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Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2021 June (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

 

 

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021

or

 

 

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 001-38787

CYCLERION THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

Massachusetts
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

83-1895370
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

 

 

245 First Street, 18th Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts
(Address of principal executive offices)

 

02142
(Zip Code)

 

(857) 327-8778

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, no par value

 

CYCN

 

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
(Nasdaq Global Select Market)

 

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  No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files). Yes  No

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

 

Large accelerated filer 

 

Accelerated filer 

 

 

 

Non-accelerated filer 

 

Smaller reporting company 

 

 

 

 

 

Emerging growth company 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  No 

As of July 27, 2021, the registrant had 43,276,749 shares of common stock, no par value, outstanding. 

 

 

 


 

 

CYCLERION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

FOR THE QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

Page

 

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1.

Financial Statements (unaudited)

5

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020

5

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2021, and 2020

6

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) for Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2021, and 2020

7

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2021, and 2020

9

 

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

10

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

23

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

31

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

31

 

 

 

 

PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

32

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

32

Item 5.

Other Information

32

Item 6.

Exhibits

32

 

Signatures

34

 

 

 

 


 

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements in this report, other than statements of historical facts, including statements about future events, financing plans, financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs, plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties. Use of the words “may,” “might,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “potential,” “expects,” “plans,” “seeks,” “intends,” “evaluates,” “pursues,” “anticipates,” “continues,” “designs,” “impacts,” “affects,” “forecasts,” “target,” “outlook,” “initiative,” “objective,” “designed,” “priorities,” “goal” or the negative of those words or other similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements that represent our current judgment about possible future events, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, by their nature, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As a result, our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include regional, national, or global political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory conditions and the following:

 

the timing, investment and associated activities involved in developing, obtaining regulatory approval for, launching and commercializing our product candidates, including CY6463;

 

the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic affecting our clinical trials and other operating activities;

 

our relationships with third parties, collaborators and our employees;

 

our ability to execute our strategic priorities;

 

our ability to finance our operations and business initiatives;

 

the success of collaboration or license arrangements of our product candidates;

 

whether the praliciguat out-license will result in the creation of any therapies for the treatment of patients with kidney disease;

 

the uncertain utility, development, promise, and commercialization of praliciguat;

 

whether any development, regulatory, and commercialization milestones or royalty payments provided for in the agreement with Akebia (as defined below) will be achieved;

 

the impact on our business of workforce and expense reduction initiatives;

 

our plans with respect to the development, manufacture or sale of our product candidates and the associated timing thereof, including the design and results of pre-clinical and clinical studies;

 

the safety profile and related adverse events of our product candidates;

 

the efficacy and perceived therapeutic benefits of our product candidates, their potential indications and their market potential;

 

U.S. and non-U.S. regulatory requirements for our product candidates, including any post-approval development and regulatory requirements, and the ability of our product candidates to meet such requirements;

 

3


 

 

our ability to attract and retain employees needed to execute our business plans and strategies and our ability to manage the impact of any loss of key employees;

 

our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our product candidates and the strength thereof;

 

our future financial performance, revenues, expense levels, payments, cash flows, profitability, tax obligations, capital raising and liquidity sources, real estate needs and concentration of voting control, as well as the timing and drivers thereof, and internal control over financial reporting;

 

our ability to compete with other companies that are or may be developing or selling products that are competitive with our product candidates;

 

the impact of government regulation in the life sciences industry, particularly with respect to healthcare reform;

 

potential indemnification liabilities we may owe to Ironwood after the Separation (as defined below); and

 

trends and challenges in the markets for our potential products.

See the “Risk Factors” section in Item 1A of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a further description of these and other factors. We caution you that the risks, uncertainties, and other factors referenced above may not contain all of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results, benefits, or developments that we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect us or our business in the way expected. There can be no assurance that (i) we have correctly measured or identified all of the factors affecting our business or the extent of these factors’ likely impact, (ii) the available information with respect to these factors on which such analysis is based is complete or accurate, (iii) such analysis is correct or (iv) our strategy, which is based in part on this analysis, will be successful. All forward-looking statements in this report apply only as of the date of this report or as of the date they were made and, except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

 

 

4


 

 

Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands except share and per share data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

June 30,

2021

 

 

December 31,

2020

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

70,390

 

 

$

54,395

 

Related party accounts receivable

 

 

 

 

 

127

 

Prepaid expenses

 

 

766

 

 

 

816

 

Other current assets

 

 

1,833

 

 

 

3,163

 

Total current assets

 

 

72,989

 

 

 

58,501

 

Restricted cash, net of current portion

 

 

 

 

 

3,837

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

153

 

