ALIMERA SCIENCES INC - Quarter Report: 2010 September (Form 10-Q)
Table of Contents
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-Q
(Mark One)
þ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2010
or
o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 001-34703
Alimera Sciences, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
20-0028718 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
6120 Windward Parkway, Suite 290 Alpharetta, GA (Address of principal executive offices) |
30005 (Zip Code) |
(678) 990-5740
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has
been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on
its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted
pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes
o No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of
large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer þ | Smaller reporting company o | |||
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ
As
of November 5, there were 31,181,989 shares of the registrants common stock issued and
outstanding.
ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q
INDEX
2 | ||||||||
2 | ||||||||
3 | ||||||||
4 | ||||||||
6 | ||||||||
16 | ||||||||
29 | ||||||||
29 | ||||||||
30 | ||||||||
52 | ||||||||
53 | ||||||||
Exhibit 31.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 31.2 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.1 |
Table of Contents
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM
1 Financial Statements
ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
BALANCE SHEETS
September 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||
(In thousands except share and | ||||||||
per share data) | ||||||||
CURRENT ASSETS: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 14,711 | $ | 4,858 | ||||
Investments |
39,966 | | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
833 | 634 | ||||||
Deferred offering costs |
| 815 | ||||||
Total current assets |
55,510 | 6,307 | ||||||
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT at cost less accumulated depreciation |
262 | 254 | ||||||
TOTAL ASSETS |
$ | 55,772 | $ | 6,561 | ||||
CURRENT LIABILITIES: |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 1,517 | $ | 1,215 | ||||
Accrued expenses |
2,980 | 3,314 | ||||||
Accrued interest |
| 543 | ||||||
Outsourced services payable |
798 | 1,157 | ||||||
Note payable (Note 6) |
| 4,500 | ||||||
Capital lease obligations |
10 | 6 | ||||||
Total current liabilities |
5,305 | 10,735 | ||||||
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES: |
||||||||
Note payable less current portion (Note 6) |
| 10,500 | ||||||
Fair value of preferred stock conversion feature (Note 8) |
| 36,701 | ||||||
Other long-term liabilities |
23 | 708 | ||||||
PREFERRED STOCK: |
||||||||
Series A preferred stock, $.01 par value no shares authorized, issued, and outstanding at September 30, 2010 and 6,624,866 shares authorized and 6.624,844 shares issued, and outstanding at December 31, 2009; liquidation
preference of $37,019 at December 31, 2009 |
| 36,467 | ||||||
Series B preferred stock, $.01 par value no shares authorized, issued, and outstanding at September 30, 2010 and 7,147,912 shares authorized and 7,147,894 shares issued, and outstanding at December 31, 2009; liquidation
preference of $41,057 at December 31, 2009 |
| 40,617 | ||||||
Series C preferred stock, $.01 par value no shares authorized, issued, and outstanding at September 30, 2010 and 5,807,131 shares authorized and 5,807,112 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2009; liquidation
preference of $34,281 at December 31, 2009 |
| 33,452 | ||||||
Series C-1 preferred stock, $.01 par value no shares authorized, issued, and outstanding at September 30, 2010 and 2,903,565 shares authorized and 967,845 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2009; liquidation
preference of $5,140 at December 31, 2009 |
| 2,853 | ||||||
Preferred stock, $.01 par value 10,000,000 shares authorized and no shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2010 and no shares authorized, issued, and outstanding at December 31, 2009 |
| | ||||||
STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT): |
||||||||
Common stock, $.01 par value 100,000,000 shares authorized and 31,153,175 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2010 and 29,411,764 shares authorized and 1,598,571 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2009 |
351 | 54 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
232,640 | 4,836 | ||||||
Series C-1 preferred stock warrants |
| 1,472 | ||||||
Common stock warrants |
54 | 57 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(182,601 | ) | (171,891 | ) | ||||
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT) |
50,444 | (165,472 | ) | |||||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT) |
$ | 55,772 | $ | 6,561 | ||||
See Notes to Financial Statements.
2
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||||||||||
(In thousands except share and per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES |
$ | 3,276 | $ | 3,649 | $ | 10,481 | $ | 11,979 | ||||||||
GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES |
1,260 | 828 | 3,338 | 2,351 | ||||||||||||
MARKETING EXPENSES |
1,583 | 157 | 2,209 | 541 | ||||||||||||
TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
6,119 | 4,634 | 16,028 | 14,871 | ||||||||||||
INTEREST AND OTHER INCOME |
37 | 4 | 53 | 35 | ||||||||||||
INTEREST EXPENSE |
| (474 | ) | (618 | ) | (1,423 | ) | |||||||||
GAIN ON EARLY EXTINGUISHMENT OF DEBT
(NOTE 6) |
| | 1,343 | | ||||||||||||
(INCREASE) DECREASE IN FAIR VALUE OF PREFERRED STOCK CONVERSION FEATURE |
| (6 | ) | 3,644 | (5,295 | ) | ||||||||||
LOSS FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS |
(6,082 | ) | (5,110 | ) | (11,606 | ) | (21,554 | ) | ||||||||
INCOME FROM DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS (NOTE 4) |
| | 4,000 | | ||||||||||||
NET LOSS |
(6,082 | ) | (5,110 | ) | (7,606 | ) | (21,554 | ) | ||||||||
BENEFICIAL CONVERSION FEATURE OF PREFERRED STOCK |
| (355 | ) | | (355 | ) | ||||||||||
REDEEMABLE PREFERRED STOCK ACCRETION |
| (162 | ) | (466 | ) | (377 | ) | |||||||||
REDEEMABLE PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS |
| (1,832 | ) | (2,638 | ) | (5,340 | ) | |||||||||
NET LOSS APPLICABLE TO COMMON SHAREHOLDERS |
$ | (6,082 | ) | $ | (7,459 | ) | $ | (10,710 | ) | $ | (27,626 | ) | ||||
NET LOSS PER SHARE APPLICABLE TO COMMON SHAREHOLDERS Basic and diluted |
$ | (0.20 | ) | $ | (4.89 | ) | $ | (0.56 | ) | $ | (18.40 | ) | ||||
WEIGHTED-AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING Basic and diluted |
31,145,856 | 1,524,072 | 19,120,860 | 1,501,573 | ||||||||||||
See Notes to Financial Statements.
3
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Nine Months Ended | ||||||||
September 30, | ||||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: |
||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (7,606 | ) | $ | (21,554 | ) | ||
Income from discontinued operations (Note 4) |
(4,000 | ) | | |||||
Change in fair value of preferred stock conversion feature |
(3,644 | ) | 5,295 | |||||
Gain from early extinguishment of debt |
(1,343 | ) | | |||||
Depreciation and amortization |
145 | 1,048 | ||||||
Stock compensation and other |
567 | 504 | ||||||
Non-cash investment gain |
(4 | ) | | |||||
Changes in assets and liabilities: |
||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
(320 | ) | 462 | |||||
Accounts payable |
231 | (246 | ) | |||||
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
(53 | ) | 1,344 | |||||
Other long-term liabilities |
2 | 365 | ||||||
Net cash used in operating activities of continuing operations |
(16,025 | ) | (12,782 | ) | ||||
Net cash used in operating activities of discontinued operations |
| (30 | ) | |||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(16,025 | ) | (12,812 | ) | ||||
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: |
||||||||
Purchases of
investments |
(39,962 | ) | | |||||
Purchases of property and equipment |
(121 | ) | (58 | ) | ||||
Net cash used in investing activities of continuing operations |
(40,083 | ) | (58 | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by investing activities of discontinued operations (Note 4) |
4,000 | | ||||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(36,083 | ) | (58 | ) | ||||
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: |
||||||||
Proceeds from exercises of stock options |
28 | 7 | ||||||
Proceeds from exercise of Series C-1 preferred warrants |
9,997 | 4,898 | ||||||
Proceeds from exercise of common stock warrants |
489 | | ||||||
Proceeds from sale of common stock |
68,395 | | ||||||
Payment of common stock offering costs |
(1,942 | ) | | |||||
Repayment of pSivida note payable (Note 6) |
(15,000 | ) | | |||||
Payments on capital lease obligations |
(6 | ) | (8 | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
61,961 | 4,897 | ||||||
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH |
9,853 | (7,973 | ) | |||||
CASH Beginning of period |
4,858 | 17,875 | ||||||
CASH End of period |
$ | 14,711 | $ | 9,902 | ||||
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Nine Months Ended | ||||||||
September 30, | ||||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES |
||||||||
Cash paid for interest |
$ | 525 | $ | 900 | ||||
Supplemental schedule of noncash investing and financing activities: |
||||||||
Property and equipment acquired under capital leases |
$ | 36 | $ | | ||||
Reclassification of fair value of preferred stock conversion feature to additional paid-in capital |
$ | 36,528 | $ | | ||||
IPO issuance costs charged to equity |
$ | 4,228 | $ | | ||||
Common stock issued for research and development expense |
$ | | $ | 150 | ||||
There were no income tax or dividend payments made for the nine months ended September 30,
2010 and 2009.
See Notes to Financial Statements.
5
Table of Contents
ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Description of Business
Alimera Sciences, Inc. (the Company) is a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in
the research, development, and commercialization of ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. The Company was
formed on June 4, 2003 under the laws of the State of Delaware.
During the year ended December 31, 2006, management and the board of directors approved a
plan to discontinue the operations of its non-prescription business (see Note 4). As a result of
the completion of the disposal of its non-prescription business in July 2007, the Company no longer
has active products and will not have active products until the Company receives U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approval and launches its initial prescription product (see Note 5).
The Company is presently focused on diseases affecting the back of the eye, or retina,
because the Companys management believes these diseases are not well treated with current
therapies and represent a significant market opportunity. The Companys most advanced product
candidate is Iluvien, which is being developed for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME).
DME is a disease of the retina which affects individuals with diabetes and can lead to severe
vision loss and blindness. The Company has completed enrollment of its two Phase 3 pivotal clinical
trials (collectively referred to as the Companys FAME Study) for Iluvien involving 956 patients in
sites across the United States, Canada, Europe and India to assess the efficacy and safety of
Iluvien in the treatment of DME.
On April 21, 2010, the Companys Registration Statement on Form S-1 (as amended) was
declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the Companys initial public
offering (IPO), pursuant to which the Company sold 6,550,000 shares of its common stock at a public
offering price of $11.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $68,395,000
from this transaction, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions.
In June 2010, the Company submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for Iluvien to the
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In July 2010, the Company submitted a Marketing
Authorization Application for Iluvien to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in
the United Kingdom and to regulatory authorities in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and
Spain. In August 2010, the FDA accepted the Companys NDA for Iluvien and granted it priority
review status. Priority review status reduces the review time from ten months to six months.
2. Basis of Presentation
The Company has prepared the accompanying unaudited interim financial statements and
notes thereto in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article
10-01 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include
all of the information and disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In
the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim financial statements reflect all
adjustments, which include normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the Companys
interim financial information.
The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements and related notes should be read
in conjunction with the Companys audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009
and related notes included in the Companys Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File
No. 333-162782), which was declared effective by the SEC on April 21, 2010. The financial results
for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the expected financial results for the
full year.
On April 21, 2010, the Company effected a 1 for 3.4 reverse split of the Companys common
and preferred stock. All share and per share amounts in the accompanying financial statements and
notes have been retroactively adjusted for all periods presented to give effect to the reverse
stock split.
6
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
3. Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In January 2010, the FASB issued amendments to the existing fair value measurements and
disclosures guidance which requires new disclosures and clarifies existing disclosure requirements.
The purpose of these amendments is to provide a greater level of disaggregated information as well
as more disclosure around valuation techniques and inputs to fair value measurements. The guidance
was effective commencing with the Companys 2010 fiscal year. The adoption of this guidance did not
have a material impact on the Companys financial statements.
4. Discontinued Operations
In October 2006, management and the board of directors of the Company approved a plan to
discontinue the operations of its non-prescription ophthalmic pharmaceutical business (the OTC
Business). The plan included the sale of the assets of the Companys OTC Business and also the
termination of its sales and marketing personnel. The Company previously determined that the
discontinued OTC Business comprised operations and cash flows that could be clearly distinguished,
operationally and for financial reporting purposes, from the rest of the Company. Accordingly, the
results of operations for the discontinued OTC Business have been presented as discontinued
operations. During the nine months ended September 30, 2010 the Company received a $4,000,000
option payment from the acquirer of the assets of the OTC Business to provide it with an additional
two years to develop one of the acquired products. There were no revenues or expenses from
discontinued operations during the three month period ended September 30, 2010 or the three and
nine month periods ended September 30, 2009. The following table presents basic and diluted
earnings per share from discontinued operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 (in
thousands except share and per share data):
Net income from discontinued operations |
$ | 4,000 | ||
Net income from discontinued operations per share Basic and diluted |
$ | 0.21 | ||
Weighted-average shares outstanding Basic and diluted |
19,120,860 |
5. Factors Affecting Operations
To date the Company has incurred recurring losses, negative cash flow from operations,
and has accumulated a deficit of $182,601,000 from the Companys inception through September 30,
2010. The Company does not expect to generate revenues from its product, Iluvien, until 2011, if at
all, and therefore does not expect to have cash flow from operations before that time. As of
September 30, 2010 the Company had approximately $54,677,000 in cash, cash equivalents, and
investments. In October 2010, the Company obtained a $32,500,000 senior secured credit
facility (Credit Facility) to help fund its working capital requirements (see note 12). The Credit
Facility consists of a $20,000,000 revolving line of credit and a $12,500,000 term
loan. The lenders have advanced $6,250,000 under the term loan and may advance the
remaining $6,250,000 following FDA approval of Iluvien, but no later than July 31, 2011.
The Company may draw on the revolving line of credit against eligible accounts receivable, as defined,
subsequent to the launch of Iluvien. Management believes it has sufficient funds available to fund
its operations through the projected commercialization of Iluvien and the expected generation of
revenue in 2011. The commercialization of Iluvien is dependent upon approval by the FDA, however,
and management cannot be sure that Iluvien will be approved by the FDA or that, if approved, future
sales of Iluvien will generate enough revenue to fund the Companys operations beyond its
commercialization. If Iluvien is not approved, or if approved, does not generate sufficient
revenue, the Company may adjust its commercial plans so that it can continue to operate with its
existing cash resources or seek to raise additional financing.
6. pSivida Agreement
In March 2008, in conjunction with the amendment and restatement of the Companys
collaboration agreement with pSivida US, Inc. (pSivida), the licensor of the Iluvien technology,
the Company issued to pSivida a note payable of $15,000,000. The note payable accrued interest at
8% per annum, payable quarterly. The principal was payable upon the earliest of a liquidity event
as defined in the agreement, the occurrence of an event of default under the Companys agreement
with pSivida or September 30, 2012. If the note was not paid in full by March 31, 2010, the
interest rate was to increase to 20% per annum effective April 1, 2010, and the Company was
required to begin making principal payments of $500,000 per month. As of December 31, 2009, the
Company had accrued and unpaid interest payable to pSivida of $708,000, classified as other
long-term liabilities, and $543,000, included in accrued interest in the accompanying balance
sheet.
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
On April 27, 2010 the Company paid pSivida $15,225,000 in principal and interest to
satisfy the note payable. As a result, the Company recognized a gain of $1,343,000 on the
extinguishment of this debt in the accompanying financial statements for the nine month period
ended September 30, 2010.
Upon commercialization of Iluvien, the Company must share 20% of net profits of Iluvien,
as defined by the agreement, with pSivida. In connection with this arrangement the Company is
entitled to recover 20% of commercialization costs of Iluvien, as defined in the agreement,
incurred prior to product profitability out of pSividas share of net profits. As of September 30,
2010 and December 31, 2009 the Company was owed $1,615,000 and $958,000, respectively, in
commercialization costs. Due to the uncertainty of FDA approval, the Company has fully reserved
these amounts in the accompanying financial statements.
7. Earnings (Loss) Per Share (EPS)
Basic EPS is calculated in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 260 (ASC
260) by dividing net income or loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average
common stock outstanding. Diluted EPS is calculated in accordance with ASC 260 by adjusting
weighted average common shares outstanding for the dilutive effect of common stock options,
warrants, convertible preferred stock and accrued but unpaid convertible preferred stock dividends.
In periods where a net loss from continuing operations is recorded, no effect is given to
potentially dilutive securities, since the effect would be anti-dilutive. Weighted average
securities that would have diluted EPS but were not included in the computation of diluted EPS
because to do so would have been anti-dilutive were as follows:
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
Series A preferred stock and
convertible accrued dividends |
| 7,005,145 | 3,002,205 | 7,005,145 | ||||||||||||
Series B preferred stock |
| 7,147,894 | 3,063,383 | 7,147,894 | ||||||||||||
Series C preferred stock |
| 5,807,112 | 2,488,762 | 5,807,112 | ||||||||||||
Series C-1 preferred stock |
| 378,721 | 1,187,651 | 127,627 | ||||||||||||
Series C-1 preferred stock warrants |
| 757,447 | 56,723 | 255,257 | ||||||||||||
Common stock warrants |
77,114 | 33,631 | 112,644 | 31,173 | ||||||||||||
Stock options |
1,633,441 | 1,071,787 | 1,669,748 | 1,037,772 | ||||||||||||
1,710,555 | 22,201,737 | 11,581,116 | 21,411,980 | |||||||||||||
8
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
8. Preferred Stock
Prior to the Companys IPO, the Company had four series of preferred stock. On April 27,
2010 and in connection with the IPO, all outstanding shares of the Companys preferred stock were
converted into 22,863,696 shares of common stock and all preferred stock dividends were eliminated.
