreement with Aspire Capital as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our common stock, the volume of trading in our common stock and the extent to which we are able to secure funds from other sources. Sales of shares of our common stock to Aspire Capital pursuant to the purchase agreement may result in dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. In addition, Aspire Capital may sell all, some or none of our shares that it holds or may come to hold under the purchase agreement. The
sale of shares of our common stock by us to Aspire Capital or by Aspire Capital into the market, or anticipation of such sales, could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline or make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise desire.
In March 2020, we entered into a sales agreement with JonesTrading, pursuant to which, from time to time, we may offer and sell through JonesTrading up to $30.0 million of the common stock registered under our universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 pursuant to one or more “at the market” offerings. In addition, with our prior written approval, JonesTrading may sell these shares of common stock by any other method permitted by law, including in privately negotiated transactions. To date, we have not made any sales of common stock pursuant to the sales agreement. The extent to which we utilize the sales agreement with JonesTrading as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our common stock, general market conditions, the extent to which we are able to secure funds from other sources, and restrictions on our ability to sell common stock pursuant to the sales agreement to the extent we are then subject to restrictions on our ability to utilize the Form S-3 shelf registration statement to sell more than one-third of the market value of our public float, meaning the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates, in any trailing 12-month period.
Sales of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock or other securities by our employees and other stockholders, including pursuant to our purchase agreement with Aspire Capital or our sales agreement with JonesTrading pursuant, under our universal shelf registration statement or otherwise could dilute our stockholders, lower the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of equity or equity-related securities.
If we are not able to maintain effective internal controls under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our business and stock price could be adversely affected.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires us, on an annual basis, to review and evaluate our internal controls, and requires our independent registered accounting firm to attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls. Any failure by us to maintain the effectiveness of our internal controls in accordance with the requirements of Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as such requirements exist today or may be modified, supplemented or amended in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and stock price.
We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock, and any return to investors will come, if at all, only from potential increases in the price of our common stock.
We have never declared nor paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently plan to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the operation, development and growth of our business. In addition, the terms of any future debt or credit agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.
Insiders have substantial influence over us and could cause us to take actions that may not be, or refrain from taking actions that may be, in our best interest or in the best interest of our stockholders. As of March 31, 2020, we believe that our directors, executive officers and principal stockholders, together with their affiliates, owned, in the aggregate, approximately 15.5% of our outstanding common stock including approximately 14.9% of our outstanding common stock owned by, Aurigene. As a result, if these stockholders were to choose to act together, they may be able to affect the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs, such as:
•the composition of our board of directors;
•the adoption of amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws;
•the approval of mergers or sales of substantially all of our assets;
•our capital structure and financing; and
•the approval of contracts between us and these stockholders or their affiliates, which could involve conflicts of interest.
This concentration of ownership could harm the market price of our common stock by:
•delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company and making some transactions more difficult or impossible without the support of these stockholders, even if such transactions are beneficial to other stockholders;
•impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving our company; or
•entrenching our management or the board of directors.
Moreover, the interests of these stockholders may conflict with the interests of other stockholders, and we may be required to engage in transactions that may not be agreeable to or in the best interest of us or other stockholders.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock may depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. There can be no assurance that existing analysts will continue to cover us or that new analysts will begin to cover us. There is also no assurance that any covering analyst will provide favorable coverage. A lack of research coverage or adverse coverage may negatively impact the market price of our common stock. In addition, if one or more of our current or potential future analysts downgrade our stock or change their opinion of our stock, our share price would likely decline. In addition, if one or more of our current or potential future analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
A decline in our stock price may affect future fundraising efforts.
We currently have no drug revenues, and depend entirely on funds raised through other sources. One source of such funding is future debt and/or equity offerings. Our ability to raise funds in this manner depends upon, among other things, our stock price, which may be affected by numerous factors including without limitation capital market conditions, which have been and could continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic evaluation of our stock by securities analysts, numerous factors including without limitation development programs, and the overall status of our business, finances and operations.
We have anti-takeover defenses that could delay or prevent an acquisition that our stockholders may consider favorable, or prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove current management, which could result in a decline in the price of our common stock.
Provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, and Delaware law may deter unsolicited takeovers or delay or prevent changes in control of our management, including transactions in which our stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares over then-current market prices. In addition, these provisions may limit the ability of stockholders to approve transactions that they may deem to be in their best interest. For example, we have divided our board of directors into three classes that serve staggered three-year terms, we may issue shares of our authorized “blank check” preferred stock, and our stockholders are limited in their ability to call special stockholder meetings.
In addition, we are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder, generally a person who together with his, her, or its affiliates owns, or within the last three years has owned, 15% of our voting stock, for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. These provisions could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control.