 

 

6,865

 

Operating lease right-of-use asset

 

 

 

 

 

43,402

 

Other assets

 

 

2,590

 

 

 

2,773

 

Total assets

 

$

75,732

 

 

$

115,378

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

1,386

 

 

$

1,149

 

Related party accounts payable

 

 

 

 

 

286

 

Accrued research and development costs

 

 

2,240

 

 

 

1,421

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

 

3,375

 

 

 

7,294

 

Short-term note payable

 

 

3,509

 

 

 

3,509

 

Current portion of operating lease liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

3,293

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

10,510

 

 

 

16,952

 

Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion

 

 

 

 

 

38,933

 

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders' equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock, no par value, 400,000,000 shares authorized and 43,275,249 issued and outstanding at June 30, 2021 and 400,000,000 shares authorized and 34,047,300 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(193,010

)

 

 

(163,429

)

Paid-in capital

 

 

258,258

 

 

 

222,949

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

(26

)

 

 

(27

)

Total stockholders' equity

 

 

65,222

 

 

 

59,493

 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 

$

75,732

 

 

$

115,378

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

5


 

Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(In thousands except per share data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue from license agreement

 

$

3,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

3,000

 

 

$

 

Revenue from development agreement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

62

 

 

 

 

Revenue from related party

 

 

 

 

 

749

 

 

$

 

 

$

1,763

 

Total revenues

 

 

3,000

 

 

 

749

 

 

 

3,062

 

 

 

1,763

 

Cost and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

12,054

 

 

 

13,794

 

 

 

20,146

 

 

 

30,619

 

General and administrative

 

 

6,241

 

 

 

6,627

 

 

 

11,606

 

 

 

13,518

 

(Gain) / loss on lease modification and termination

 

 

881

 

 

 

 

 

 

881

 

 

 

(2,113

)

Total cost and expenses

 

 

19,176

 

 

 

20,421

 

 

 

32,633

 

 

 

42,024

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(16,176

)

 

 

(19,672

)

 

 

(29,571

)

 

 

(40,261

)

Interest and other income, net

 

 

(6

)

 

 

138

 

 

 

(10

)

 

 

499

 

Net loss

 

$

(16,182

)

 

$

(19,534

)

 

$

(29,581

)

 

$

(39,762

)

Net loss per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share

 

$

(0.45

)

 

$

(0.70

)

 

$

(0.85

)

 

$

(1.43

)

Weighted average shares used in calculating:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share

 

 

35,707

 

 

 

27,791

 

 

 

34,899

 

 

 

27,730

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other comprehensive loss:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(16,182

)

 

$

(19,534

)

 

$

(29,581

)

 

$

(39,762

)

Other comprehensive loss:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment (loss) gain

 

 

1

 

 

 

(12

)

 

 

1

 

 

 

(10

)

Comprehensive loss

 

$

(16,181

)

 

$

(19,546

)

 

$

(29,580

)

 

$

(39,772

)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

6


 

 

Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

(In thousands except share data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid-in

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

Accumulated

other

comprehensive

 

 

Total

Stockholders’

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

capital

 

 

deficit

 

 

loss

 

 

equity (deficit)

 

Balance at December 31, 2019

 

 

27,598,133

 

 

$

 

 

$

183,376

 

 

$

(85,627

)

 

$

(20

)

 

$

97,729

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(20,228

)

 

 

 

 

$

(20,228

)

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options, RSUs and employee stock purchase plan

 

 

156,761

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

1

 

Share-based compensation expense related to issuance of stock options and RSUs to employees and employee stock purchase plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,036

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

4,036

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

$

2

 

Balance at March 31, 2020

 

 

27,754,894

 

 

 

 

 

 

187,413

 

 

 

(105,855

)

 

 

(18

)

 

 

81,540

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(19,534

)

 

 

 

 

 

(19,534

)

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options, RSUs and employee stock purchase plan

 

 

102,816

 

 

 

 

 

 

155

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

155

 

Share-based compensation expense related to issuance of stock options and RSUs to employees and employee stock purchase plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,952

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,952

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12

)

 

 

(12

)

Balance at June 30, 2020

 

 

27,857,710

 

 

$

 

 

$

191,520

 

 

$

(125,389

)

 

$

(30

)

 

$

66,101

 

 

7


 

 

Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

(In thousands except share data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid-in

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

Accumulated

other

comprehensive

 

 

Total

Stockholders’

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

capital

 

 

deficit

 

 

loss

 

 

equity (deficit)

 

Balance at December 31, 2020

 

 

34,047,300

 

 

$

 

 

$

222,949

 

 

$

(163,429

)

 

$

(27

)