Significant terms of all series of the preferred stock were as follows:
| Dividends were cumulative and accrued on a daily basis at the rate of 8% per annum beginning on the date of issuance and based on the original issue price, as adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, combination, or other event involving the preferred stock. Dividends accrued, whether or not declared, annually and were due and payable when and if declared by the Board of Directors, upon a liquidating event, as defined in the Company’s certificate of incorporation, upon redemption of the preferred stock, as defined in the Company’s certificate of incorporation, or on the date that the preferred stock was otherwise acquired by the Company. Accumulated, accrued, and unpaid dividends were $23,934,000 at December 31, 2009. | ||
| Upon any liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the Company, the preferred stockholders were entitled to a liquidation preference payment equal to (i) the sum of the liquidation value plus all accumulated, accrued, and unpaid dividends and (ii) the pro rata share of any remaining amounts such holder would have been entitled to receive had such holders shares been converted into common stock immediately prior to the liquidation, dissolution, or winding up. The liquidation value plus accumulated, accrued, and unpaid dividends was $117,497,000 at December 31, 2009. | ||
| At any time subsequent to March 17, 2013, the holders of a majority of the preferred stock could have required the Company to redeem all or any portion of the preferred stock. If the preferred stock was redeemed, the redemption would have occurred in equal installments over a three-year period. The price paid by the Company to redeem the shares would have been the greater of (i) the original issue price, plus all accumulated, accrued, and unpaid dividends, and (ii) the fair market value of the preferred stock being redeemed at the time of the redemption. |
Because the preferred stock provided the holders the right to require the Company to
redeem such shares for cash after March 17, 2013 at the greater of (i) the original issue price
plus any accrued but unpaid dividends and (ii) the fair market value of the preferred stock being
redeemed, the embedded conversion feature required separate accounting. Consequently, the
conversion feature had to be bifurcated from the preferred stock and accounted for separately at
each issuance date. The carrying value of the embedded derivative was adjusted to fair value at the
end of each reporting period and the change in fair value was recognized in the statement of
operations.
On January 8, 2010 warrants to purchase shares of the Companys Series C-1 preferred
stock were exercised resulting in $10,000,000 in cash proceeds and the issuance of 1,935,700
additional shares of Series C-1 preferred stock. The Company recorded a derivative liability of
$3,471,000 upon the exercise of the warrants and the issuance of such shares of Series C-1
preferred stock in January 2010.
At each reporting date and in connection with the Companys IPO, the Company adjusted the
carrying value of the embedded derivatives to estimated fair value and recognized the change in
such estimated value in its statement of operations. The estimated fair value of the derivatives at
April 27, 2010 and December 31, 2009 were $36,528,000 and $36,701,000, respectively. In connection
with the IPO, the embedded derivatives were eliminated. The Company recognized a loss of $6,000
associated with the change in fair value for the three months ended September 30, 2009. The Company
recognized a gain of $3,644,000 and a loss of $5,295,000 associated with the change in fair value
for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
In connection with the conversion of the Companys preferred shares to common shares upon
the completion of the Companys IPO in April 2010, the Company authorized 10,000,000 shares of
$0.01 par value preferred stock. At September 30, 2010, no shares of preferred stock were issued or
outstanding.
9
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
9. Stock Options
During
the three months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company
recorded stock compensation
expense of approximately $189,000 and $146,000, respectively. During the nine months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company recorded stock compensation expense of approximately $447,000
and $354,000, respectively. As of September 30, 2010, the total unrecognized compensation cost
related to non-vested stock options granted was $2,105,000 and is expected to be recognized over a
weighted average period of 3.0 years. The following table presents a summary of stock option
transactions for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009:
Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted | Weighted | Weighted | Weighted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Average | Average | Average | Average | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Exercise | Exercise | Exercise | Exercise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Options | Price | Options | Price | Options | Price | Options | Price | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Options at beginning of period |
2,281,311 | $ | 2.39 | 1,940,056 | $ | 1.80 | 2,225,778 | $ | 2.14 | 1,959,726 | $ | 1.80 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Grants |
108,500 | 6.74 | 271,845 | 4.02 | 173,500 | 8.34 | 271,845 | 4.02 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Forfeitures |
(13,708 | ) | 5.20 | (5,882 | ) | 1.72 | (14,444 | ) | 5.11 | (25,552 | ) | 1.83 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Exercises |
(5,879 | ) | 1.40 | (3,860 | ) | 1.69 | (14,610 | ) | 1.94 | (3,860 | ) | 1.69 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Options at end of period |
2,370,224 | 2.57 | 2,202,159 | 2.07 | 2,370,224 | 2.57 | 2,202,159 | 2.07 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average per share
fair value of options granted
during the period |
$ | 5.35 | $ | 3.44 | $ | 6.74 | $ | 3.44 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The following table provides additional information related to outstanding stock options,
fully vested stock options, and stock options expected to vest as of September 30, 2010:
Weighted | Weighted | |||||||||||||||
Average | Average | Aggregate | ||||||||||||||
Exercise | Contractual | Intrinsic | ||||||||||||||
Shares | Price | Term | Value | |||||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Outstanding |
2,370,224 | $ | 2.57 | 6.70 years | $ | 16,677 | ||||||||||
Exercisable |
1,629,046 | 1.76 | 5.91 years | 12,716 | ||||||||||||
Expected to vest |
673,564 | 4.41 | 8.46 years | 3,565 |
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
The following table provides additional information related to outstanding stock options,
fully vested stock options, and stock options expected to vest as of December 31, 2009:
Weighted | Weighted | |||||||||||||||
Average | Average | Aggregate | ||||||||||||||
Exercise | Contractual | Intrinsic | ||||||||||||||
Shares | Price | Term | Value | |||||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Outstanding |
2,225,778 | $ | 2.14 | 7.28 years | $ | 14,251 | ||||||||||
Exercisable |
1,427,649 | 1.70 | 6.52 years | 9,765 | ||||||||||||
Expected to vest |
718,320 | 2.92 | 8.63 years | 4,037 |
10. Income Taxes
In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 740 (ASC 740) the Company recognizes
deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis
and the tax basis of its assets and liabilities. The Company records a valuation allowance against
its net deferred tax asset to reduce the net carrying value to an amount that is more likely than
not to be realized.
Income tax positions are considered for uncertainty in accordance with FASB
Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes an interpretation of ASC
740-10. The Company believes that its income tax filing positions and deductions will be sustained
on audit and does not anticipate any adjustments that will result in a material change to its
financial position; therefore, no ASC 740-10 liabilities have been recorded.
Significant management judgment is involved in determining the provision for income
taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against net
deferred tax assets. Due to uncertainties with respect to the realization of deferred tax assets
due to the history of operating losses, a valuation allowance has been established against the
entire net deferred tax asset balance. The valuation allowance is based on managements estimates
of taxable income in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates and the period over which
deferred tax assets will be recoverable. In the event that actual results differ from these
estimates or the Company adjusts these estimates in future periods, a change in the valuation
allowance may be needed, which could materially impact the Companys financial position and results
of operations.
At September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the Company had federal net operating loss
(NOL) carry-forwards of approximately $90,373,000 and $79,494,000 and state NOL carry-forwards of
approximately $73,545,000 and $62,666,000, respectively, that are available to reduce future income
unless otherwise taxable. If not utilized, the federal NOL carry-forwards will expire at various
dates between 2023 and 2030, and the state NOL carry-forwards will expire at various dates between
2020 and 2030.
NOL carry-forwards may be subject to annual limitations under Internal Revenue Code
Section 382 (or comparable provisions of state law) in the event that certain changes in ownership
of the Company were to occur. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of its IPO (Note 1) on
the Companys NOL carry-forwards and whether certain changes in ownership have occurred that would
limit the Companys ability to utilize a portion of its NOL carry-forwards.
11
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11. Fair Value Measurements
The Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification 820, effective January 1, 2008.
Under this standard, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or
paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the exit price) in an orderly transaction between market
participants at the measurement date.
In determining fair value, the Company uses various valuation approaches. The hierarchy
of those valuation approaches is broken down into three levels based on the reliability of inputs
as follows:
Level 1 inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities
that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. An active market for
the asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with
sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. The valuation
under this approach does not entail a significant degree of judgment.
Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are
observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs include:
quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, inputs other than quoted prices
that are observable for the asset or liability, (e.g., interest rates and yield curves observable
at commonly quoted intervals or current market) and contractual prices for the underlying financial
instrument, as well as other relevant economic measures.
Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. Unobservable inputs
shall be used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby
allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or
liability at the measurement date.
The following fair value tables present information about the Companys assets and
liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
September 30, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | |||||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Assets: |
||||||||||||||||
Cash, cash equivalents, and investments |
||||||||||||||||
Government-backed money market funds(1) |
$ | 13,916 | $ | | $ | | $ | 13,916 | ||||||||
Investments in marketable debt securities(2) |
$ | 39,966 | $ | | $ | | $ | 39,966 | ||||||||
Assets measured at fair value |
$ | 53,882 | $ | | $ | | $ | 53,882 | ||||||||
December 31, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | |||||||||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Assets: |
||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
||||||||||||||||
Government-backed money market funds(1) |
$ | 4,668 | $ | | $ | | $ | 4,668 | ||||||||
Assets measured at fair value |
$ | 4,668 | $ | | $ | | $ | 4,668 | ||||||||
Liabilities: |
||||||||||||||||
Fair value of conversion feature of preferred stock(3) (Note 8) |
$ | | $ | | $ | 36,701 | $ | 36,701 | ||||||||
Liabilities measured at fair value |
$ | | $ | | $ | 36,701 | $ | 36,701 | ||||||||
12
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(1) | The carrying amounts approximate fair value due to the short-term maturities of the cash and cash equivalents. | |
(2) | The fair value is based on quoted market prices. | |
(3) | The fair value of the conversion feature of preferred stock (see note 8) was established using a probability weighted expected return method (PWERM) and Black Scholes valuation model. Significant inputs to the valuation include: |
| probability of various scenarios occurring, including the potential for an initial public offering, sale of the Company or its assets, decision to remain a private company or liquidation of the Company; | ||
| at December 31, 2009, fair value of common stock as determined under each of the scenarios under the PWERM, adjusted for a lack of control and lack of marketability discount; | ||
| volatility estimated as an average of volatilities of publicly traded companies deemed similar to the Company in terms of product composition, stage of lifecycle, capitalization, and scope of operations; | ||
| exercise price and weighted-average expected life estimated based on the underlying and the expected remaining life of the underlying instrument; | ||
| risk-free interest rate estimated as the daily treasury yield for the period that most closely approximates the weighted-average expected life as the valuation date as published by the United States Department of Treasury. |
The method described above may produce a fair value calculation that may not be
indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the
Company believes its valuation methods are appropriate, the use of different methodologies or
assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a
different fair value measurement at the reporting date.
13
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ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
The following table presents the changes to the fair value of the beneficial conversion
feature of preferred stock until its elimination in connection with
the Companys IPO (in thousands):
Fair value of conversion feature of preferred stock at December 31, 2009 |
$ | 36,701 | ||
Issuance of Series C-1 preferred stock (Note 8) |
3,471 | |||
Change in fair value of beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock
during the three months ended March 31, 2010 |
(3,265 | ) | ||
Fair value of conversion feature of preferred stock at March 31, 2010 |
36,907 | |||
Change in fair value of beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock
during the three months ended June 30, 2010 |
(379 | ) | ||
Elimination of the conversion feature of preferred stock (Note 8) |
(36,528 | ) | ||
Fair value
of conversion feature of preferred stock at June 30, 2010 |
$ | | ||
12. Subsequent Event
Term Loan Agreement
On October 14, 2010 (Effective Date), the Company entered into a Loan and Security Agreement
with Silicon Valley Bank and MidCap Financial LLP under which the Company may borrow up
to $12,500,000 (Term Loan Agreement). The lenders advanced $6,250,000 on the Effective Date
(Initial Tranche) and may advance the remaining $6,250,000 following
approval by the FDA of the Companys Iluvien product, but no later than July 31, 2011 (Second Tranche). To
secure the repayment of any amounts borrowed under the Term Loan Agreement, the Company granted to
the lenders a first priority security interest in all of its assets, other than its intellectual
property (provided that in the event the Company fails to meet certain financial conditions, a
curable lien will be imposed on the Companys intellectual property). The Company also agreed not
to pledge or otherwise encumber its intellectual property assets.
The Company is required to maintain its primary operating and other deposit accounts and
securities accounts with Silicon Valley Bank, which accounts must represent at least 50% of the
dollar value of the Companys accounts at all financial institutions.
The Company will be required to pay interest on borrowings under the Term Loan Agreement at a
rate of 11.5% on a monthly basis through July 31, 2011. Thereafter, the Company will be required
to repay the principal, plus interest at such rate if the Second Tranche is advanced to the Company
prior to February 28, 2011 (and plus interest at a rate of 12% if the Second Tranche is advanced to
the Company after February 28, 2011), in 27 equal monthly installments. The Company paid to the
lenders an upfront fee of $62,500, and will pay to the lenders an additional final payment of 3% of
the total principal amount. In addition, if the Company repays the loan prior to maturity, it will
pay to the lenders a prepayment penalty of 5% of the total principal amount if the prepayment
occurs within one year after the funding date, 3% of the total principal amount if the prepayment
occurs between one and two years after the funding date and 1% of the total principal amount of the
prepayment occurs thereafter (each a Prepayment Penalty), provided in each case that such
Prepayment Penalty will be reduced by 50% in the event of an acquisition of the Company. The
Company also agreed to customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default in
connection with this arrangement. The occurrence of an event of default could result in the
acceleration of the Companys obligations under the Term Loan Agreement and an increase to the
applicable interest rate, and would permit the lenders to exercise remedies with respect to the
collateral under the Term Loan Agreement.
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In
connection with entering into this agreement, the Company issued to
the lenders warrants to purchase an aggregate of up to
79,546 shares of the Companys common stock. Each of the warrants is exercisable immediately, has a per-share exercise price
of $11.00 and has a term of 10 years. In addition, the lenders will have certain registration
rights with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants.
Revolving Loan Agreement
Also on the Effective Date, the Company and Silicon Valley Bank entered into a Loan and
Security Agreement (Revolving Loan Agreement), pursuant to which the Company obtained a secured
revolving line of credit from Silicon Valley Bank with borrowing availability up to $20,000,000.
The Revolving Loan Agreement provides for a working capital-based revolving line of credit
(Revolving Line) in an aggregate amount of up to the lesser of (i) $20,000,000, or (ii) 85% of
eligible domestic accounts receivable. The Revolving Line matures on October 31, 2013.
Amounts advanced under the Revolving Line bear interest at an annual rate equal to Silicon
Valley Banks prime rate plus 2.50% (with a rate floor of 6.50%). Interest on the Revolving Line is
due monthly, with the balance due at the maturity date. The Company paid to Silicon Valley
Bank an upfront fee of $100,000. In addition, if the Company terminates the Revolving Line prior
to maturity, it will pay to Silicon Valley Bank a fee of $400,000 if the termination occurs within
one year after the Effective Date and a fee of $200,000 if the termination occurs more than one
year after the Effective Date (each a Termination Fee), provided in each case that such Termination
Fee will be reduced by 50% in the event of an acquisition of the Company.
To secure the repayment of any amounts borrowed under the Revolving Loan Agreement, the
Company granted to Silicon Valley Bank a security interest in all of its assets, other than its
intellectual property (provided that in the event the Company fails to meet certain financial
conditions, a curable lien will be imposed on the Companys intellectual property). The Company
also agreed not to pledge or otherwise encumber its intellectual property assets.
The Company also agreed to customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default
in connection with the Revolving Loan Agreement. The occurrence of an event of default could result
in the acceleration of the Companys obligations under the Revolving Loan Agreement and an increase
to the applicable interest rate, and would permit Silicon Valley Bank to exercise remedies with
respect to the collateral under the Revolving Loan Agreement.
15
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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 2 Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that
involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of
historical facts, included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q regarding our
strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected
costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements.
These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and are based on information
currently available to our management. Words such as anticipate, believe,
estimate, expect, intend, may, plan, predict, project, likely, will,
would, could and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying
words.
We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our
forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our
forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the
plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make.
We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in Part II
Item 1A Risk Factors of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, that we believe could
cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements
that we make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any
future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, collaborations or
investments we may make.
You should read this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in conjunction with the
documents that we reference herein. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the
date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (unless another date is indicated), and we
undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Overview
We are a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research, development
and commercialization of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. We are presently
focused on diseases affecting the back of the eye, or retina, because we believe these
diseases are not well treated with current therapies and represent a significant market
opportunity. Our most advanced product candidate is Iluvien, which we are developing
for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). DME is a disease of the retina that
affects individuals with diabetes and can lead to severe vision loss and blindness. We
have conducted two Phase 3 pivotal clinical trials (collectively, our FAME Study) for
Iluvien involving 956 patients in sites across the United States, Canada, Europe and
India to assess the efficacy and safety of Iluvien in the treatment of DME. In December
2009 we received the month 24 clinical readout from our FAME Study. In June 2010, we
submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for Iluvien to the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). Subsequently, we submitted a Marketing Authorization Application
for Iluvien to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the United
Kingdom and to regulatory authorities in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and
Spain in July 2010. In August 2010, the FDA accepted our NDA for Iluvien and granted it
priority review status. Priority review status reduces the review time from
ten months to six months. If our NDA is approved, we plan to commercialize Iluvien in
the United States by marketing and selling Iluvien to retinal specialists as early as
the first quarter of 2011. In addition to treating DME, Iluvien is being studied in
three Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of the dry form of age-related macular
degeneration (AMD), the wet form of AMD and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). We are also
conducting testing on two classes of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
(NADPH) oxidase inhibitors, for which we have acquired exclusive, worldwide licenses
from Emory University, in the treatment of dry AMD. We plan to evaluate the use of
NADPH oxidase inhibitors in the treatment of other diseases of the eye, including wet
AMD and diabetic retinopathy. We intend to seek a collaboration partner for sales and
marketing activities outside North America. We currently contract with development
partners or outside firms for various operational aspects of our development
activities, including the preparation of clinical supplies and have no plans to
establish in-house manufacturing capabilities.