 

$

59,493

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(13,399

)

 

 

 

 

 

(13,399

)

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options, RSUs and employee stock purchase plan

 

 

82,625

 

 

 

 

 

 

27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

27

 

Share-based compensation expense related to issuance of stock options and RSUs to employees and employee stock purchase plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,921

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,921

 

Share‑based compensation expense related to issuance of stock options to non-employees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

391

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

391

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at March 31, 2021

 

 

34,129,925

 

 

 

 

 

 

225,288

 

 

 

(176,828

)

 

 

(27

)

 

 

48,433

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(16,182

)

 

 

 

 

 

(16,182

)

Issuance of common stock - June 2021 equity private placement and ATM

 

 

9,087,547

 

 

 

 

 

 

30,497

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30,497

 

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options, RSUs and employee stock purchase plan

 

 

57,777

 

 

 

 

 

 

133

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

133

 

Share-based compensation expense related to issuance of stock options and RSUs to employees and employee stock purchase plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,942

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,942

 

Share‑based compensation expense related to issuance of stock options and RSUs to non-employees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

398

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

398

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

Balance at June 30, 2021

 

 

43,275,249

 

 

$

 

 

$

258,258

 

 

$

(193,010

)

 

$

(26

)

 

$

65,222

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

8


 

 

Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(29,581

)

 

$

(39,762

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

376

 

 

 

1,239

 

Net loss on disposal of property and equipment

 

 

6,322

 

 

 

194

 

(Gain) / loss on lease modification and termination

 

 

881

 

 

 

(2,113

)

Share-based compensation expense

 

 

4,652

 

 

 

7,989

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related party accounts receivable

 

 

127

 

 

 

723

 

Prepaid expenses

 

 

50

 

 

 

(294

)

Other current assets

 

 

(121

)

 

 

38

 

Operating lease assets

 

 

1,344

 

 

 

(4,555

)

Other assets

 

 

183

 

 

 

(851

)

Accounts payable

 

 

237

 

 

 

(246

)

Related party accounts payable

 

 

(286

)

 

 

294

 

Accrued research and development costs

 

 

819

 

 

 

(549

)

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

(1,048

)

 

 

(1,342

)

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

 

(3,919

)

 

 

(4,166

)

Net cash (used in) operating activities

 

 

(19,964

)

 

 

(43,401

)

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

 

 

 

(1,480

)

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment

 

 

1,464

 

 

 

59

 

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

 

 

1,464

 

 

 

(1,421

)

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from June 2021 equity private placement and ATM

 

 

30,497

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercises of stock options and ESPP

 

 

160

 

 

 

155

 

Proceeds from short-term note payable

 

 

 

 

 

3,509

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

30,657

 

 

 

3,664

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

 

1

 

 

 

(10

)

Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

 

12,158

 

 

 

(41,168

)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period

 

 

58,232

 

 

 

102,621

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period

 

$

70,390

 

 

$

61,453

 

Supplemental cash flow disclosure:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for initial direct costs of lease modification

 

$

 

 

$

6,507

 

Non-cash investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed asset purchases in accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

$

 

 

$

9

 

Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash to the condensed consolidated balance sheets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

70,390

 

 

$

56,462

 

Restricted cash

 

 

 

 

 

4,991

 

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

$

70,390

 

 

$

61,453

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

9


 

 

Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc.

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

(Unaudited)

1. Nature of Business

Nature of Operations

Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. (“Cyclerion”, the “Company” or “we”) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company on a mission to develop treatments that restore cognitive function. Our lead asset, CY6463 (previously known as, IW-6463), is a pioneering, central nervous system (“CNS”)-penetrant, soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator that is currently in clinical development for Alzheimer’s disease with vascular pathology (ADv), and Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like episodes (MELAS), and cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). sGC stimulators are small molecules that act synergistically with nitric oxide (NO) as positive allosteric modulators of sGC to boost production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). cGMP is a key second messenger that, when produced by sGC, regulates diverse and critical biological functions in the CNS including neuronal function, neuroinflammation, cellular bioenergetics, and vascular function.

Cyclerion GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary, was incorporated in Zug, Switzerland on May 3, 2019. Cyclerion GmbH is an operational entity with one employee who is the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer. The functional currency is the Swiss franc.

Cyclerion Securities Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary, was incorporated in Massachusetts on November 15, 2019, and was granted securities corporation status in Massachusetts for the 2019 tax year. Cyclerion Securities Corporation has no employees.

Company Overview

The Company’s mission is to develop treatments that restore cognitive function. Its priorities are advancing its ongoing CY6463 clinical programs and next generation compound, CY3018.

CNS assets. CY6463 is an orally administered CNS-penetrant sGC stimulator that is being developed as a symptomatic and potentially disease modifying therapy for serious CNS diseases. Nitric oxide sGC-cGMP is a fundamental CNS signaling network, but it has not yet been leveraged for its full therapeutic potential. CY6463 enhances the brain’s natural ability to produce cGMP, an important second messenger in the CNS, by stimulating sGC, a key node in the NO-sGC-cGMP pathway. This pathway is critical to basic CNS functions and deficient NO-sGC-cGMP signaling is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Agents that stimulate sGC to produce cGMP may compensate for deficient NO signaling.

On January 13, 2020, we announced positive results from our Phase 1 first-in-human study that provided the foundation for continued development of CY6463. The Phase 1 healthy participant study results indicate that CY6463 was well tolerated. Pharmacokinetic (PK) data, obtained from both blood and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), support once-daily dosing, with or without food, and demonstrated CY6463 penetration of the blood-brain-barrier with CSF concentrations expected to be pharmacologically active.

On October 14, 2020, we announced positive topline results from our CY6463 Phase 1 translational pharmacology study in healthy elderly participants. Treatment with CY6463 for 15-days in this 24-subject study confirmed and extended results seen in the earlier first-in-human Phase 1 study: once daily oral treatment demonstrated blood-brain-barrier penetration with expected CNS exposure and target engagement. Results also showed significant improvements in neurophysiological and objective performance measures as well as in inflammatory biomarkers associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases. CY6463 was shown to be safe and generally well tolerated. Significant effects on cerebral blood flow and markers of bioenergetics were not observed in this study of healthy elderly participants. We believe that these results, together with nonclinical data, support continued development of CY6463 as a potential new medicine for serious CNS diseases.

We have initiated our CY6463 Phase 2a clinical trial in adult participants with MELAS. Startup activities are ongoing for our Phase 2a clinical trial in ADv, with enrollment expected to begin in mid-2021.The ADv study

 

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will be supported in part by a grant from the Alzheimer’s Association’s Part the Cloud-Gates Partnership Grant Program, which provides Cyclerion with $2 million of funding over two years. Startup activities are ongoing for our Phase 1b clinical study in CIAS, with enrollment expected to begin in the second half of 2021.

Our next generation CNS asset, CY3018, is a differentiated CNS-penetrant sGC stimulator with greater CSF-to-plasma exposure relative to CY6463. CY3018 is intended to expand the potential of sGC stimulation for the treatment of disorders of the CNS.

Non-CNS assets. We have other assets that are outside of our current strategic focus. These non-core assets are not being internally developed at this time and with the exception of praliciguat, are available for licensing to a third-party partner. Praliciguat is an orally administered, once-daily systemic sGC stimulator. On June 3, 2021, we entered into a License Agreement with Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (“Akebia”) relating to the exclusive worldwide license to Akebia of our rights to the development, manufacture, medical affairs and commercialization of pharmaceutical products containing the pharmaceutical compound praliciguat and other related products and forms thereof enumerated in such agreement. Olinciguat is an orally administered, once-daily, vascular sGC stimulator that was evaluated in a Phase 2 study of participants with sickle cell disease. We released topline results from this study in October 2020.

The Separation

On April 1, 2019, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Ironwood”) completed the separation of its sGC business, and certain other assets and liabilities, into a separate, independent publicly traded company by way of a pro-rata distribution of all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. through a dividend distribution of one share of the Company’s common stock, with no par value per share, for every 10 shares of Ironwood common stock held by Ironwood stockholders as of the close of business on March 19, 2019, the record date for the Distribution (the entire transaction being the “Separation”). As a result of the Separation, the Company became an independent public company and commenced trading under the symbol “CYCN” on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on April 2, 2019.

June 2021 Equity Private Placement

On June 3, 2021, the Company entered into a Common Stock Purchase Agreement (the “June 2021 Equity Private Placement”) for the private placement of 5,735,988 shares of the Company’s common stock, for total gross proceeds of approximately $18 million. The closing of the June 2021 Equity Private Placement occurred on June 7, 2021. The Company did not utilize the services of a placement agent or broker and accordingly incurred no material related transaction fees or commissions.

At-the-Market Offering

On July 24, 2020, the Company filed a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (the “Shelf”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in relation to the registration of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and units of any combination thereof for an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $150.0 million. The Shelf was declared effective as of July 31, 2020. On September 3, 2020, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) with respect to an at-the-market offering (the “ATM Offering”) under the Shelf. Under the ATM Offering, the Company may offer and sell, from time to time at its sole discretion, shares of its common stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $50.0 million through Jefferies as its sales agent. The Company will pay to Jefferies cash commissions of 3.0 percent of the gross proceeds of sales of common stock under the Sales Agreement. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company sold 3,351,559 shares of its common stock for net proceeds of $12.5 million under the ATM Offering, after deducting commissions paid to Jefferies of approximately $0.4 million.