16
Table of Contents
We commenced operations in June 2003. Since our inception we have incurred
significant losses. As of September 30, 2010, we have accumulated a deficit of
$182.6 million. We expect to incur substantial losses through the projected
commercialization of Iluvien through at least the first quarter of 2011 as we:
| complete the clinical development and registration of Iluvien; |
||
| build our sales and marketing capabilities for the anticipated
commercial launch of Iluvien as early as the first quarter of 2011; |
||
| add the necessary infrastructure to support our growth; |
||
| evaluate the use of Iluvien for the treatment of other diseases; and |
||
| advance the clinical development of other new product candidates
either currently in our pipeline, or that we may license or acquire in
the future. |
Prior to our initial public offering (IPO), we funded our operations through the
private placement of common stock, preferred stock and convertible debt, as well as by
the sale of certain assets of the non-prescription business in which we were previously
engaged. On April 21, 2010, our Registration Statement on Form S-1 (as amended) was
declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for our IPO,
pursuant to which we sold 6,550,000 shares of our common stock at a public offering
price of $11.00 per share. We received net proceeds of approximately $66.1 million from
this transaction, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and other
offering costs.
As of September 30, 2010, we had approximately $14.7 million in cash and cash
equivalents and $40.0 million of investments in trading securities. In addition to our
net IPO proceeds, our cash and cash equivalents include the January 2010 receipt of
$10.0 million in proceeds from the exercise of outstanding Series C-1 warrants, and a
$4.0 million option payment from Bausch & Lomb Incorporated (Bausch & Lomb) upon the
exercise by Bausch & Lomb of its option to extend by two years the period during which
it may continue to develop an allergy product acquired from us in 2006.
In October 2010, we obtained a $32.5 million senior secured credit facility
(Credit Facility) to help fund our working capital requirements. The Credit Facility
consists of a $20.0 million revolving line of credit and a $12.5 million term loan. The
lenders have advanced $6.25 million under the term loan and may advance the remaining
$6.25 million following FDA approval of Iluvien, but no later than July 31, 2011. We
may draw on the revolving line of credit against accounts receivable subsequent to the
launch of Iluvien.
We do not expect to generate revenues from our product, Iluvien, until 2011, if
at all, and therefore we do not expect to have positive cash flow from operations before that
time. We believe our cash, cash equivalents, investments and Credit Facility are
sufficient to fund our operations through the projected commercialization of Iluvien
and the expected generation of revenue in 2011. The commercialization of Iluvien is
dependent upon approval by the FDA, however, and we cannot be sure that Iluvien will be
approved by the FDA or that, if approved, future sales of Iluvien will generate enough
revenue to fund our operations beyond its commercialization. If Iluvien is not
approved, or if approved, does not generate sufficient revenue, we may adjust our
commercial plans so that we can continue to operate with our existing cash resources or
seek to raise additional financing.
Our Agreement with pSivida US, Inc.
In February 2005, we entered into an agreement with pSivida US, Inc. (pSivida) for
the use of fluocinolone acetonide (FA) in pSividas proprietary delivery device.
pSivida is a global drug delivery company committed to the biomedical sector and the
development of drug delivery products. Our agreement with pSivida provides us with a
worldwide exclusive license to develop and sell Iluvien, which consists of a tiny
polyimide tube with membrane caps that is filled with FA in a polyvinyl alcohol matrix
for delivery to the back of the eye for the treatment and prevention of eye diseases in
humans (other than uveitis). This agreement also provided us with a worldwide
non-exclusive license to develop and sell pSividas proprietary delivery device to
deliver other corticosteroids to the back of the eye for the treatment and prevention
of eye diseases in humans (other than uveitis) or to treat DME by delivering a compound
to the back of the eye through a direct delivery method through an incision required
for a 25-gauge or larger needle. We do not have the right to develop and sell pSividas
proprietary delivery device for indications for diseases outside of the eye or for the
treatment of uveitis. Further, our
agreement with pSivida permits pSivida to grant to any other party the right to
use its intellectual property (i) to treat DME through an incision smaller than that
required
for a 25-gauge needle, unless using a corticosteroid delivered to the back of the eye,
(ii) to deliver any compound outside the back of the eye unless it is to treat DME
through an incision required for a 25-gauge or larger needle, or (iii) to deliver
non-corticosteroids to the back of the eye, unless it is to treat DME through an
incision required for a 25-gauge or larger needle.
17
Table of Contents
Under the February 2005 agreement, we and pSivida agreed to collaborate on the
development of Iluvien for DME, and share financial responsibility for the development
expenses equally. Per the terms of the agreement, we each reported our monthly
expenditures on a cash basis, and the party expending the lesser amount of cash during
the period was required to make a cash payment to the party expending the greater
amount to balance the cash expenditures. We retained primary responsibility for the
development of the product, and therefore, were generally the party owed a balancing
payment. Between February 2006 and December 2006, pSivida failed to make payments to us
for its share of development costs totaling $2.0 million. For each payment not made,
pSivida incurred a penalty of 50% of the missed payment and interest began accruing at
the rate of 20% per annum on the missed payment and the penalty amount. In accordance
with the terms of the agreement, pSivida was able to remain in compliance with the
terms of the February 2005 agreement as long as the total amount of development
payments past due did not exceed $2.0 million, and pSivida began making payments again
in December 2006 in order to maintain compliance with the agreement. For financial
reporting purposes we fully reserved the $2.0 million in past due development payments
and all penalties and interest due with respect to such past due payment, due to the
uncertainty of future collection.
The February 2005 agreement provided that after commercialization of Iluvien,
profits, as defined in our agreement, would be shared equally. In March 2008, we and
pSivida amended and restated the agreement to provide us with 80% of the net profits
and pSivida with 20% of the net profits.
Total consideration to pSivida in connection with the execution of the March 2008
agreement was $33.8 million, which consisted of a cash payment of $12.0 million, the
issuance of a $15.0 million note payable, and the forgiveness of $6.8 million in
outstanding receivables. The $15.0 million promissory note accrued interest at 8% per
annum, payable quarterly and was payable in full to pSivida upon the earliest of a
liquidity event as defined in the agreement, the occurrence of an event of default
under our agreement with pSivida, or September 30, 2012. If the note was not paid in
full by March 31, 2010, the interest rate was to increase to 20% effective as of
April 1, 2010, and we were required to begin making principal payments of $500,000 per
month.
On April 27, 2010, we paid pSivida approximately $15.2 million in principal and
interest to satisfy the note payable.
We will owe pSivida an additional milestone payment of $25.0 million upon FDA
approval of Iluvien.
Our Discontinued Non-Prescription Business
At the inception of our company, we were focused primarily on the development and
commercialization of non-prescription over-the-counter ophthalmic products. In October
2006, due to the progress and resource requirements related to the development of
Iluvien, we decided to discontinue our non-prescription business. As a result, we
received proceeds of $10.0 million from the sale of our allergy products in December
2006 and $6.7 million from the sale of our dry eye product in July 2007, both to
Bausch & Lomb. If one of the allergy products receives FDA approval, we are entitled to
an additional $8.0 million payment from Bausch & Lomb under the sales agreement. In
January 2010 we received a $4.0 million option payment from Bausch & Lomb upon the
exercise by Bausch & Lomb of its option to extend the period during which it may
continue to develop this allergy product by two years. However, there can be no
assurance that Bausch & Lomb will continue the development of this allergy product,
that it will receive FDA approval or that we will receive the $8.0 million payment. As
a result of the discontinuance of our non-prescription business, all revenues and
expenses associated with our over-the-counter portfolio are included in the loss from
discontinued operations in the accompanying statements of operations.
18
Table of Contents
Financial Operations Overview
Revenue
To date we have only generated revenue from our dry eye non-prescription product.
From the launch of that product in September 2004 to its sale in July 2007, we
generated $4.4 million in net revenues. We do not expect to generate any significant
additional revenue unless or until we obtain regulatory approval of, and commercialize,
our product candidates or in-license additional products that generate revenue. In
addition to generating revenue from product sales, we intend to seek to generate
revenue from other sources such as upfront fees, milestone payments in connection with
collaborative or strategic relationships, and royalties resulting from the licensing of
our product candidates and other intellectual property. We expect any revenue we
generate will fluctuate from quarter to quarter as a result of the nature, timing and
amount of any milestone payments we may receive from potential collaborative and
strategic relationships, as well as revenue we may receive upon the sale of our
products to the extent any are successfully commercialized.
Research and Development Expenses
Substantially all of our research and development expenses incurred to date
related to our continuing operations have been related to the development of Iluvien. Upon the approval of Iluvien by the FDA, we will
owe an additional milestone payment of $25.0 million to pSivida. We anticipate that we
will incur additional research and development expenses in the future as we evaluate
and possibly pursue the development of Iluvien for additional indications, or develop
additional product candidates. We recognize research and development expenses as they
are incurred. Our research and development expenses consist primarily of:
| salaries and related expenses for personnel; |
||
| fees paid to consultants and contract research organizations (CRO) in conjunction with independently
monitoring clinical trials and acquiring and evaluating data in conjunction with clinical trials, including
all related fees such as investigator grants, patient screening, lab work and data compilation and statistical
analysis; |
||
| costs incurred with third parties related to the establishment of a commercially viable manufacturing process
for our product candidates; |
||
| costs related to production of clinical materials, including fees paid to contract manufacturers; |
||
| costs related to upfront and milestone payments under in-licensing agreements; |
||
| costs related to compliance with FDA regulatory requirements; |
||
| consulting fees paid to third-parties involved in research and development activities; and |
||
| costs related to stock options or other stock-based compensation granted to personnel in development functions. |
We expense both internal and external development costs as they are incurred.
We expect that a large percentage of our research and development expenses in the
future will be incurred in support of our current and future technical, preclinical and
clinical development programs. These expenditures are subject to numerous uncertainties
in terms of both their timing and total cost to completion. We expect to continue to
develop stable formulations of our product candidates, test such formulations in
preclinical studies for toxicology, safety and efficacy and to conduct clinical trials
for each product candidate. We anticipate funding clinical trials for Iluvien
ourselves, but we may engage collaboration partners at certain stages of clinical
development. As we obtain results from clinical trials, we may elect to discontinue or
delay clinical trials for certain product candidates or programs in order to focus our
resources on more promising product candidates or programs. Completion of clinical
trials by us or our future collaborators may take several years or more, the length of
time generally varying with the type, complexity, novelty and intended use
of a product candidate. The costs of clinical trials may vary significantly over the
life of a project owing to but not limited to the following:
| the number of sites included in the trials; |
||
| the length of time required to enroll eligible patients; |
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| the number of patients that participate in the trials; |
||
| the number of doses that patients receive; |
||
| the drop-out or discontinuation rates of patients; |
||
| the duration of patient follow-up; |
||
| the phase of development the product candidate is in; and |
||
| the efficacy and safety profile of the product candidate. |
Our expenses related to clinical trials are based on estimates of the services
received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with multiple research institutions
and contract research organizations that conduct and manage clinical trials on our
behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation and vary
from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. Generally, these
agreements set forth the scope of work to be performed at a fixed fee or unit price.
Payments under the contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of
patients or the completion of clinical trial milestones. Expenses related to clinical
trials generally are accrued based on contracted amounts applied to the level of
patient enrollment and activity according to the protocol. If timelines or contracts
are modified based upon changes in the clinical trial protocol or scope of work to be
performed, we modify our estimates of accrued expenses accordingly on a prospective
basis.
None of our product candidates has received FDA or foreign regulatory marketing
approval. In order to grant marketing approval, a health authority such as the FDA or
foreign regulatory agencies must conclude that clinical and preclinical data establish
the safety and efficacy of our product candidates with an appropriate benefit to risk
profile relevant to a particular indication, and that the product can be manufactured
under current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) in a reproducible manner to deliver
the products intended performance in terms of its stability, quality, purity and
potency. Until our submission is reviewed by a health authority, there is no way to
predict the outcome of their review. Even if the clinical studies meet their
predetermined primary endpoints, and a registration dossier is accepted for filing, a
health authority could still determine that an appropriate benefit to risk relationship
does not exist for the indication that we are seeking. We cannot forecast with any
degree of certainty which of our product candidates will be subject to future
collaborations or how such arrangements would affect our development plan or capital
requirements. As a result of the uncertainties discussed above, we are unable to
determine the duration and completion costs of our development projects or when and to
what extent we will receive cash inflows from the commercialization and sale of an
approved product candidate.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation for
employees in executive and administrative functions, including finance, accounting and
human resources. Other significant costs include facilities costs and professional fees
for accounting and legal services, including legal services associated with obtaining
and maintaining patents. We anticipate incurring a significant increase in general and
administrative expenses, as we operate as a public company following our IPO. These
increases will include increased costs for insurance, costs related to the hiring of
additional personnel and payments to outside consultants, lawyers and accountants. We
also expect to incur significant costs to comply with the corporate governance,
internal control and similar requirements applicable to public companies.
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Marketing Expenses
Marketing expenses consist primarily of compensation for employees responsible for
assessing the commercial opportunity of and developing market awareness and launch
plans for our product candidates. Other costs include professional fees associated with
developing brands for our product candidates and maintaining public relations. We
expect significant increases in our marketing and selling expenses as we hire
additional personnel and establish our sales and marketing capabilities in anticipation
of the commercialization of our product candidates. We intend to capitalize on our
managements past experience and expertise with eye-care products by marketing and
selling Iluvien to the approximately 1,600 retinal specialists practicing in the
approximately 900 retina centers across the U.S.
Our plan is to develop our own specialized domestic sales and marketing
infrastructure, comprised of approximately 40 people, to market Iluvien and other
ophthalmic products that we may acquire or develop in the future. We hired regional
managers with extensive ophthalmic-based sales experience in the third quarter of 2010
and will begin adding sales representatives in the first quarter of 2011. We expect
that our domestic sales force will be able to access and form relationships with
retinal specialists in the approximately 900 retina centers across the U.S. prior to the commercial launch of Iluvien.
Interest and Other Income
Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on our cash, cash
equivalents and investments.
Interest Expense
Beginning in March 2008, we began recognizing interest on our $15.0 million note
payable to pSivida at an effective interest rate of 12.64% per annum (this note accrued
interest at the rate of 8% per annum from inception through March 31, 2010 and at the
rate of 20% per annum effective as of April 1, 2010). At December 31, 2009, accrued
interest in excess of amounts then currently payable at the stated rate are included in
accrued expenses and in other long-term liabilities in the accompanying balance sheet.
Interest expense also includes interest on our capital leases. On April 27, 2010, we
paid pSivida approximately $15.2 million in principal and interest to satisfy the note
payable.
Change in Fair Value of Preferred Stock Conversion Feature
Prior to being converted into common stock in connection with our IPO, our
preferred stock contained certain conversion features which were considered embedded
derivatives. We accounted for such embedded derivative financial instruments in
accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 815. We recorded derivative financial
instruments as assets or liabilities in our balance sheet measured at their fair value.
We recorded the changes in fair value of such instruments as non-cash gains or losses
in the statement of operations. The preferred stock conversion feature was eliminated
upon the conversion of our preferred stock to common stock in connection with our IPO
in April 2010.
Preferred Stock Accretion
Our preferred stock was recorded at issuance at the proceeds received net of any
issuance discounts, issuance costs and the fair value of the conversion features at
issuance. The difference between the amount recorded at issuance and the original issue
price was accreted on a straight-line basis over a period extending from the date of
issuance to the date at which the preferred stock would have become redeemable at the
option of the holder.
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Preferred Stock Dividends
Our preferred stock accrued dividends at 8% per annum which were recorded as an
increase in the carrying amount of the respective preferred stock. At the time our
preferred stock was converted into common
stock in connection with our IPO, $1.5 million of dividends accrued on our Series A
preferred stock prior to November 17, 2005 were converted into 380,301 shares of our
common stock. All other preferred stock dividends were eliminated upon conversion of
the underlying preferred stock in April 2010.
Basic and Diluted Net Loss Applicable to Common Stockholders per Common Share
We calculated net loss per share in accordance with Accounting Standards
Codification 260 (ASC 260). We have determined that the Series A, Series B, Series C
and Series C-1 preferred stock represent participating securities in accordance with
ASC 260. However, since we operate at a loss, and losses are not allocated to the
preferred stock, the two class method does not affect our calculation of earnings per
share. We had a net loss from continuing operations for all periods presented;
accordingly, the inclusion of common stock options and warrants would be anti-dilutive.
Dilutive common stock equivalents would include the dilutive effect of convertible
securities, common stock options, warrants for convertible securities and warrants for
common stock equivalents. Potentially dilutive weighted average common stock
equivalents totaled approximately 11,581,116 and 21,411,980 for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively, and 1,710,555 and 22,201,737 for the three
months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Potentially dilutive common
stock equivalents were excluded from the diluted earnings per share denominator for all
periods of net loss from continuing operations because of their anti-dilutive effect.
Therefore, for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, the weighted average
shares used to calculate both basic and diluted loss per share are the same.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations
are based on our financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these
financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the
reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. On an ongoing basis, we
evaluate these estimates and judgments, including those described below. We base our
estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to
be reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates and assumptions form the basis
for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not
readily apparent from other sources. Actual results and experiences may differ
materially from these estimates. We believe that the following accounting policies are
the most critical to aid you in fully understanding and evaluating our reported
financial results and affect the more significant judgments and estimates that we use
in the preparation of our financial statements.
Clinical Trial Prepaid and Accrued Expenses
We record prepaid assets and accrued liabilities related to clinical trials
associated with contract research organizations, clinical trial investigators and other
vendors based upon amounts paid and the estimated amount of work completed on each
clinical trial. The financial terms of agreements vary from vendor to vendor and may
result in uneven payment flows. As such, if we have advanced funds exceeding our
estimate of the work completed, we record a prepaid asset. If our estimate of the work
completed exceeds the amount paid, an accrued liability is recorded. All such costs are
charged to research and development expenses based on these estimates. Our estimates
may or may not match the actual services performed by the organizations as determined
by patient enrollment levels and related activities. We monitor patient enrollment
levels and related activities to the extent possible through internal reviews,
correspondence and discussions with our contract research organization and review of
contractual terms. However, if we have incomplete or inaccurate information, we may
underestimate or overestimate activity levels associated with various clinical trials
at a given point in time. In this event, we could record significant research and
development expenses in future periods when the actual level of activities becomes
known. To date, we have not experienced material changes in these estimates.