 

11


 

Basis of Presentation

The condensed consolidated financial statements and the related disclosures are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. Additionally, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted. Accordingly, these interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2021.

In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position and the results of its operations for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year or any other subsequent interim period.

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Cyclerion GmbH, and Cyclerion Securities Corporation. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in the preparation of the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Going Concern

At each reporting period, the Company evaluates whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. The Company’s evaluation entails analyzing prospective operating budgets and forecasts for expectations of the Company’s cash needs and comparing those needs to the current cash and cash equivalent balances. The Company is required to make certain additional disclosures if it concludes substantial doubt exists and it is not alleviated by the Company’s plans or when its plans alleviate substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

The Company has experienced negative operating cash flows for all historical periods presented and the Company expects these losses to continue into the foreseeable future as the Company continues the development and clinical testing of its product candidate CY6463, CY3018 and its discovery research programs. Through June 30, 2021, the Company had raised an aggregate of $219.8 million in net proceeds from equity private placements and the ATM Offering.

After considering the Company’s current research and development plans and the timing expectations related to the progress of its programs, and after considering its existing cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2021, the Company did not identify conditions or events that would raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the date these financial statements were issued.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accounting policies of the Company are set forth in Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements contained in the Company’s 2020 annual report on Form 10-K. The Company includes herein certain updates to those policies.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and judgments that may affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the amounts of expenses during the reported periods. On an ongoing basis, the Company’s management evaluates its estimates, judgments, and methodologies. Significant estimates and assumptions in the consolidated financial statements include those related to revenue, impairment of long-lived assets, valuation procedures for right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities, income taxes, including the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, research and development expenses, contingencies, share-based compensation and going concern. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the

 

12


 

results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results in the period in which they become known.

New Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies that are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Except as discussed elsewhere in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, the Company did not adopt any new accounting pronouncements during the six months ended June 30, 2021 that had a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses. This standard requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. As a smaller reporting company, ASU 2016-13 will become effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that ASU 2016-13 will have on its financial statements and related disclosures.

In May 2021 the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2021-04, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Debt-Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718), and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options, a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) , which amends the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC or the “Codification”) to provide explicit guidance, and, thus, reduce diversity in practice, on accounting by issuers for modifications or exchanges of freestanding equity-classified written call options that remain equity classified after the modification or exchange. This amendment provides that for an entity that presents earnings per share (EPS) in accordance with Topic 260, the effects of a modification or an exchange of a freestanding equity-classified written call option that is recognized as a dividend should be an adjustment to net income (or net loss) in the basic EPS calculation. The amended guidance becomes mandatorily effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and should be applied prospectively to modifications or exchanges occurring on or after the effective date. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that ASU 2021-04 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

No other accounting standards known by the Company to be applicable to it that have been issued by the FASB or other standard-setting bodies and that do not require adoption until a future date are expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

3. Related Party Transactions

Development Agreement with Ironwood

As part of the Separation from Ironwood, the Company entered into a Development Agreement with Ironwood.

Under the Development Agreement, the Company provided certain research and development services to Ironwood at mutually agreed upon rates and the amounts earned are recorded as revenue from related party for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. Such research and development activities were governed by a joint steering committee composed of representatives of both Ironwood and the Company. Ironwood and the Company have agreed not to renew the Development Agreement beyond the end of its initial term on March 31, 2021. These transactions under the Development Agreement were considered related party transactions due to Mark Currie’s role as President of the Company through December 31, 2020, and board member of Ironwood. In January 2021, Mark Currie’s role transitioned from President of the Company to a senior advisor on a consulting basis. Therefore, effective January 2021, transactions under the Development Agreement are no longer accounted for as related party transactions. The Company recorded approximately $0.8 million and $1.8 million as related party revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively.

 

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4. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company’s cash equivalents are generally classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. The following tables present information about the Company’s financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis and indicate the level of the fair value hierarchy used to determine such fair values as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 (in thousands):

 

 

 

Fair Value Measurements as of June 30, 2021 Using:

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

Cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

$

64,407

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

64,407

 

Cash equivalents

 

$

64,407

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

64,407

 

 

 

 

Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2020 Using:

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

Cash equivalents:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money market funds

 

$

53,240

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

53,240

 

Cash equivalents

 

$

53,240

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

53,240

 

 

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020, there were no transfers between levels. The fair value of the Company’s cash equivalents, consisting of money market funds, is based on quoted market prices in active markets with no valuation adjustment.

The Company believes the carrying amounts of its prepaid expenses and other current assets, restricted cash, accounts payable, and accrued expenses approximate their fair value due to the short-term nature of these amounts.

5. Property and Equipment

Property and equipment, net consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

June 30,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Software

 

$

2,214

 

 

$

2,214

 

Computer and office equipment

 

 

44

 

 

 

44

 

Leasehold improvements

 

 

 

 

 

14,894

 

Property and equipment, gross

 

 

2,258

 

 

 

17,152

 

Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

 

(2,105

)

 

 

(10,287

)

Property and equipment, net

 

$

153

 

 

$

6,865

 

 

As of June 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, the Company’s property and equipment was primarily located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Depreciation and amortization expense of the Company’s property and equipment was approximately $0.1 million and $0.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and approximately $0.4 million and $1.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company wrote off $6.3 million of leasehold improvements as a result of its Head Lease termination (see Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements) and recorded a non-cash loss of $6.3 million. The loss on disposal of property and equipment was recognized as a component of operating expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

 

 

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6. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

June 30,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Accrued incentive compensation

 

$

724

 

 

$

1,720

 

Salaries

 

 

489

 

 

 

514

 

Accrued vacation

 

 

336

 

 

 

555

 

Professional fees

 

 

965

 

 

 

689

 

Accrued severance and benefit costs

 

 

639

 

 

 

3,640

 

Other

 

 

222

 

 

 

176

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

$

3,375

 

 

$

7,294

 

 

7. Commitments and Contingencies

Other Funding Commitments

In the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts with clinical research organizations and other third parties for clinical and preclinical research studies and other services and products for operating purposes. These contracts are generally cancellable, with notice, at the Company’s option and do not have any significant cancellation penalties.

Guarantees

On September 6, 2018, Cyclerion was incorporated in Massachusetts and its officers and directors are indemnified for certain events or occurrences while they are serving in such capacity.

The Company enters into certain agreements with other parties in the ordinary course of business that contain indemnification provisions. These typically include agreements with directors and officers, business partners, contractors, clinical sites and customers. Under these provisions, the Company generally indemnifies and holds harmless the indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party as a result of the Company’s activities. These indemnification provisions generally survive termination of the underlying agreements. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification provisions is unlimited. However, to date the Company has not incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification provisions. As a result, the estimated fair value of these obligations is minimal. Accordingly, the Company did not have any liabilities recorded for these obligations as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

8. Leases

On April 1, 2019, the Company entered into the Head Lease, a direct operating lease for its former headquarters located at 301 Binney Street, Cambridge, MA originally consisting of approximately 114,000 rentable square feet of office and laboratory space on the first and second floors. The Head Lease had a term of 123 months with two five-year extension options and certain expansion rights. The Head Lease also included a letter of credit of $7.7 million, posted with the landlord as a security deposit, which was collateralized by a money market account recorded as restricted cash on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The Company had also entered into customary non-disturbance arrangements with the building landlord’s mortgagee and with the property ground lessor recognizing Company’s leasehold interest in this property.

On February 28, 2020, the Company amended the Head Lease. The Lease Amendment partially terminated the Company’s rights and obligations with respect to an approximately 40,000 rentable square feet. The Company continued to lease the remaining space of approximately 74,000 square feet including the area covered by the subleased premise, discussed below. In connection with this Lease Amendment, the Company reduced its remaining lease payments through June 2029 by approximately $41.9 million and paid a $6.3 million termination fee and $0.2 million related to other initial direct costs, which were deferred and recognized over the remaining lease term. The Company’s security deposit was also reduced by approximately $2.7 million to approximately $5.0 million.

 

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The Lease Amendment was determined to be a lease modification that qualified as a change of accounting on the existing lease and not a separate contract. As such, the Right-of-Use (“ROU”) assets and operating lease liabilities were remeasured using an incremental borrowing rate at the date of modification of 9.7%, which resulted in a reduction of the ROU asset of $21.4 million and a reduction in the operating lease liabilities of $23.5 million. The Company recorded the resulting gain of approximately $2.1 million as a component of operating expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2020.