Additionally, we do not expect material adjustments to research and development
expenses to result from changes in the nature and level of clinical trial activity and
related expenses that are currently subject to estimation. In the future, as we expand
our clinical trial activities, we expect to have increased levels of research and
development costs that will be subject to estimation.
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Research and Development Costs
Research and development expenditures are expensed as incurred, pursuant to
Accounting Standards Codification 730. Costs to license technology to be used in our
research and development that have not reached technological feasibility, defined as
FDA approval for our current product candidates, and have no alternative future use are
expensed when incurred. Payments to licensors that relate to the achievement of
preapproval development milestones are recorded as research and development expense
when incurred.
Income Taxes
We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between
the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of its assets and liabilities in
accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 740 (ASC 740). We evaluate the
positive and negative evidence bearing upon the realizability of our deferred tax
assets on an annual basis. Significant management judgment is involved in determining
the provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation
allowance recorded against net deferred tax assets. Due to uncertainties with respect
to the realization of our deferred tax assets due to our history of operating losses, a
valuation allowance has been established against our deferred tax asset balances to
reduce the net carrying value to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized.
As a result we have fully reserved against the deferred tax asset balances. The
valuation allowances are based on our estimates of taxable income in the jurisdictions
in which we operate and the period over which deferred tax assets will be recoverable.
In the event that actual results differ from these estimates or we adjust these
estimates in future periods, a change in the valuation allowance may be needed, which
could materially impact our financial position and results of operations. Our deferred
tax assets primarily consist of net operating loss (NOL) carry-forwards. At
September 30, 2010 we had federal NOL carry-forwards of approximately $90.4 million and
state NOL carry-forwards of approximately $73.5 million, respectively, that are
available to reduce future income otherwise taxable. If not utilized, the federal NOL
carry-forwards will expire at various dates between 2023 and 2030 and the state NOL
carry-forwards will expire at various dates between 2020 and 2030. If it is determined
that significant ownership changes have occurred since these NOLs were generated, we
may be subject to annual limitations on the use of these NOLs under Internal Revenue
Code Section 382 (or comparable provisions of state law). We are currently evaluating
the impact of our IPO on our NOL carry-forwards and whether certain changes in
ownership have occurred that would limit our ability to utilize a portion of our NOL
carry-forwards.
In the event that we were to determine that we are able to realize any of our net
deferred tax assets in the future, an adjustment to the valuation allowance would
increase net income in the period such determination was made. We believe that the most
significant uncertainty that will impact the determination of our valuation allowance
will be our estimation of the extent and timing of future net income, if any.
We considered our income tax positions for uncertainty in accordance with ASC 740.
We believe our income tax filing positions and deductions are more likely than not of
being sustained on audit and do not anticipate any adjustments that will result in a
material change to our financial position; therefore, we have not recorded ASC 740
liabilities. We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax
benefits as interest expense and income tax expense, respectively, in our statements of
operations. Our tax years since 2003 remain subject to examination in Georgia,
Tennessee, and on the federal level. We do not anticipate any material changes to our
uncertain tax positions within the next 12 months.
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Results of Operations
The following selected unaudited financial and operating data are derived from our
financial statements and should be read in conjunction with Managements Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our financial
statements.
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES |
$ | 3,276 | $ | 3,649 | $ | 10,481 | $ | 11,979 | ||||||||
GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES |
1,260 | 828 | 3,338 | 2,351 | ||||||||||||
MARKETING EXPENSES |
1,583 | 157 | 2,209 | 541 | ||||||||||||
TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
6,119 | 4,634 | 16,028 | 14,871 | ||||||||||||
INTEREST AND OTHER INCOME |
37 | 4 | 53 | 35 | ||||||||||||
INTEREST EXPENSE |
| (474 | ) | (618 | ) | (1,423 | ) | |||||||||
GAIN ON EARLY EXTINGUISHMENT OF DEBT |
| | 1,343 | | ||||||||||||
(INCREASE) DECREASE IN FAIR VALUE OF DERIVATIVE |
| (6 | ) | 3,644 | (5,295 | ) | ||||||||||
LOSS FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS |
$ | (6,082 | ) | $ | (5,110 | ) | $ | (11,606 | ) | $ | (21,554 | ) |
Three months ended September 30, 2010 compared to the three months ended
September 30, 2009
Research and development expenses. Research and development
expenses decreased by approximately $300,000, or 8.3%, to approximately
$3.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010 compared to
approximately $3.6 million for the three months ended September 30,
2009. The decrease was primarily attributable to decreases of $910,000 in costs
related to our FAME Study and $300,000 in costs related to license fees paid in
2009 to Emory University for two classes of NADPH oxidase inhibitors, offset by
increases of $480,000 in costs incurred to file marketing applications for
Iluvien in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the U.K.,
$240,000 in costs associated with contracting medical sciences liaisons to
engage with retina specialists in the study of Iluvien, and $100,000 in
technical transfer costs associated with establishing manufacturing
capabilities with a third party manufacturer for Iluvien. The decrease in costs
for our FAME Study was primarily due to decreases of $450,000 for our CRO,
$280,000 for clinical trial site costs, and $160,000 for our third party
reading center for the analysis of retinal images as the FAME study neared
completion at the end of the third quarter of 2010.
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses
increased by approximately $460,000, or 55.4%, to $1.3 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2010 compared to approximately $830,000 for the three months ended
September 30, 2009. The increase was primarily attributable to $350,000 in costs
incurred after our IPO in April 2010 associated with operating as a public company
including additional audit, tax and legal fees, increased directors and officers
insurance costs, and board of directors compensation.
Marketing expenses. Marketing expenses increased by approximately $1.4 million,
or 875.0%, to approximately $1.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010
compared to approximately $160,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2009. The
increase was primarily attributable to increased spending on pre-launch activities for
Iluvien subsequent to the receipt of data from our FAME Study in December 2009. These
activities included $400,000 for increased medical marketing to the physician community
through medical publications, relationships with key opinion leaders, and increased
presence at medical and scientific conferences, $360,000 in costs related to our
advertising agencys development of a detailed advertising and promotional plan for
Iluvien, $250,000 in increased corporate communications costs related to our
post-launch message development and media management, and $170,000 in additional personnel
costs as we increased the number of employees in our marketing department.
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Interest and other income. Interest and other income was approximately $40,000
for the three months ended September 30, 2010. Interest and other income for the three
months ended September 30, 2009 was immaterial. The increase was due to higher cash
balances in our money market accounts and our investments in short term
government-backed securities following our IPO in April 2010.
Interest expense. Interest expense was immaterial for the three months ended
September 30, 2010. Interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2009 was
approximately $470,000. The decrease was primarily due to the repayment of the $15.0
million promissory note to pSivida in April 2010.
Decrease (increase) in fair value of preferred stock conversion feature. We
eliminated our preferred stock conversion feature in conjunction with our IPO in April
2010. During the three months ended September 30, 2009, we recognized a loss of
approximately $10,000 related to the increase in the fair value of the conversion
feature of our preferred stock. The increase in fair value was primarily due to
changes in the estimated fair value of our common stock.
Income from discontinued operations
We did not have any income or loss from discontinued operations for either of the
three month periods ended September 30, 2010 and 2009.
Nine months ended September 30, 2010 compared to the nine months ended September 30,
2009
Research and development expenses. Research and development
expenses decreased by approximately $1.5 million, or 12.5%, to
approximately $10.5 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010 compared to approximately $12.0 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2009. The decrease was primarily attributable to decreases
of $1.8 million in technical transfer costs associated with establishing
manufacturing capabilities with a third party manufacturer for Iluvien in 2009,
$1.7 million in costs related to our FAME Study, and $300,000 related to
license fees paid to Emory University in 2009 for two classes of NADPH oxidase
inhibitors, offset by increases of $2.0 million in costs to file our NDA
in the United States and marketing applications for Iluvien in Austria, France,
Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the U.K., $240,000 in costs associated
with contracting medical science liaisons to engage with retinal specialists in
the study of Iluvien, and $170,000 for our study of RVO as this study continues
to increase its enrollment. The decrease in costs for our FAME Study was
primarily due to decreases of $660,000 for our CROs, $630,000 for clinical trial
site costs, and $480,000 for our third party reading center for the analysis of
retinal images as the FAME Study neared completion at the end of the third
quarter 2010.
General and administrative expenses. General and
administrative expenses increased by approximately $900,000, or 37.5%, to
approximately $3.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010
compared to approximately $2.4 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2009. The increase was primarily attributable to $670,000 in
costs incurred after our IPO in April 2010 associated with operating as a
public company including additional audit, tax and legal fees, increased
directors’ and officers’ insurance costs, and board of
directors’ compensation and $120,000 of non-cash stock compensation
expense incurred in connection with evaluating financing options prior to our
IPO.
Marketing expenses. Marketing expenses increased by approximately $1.7 million,
or 314.8%, to approximately $2.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010
compared to approximately $540,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2009. The
increase was primarily attributable to increased spending on pre-launch activities for
Iluvien subsequent to the receipt of data from our FAME Study in December 2009. These
activities included $410,000 for increased medical marketing to the physician community
through medical publications, relationships with key opinion leaders, and increased
presence at medical and scientific conferences, $360,000 in costs related to our
advertising agencys development of a detailed advertising and promotional plan for
Iluvien, $250,000 in increased corporate communications costs related to our
post-launch message development and media management, $170,000 of pharmacoeconomic
research to evaluate the pricing of Iluvien in the United States, Canada and Europe,
$170,000 in personnel costs as we increased the number of employees in our marketing
department, and $140,000 in costs related to consulting fees incurred to develop our
managed market strategy.
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Interest and other income. Interest and other income increased by approximately
$10,000, or 25.0%, to approximately $50,000 for the nine months ended September 30,
2010 compared to approximately $40,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2009.
The increase was due to higher cash balances in our money market accounts and our
investments in short term government-backed securities following our IPO in April 2010.
Interest expense. Interest expense decreased approximately $780,000, or 55.7%,
to approximately $620,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 compared to
approximately $1.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2009. The decrease
was primarily due to the repayment of the $15.0 million promissory note to pSivida in
April 2010.
Decrease (increase) in fair value of preferred stock conversion feature. During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, we recognized a gain of approximately $3.6
million related to the decrease in the fair value of the conversion feature of our
preferred stock. During the nine months ended September 30, 2009, we recognized a loss
of approximately $5.3 million related to the increase in the fair value of the
conversion feature of our preferred stock. The changes in fair values were primarily
due to changes in the estimated fair value of our common stock.
Income from discontinued operations
We recognized income from discontinued operations during the nine months ended
September 30, 2010 of $4.0 million for a payment we received from Bausch & Lomb. This
payment was related to the exercise by Bausch & Lomb of its option to extend by two
years the period during which it may continue to develop an allergy product acquired
from us in 2006. We did not have any income or loss from discontinued operations for
the nine months ended September 30, 2009.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
To date we have incurred recurring losses, negative cash flow from operations, and
have accumulated a deficit of $182.6 million from our inception through September 30,
2010. Prior to our IPO in April 2010, we funded our operations through the private
placement of common stock, preferred stock and convertible debt, as well as by the sale
of certain assets of the non-prescription business in which we were previously engaged.
On April 21, 2010, our Registration Statement on Form S-1 (as amended) was
declared effective by the SEC for our IPO, pursuant to which we sold 6,550,000 shares
of our common stock at a public offering price of $11.00 per share. We received net
proceeds of approximately $68.4 million from this transaction, after deducting
underwriting discounts and commissions. As of September 30, 2010, we had approximately
$14.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and $40.0 million of investments. In October 2010,
we obtained a $32.5 million senior secured credit facility (Credit Facility), which is
discussed in greater detail below, to help fund our working capital requirements.
We believe our cash, cash equivalents, investments and Credit Facility are
sufficient to fund our operations through the projected commercialization of Iluvien
and the expected generation of revenue in 2011. The commercialization of Iluvien is
dependent upon the approval by the FDA, however, and we cannot be sure that Iluvien
will be approved by the FDA or that, if approved, future sales of Iluvien will generate
enough revenue to fund our operations beyond its commercialization. If Iluvien is not
approved, or if approved, does not generate sufficient revenue, we may adjust our
commercial plans so that we can continue to operate with our existing cash resources or
seek to raise additional financing.
In the event additional financing is needed, we may seek to fund our operations
through the sale of equity securities, strategic collaboration agreements and debt
financing. We cannot be sure that additional financing from any of these sources will
be available when needed or that, if available, the additional financing will be
obtained on terms favorable to us or our stockholders. If we raise additional funds by
issuing equity securities, substantial dilution to existing stockholders would likely
result and the terms of any new equity securities may have a preference over our common
stock. If we attempt to raise additional funds through strategic collaboration
agreements and debt financing, we may not be successful in obtaining collaboration
agreements, or in receiving milestone or royalty payments under those agreements, or
the terms of the debt may involve significant cash payment obligations as well as
covenants and specific financial ratios that may restrict our ability to commercialize
our product candidates or operate our business.
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For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, cash used in our continuing
operations of $16.0 million was primarily due to our net loss from continuing
operations of $11.6 million increased by non-cash gains of $3.6 million related to the
change in fair value of our preferred stock conversion feature and $1.3 million
associated with the repayment of our $15.0 million promissory note to pSivda in April
2010, offset by non-cash charges of $560,000 for stock compensation expense and
$150,000 for depreciation and amortization expense. Further increasing our net cash
used in continuing operations was an increase in prepaid and other current assets of
$320,000 offset by an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses and other
current liabilities of $180,000. The increase in prepaid and other current assets was
primarily due to an increase of $180,000 of advances made to the third party
manufacturer of Iluvien to scale up commercialization and an increase of $150,000 of
prepaid annual directors and officers insurance premiums, offset by a reduction of
$100,000 of prepaid costs related to our FAME Study and other ancillary clinical
studies as work on these studies continued. The increase in accounts payable and
accrued expenses and other current liabilities was primarily due to an increase of
$250,000 of amounts payable to providers of corporate communications and medical
marketing services as pre-launch activities continued.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2009 cash used in our continuing
operations of $12.8 million was primarily due to our net loss from continuing operation
of $21.6 million offset by non-cash charges including $5.3 million related to the
change in fair value of our preferred stock conversion feature, $1.0 million in
depreciation and amortization expense associated primarily with equipment used for the
manufacture of our Iluvien registration batches, $350,000 in stock compensation
expense, and $150,000 in non-cash research and development expense paid to Emory
University with our common stock as an initial license fee for a class of NADPH oxidase
inhibitors. Further offsetting our net losses from continuing operations were increases
in accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other current liabilities of $1.1 million
and other long-term liabilities of $370,000, and a decrease in prepaid expenses and
other current assets of $460,000. Accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other
current liabilities increased due to increases of $1.2 million in amounts payable to
our clinical trial sites, $300,000 under out incentive compensation plan, $160,000 in
interest accrued on our $15.0 million promissory note to pSivida and $150,000 accrued
as an initial license fee to Emory University for a second class of NADPH oxidase
inhibitors, offset by decreases of $360,000 in professional fees payable in connection
with the preparation for an initial public offering of our common stock in 2008 and
$350,000 in amounts payable to one of our third party manufacturers. The increase in
other long term liabilities is due to interest being accrued on our promissory note to
pSivida. Prepaid expenses and other current assets decreased primarily due to the
progression of the technology transfer of Iluvien and the utilization of prepayments to
our third party manufacturers.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2010 net cash used in our investing
activities was $36.1 million, which was primarily due to the purchase of $40.0 million
of investments and the purchase of $120,000 of computer equipment and software to
facilitate the filing of our NDA and for use by new employees, offset by the receipt of $4.0 million from Bausch & Lomb upon the exercise by Bausch & Lomb of its
option to extend by two years the period during which it may continue to develop an
allergy product acquired from us in 2006. For the nine months ended September 30, 2009
cash used in our investing activities was immaterial.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2010 net cash provided by our financing
activities was $62.0 million, which was due primarily to the receipt of net proceeds of
$68.4 million, after underwriting discounts and commissions, from our IPO, net proceeds
of $10.0 million from the exercise of warrants to purchase shares of our Series C-1
preferred stock, and $520,000 from the exercise of options and warrants to purchase
shares of our stock offset by the payment of $1.9 million of costs related to our IPO
and by the repayment of our $15.0 million promissory note to pSivida. For the nine
months ended September 30, 2009 cash provided by financing activities was $4.9 million,
which was due primarily to proceeds of $5.0 million received from the issuance of our
Series C-1 preferred stock and warrants for our Series C-1 preferred stock offset by
$100,000 in related offering costs.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Other than the obligations we have incurred under the Credit Facility, there have been
no other material changes to our contractual obligations and commitments outside the
ordinary course of business from those disclosed in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, filed with the SEC on June 7, 2010.
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Credit Facility
Term Loan Agreement
On October 14, 2010 (Effective Date), we entered into a Loan and Security
Agreement with Silicon Valley Bank and MidCap Financial LLP under which we
may borrow up to $12.5 million (Term Loan Agreement). The
lenders advanced $6.25 million on the
Effective Date (Initial Tranche) and may advance the remaining
$6.25 million following FDA approval of Iluvien, but no later
than July 31, 2011
(Second Tranche). To secure the repayment of any amounts borrowed under the Term Loan
Agreement, we granted to the lenders a first priority security interest in all of our
assets, other than our intellectual property (provided that in the event we fail to
meet certain financial conditions, a curable lien will be imposed on our intellectual
property). We also agreed not to pledge or otherwise encumber our intellectual
property assets.
We are required to maintain our primary operating and other deposit accounts and
securities accounts with Silicon Valley Bank, which accounts must represent at least
50% of the dollar value of our accounts at all financial institutions.
We will be required to pay interest on borrowings under the Term Loan Agreement at
a rate of 11.5% on a monthly basis through July 31, 2011. Thereafter, we will be
required to repay the principal, plus interest at such rate if the Second Tranche is
advanced to us prior to February 28, 2011 (and plus interest at a rate of 12% if the
Second Tranche is advanced to us after February 28, 2011), in 27 equal monthly
installments. We paid to the lenders an upfront fee of $62,500, and will pay to the
lenders an additional final payment of 3% of the total principal amount. In addition,
if we repay the loan prior to maturity, we will pay to the lenders a prepayment penalty
of 5% of the total principal amount if the prepayment occurs within one year after the
funding date, 3% of the total principal amount if the prepayment occurs between one and
two years after the funding date and 1% of the total principal amount of the prepayment
occurs thereafter (each a Prepayment Penalty), provided in each case that such
Prepayment Penalty will be reduced by 50% in the event we are acquired. We also agreed
to customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default in connection
with this arrangement. The occurrence of an event of default could result in the
acceleration of our obligations under the Term Loan Agreement and an increase to the
applicable interest rate, and would permit the lenders to exercise remedies with
respect to the collateral under the Term Loan Agreement.
In
connection with entering into this agreement, we issued to the lenders,
warrants to purchase an aggregate of up to 79,546 shares of our
common stock. Each of the warrants is exercisable immediately, has a per-share
exercise price of $11.00 and has a term of 10 years. In
addition, the lenders will
have certain registration rights with respect to the shares of common stock issuable
upon exercise of the warrants.
Revolving Loan Agreement
Also on the Effective Date, we and Silicon Valley Bank entered into a Loan and
Security Agreement (Revolving Loan Agreement), pursuant to which we obtained a secured
revolving line of credit from Silicon Valley Bank with borrowing availability up to
$20,000,000.
The Revolving Loan Agreement provides for a working capital-based revolving line
of credit (Revolving Line) in an aggregate amount of up to the lesser of (i) $20.0
million, or (ii) 85% of eligible domestic accounts receivable. The Revolving Line
matures on October 31, 2013.
Amounts advanced under the Revolving Line bear interest at an annual rate equal to
Silicon Valley Banks prime rate plus 2.50% (with a rate floor of 6.50%). Interest on
the Revolving Line is due monthly, with the balance due at the maturity date. We paid
to the Silicon Valley Bank an upfront fee of $100,000. In addition, if we terminate
the Revolving Line prior to maturity, we will pay to Silicon Valley Bank a fee of
$400,000 if the termination occurs within one year after the Effective Date and a fee
of $200,000 if the termination occurs more than one year after the Effective Date (each
a Termination Fee), provided in each case that such Termination Fee will be reduced by
50% in the event we are acquired.
To secure the repayment of any amounts borrowed under the Revolving Loan
Agreement, we granted to Silicon Valley Bank a security interest in all of our assets,
other than our intellectual property (provided that in the event we fail to meet
certain financial conditions, a curable lien will be imposed on our intellectual
property). We also agreed not to pledge or otherwise encumber our intellectual
property assets.
We also agreed to customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of
default in connection with the Revolving Loan Agreement. The occurrence of an event of
default could result in the acceleration of our obligations under the Revolving Loan
Agreement and an increase to the applicable interest rate, and would permit Silicon
Valley Bank to exercise remedies with respect to the collateral under the Revolving
Loan Agreement.
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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial
partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special
purpose entities, that would have been established for the purpose of facilitating
off-balance sheet arrangements (as that term is defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of
Regulation S-K) or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. As such, we are not
exposed to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risk that could arise if we had
engaged in those types of relationships. We enter into guarantees in the ordinary
course of business related to the guarantee of our own performance and the performance
of our subsidiaries.
New Accounting Pronouncements
From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial
Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, or other standard setting bodies that are adopted
by us as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, we believe that
the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a
material impact on our financial position or results of operations upon adoption.
ITEM 3 Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures about Market Risk
We are exposed to market risk related to changes in interest rates. As of
September 30, 2010, we had approximately $14.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and
$40.0 million in investments. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest income
sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates,
particularly because our investments are in short-term securities. Due to the
short-term duration of our investment portfolio and the low risk profile of our
investments, an immediate 10% change in interest rates would not have a material effect
on the fair market value of our portfolio. Accordingly, we would not expect our
operating results or cash flows to be affected to any significant degree by the effect
of a sudden change in market interest rates on our securities portfolio.
We contract for the conduct of some of our clinical trials and other research and
development activities with contract research organizations and investigational sites
in the United States, Europe and India. We may be subject to exposure to fluctuations
in foreign exchange rates in connection with these agreements. We do not hedge our
foreign currency exposures. We have not used derivative financial instruments for
speculation or trading purposes.
ITEM 4 Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that
information required to be disclosed in our periodic reports filed with the SEC is
recorded, processed and summarized and reported within the time periods specified in
the rules and forms of the SEC and that such information is accumulated and
communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required
disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, our
management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and
operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control
objectives, and no evaluation of controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance
that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. Our
management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit
relationship of possible controls and procedures. Under the supervision and with the
participation of the our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our
disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under
the Exchange Act) as of September 30, 2010. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls
and procedures are effective as of September 30, 2010, the end of the period covered by
this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, to ensure that the information required to be
disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the
SECs rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our
management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as
appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as
defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the third quarter
of 2010 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our
internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1A Risk Factors
Our business is subject to numerous risks. We caution you that the following
important factors, among others, could cause our actual results to differ materially
from those expressed in forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf in
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), press releases,
communications with investors and oral statements. Any or all of our forward-looking
statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in any other public statements we
make may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions we might
make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors mentioned in the
discussion below will be important in determining future results. Consequently, no
forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Actual future results may differ
materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. We undertake no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any
further disclosure we make in our reports filed with the SEC.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
We are heavily dependent on the success of our lead product candidate, Iluvien, which
is still under development. If we are unable to commercialize Iluvien, or experience
significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
We have invested a significant portion of our time and financial resources in the
development of Iluvien, our only product candidate in clinical development. We
anticipate that in the near term our ability to generate revenues will depend solely on
the successful development and commercialization of Iluvien. Based on our analysis of
the month 24 clinical readout from our Phase 3 pivotal clinical trials for the use of
Iluvien in the treatment of diabetic macular edema, or DME (collectively, our FAME
Study), in June 2010 we filed a New Drug Application (NDA) for the low dose of Iluvien
in the United States, followed by registration filings in Austria, France, Germany,
Italy, Portugal and Spain in July 2010. In August 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) accepted the Companys NDA for Iluvien and granted the NDA for
Iluvien priority review status. Priority review status reduces the review
time from ten months to six months. However, the FDA may request additional
information from us, including data from additional clinical trials, and, ultimately,
may not grant marketing approval for Iluvien. In addition, although we believe the
month 24 clinical readout from our FAME Study demonstrates that Iluvien is effective in
the treatment of DME, clinical data often is susceptible to varying interpretations and
many companies that have believed that their products performed satisfactorily in
clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain FDA approval for their products.
If we are not successful in commercializing Iluvien, or are significantly delayed
in doing so, our business will be materially harmed and we may need to curtail or cease
operations. Our ability to successfully commercialize Iluvien will depend, among other
things, on our ability to:
| successfully complete our clinical trials; |
||
| produce, through a validated process, batches of Iluvien in quantities sufficiently
large to permit successful commercialization; |
||
| receive marketing approvals from the FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities; |
||
| establish commercial manufacturing arrangements with third-party manufacturers; |
||
| launch commercial sales of Iluvien; and |
||
| secure acceptance of Iluvien in the medical community and with third-party payors. |
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We face heavy government regulation, and approval of Iluvien and our other product
candidates from the FDA and from similar entities in other countries is uncertain.
The research, testing, manufacturing and marketing of drug products are subject to
extensive regulation by U.S. federal, state and local government authorities, including
the FDA, and similar entities in other
countries. To obtain regulatory approval of a product, we must demonstrate to the
satisfaction of the regulatory agencies that, among other things, the product is safe
and effective for its intended use. In addition, we must show that the manufacturing
facilities used to produce the products are in compliance with current Good
Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations.
The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and clearances will require us to
expend substantial time and capital. Despite the time and expense incurred, regulatory
approval is never guaranteed. The number of preclinical and clinical tests that will be
required for regulatory approval varies depending on the drug candidate, the disease or
condition for which the drug candidate is in development and the regulations applicable
to that particular drug candidate. Regulatory agencies, including those in the United
States, Canada, the European Union and other countries where drugs are regulated, can
delay, limit or deny approval of a drug candidate for many reasons, including that:
| a drug candidate may not be safe or effective; |
||
| regulatory agencies may interpret data from preclinical and clinical
testing in different ways from those which we do; |
||
| they may not approve of our manufacturing process; |
||
| they may conclude that the drug candidate does not meet quality
standards for stability, quality, purity and potency; and |
||
| they may change their approval policies or adopt new regulations. |
The FDA may make requests or suggestions regarding conduct of our clinical trials,
resulting in an increased risk of difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory
approval in the United States. For example, the FDA may object to the use of a sham
injection in our control arm or may not approve of certain of our methods for analyzing
our trial data, including how we evaluate the risk/benefit relationship. Further, we
intend to market Iluvien, and may market other product candidates, outside the United
States and specifically in the European Union and Canada. Regulatory agencies within
these countries will require that we obtain separate regulatory approvals and comply
with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedures within these
countries can involve additional testing, and the time required to obtain approval may
differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. Additionally, the foreign regulatory
approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval.
For all of these reasons, we may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals 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 foreign regulatory
authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries
or jurisdictions or by the FDA.
We submitted an NDA in the United States for the low dose of Iluvien in June 2010
with 24 months of clinical data from our FAME Study, followed in July 2010 by
registration filings in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Consistent
with recommendations regarding the appropriate population for primary analysis as
described in the FDA-adopted International Conference on Harmonization of Technical
Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Guidance E9,
Statistical Principals for Clinical Trials, we believe that the FDA will consider the
most relevant population for determining safety and efficacy to be the full data set of
all 956 patients randomized into our FAME Study, with data imputation employed using
last observation carried forward, for data missing because of patients who
discontinued the trial or are unavailable for follow-up (the Full Analysis Set). The
primary efficacy endpoint was met with statistical significance for both the low dose
and the high dose of Iluvien in both trials using the Full Analysis Set and we intend
to submit an analysis based on this data set for the low dose to the FDA. However, our
FAME Study protocol did not include the Full Analysis Set and provides that the primary
assessment of efficacy will be based on another data set that excludes from the Full
Analysis Set three patients who were enrolled but never treated as well as data
collected for patients subsequent to their use of treatments prohibited by our FAME
Study protocol (the Modified ART Data Set). Statistical significance was not achieved
for either the low dose or the high dose in one trial using the Modified ART Data Set.
There is no assurance that the FDA will utilize the Full Analysis Set and not the
Modified ART Data Set or another data set in determining
whether Iluvien is safe and effective, which could result in the FDA not granting
marketing approval for Iluvien.
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Regulatory agencies require carcinogenicity studies in animals to identify
tumorigenic potential in animals to assess the relevant risk in humans. Based on month
18 readouts from our open-label Phase 2 human pharmacokinetic clinical trial (PK
Study), which indicate that there is negligible systemic absorption of fluocinolone
acetonide (FA) in patients being treated with Iluvien, we expect to obtain a waiver
from these regulatory agencies from the requirement to perform carcinogenicity studies.
However, we may not be able to demonstrate negligible systemic absorption of FA in our
PK Study beyond 18 months or may not obtain a waiver from regulatory agencies for the
requirement to perform carcinogenicity studies in animals. If we are required to
perform carcinogenicity studies in animals, the approval of Iluvien could be delayed by
up to 36 months.
Any delay or failure by us to obtain regulatory approvals for our product
candidates could diminish competitive advantages that we may attain and would adversely
affect the marketing of our products. We have not yet received regulatory approval to
market any of our product candidates in any jurisdiction.
Iluvien utilizes FA, a corticosteroid that has demonstrated undesirable side effects
in the eye; therefore, the success of Iluvien will be dependent upon the achievement
of an appropriate relationship between the benefits of its efficacy and the risks of
its side-effect profile.
The use of corticosteroids in the eye has been associated with undesirable side
effects, including increased incidence of intraocular pressure (IOP), which may
increase the risk of glaucoma and cataract formation. We have received only the month
24 clinical readout from our FAME Study and the extent of Iluviens long-term side
effect profile is not yet known. Upon review of our NDA for the low dose of Iluvien in
the treatment of DME, the FDA may conclude that our FAME Study did not demonstrate that
Iluvien has sufficient levels of efficacy to outweigh the risks associated with its
side-effect profile. Conversely, the FDA may conclude that Iluviens side-effect
profile does not demonstrate an acceptable risk/benefit relationship in line with
Iluviens demonstrated efficacy. In the event of such conclusions, we may not receive
regulatory approval from the FDA or from similar regulatory agencies in other
countries.
Even if we do receive regulatory approval for Iluvien, the FDA or other regulatory
agencies may impose limitations on the indicated uses for which Iluvien may be
marketed, subsequently withdraw approval or take other actions against us or Iluvien
that would be adverse to our business.
Regulatory agencies generally approve products for particular indications. If any
such regulatory agency approves Iluvien for a limited indication, the size of our
potential market for Iluvien will be reduced. For example, our potential market for
Iluvien would be reduced if the FDA limited the indications of use to patients
diagnosed with only clinically significant DME as opposed to DME or restricted the use
to patients exhibiting IOP below a certain level at the time of treatment. Product
approvals, once granted, may be withdrawn if problems occur after initial marketing. If
and when Iluvien does receive regulatory approval or clearance, the marketing,
distribution and manufacture of Iluvien will be subject to regulation in the United
States by the FDA and by similar entities in other countries. We will need to comply
with facility registration and product listing requirements of the FDA and similar
entities in other countries and adhere to the FDAs Quality System Regulations.
Noncompliance with applicable FDA and similar entities requirements can result in
warning letters, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, recall or seizure of Iluvien,
total or partial suspension of production, refusal of regulatory agencies to grant
approvals, withdrawal of approvals by regulatory agencies or criminal prosecution. We
would also need to maintain compliance with federal, state and foreign laws regarding
sales incentives, referrals and other programs.
Even though Iluvien has been granted priority review by the FDA, Iluvien may not
receive approval within the six-month review/approval cycle.
In August 2010 the FDA accepted our NDA for Iluvien and granted Iluvien priority
review. Priority review reduces the review time from ten months to six months
but does not necessarily confer any advantage with respect to approval compared to
conventional FDA procedures. Receiving priority review from the FDA does not guarantee
approval within the six-month review/approval cycle.
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Our product candidates may never achieve market acceptance even if we obtain
regulatory approvals.
Even if we receive regulatory approvals for the sale of our product candidates,
the commercial success of these products will depend, among other things, on their
acceptance by retinal specialists, patients, third-party payors and other members of
the medical community as a therapeutic and cost-effective alternative to competing
products and treatments. The degree of market acceptance of any of our product
candidates will depend on a number of factors, including the demonstration of its
safety and efficacy, its cost-effectiveness, its potential advantages over other
therapies, the reimbursement policies of government and third-party payors with respect
to the product candidate, and the effectiveness of our marketing and distribution
capabilities. If our product candidates fail to gain market acceptance, we may be
unable to earn sufficient revenue to continue our business. If our product candidates
are not accepted by retinal specialists, patients, third-party payors and other members
of the medical community, it is unlikely that we will ever become profitable.
Our ability to pursue the development and commercialization of Iluvien depends upon
the continuation of our license from pSivida US, Inc.
Our license rights to pSivida US, Inc.s (pSividas) proprietary delivery device
could revert to pSivida if we (i) fail twice to cure our breach of an obligation to
make certain payments to pSivida following receipt of written notice thereof; (ii) fail
to cure other breaches of material terms of our agreement with pSivida within 30 days
after notice of such breaches or such longer period (up to 90 days) as may be
reasonably necessary if the breach cannot be cured within such 30-day period;
(iii) file for protection under the bankruptcy laws, make an assignment for the benefit
of creditors, appoint or suffer appointment of a receiver or trustee over our property,
file a petition under any bankruptcy or insolvency act or have any such petition filed
against us and such proceeding remains undismissed or unstayed for a period of more
than 60 days; or (iv) notify pSivida in writing of our decision to abandon our license
with respect to a certain product using pSividas proprietary delivery device. If our
agreement with pSivida were terminated, we would lose our rights to develop and
commercialize Iluvien, which would materially and adversely affect our business,
results of operations and future prospects.
We will rely on a single manufacturer for Iluvien, a single manufacturer for the
Iluvien inserter and a single active pharmaceutical ingredient formulator for
Iluviens active pharmaceutical ingredient. Our business would be seriously harmed if
these third-parties are not able to satisfy our demand and alternative sources are
not available.
We do not have in-house manufacturing capability and will depend completely on a
single third-party manufacturer for the manufacture of the Iluvien insert (Alliance
Medical Products, Inc. (Alliance)), a single third-party manufacturer for the
manufacture of the Iluvien inserter (Flextronics International, Ltd. or an affiliate of
Flextronics International, Ltd. (Flextronics)) and a single third-party manufacturer
for the manufacture of Iluviens active pharmaceutical ingredient (FARMABIOS
S.R.L./Byron Chemical Company Inc. (FARMABIOS)). Although we have finalized a long-term
agreement for the manufacture of the Iluvien insert (with Alliance), we have not yet
finalized long-term agreements for the manufacture of the Iluvien inserter (with
Flextronics) or for the manufacture of Iluviens active pharmaceutical ingredient (with
FARMABIOS), and if any of the third-party manufacturers are unable or unwilling to
perform for any reason, we may not be able to locate alternative acceptable
manufacturers or formulators, enter into favorable agreements with them or get them
approved by the FDA in a timely manner. Further, all of our manufacturers rely on
additional third-parties for the manufacture of component parts. Any inability to
acquire sufficient quantities of Iluvien inserts, the Iluvien inserter or the active
pharmaceutical ingredient in a timely manner from these third-parties could
delay commercial production of, and impact our ability to fulfill demand for, Iluvien.