On September 15, 2020, the Company entered into the Second Lease Amendment to its Head Lease. The Second Lease Amendment partially terminated the Company’s rights and obligations with respect to approximately 17,000 rentable square feet (the “Surrender Space”), including 15,700 rentable square feet subleased by the Company to a subtenant. The Company continues to lease approximately 57,000 square feet of space, under terms of the Second Lease Amendment. The Company reduced its remaining lease payments through June 2029 by approximately $16.9 million. The Company paid no termination or other initial direct costs related to the execution of the Second Lease Amendment. The Company’s security deposit was reduced by approximately $1.2 million to approximately $3.8 million,

The Second Lease Amendment was determined to be a lease modification that qualified as a change of accounting on the existing lease and not a separate contract. As such, the ROU assets and operating lease liabilities were remeasured using an incremental borrowing rate at the date of modification of 6.1%, which resulted in a reduction of the ROU asset of $5.9 million and a reduction in the operating lease liabilities of $5.5 million. The Company recorded the resulting loss of approximately $0.4 million as a component of operating expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2020.

On April 30, 2021, the Company entered into a Termination Agreement for its Head Lease as initially amended on February 28, 2020, and further amended on September 15, 2020. Pursuant to the Termination Agreement, the Company surrendered the leased space of approximately 57,000 square feet to the building’s landlord. The Company did not pay any termination fees in connection with the Termination Agreement. As a result of the termination of the Head Lease, the related right-of-use asset was written off, the lease liability was derecognized, and the $3.8 million security deposit was returned to the Company and recorded as part of our cash balance. In total, the Company recognized a loss on the termination of the Head Lease of $0.9 million during the three months ended June 30, 2021. The loss is included in “General and administrative” expenses on our condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

The Company had an operating lease ROU asset of approximately $43.4 million related to the amended Head Lease recorded in its condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2020. The Company had current and non-current operating lease liabilities of approximately $3.3 million and $38.9 million, respectively, related to the amended Head Lease recorded in its consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2020.

Lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recognized a total of approximately $0.6 million and $2.2 million, respectively, of total lease costs. Variable lease costs not subject to an index or rate are recognized as incurred. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company recognized a total of approximately $0.2 million and $0.7 million, respectively, of variable lease costs related to the Head Lease, as amended.

 

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For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company recognized a total of approximately $2.2 million and $4.9 million, respectively, of total lease costs and $0.5 million and $1.5 million, respectively, of variable lease costs, related to the Head Lease, as amended.

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases for the six months ended June 30, 2021 is as follows:

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

2020

 

Decrease in right-of-use assets related to lease modifications and termination

 

$

42,058

 

$

21,386

 

Decrease in operating lease liabilities due to lease modifications and termination

 

$

41,177

 

$

23,499

 

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities (in thousands)

 

$

1,887

 

$

4,249

 

Weighted-average remaining lease term of operating leases (in years)

 

 

 

 

9.0

 

Weighted-average discount rate of operating leases

 

 

 

 

9.7

%

 

On October 18, 2019, the Company entered into an agreement with a third party to sublease 15,700 rentable square feet of its lease premises under the Head Lease. The sublease was scheduled to expire on June 30, 2029, unless earlier terminated in accordance with the sublease agreement, and had no extension options. The sublease provided for annual base rent of approximately $1.5 million in the first year, which increased on a yearly basis by 3.0% (subject to an abatement of base rent of approximately $0.7 million for the first six months of the sublease). As part of the consideration for the sublease, the sublessee agreed to provide licensed rooms and services within the sublease premises to the Company over the sublease term free of charge. In addition, the sublessee was responsible for its pro rata share of certain costs, taxes and operating expenses related to the subleased space, the consideration for which is variable and is based on the actual operating costs of the lessor. The Company allocated the total consideration in the sublease agreement between the lease and non-lease components in the contract based on their relative standalone prices. The Company determined that the variable consideration related exclusively to non-lease components and would be recognized as incurred. The sublease included an initial security deposit of $0.5 million, which was provided by the sublessee in the form of a letter of credit, and an additional security deposit of $0.4 million within nine months of the sublease commencement.

For the six months ended June 30, 2020, gross sublease income of $0.5 million was recorded related to the sublease. Net sublease income of approximately $0.1 million was recorded in interest and other income in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

On September 15, 2020, concurrent with execution of the Second Lease Amendment, the Company entered into the Sublease Termination Agreement to terminate its sublease of 15,700 rentable square feet. Under the terms of the Sublease Termination Agreement, the subtenant was relieved of its obligation to provide future cash rental payments to the Company. The agreements requiring the former subtenant to provide licensed rooms and services to the Company free of charge through the original sublease term survived the sublease termination. The Company expects to receive the benefit of the licensed rooms and services beginning in the third quarter of 2021. The letter of credit security deposit related to the sublease was released.