Any inability to acquire information necessary to file for regulatory approval from
such third-parties could also prevent us from obtaining regulatory approval for Iluvien
in a timely manner. In addition, all our third-party manufacturers are subject to cGMP
and comparable requirements of foreign regulatory bodies, and certain of our
manufacturers utilize production facilities outside the U.S. that are subject to local
regulations with respect to those operations, and we do not have control over
compliance with these regulations by our manufacturer. If our manufacturer fails to
maintain compliance, the production of Iluvien could be interrupted, resulting in
delays and additional costs. In addition, if the facilities of our manufacturer do not
pass a pre-approval plant inspection, the FDA will not grant market approval for
Iluvien.
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Materials necessary to manufacture Iluvien and our other product candidates may not
be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, which may delay the
development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our product candidates.
We will rely on our manufacturers to purchase materials from third-party suppliers
necessary to produce Iluvien and our other product candidates for our clinical trials.
Suppliers may not sell these materials to our manufacturers at the times we need them
or on commercially reasonable terms. We do not have any control over the process or
timing of the acquisition of these materials by our manufacturers. Moreover, we
currently have not finalized any agreements for the commercial production of these
materials. If our manufacturers are unable to obtain these materials for our clinical
trials, product testing and potential regulatory approval of Iluvien and our other
product candidates could be delayed, significantly affecting our ability to develop
Iluvien and our other product candidates. If we or our manufacturers are unable to
purchase these materials after regulatory approval has been obtained for Iluvien and
our other product candidates, the commercial launch of Iluvien and our other product
candidates would be delayed or there would be a shortage in supply, which would
materially affect our ability to generate revenues from the sale of Iluvien and our
other product candidates. Moreover, although we have finalized an agreement for the
commercial production of the Iluvien insert, we currently have not yet finalized any
agreements for the commercial production of the active pharmaceutical ingredient in
Iluvien or the Iluvien inserter.
The manufacture and packaging of pharmaceutical products such as Iluvien are subject
to the requirements of the FDA and similar foreign regulatory entities. If we or our
third-party manufacturers fail to satisfy these requirements, our product development
and commercialization efforts may be materially harmed.
The manufacture and packaging of pharmaceutical products such as Iluvien and our
future product candidates are regulated by the FDA and similar foreign regulatory
entities and must be conducted in accordance with the FDAs cGMP and comparable
requirements of foreign regulatory entities. There are a limited number of
manufacturers that operate under these cGMP regulations which are both capable of
manufacturing Iluvien and willing to do so. Failure by us or our third-party
manufacturers to comply with applicable regulations, requirements, or guidelines could
result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties,
failure of regulatory authorities to grant marketing approval of our products, delays,
suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of
product, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could
significantly and adversely affect our business.
Changes in the manufacturing process or procedure, including a change in the
location where the product is manufactured or a change of a third-party manufacturer,
will require prior FDA review and/or approval of the manufacturing process and
procedures in accordance with the FDAs cGMP regulations. There are comparable foreign
requirements. This review may be costly and time consuming and could delay or prevent
the launch of a product. If we elect to manufacture products in our own facility or at
the facility of another third-party, we would need to ensure that the new facility and
the manufacturing process are in substantial compliance with cGMP regulations. The new
facility will also be subject to pre-approval inspection. In addition, we have to
demonstrate that the product made at the new facility is equivalent to the product made
at the former facility by physical and chemical methods, which are costly and time
consuming. It is also possible
that the FDA may require clinical testing as a way to prove equivalency, which would
result in additional costs and delay.
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Furthermore, in order to obtain approval of our products, including Iluvien, by
the FDA and foreign regulatory agencies, we need to complete testing on both the active
pharmaceutical ingredient and on the finished product in the packaging that we propose
for commercial sales. This includes testing of stability, identification of impurities
and testing of other product specifications by validated test methods. In addition, we
will be required to consistently produce Iluvien in commercial quantities and of
specified quality in a reproducible manner and document our ability to do so. This
requirement is referred to as process validation. With respect to Iluvien, although we
have validated the manufacturing process at pilot scale batches, some of the steps in
the manufacturing processes will need to be revalidated when we begin to manufacture
commercial scale batches. If the required testing or process validation is delayed or
produces unfavorable results, we may have to launch the product using smaller pilot
scale batches, which may impact our ability to fulfill demand for the product.
The FDA and similar foreign regulatory bodies may also implement new standards, or
change their interpretation and enforcement of existing standards and requirements, for
the manufacture, packaging, or testing of products at any time. If we are unable to
comply, we may be subject to regulatory or civil actions or penalties that could
significantly and adversely affect our business.
Any failure or delay in completing clinical trials for our product candidates could
severely harm our business.
Preclinical studies and clinical trials required to demonstrate the safety and
efficacy of our product candidates are time consuming and expensive and together take
several years to complete. The completion of clinical trials for our product candidates
may be delayed by many factors, including:
| our inability to manufacture or obtain from third-parties materials sufficient for use in preclinical studies
and clinical trials; |
||
| delays in patient enrollment and variability in the number and types of patients available for clinical trials; |
||
| difficulty in maintaining contact with patients after treatment, resulting in incomplete data; |
||
| poor effectiveness of product candidates during clinical trials; |
||
| unforeseen safety issues or side effects; and |
||
| governmental or regulatory delays and changes in regulatory requirements and guidelines. |
If we fail to successfully complete our clinical trials for any of our product
candidates, we may not receive the regulatory approvals needed to market that product
candidate. Therefore, any failure or delay in commencing or completing these clinical
trials would harm our business materially.
If we are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other studies with
respect to any of our product candidates beyond those that we initially contemplated,
if we are unable to successfully complete our clinical trials or other studies or if
the results of these trials or studies are not positive or are only modestly positive,
we may be delayed in obtaining marketing approval for that product candidate, we may
not be able to obtain marketing approval or we may obtain approval for indications that
is not as broad as intended. Our product development costs will also increase if we
experience delays in testing or approvals. Significant clinical trial delays could
allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do and impair our ability
to commercialize our products or potential products. If any of this occurs, our
business will be materially harmed.
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We currently have a limited sales and marketing organization. If we are unable to
establish satisfactory sales and marketing capabilities, we may not succeed in
commercializing Iluvien.
At present, we have no sales force and only a limited number of sales and
marketing personnel. We began hiring additional sales and marketing personnel in the
third quarter of 2010 to establish our own sales and marketing capabilities in the
United States in time for our anticipated commercial launch of Iluvien. We plan to
begin adding our first field sales personnel in the first quarter of 2011. Therefore,
at the time of our commercial launch of Iluvien, assuming regulatory approval by the
FDA, our sales and marketing team will have worked together for only a limited period
of time.
We may not be able to establish a direct sales force in a cost-effective manner or
realize a positive return on this investment. In addition, we will have to compete with
other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to recruit, hire, train and retain
sales and marketing personnel. Factors that may inhibit our efforts to commercialize
our products without strategic partners or licensees include:
| our inability to recruit and retain adequate numbers of effective sales and marketing personnel; |
||
| the inability of sales personnel to obtain access to or persuade adequate numbers of retinal
specialists to prescribe our products; |
||
| the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put us at a competitive
disadvantage relative to companies with more extensive product lines; and |
||
| unforeseen costs and expenses associated with creating an independent sales and marketing organization. |
We have not yet entered into any agreements related to
the marketing of Iluvien or any of our other product candidates in international
markets and we may not be able to enter into any arrangements with respect to
international collaborations on favorable terms or at all. In addition, these
arrangements could result in lower levels of income to us than if we marketed our
product candidates entirely on our own. If we are unable to enter into appropriate
marketing arrangements for our product candidates in international markets, we may not
be able to develop an effective international sales force to successfully commercialize
Iluvien and our other product candidates in international markets. If we fail to enter
into marketing arrangements for our products or are unable to develop an effective
international sales force, our ability to generate revenue outside of North America
would be limited.
If we are not successful in recruiting sales and marketing personnel or in
building a sales and marketing infrastructure or if we do not successfully enter into
appropriate collaboration arrangements with third-parties, we will have difficulty
commercializing Iluvien and our other product candidates, which would adversely affect
our business, operating results and financial condition.
In order to establish our sales and marketing infrastructure, we will need to grow
the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this
growth.
As of September 30, 2010, we had 24 employees. As our development and
commercialization plans and strategies develop, we will need to expand the size of our
employee base for managerial, operational, sales, marketing, financial and other
resources. Future growth would impose significant added responsibilities on members of
management, including the need to identify, recruit, maintain, motivate and integrate
additional employees. Also, our management may have to divert a disproportionate amount
of its attention away from our day-to-day activities and devote a substantial amount of
time to managing these growth activities. Our future financial performance and our
ability to commercialize Iluvien and our other product candidates and compete
effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage any future
growth.
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Iluvien and our other potential products may not be commercially viable if we fail to
obtain an adequate level of reimbursement for these products from private insurers,
the Medicare program and other third-party payors which could be affected by the
recently enacted U.S. healthcare reform. The market for our products may also be
limited by the indications for which their use may be reimbursed or the frequency at
which they may be administered.
The availability and levels of reimbursement by governmental and other third-party
payors affect the market for products such as Iluvien and others that we may develop.
These third-party payors continually attempt to contain or reduce the costs of health
care by challenging the prices charged for medical products and services. In the United
States, we will need to obtain approvals for payment for Iluvien from private insurers,
including managed care organizations, and from the Medicare program. In recent years,
through legislative and regulatory actions, the federal government has made substantial
changes to various payment systems under the Medicare program. Comprehensive reforms to
the U.S. healthcare system were recently enacted, including changes to the methods for,
and amounts of, Medicare reimbursement. These reforms could significantly reduce
payments from Medicare and Medicaid over the next ten years. Reforms or other changes
to these payment systems, including modifications to the conditions on qualification
for payment, bundling payments or the imposition of enrollment limitations on new
providers, may change the availability, methods and rates of reimbursements from
Medicare, private insurers and other third-party payors for Iluvien and our other
potential products. Some of these changes and proposed changes could result in reduced
reimbursement rates for Iluvien and our other potential products, which would adversely
affect our business strategy, operations and financial results.
We expect that private insurers will consider the efficacy, cost effectiveness and
safety of Iluvien in determining whether to approve reimbursement for Iluvien and at
what level. Obtaining these approvals can be a time consuming and expensive process.
Our business would be materially adversely affected if we do not receive approval for
reimbursement of Iluvien from private insurers on a timely or satisfactory basis.
Although drugs that are not self-administered are covered by Medicare, the Medicare
program has taken the position that it can decide not to cover particular drugs if it
determines that they are not reasonable and necessary for Medicare beneficiaries.
Limitations on coverage could also be imposed at the local Medicare carrier level or by
fiscal intermediaries. Our business could be materially adversely affected if the
Medicare program, local Medicare carriers or fiscal intermediaries were to make such a
determination and deny or limit the reimbursement of Iluvien. Our business also could
be adversely affected if retinal specialists are not reimbursed by Medicare for the
cost of the procedure in which they administer Iluvien on a basis satisfactory to the
administering retinal specialists. If the local contractors that administer the
Medicare program are slow to reimburse retinal specialists for Iluvien, the retinal
specialists may pay us more slowly, which would adversely affect our working capital
requirements.
Our business could also be adversely affected if private insurers, including
managed care organizations, the Medicare program or other reimbursing bodies or payors
limit the indications for which Iluvien will be reimbursed to a smaller set than we
believe it is effective in treating or establish a limitation on the frequency with
which Iluvien may be administered that is less often than we believe would be
effective.
In some foreign countries, particularly Canada and the countries of the European
Union, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control.
In Canada, each province has a publicly funded drug plan with each having its own
formulary citing specific criteria for reimbursement and prior authorization. Each
provincial government except Québec considers the clinical and cost-effectiveness
recommendations of the Common Drug Review performed by the Canadian Agency for Drugs
and Technologies in Health. Québec has a separate drug review process that is performed
by its Medication Council. In the European Union, each country has a different
reviewing body that evaluates reimbursement dossiers submitted by manufacturers of new
drugs and then makes recommendations as to whether or not the drug should be
reimbursed. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can
take 12 months or longer after the receipt of regulatory approval and product launch.
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 products,
including Iluvien, to other available therapies. If reimbursement for our products is
unavailable, limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels,
our business could be materially harmed.
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We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of Iluvien
and our future products due to the potential healthcare reforms discussed above, as
well as the trend toward programs aimed at reducing health care costs, the increasing
influence of health maintenance organizations and additional legislative proposals.
We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing
or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.
The development and commercialization of new drugs is highly competitive and the
commercial success of Iluvien will depend on several factors, including, but not
limited to, its efficacy and side effect profile, reimbursement acceptance by private
insurers and Medicare, acceptance of pricing, the development of our sales and
marketing organization, an adequate payment to physicians for the insertion procedure
(based on a cost assigned by the American Medical Association to the procedure, also
known as a CPT code) and our ability to differentiate Iluvien from our competitors
products. We will face competition from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty
pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide with respect to Iluvien
and any products that we may develop or commercialize in the future. Our competitors
may develop products or other novel technologies that are more effective, safer or less
costly than any that we are developing. Our competitors may also obtain FDA or other
regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for
ours. The active pharmaceutical ingredient in Iluvien is FA, which is not protected by
currently valid patents. As a result, our competitors could develop an alternative
formulation or delivery mechanisms to treat diseases of the eye with FA. We do not have
the right to develop and sell pSividas proprietary delivery device for indications for
diseases outside of the eye or for the treatment of uveitis. Further, our agreement
with pSivida permits pSivida to grant to any other party the right to use its
intellectual property (i) to treat DME through an incision smaller than that required
for a 25-gauge needle, unless using a corticosteroid delivered to the back of the eye,
(ii) to deliver any compound outside the back of the eye unless it is to treat DME
through an incision required for a 25-gauge or larger needle, or (iii) to deliver
non-corticosteroids to the back of the eye, unless it is to treat DME through an
incision required for a 25-gauge or larger needle.
There are no ophthalmic drug therapies approved by the FDA for the treatment of
DME. Retinal specialists are currently using laser photocoagulation and off-label
therapies for the treatment of DME, and may continue to use these therapies in
competition with Iluvien. Additional treatments for DME are in various stages of
preclinical or clinical testing. Later stage products include Lucentis, a drug
sponsored by Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group and Ozurdex, a
drug sponsored by Allergan, Inc. If approved, these treatments would also compete with
Iluvien. Other laser, surgical or pharmaceutical treatments for DME may also compete
against Iluvien. These competitive therapies may result in pricing pressure if we
receive marketing approval for Iluvien, even if Iluvien is otherwise viewed as a
preferable therapy.
Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and human
resources than we have. Additional mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and
biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated by our
competitors. Competition may increase further as a result of advances made in the
commercial applicability of technologies and greater availability of capital for
investment in these fields.
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We currently do not have any collaborations with third-parties. We expect to depend
on collaborations to develop and commercialize our products. If we are unable to
identify or enter into an agreement with any material third-party collaborator, if
our collaborations with any such third-party are not scientifically or commercially
successful or if our agreement with any such third-party is terminated or allowed to
expire, we could be adversely affected financially or our business reputation could
be harmed.
Our business strategy includes entering into collaborations with corporate and
academic collaborators for the research, development and commercialization of
additional product candidates. We currently do not have
any collaborations with third-parties. Areas in which we anticipate entering into
third-party collaboration arrangements include joint sales and marketing arrangements
for sales and marketing of Iluvien outside of North America, and future product
development arrangements. If we are unable to identify or enter into an agreement with
any material third-party collaborator we could be adversely affected financially or our
business reputation could be harmed. Any arrangements we do enter into may not be
scientifically or commercially successful. The termination of any of these future
arrangements might adversely affect our ability to develop, commercialize and market
our products.
The success of our future collaboration arrangements will depend heavily on the
efforts and activities of our collaborators. Our collaborators will have significant
discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to these
collaborations. We expect that the risks which we face in connection with these future
collaborations will include the following:
| our collaboration agreements are expected to be for fixed terms and
subject to termination under various circumstances, including, in many
cases, on short notice without cause; |
||
| we expect to be required in our collaboration agreements not to
conduct specified types of research and development in the field that
is the subject of the collaboration. These agreements may have the
effect of limiting the areas of research and development that we may
pursue, either alone or in cooperation with third-parties; |
||
| our collaborators may develop and commercialize, either alone or with
others, products and services that are similar to or competitive with
our products which are the subject of their collaboration with us; and |
||
| our collaborators may change the focus of their development and
commercialization efforts. In recent years there have been a
significant number of mergers and consolidations in the pharmaceutical
and biotechnology industries, some of which have resulted in the
participant companies reevaluating and shifting the focus of their
business following the completion of these transactions. The ability
of our products to reach their potential could be limited if any of
our future collaborators decreases or fails to increase spending
relating to such products. |
Collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and other third-parties often are
terminated or allowed to expire by the other party. With respect to our future
collaborations, any such termination or expiration could adversely affect us
financially as well as harm our business reputation.
We may not be successful in our efforts to expand our portfolio of products.
A key element of our strategy is to commercialize a portfolio of new ophthalmic
drugs in addition to Iluvien. We are seeking to do so through our internal research
programs and through licensing or otherwise acquiring the rights to potential new drugs
and drug targets for the treatment of ophthalmic disease.
A significant portion of the research that we are conducting involves new and
unproven technologies. Research programs to identify new disease targets and product
candidates require substantial technical, financial and human resources whether or not
we ultimately identify any candidates. Our research programs may initially show promise
in identifying potential product candidates, yet fail to yield product candidates for
clinical development for a number of reasons, including:
| the research methodology used may not be successful in identifying potential product candidates; or |
||
| potential product candidates may on further study be shown to have harmful side effects or other
characteristics that indicate they are unlikely to be effective drugs. |
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We may be unable to license or acquire suitable product candidates or products
from third-parties for a number of reasons. In particular, the licensing and
acquisition of pharmaceutical products is a competitive area. A number of more
established companies are also pursuing strategies to license or acquire products in
the ophthalmic field. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over
us due to their size,
cash resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities.
Other factors that may prevent us from licensing or otherwise acquiring suitable
product candidates include the following:
| we may be unable to license or acquire the relevant technology on terms that would allow us to
make an appropriate return from the product; |
||
| companies that perceive us to be their competitors may be unwilling to assign or license their
product rights to us; or |
||
| we may be unable to identify suitable products or product candidates within our areas of expertise. |
Additionally, it may take greater human and financial resources to develop
suitable potential product candidates through internal research programs or by
obtaining rights than we will possess, thereby limiting our ability to develop a
diverse product portfolio.
If we are unable to develop suitable potential product candidates through internal
research programs or by obtaining rights to novel therapeutics from third-parties, our
business will suffer.
We may acquire additional businesses or form strategic alliances in the future, and
we may not realize the benefits of such acquisitions.
We may acquire additional businesses or products, form strategic alliances or
create joint ventures with third-parties that we believe will complement or augment our
existing business. If we acquire businesses with promising markets or technologies, we
may not be able to realize the benefit of acquiring such businesses if we are unable to
successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture. We may
have difficulty in developing, manufacturing and marketing the products of a newly
acquired company that enhances the performance of our combined businesses or product
lines to realize value from expected synergies. We cannot assure that, following an
acquisition, we will achieve the revenues or specific net income that justifies the
acquisition.
We face the risk of product liability claims and may not be able to obtain insurance.
Our business exposes us to the risk of product liability claims, which is inherent
in the manufacturing, testing and marketing of drugs and related products. If the use
of one or more of our products harms people, we may be subject to costly and damaging
product liability claims. We have primary product liability insurance that covers our
clinical trials for a $5.0 million general aggregate limit and excess product liability
insurance that covers our clinical trials for an additional $5.0 million general
aggregate limit. We intend to expand our insurance coverage to include the sale of
commercial products if we obtain marketing approval for any of the products that we may
develop. We may not be able to obtain or maintain adequate protection against potential
liabilities. If we are unable to obtain insurance at acceptable cost or otherwise
protect against potential product liability claims, we will be exposed to significant
liabilities, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial
position. These liabilities could prevent or interfere with our product development and
commercialization efforts.
In addition, our business is exposed to the risk of product liability claims
related to our sale and distribution of our over-the-counter dry eye product prior to
its acquisition by Bausch & Lomb Incorporated in July 2007. Our primary product
liability insurance and excess product liability insurance policies cover product
liability claims related to the product. To the extent this insurance is insufficient
to cover any product related claims we may be exposed to significant liabilities, which
may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.
If we lose key management personnel, or if we fail to recruit additional highly
skilled personnel, it will impair our ability to identify, develop and commercialize
product candidates.
We are highly dependent upon the principal members of our management team,
including C. Daniel Myers, our President and Chief Executive Officer, Susan Caballa,
our Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Kenneth Green, Ph.D., our Senior Vice
President and Chief Scientific Officer, Richard Eiswirth, our Chief Operating Officer
and Chief
Financial Officer, and Dave Holland, our Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
These executives have significant ophthalmic, regulatory industry, sales and marketing,
operational, and/or corporate finance experience. The loss of any such executives or
any other principal member of our management team would impair our ability to identify,
develop and market new products.
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In addition, our growth will require us to hire a significant number of qualified
technical, commercial and administrative personnel. There is intense competition from
other companies and research and academic institutions for qualified personnel in the
areas of our activities. If we cannot continue to attract and retain, on acceptable
terms, the qualified personnel necessary for the continued development of our business,
we may not be able to sustain our operations or grow.
If our contract research organizations (CROs), third-party vendors and investigators
do not successfully carry out their duties or if we lose our relationships with them,
our development efforts with respect to Iluvien or any of our other product
candidates could be delayed.
We are dependent on CROs, third-party vendors and investigators for preclinical
testing and clinical trials related to our discovery and development efforts with
respect to Iluvien or any of our other product candidates and we will likely continue
to depend on them to assist in our future discovery and development efforts. These
parties are not our employees and we cannot control the amount or timing of resources
that they devote to our programs. If they fail to devote sufficient time and resources
to our development programs with respect to Iluvien or any of our other product
candidates or if their performance is substandard, it will delay the development and
commercialization of our product candidates. The parties with which we contract for
execution of clinical trials play a significant role in the conduct of the trials and
the subsequent collection and analysis of data. Their failure to meet their obligations
could adversely affect clinical development of our product candidates. Moreover, these
parties may also have relationships with other commercial entities, some of which may
compete with us. If they assist our competitors, it could harm our competitive
position.
If we lose our relationship with any one or more of these parties, we could
experience a significant delay in identifying another comparable provider and
contracting for its services. We may be unable to retain an alternative provider on
reasonable terms, if at all. Even if we locate an alternative provider, this provider
may need additional time to respond to our needs and may not provide the same type or
level of service as the original provider. In addition, any provider that we retain
will be subject to current Good Laboratory Practices (cGLP) and similar foreign
standards, and we do not have control over compliance with these regulations by these
providers. Consequently, if these practices and standards are not adhered to by these
providers, the development and commercialization of our product candidates could be
delayed.
Our products could be subject to restrictions or withdrawal from the market and we
may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements, or if
we experience unanticipated problems with our products, when and if any of them is
approved.
Any product for which we obtain marketing approval, along with the manufacturing
processes, post-approval pharmacovigilance, advertising and promotional activities for
such product, will be subject to continual requirements, review and periodic
inspections by the FDA and other regulatory bodies. Even if regulatory approval of a
product is granted, the approval may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses
for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain
requirements for costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety
or efficacy of the product. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our
products, manufacturer or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory
requirements, may result in:
| restrictions on such products or manufacturing processes; |
| withdrawal of the products from the market; |
| voluntary or mandatory recall; |
| fines; |
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| suspension of regulatory approvals; |
| product seizure; and |
| injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties. |
We may be slow to adapt, or we may never adapt, to changes in existing regulatory
requirements or adoption of new regulatory requirements or policies.
Failure to obtain regulatory approval in foreign jurisdictions would prevent us from
marketing our products abroad.
We
intend to market our products internationally. In order to market our products in foreign jurisdictions, we will
be required to obtain separate regulatory approvals and comply with numerous and
varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and
jurisdictions and can involve additional testing, and the time required to obtain
approval may differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. Additionally, the
foreign regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with
obtaining FDA approval. For all of these reasons, we may not obtain foreign regulatory
approvals 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 foreign
regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other
foreign countries or jurisdictions or by the FDA. We may not be able to file for
regulatory approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our
products in any market. The failure to obtain these approvals could harm our business
materially.
Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties
that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval or limit their marketability.
Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could interrupt, delay
or halt clinical trials and could result in the denial of regulatory approval by the
FDA or other regulatory authorities for any or all targeted indications, and in turn
prevent us from commercializing our product candidates and generating revenues from
their sale. Possible side effects of Iluvien include, but are not limited to, extensive
blurred vision, cataracts, eye irritation, eye pain, increased IOP, which may increase
the risk of glaucoma, ocular discomfort, reduced visual acuity, visual disturbance,
endophthalmitis, or long-standing vitreous floaters.
In addition, if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval and we
or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by the product, we could face
one or more of the following consequences:
| regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, such as a black box warning or a contraindication; |
| regulatory authorities may withdraw their approval of the product; |
| we may be required to change the way that the product is administered, conduct additional clinical trials or change the labeling of the product; and |
| our reputation may suffer. |
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market
acceptance of the affected product or could substantially increase the costs and
expenses of commercializing the product candidate, which in turn could delay or prevent
us from generating significant revenues from its sale.
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Risks Related to Intellectual Property and Other Legal Matters
If we or our licensors are unable to obtain and maintain protection for the
intellectual property incorporated into our products, the value of our technology and
products will be adversely affected.
Our success will depend in large part on our ability or the ability of our
licensors to obtain and maintain protection in the U.S. and other countries for the
intellectual property incorporated into our products. The patent situation in the field
of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals generally is highly uncertain and
involves complex legal and scientific questions. We or our licensors may not be able to
obtain additional issued patents relating to our technology. Our success will depend in
part on the ability of our licensors to obtain, maintain (including making periodic
filings and payments) and enforce patent protection for their intellectual property, in
particular, those patents to which we have secured exclusive rights. Under our license
with pSivida, pSivida controls the filing, prosecution and maintenance of all patents.
Our licensors may not successfully prosecute or continue to prosecute the patent
applications to which we are licensed. Even if patents are issued in respect of these
patent applications, we or our licensors may fail to maintain these patents, may
determine not to pursue litigation against entities that are infringing these patents,
or may pursue such litigation less aggressively than we ordinarily would. Without
protection for the intellectual property that we own or license, other companies might
be able to offer substantially identical products for sale, which could adversely
affect our competitive business position and harm our business prospects. Moreover, FA
is an off-patent active ingredient that is commercially available in several forms
including the extended release ocular implant Retisert.
Even if issued, patents may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated, or circumvented,
which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing similar products or
limit the length of term of patent protection that we may have for our products. In
addition, our patents and our licensors patents may not afford us protection against
competitors with similar technology.
Litigation or third-party claims of intellectual property infringement would require
us to divert resources and may prevent or delay our development, regulatory approval
or commercialization of our product candidates.
We may not have rights under some patents or patent applications that may be
infringed by our products or potential products. Third-parties may now or in the future
own or control these patents and patent applications in the United States and abroad.
These third-parties could bring claims against us or our collaborators that would cause
us to incur substantial expenses or divert substantial employee resources from our
business and, if successful, could cause us to pay substantial damages or prevent us
from developing one or more product candidates. Further, if a patent infringement suit
were brought against us or our collaborators, we or they could be forced to stop or
delay research, development, manufacturing or sales of the product or product candidate
that is the subject of the suit.
Several issued and pending U.S. patents claiming methods and devices for the
treatment of eye diseases, including through the use of steroids, implants and
injections into the eye, purport to cover aspects of Iluvien. For example, one of our
potential competitors holds issued and pending U.S. patents with claims covering
devices for injecting an ocular implant into a patients eye similar to the Iluvien
inserter. There is also an issued U.S. patent with claims covering implanting a
steroidal anti-inflammatory agent to treat an inflammation-mediated condition of the
eye. If these or any other patents were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be
valid and to cover aspects of Iluvien, then the owners of such patents would be able to
block our ability to commercialize Iluvien unless and until we obtain a license under
such patents (which license might require us to pay royalties or grant a cross-license
to one or more patents that we own), until such patents expire or unless we are able to
redesign our product to avoid any such valid patents.
As a result of patent infringement claims, or in order to avoid potential claims,
we or our collaborators may choose to seek, or be required to seek, a license from the
third-party and would most likely be required to pay license fees or royalties or both.
These licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we or our
collaborators were able to obtain a license, the rights may be nonexclusive, which
would give our competitors access to the same intellectual property. Ultimately, we
could be prevented from commercializing a product, or be forced to cease some aspect of
our business operations if, as a result of actual or threatened patent infringement
claims, we or our collaborators are unable to enter into licenses on acceptable terms.
This could harm our business significantly.
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There has been substantial litigation and other proceedings regarding patent and
other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
In addition to infringement claims against us, we may become a party to other patent
litigation and other proceedings, including interference proceedings
declared by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and opposition proceedings in the
European Patent Office, regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our
products and technology. The cost to us of any litigation or other proceeding,
regardless of its merit, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial. Some of
our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more
effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources.
Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or
other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the
marketplace. Intellectual property litigation and other proceedings may, regardless of
their merit, also absorb significant management time and employee resources.
If we fail to comply with our obligations in the agreements under which we license
development or commercialization rights to products or technology from third-parties,
we could lose license rights that are important to our business.
Our licenses are important to our business, and we expect to enter into additional
licenses in the future. We hold a license from pSivida under intellectual property
relating to Iluvien. This license imposes various commercialization, milestone payment,
profit sharing, insurance and other obligations on us. We also hold a license from
Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. under patents relating to Iluvien. This license
imposes a milestone payment and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with
these obligations, the licensor may have the right to terminate the applicable license,
in which event we would not be able to market products, such as Iluvien, that may be
covered by such license.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our proprietary information and
know-how, the value of our technology and products could be adversely affected.
In addition to patented technology, we rely upon unpatented proprietary
technology, processes, trade secrets and know-how. Any involuntary disclosure or
misappropriation by third-parties of our confidential or proprietary information could
enable competitors to quickly duplicate or surpass our technological achievements, thus
eroding our competitive position in our market. We seek to protect confidential or
proprietary information in part by confidentiality agreements with our employees,
consultants and third-parties. While we require all of our employees, consultants,
advisors and any third-parties who have access to our proprietary know-how, information
and technology to enter into confidentiality agreements, we cannot be certain that this
know-how, information and technology will not be disclosed or that competitors will not
otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially
equivalent information and techniques. These agreements may be terminated or breached,
and we may not have adequate remedies for any such termination or breach. Furthermore,
these agreements may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets and
know-how in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure. To the extent that any of our
staff were previously employed by other pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies,
those employers may allege violations of trade secrets and other similar claims in
relation to their drug development activities for us.
If our efforts to protect the proprietary nature of the intellectual property related
to our products are not adequate, we may not be able to compete effectively in our
markets.
The strength of our patents in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical field involves
complex legal and scientific questions and can be uncertain. In addition to the rights
we have licensed from pSivida relating to our product candidates, we rely upon
intellectual property we own relating to our products, including patents, patent
applications and trade secrets. As of September 30, 2010, we owned one pending
non-provisional U.S. utility patent application, one issued U.S. design patent and one
patent Cooperation Treaty Application, relating to our inserter system for Iluvien. Our
patent applications may be challenged or fail to result in issued patents and our
existing or future patents may be too narrow to prevent third-parties from developing
or designing around these patents.
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As of September 30, 2010, the patent rights relating to Iluvien licensed to us
from pSivida include three U.S. patents that expire between March 2019 and April 2020
and counterpart filings to these patents in a number of other jurisdictions. No patent
term extension will be available for any of these U.S. patents or any of our licensed
U.S. pending patent applications. After these patents expire in April 2020, we will not
be able
to block others from marketing FA in an insert similar to Iluvien in the U.S. Moreover,
it is possible that a third-party could successfully challenge the scope (i.e., whether
a patent is infringed), validity and enforceability of our licensed patents prior to
patent expiration and obtain approval to market a competitive product.
Further, the patent applications that we license or have filed may fail to result
in issued patents. Some claims in pending patent applications filed or licensed by us
have been rejected by patent examiners. These claims may need to be amended and, even
after amendment, a patent may not be permitted to issue. Further, the existing or
future patents to which we have rights based on our agreement with pSivida may be too
narrow to prevent third-parties from developing or designing around these patents.
Additionally, we may lose our rights to the patents and patent applications we license
in the event of a breach or termination of the license agreement. Manufacturers may
also seek to obtain approval to sell a generic version of Iluvien prior to the
expiration of the relevant licensed patents. If the sufficiency of the breadth or
strength of protection provided by the patents we license with respect to Iluvien or
the patents we pursue related to another product candidate is threatened, it could
dissuade companies from collaborating with us to develop, and threaten our ability to
commercialize Iluvien and our other product candidates. Further, if we encounter delays
in our clinical trials, the period of time during which we could market Iluvien and our
other product candidates under patent protection would be reduced. We rely on trade
secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect certain proprietary
know-how that is not patentable, for processes for which patents are difficult to
enforce and for any other elements of our development processes with respect to Iluvien
and our other product candidates that involve proprietary know-how, information and
technology that is not covered by patent applications. While we require all of our
employees, consultants, advisors and any third-parties who have access to our
proprietary know-how, information and technology to enter into confidentiality
agreements, we cannot be certain that this know-how, information and technology will
not be disclosed or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade
secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques.
Further, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the
same extent as the laws of the United States. As a result, we may encounter significant
problems in protecting and defending our intellectual property both in the United
States and abroad. If we are unable to protect or defend the intellectual property
related to our technologies, we will not be able to establish or maintain a competitive
advantage in our market.
Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our
discovery, development and commercialization efforts with respect to Iluvien and our
other product candidates.
Our commercial success depends in part on avoiding infringement of the patents and
proprietary rights of third-parties. Third-parties may assert that we are employing
their proprietary technology without authorization. In addition, at least several
issued and pending U.S. patents claiming methods and devices for the treatment of eye
diseases, including through the use of steroids, implants and injections into the eye,
purport to cover aspects of Iluvien.
Although we are not currently aware of any litigation or other proceedings or
third-party claims of intellectual property infringement related to Iluvien, the
pharmaceutical industry is characterized by extensive litigation regarding patents and
other intellectual property rights. Other parties may in the future allege that our
activities infringe their patents or that we are employing their proprietary technology
without authorization. We may not have identified all the patents, patent applications
or published literature that affect our business either by blocking our ability to
commercialize our product, by preventing the patentability of one or more aspects of
our products or those of our licensors or by covering the same or similar technologies
that may affect our ability to market our product. We cannot predict whether we would
be able to obtain a license on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Any inability
to obtain such a license under the applicable patents on commercially reasonable terms,
or at all, may have a material adverse effect on our ability to commercialize Iluvien
or other products until such patents expire.
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In addition, third-parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of
our product candidates or technologies infringes upon these patents. Furthermore,
parties making claims against us may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which
could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize one or more of
our product candidates. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would
involve substantial
litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our
business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to
pay substantial damages, obtain one or more licenses from third-parties or pay
royalties, or we may be enjoined from further developing or commercializing our product
candidates and technologies. In addition, even in the absence of litigation, we may
need to obtain licenses from third-parties to advance our research or allow
commercialization of our product candidates, and we have done so from time to time. We
may fail to obtain future licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, if at
all. In that event, we may be unable to further develop and commercialize one or more
of our product candidates, which could harm our business significantly.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or the patents
of our licensors, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our patents or the patents of our licensors. To counter
infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which
can be expensive and time consuming. In addition, in an infringement proceeding, a
court may decide that a patent of ours or our licensors is not valid or is
unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue
on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse
result in any litigation or defense proceedings could put one or more of our patents at
risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and could put our patent applications
at risk of not issuing.
Interference proceedings brought by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may be
necessary to determine the priority of inventions with respect to our patents and
patent applications or those of our collaborators or licensors. An unfavorable outcome
could require us to cease using the technology or to attempt to license rights to it
from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if a prevailing party does not
offer us a license on terms that are acceptable to us. Litigation or interference
proceedings may fail and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and
distraction of our management and other employees. We may not be able to prevent, alone
or with our licensors, misappropriation of our proprietary rights, particularly in
countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the U.S.
Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection
with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential
information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In
addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or
other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive
these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price
of our common stock.
Product liability lawsuits could divert our resources, result in substantial
liabilities and reduce the commercial potential of our products.
The risk that we may be sued on product liability claims is inherent in the
development of pharmaceutical products. We face a risk of product liability exposure
related to the testing of our product candidates in clinical trials and will face even
greater risks upon any commercialization by us of our product candidates. We believe
that we may be at a greater risk of product liability claims relative to other
pharmaceutical companies because our products are inserted into the eye, and it is
possible that we may be held liable for eye injuries of patients who receive our
product. These lawsuits may divert our management from pursuing our business strategy
and may be costly to defend. In addition, if we are held liable in any of these
lawsuits, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be forced to limit or forego
further commercialization of one or more of our products. Although we maintain primary
product liability insurance and excess product liability insurance that cover our
clinical trials, our aggregate coverage limit under these insurance policies is $10.0
million, and while we believe this amount of insurance is sufficient to cover our
product liability exposure, these limits may not be high enough to fully cover
potential liabilities. In addition, we may not be able to obtain or maintain sufficient
insurance coverage at an acceptable cost or otherwise to protect against potential
product liability claims, which could prevent or inhibit the commercial production and
sale of our products.
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Legislative or regulatory reform of the health care system in the United States and
foreign jurisdictions may adversely impact our business, operations or financial
results.
Our industry is highly regulated and changes in law may adversely impact our
business, operations or financial results. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or
PPACA, is a sweeping measure intended to expand healthcare coverage within the U.S.,
primarily through the imposition of health insurance mandates on employers and
individuals and expansion of the Medicaid program. Several provisions of the new law,
which have varying effective dates, may affect us and will likely increase certain of
our costs. For example, an increase in the Medicaid rebate rate from 15.1% to 23.1% is
effective as of January 1, 2010, and the volume of rebated drugs has been expanded to
include beneficiaries in Medicaid managed care organizations, effective as of March 23,
2010. The PPACA also imposes an annual fee on pharmaceutical manufacturers beginning in
2011, based on the manufacturers sale of branded pharmaceuticals and biologics
(excluding orphan drugs); expands the 340B drug discount program (excluding orphan
drugs) including the creation of new penalties for non-compliance; and includes a 50%
discount on brand name drugs for Medicare Part D participants in the coverage gap, or
doughnut hole. The law also revises the definition of average manufacturer price
for reporting purposes (effective October 1, 2010), which could increase the amount of
our drug rebates to states, once the provision is effective. Substantial new provisions
affecting compliance also have been added, which may require us to modify our business
practices with health care practitioners.
The reforms imposed by the new law will significantly impact the pharmaceutical
industry; however, the full effects of the PPACA cannot be known until these provisions
are implemented and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other federal and
state agencies issue applicable regulations or guidance. Moreover, in the coming years,
additional changes could be made to governmental healthcare programs that could
significantly impact the success of our products candidates. We will continue to
evaluate the PPACA, as amended, the implementation of regulations or guidance related
to various provisions of the PPACA by federal agencies, as well as trends and changes
that may be encouraged by the legislation and that may potentially impact on our
business over time.
In addition, in September 2007, the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of
2007 was enacted, giving the FDA enhanced post-marketing authority, including the
authority to require post-marketing studies and clinical trials, labeling changes based
on new safety information, and compliance with risk evaluations and mitigation
strategies approved by the FDA. The FDAs exercise of this authority could result in
delays or increased costs during product development, clinical trials and regulatory
review, increased costs to ensure compliance with post-approval regulatory
requirements, and potential restrictions on the sale and/or distribution of approved
products.
Further, in some foreign countries, including the European Union and Canada, the
pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these
countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take six to 12 months
or longer after the receipt of regulatory approval and product launch. 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 candidate to other
available therapies. Our business could be materially harmed if reimbursement of our
products is unavailable or limited in scope or amount or if pricing is set at
unsatisfactory levels.
If we use hazardous and biological materials in a manner that causes injury or
violates applicable law, we may be liable for damages.
Our research and development activities involve the controlled use of potentially
hazardous substances, including chemical and biological materials. In addition, our
operations produce hazardous waste products. Federal, state and local laws and
regulations in both the U.S. and Canada govern the use, manufacture, storage, handling
and disposal of hazardous materials. Although we believe that our procedures for use,
handling, storing and disposing of these materials comply with legally prescribed
standards, we may incur significant additional costs to comply with applicable laws in
the future. Also, even if we are in compliance with applicable laws, we cannot
completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting
from hazardous materials and we may incur liability as a result of any such
contamination or injury. In the event of an accident, we could be held liable for
damages or penalized with fines, and the liability could exceed our resources. We do
not have any insurance for liabilities arising from hazardous materials. Compliance
with applicable environmental laws and regulations is expensive, and current or future
environmental regulations may impair our research, development and production efforts,
which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
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We have incurred operating losses in each year since our inception and expect to
continue to incur substantial and increasing losses for the foreseeable future.
We have a limited operating history. We are not currently generating revenues and
we cannot estimate with precision the extent of our future losses. We do not currently
have any products that have been approved for commercial sale and we may never generate
revenue from selling products or achieve profitability. We expect to continue to incur
substantial and increasing losses through the projected commercialization of Iluvien
and the expected generation of revenue in 2011, particularly as we increase our
research, clinical development, administrative and sales and marketing activities. As a
result, we are uncertain when or if we will achieve profitability and, if so, whether
we will be able to sustain it. As of September 30, 2010, we have accumulated a net
deficit of $182.6 million. Our ability to achieve revenue and profitability is
dependent on our ability to complete the development of our product candidates, obtain
necessary regulatory approvals, and have our products manufactured and marketed. We
cannot assure you that we will be profitable even if we successfully commercialize our
products. Failure to become and remain profitable may adversely affect the market price
of our common stock and our ability to raise capital and continue operations.
Risks Relating to Our Financial Results and Need for Financing
Fluctuations in our quarterly operating results and cash flows could adversely affect
the price of our common stock.
We expect our operating results and cash flows to be subject to quarterly
fluctuations. The revenues we generate, if any, and our operating results will be
affected by numerous factors, including, but not limited to:
| the commercial success of our product candidates; |
| the emergence of products that compete with our product candidates; |
| the status of our preclinical and clinical development programs; |
| variations in the level of expenses related to our existing product candidates or preclinical and clinical development programs; |
| execution of collaborative, licensing or other arrangements, and the timing of payments received or made under those arrangements; |
| any intellectual property infringement lawsuits to which we may become a party; and |
| regulatory developments affecting our product candidates or those of our competitors. |
If our quarterly operating results fall below the expectations of investors or
securities analysts, the price of our common stock could decline substantially.
Furthermore, any quarterly fluctuations in our operating results and cash flows may, in
turn, cause the price of our stock to fluctuate substantially. We believe that
quarterly comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily meaningful and
should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
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We may need additional financing in the event that we do not receive regulatory
approval for Iluvien or the approval is delayed or, if approved, the future sales of
Iluvien do not generate sufficient revenues to fund our operations. This financing
may be difficult to obtain and may restrict our operations.
Prior to our IPO, we funded our operations through the private placement of common
stock, preferred stock and convertible debt, as well as by the sale of certain assets
of the non-prescription business in which
we were previously engaged. As of September 30, 2010, we had approximately $14.7
million in cash and cash equivalents and $40.0 million in investments which, together
with the Credit Facility described below, we believe is sufficient to fund our
operations through the projected commercialization of Iluvien and the expected
generation of revenue in 2011. In October 2010, we obtained a $32.5 million senior
secured credit facility (Credit Facility) to help fund our working capital
requirements. The Credit Facility consists of a $20 million revolving line of credit
and a $12.5 million term loan. The lenders have advanced $6.25 million under the term
loan and may advance the remaining $6.25 million following FDA approval of Iluvien, but
no later than July 31, 2011. We may draw on the revolving line of credit against
accounts receivable subsequent to the launch of Iluvien. The commercialization of
Iluvien is dependent upon approval by the FDA, however, and we cannot be sure that
Iluvien will be approved by the FDA in the fourth quarter of 2010, if at all, or that,
if approved, future sales of Iluvien will generate enough revenue to fund our
operations beyond its commercialization. In the event additional financing is needed,
we may seek to fund our operations through the sale of equity securities, strategic
collaboration agreements and additional debt financing. We cannot be sure that
additional financing from any of these sources will be available when needed or that,
if available, the additional financing will be obtained on terms favorable to us or our
stockholders. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, substantial
dilution to existing stockholders would likely result and the terms of any new equity
securities may have a preference over our common stock. If we attempt to raise
additional funds through strategic collaboration agreements and additional debt
financing, we may not be successful in obtaining collaboration agreements, or in
receiving milestone or royalty payments under those agreements, or the terms of the
debt may involve significant cash payment obligations as well as covenants and specific
financial ratios that may restrict our ability to commercialize our product candidates
or operate our business. For example, under the Credit Facility, we are subject to a
variety of affirmative and negative covenants, including required financial reporting,
limitations on our cash balances, limitations on the disposition of assets, limitations
on the incurrence of additional debt, and other requirements. To secure the
performance of our obligations under the Credit Facility, we pledged all of our assets,
other than our intellectual property (provided that if we fail to meet certain
financial conditions, a curable lien will be imposed on our intellectual property as
well), to the lenders. Our failure to comply with the covenants under the Credit
Facility could result in an event of default, the acceleration of our debt and the loss
of our assets.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Certain of our existing stockholders have the ability to control the outcome of
matters submitted for stockholder approval and may have interests that differ from
those of our other stockholders.
As of September 30, 2010, our executive officers, key employees and directors and
their affiliates, beneficially owned, in the aggregate, approximately 81.98% of our
outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders, if acting together, may be
able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval,
including the election of directors and the approval of significant corporate
transactions, and this concentration of voting power may have the effect of delaying or
impeding actions that could be beneficial to you, including actions that may be
supported by our board of directors.
The price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which
could result in substantial losses for investors.
The realization of any of the risks described in these risk factors or other
unforeseen risks could have a dramatic and adverse effect on the market price of our
common stock. In addition, the stock markets, and in particular Nasdaq, have
experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to
affect the market prices of equity securities of many pharmaceutical companies. These
broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our common
stock irrespective of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of
volatility in the overall market and the market price of a companys securities,
securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies.
This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a
diversion of our managements attention and resources. The following factors, in
addition to the other risk factors described in this section, may also have a
significant impact on the market price of our common stock:
| actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations; |
| changes in, or our failure to meet, securities analysts expectations; |
| conditions and trends in the markets we serve; |
| announcements of significant new services or solutions by us or our competitors, including technological innovations; |
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| additions to or changes in key personnel; |
| the commencement or outcome of litigation; |
| changes in market valuation or earnings of our competitors; |
| the trading volume of our common stock; |
| future sales of our equity securities; |
| changes in the estimation of the future size and growth rate of our markets; |
| legislation or regulatory policies, practices or actions; and |
| general economic conditions. |
We currently do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock and, consequently,
your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment is if the price of our
common stock appreciates.
We do not anticipate that we will pay any cash dividends on shares of our common
stock for the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will
be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on results of
operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by
applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. Accordingly,
realization of a gain on your investment will depend on the appreciation of the price
of our common stock, which may never occur.
Significant sales of our common stock could depress or reduce the market price of our
common stock, or cause our shares of common stock to trade below the prices at which
they would otherwise trade, or impede our ability to raise future capital.
The market price of our common stock could drop as a result of sales in the market
by our existing stockholders of substantial amounts of our common stock or the
perception that these sales could occur. All of the shares of common stock sold in our
IPO are freely tradable without restrictions or further registration under the
Securities Act, as amended, except for any shares purchased by our affiliates as
defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Rule 144 defines an affiliate as a person
that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is
controlled by, or is under common control with, us and would include persons such as
our directors and executive officers.
Actual or perceived significant sales of our common stock could depress or reduce
the market price of our common stock, or cause our shares of common stock to trade
below the prices at which they would otherwise trade, or impede our ability to raise
future capital.
Future sales and issuances of our equity securities or rights to purchase our equity
securities, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans, would result in
dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock
price to fall.
To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our
stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may sell common stock, convertible
securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a
manner we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock, convertible securities
or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be diluted by
subsequent sales. Such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing
stockholders, and new investors could gain rights superior to existing stockholders.
Pursuant to our 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, our board of directors is authorized
to grant stock options to our employees, directors and consultants. The number of
shares available for future grant under our 2010 Equity Incentive Plan increases each
year by an amount equal to the lesser of 4% of all shares of our capital
stock outstanding as of January 1st of each year, 2,000,000 shares, or such lesser
number as determined by our board of directors.
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Anti-takeover provisions in our charter and bylaws and in Delaware law could prevent
or delay acquisition bids for us that you might consider favorable and could entrench
current management.
We are a Delaware corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware
General Corporation Law may deter, delay or prevent a change in control by prohibiting
us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period
of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, even if a change in
control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our restated
certificate of incorporation and bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a change in
our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable. Our
restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws:
| Authorize the issuance of blank check preferred stock that could be issued by our board of directors to thwart a takeover attempt; |
| Do not provide for cumulative voting in the election of directors, which would allow holders of less than a majority of our outstanding common stock to elect some directors; |
| Establish a classified board of directors, as a result of which the successors to the directors whose terms have expired will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following their election; |
| Require that directors only be removed from office for cause; |
| Provide that vacancies on the board of directors, including newly created directorships, may be filled only by a majority vote of directors then in office; |
| Limit who may call special meetings of stockholders; |
| Prohibit stockholder action by written consent, requiring all actions to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders; and |
| Establish advance notice requirements for nominating candidates for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings. |
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports or publish
unfavorable research or reports about our business, our stock price and trading
volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and
reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us, our business, our market
or our competitors. If one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our stock,
our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases to cover
us or fails to regularly publish reports on us, interest in our stock could decrease,
which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carry-forwards may be limited.
At September 30, 2010, we had U.S. federal and state net operating loss (NOL)
carry-forwards of approximately $90.4 million and $73.5 million, respectively, which
expire at various dates beginning in 2020 through 2030. Section 382 of the Internal
Revenue Code limits the annual utilization of NOL carry-forwards and tax credit
carry-forwards following an ownership change in our company. We are currently
evaluating the impact of our IPO on our NOL carry-forwards and whether certain changes
in ownership have occurred that would limit our ability to utilize a portion of our NOL
carry-forwards. If it is determined that significant ownership changes have occurred
since we generated these NOL carry-forwards,
we may be subject to annual limitations on the use of these NOL carry-forwards
under Internal Revenue Code Section 382 (or comparable provisions of state law).
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We incur significant increased costs as a result of operating as a public company,
and our management is required to devote substantial time to new compliance
initiatives.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses
that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules
subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq, have imposed various new requirements
on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective
disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. Our
management and other personnel are required to devote a substantial amount of time to
these new compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations have
substantially increased our legal and financial compliance costs and have made some
activities more time consuming and costly. These rules and regulations may make it more
difficult and more expensive for us to maintain our existing director and officer
liability insurance or to obtain similar coverage from an alternative provider.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective
internal controls for financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In
particular, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Section 404), we will be
required to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal controls
over financial reporting to allow management and our independent registered public
accounting firm to report, commencing in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year
ending December 31, 2011, on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial
reporting. Our testing, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public
accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial
reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. Our compliance with Section 404
will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant
management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we will need
to hire additional accounting and financial staff. Moreover, if we are not able to
comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or if we or our
independent registered public accounting firm identifies deficiencies in our internal
controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market
price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations
by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional
financial and management resources.
ITEM 2 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
During
the three months ended September 30, 2010, warrants to purchase
9,875 shares of our common stock were exercised at a weighted average
exercise price of $4.03
per share resulting in gross proceeds of $31,000. In addition, during
the three months
ended September 30, 2010, options to purchase 5,879 shares of our common stock were
exercised at a weighted average exercise price of $1.40 resulting in gross proceeds of
$8,000.
On April 21, 2010, our Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-162782)
was declared effective by the SEC for our IPO, pursuant to which we sold 6,550,000
shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $11.00 per share. We received
net proceeds of approximately $66.1 million from this transaction, after deducting
underwriting discounts, commissions and other offering costs. On April 27, 2010 we paid
$15.2 million to pSivida to satisfy our $15.0 million note payable and accrued but
unpaid interest thereon.
There have been no material changes in our use or planned use of proceeds from the
IPO from that described in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
March 31, 2010, filed with the SEC on June 7, 2010.
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ITEM 6 Exhibits
Exhibit | ||||
Number | Description | |||
31.1 | Certification of the Principal Executive Officer, as required by Section 302 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
31.2 | Certification of the Principal Financial Officer, as required by Section 302 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
32.1 | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as
required by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
The certification attached as Exhibit 32.1 that accompanies this Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not
to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Alimera Sciences, Inc. under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q,
irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.
53
Table of Contents
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
thereunto duly authorized.
Alimera Sciences, Inc. |
||||
/s/ C. Daniel Myers | ||||
C. Daniel Myers | ||||
Chief Executive Officer and President (Principal executive officer) |
||||
November 9, 2010 | ||||
/s/ Richard S. Eiswirth, Jr. | ||||
Richard S. Eiswirth, Jr. | ||||
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer (Principal financial and accounting officer) |
November 9, 2010
54
Table of Contents
ALIMERA SCIENCES, INC.
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit | ||||
Number | Description | |||
31.1 | Certification of the Principal Executive Officer, as required by Section 302 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
31.2 | Certification of the Principal Financial Officer, as required by Section 302 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
|||
32.1 | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Acting Chief Financial Officer,
as required by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
The certification attached as Exhibit 32.1 that accompanies this Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not
to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Alimera Sciences, Inc. under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q,
irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.
55