The Company determined that the Sublease Termination Agreement constitutes a non-monetary exchange under ASC 845 Nonmonetary Transactions (“ASC 845”) where, in return for the free rooms and the services, the Company agreed to terminate its rights and obligations under the sublease agreement. In accordance with ASC 845, the Company determined that the accounting for the transaction should be based on the fair value of assets or services involved. The Company estimated the fair value of the rooms and services to be approximately $1.5 million and $2.9 million, respectively. Accordingly, prepaid rooms and services of $4.4 million were recorded upon the sublease termination, of which $1.8 million is recorded in other current assets and $2.6 million is recorded in other assets in the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2021. Termination fee income of $3.1 million was recognized related to the rooms and services, after considering the rent receivable balance of $1.3 million outstanding from the subtenant. The remaining unamortized direct costs of $0.2 million were written off.

The Company determined that the licensed rooms represent a lease under ASC 842. Once the Company obtains control of the rooms, the prepaid rooms balance will be reclassified from other assets to a ROU asset, and the related lease expense will be recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company determined that the licensed services represent a non-lease component, which will be recognized separately from the lease component for this asset class. The expense related to the licensed services will be recognized on a straight-line

 

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basis over the period the services are received. Both the lease expense and services expense will be recognized as a component of research and development costs in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

 

9. Share-based Compensation Plans

In 2019, Cyclerion adopted share-based compensation plans. Specifically, Cyclerion adopted the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“2019 ESPP”) and the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (“2019 Equity Plan”). Under the 2019 ESPP, eligible employees may use payroll deductions to purchase shares of stock in offerings under the plan, and thereby acquire an interest in the future of the Company. The 2019 Equity Plan provides for stock options and restricted stock units (“RSUs”).

Cyclerion also mirrored two of Ironwood’s existing plans, the Amended and Restated 2005 Stock Incentive Plan (“2005 Equity Plan”) and the Amended and Restated 2010 Employee, Director and Consultant Equity Incentive Plan (“2010 Equity Plan). These mirror plans were adopted to facilitate the exchange of Ironwood equity awards for Cyclerion equity awards upon the Separation as part of the equity conversion. As a result of the Separation and in accordance with the EMA, employees of both companies retained their existing Ironwood vested options and received a pro-rata share of Cyclerion options, regardless of which company employed them post-Separation. For employees that were ultimately employed by Cyclerion, unvested Ironwood options and RSUs were converted to unvested Cyclerion options and RSUs.

The conversion of equity awards resulting from the Separation impacted approximately 143 employees and was treated as a Type 1 modification under ASC Topic 718, Share Based Payments, as the awards are expected to vest under the original terms. Incremental compensation expense was measured as the excess, if any, of the fair value of the modified award over the fair value of the original award immediately before its terms were modified. The fair value of RSUs and restricted stock awards was measured using the fair value stock price immediately before and immediately after the modification date which resulted in no incremental compensation expense. The fair value of stock options was measured using the Black-Scholes option pricing method using the appropriate valuation assumptions immediately before and immediately after the modification date. As a result of the modification, during the year ended December 31, 2019, Cyclerion recognized a one-time incremental expense of approximately $0.3 million for the vested stock options and will recognize an incremental expense of approximately $7.5 million for the unvested stock options over their remaining vesting period.

The following table provides share-based compensation reflected in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020 (in thousands):

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Research and development

 

$

935

 

 

$

1,880

 

 

$

1,917

 

 

$

3,801

 

General and administrative

 

 

1,405

 

 

 

2,073

 

 

 

2,735

 

 

 

4,188

 

 

 

$

2,340

 

 

$

3,953

 

 

$

4,652

 

 

$

7,989

 

 

A summary of stock option activity for the six months ended June 30, 2021, is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

Average

 

 

Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

 

Remaining

 

 

Intrinsic

 

 

 

Number

 

 

Exercise

 

 

Contractual

 

 

Value (in

 

 

 

of Options

 

 

Price

 

 

Term (Years)

 

 

thousands)

 

Outstanding as of December 31, 2020

 

 

7,426,356

 

 

$

11.87

 

 

 

7.0

 

 

 

1,178

 

Granted

 

 

510,000

 

 

 

3.20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

 

(41,078

)

 

 

2.21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cancelled or forfeited

 

 

(1,174,680

)

 

 

10.02

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding as of June 30, 2021

 

 

6,720,598

 

 

$

11.59

 

 

 

6.8

 

 

$

2,312

 

Exercisable at June 30, 2021

 

 

4,127,008

 

 

$

13.91

 

 

 

5.7

 

 

$

563

 

 

18


 

 

 

As of June 30, 2021, the unrecognized share-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, related to all unvested time-based stock options held by the Company’s employees is $10.9 million and the weighted average period over which that expense is expected to be recognized is 3.18 years.

A summary of RSU activity for the six months ended June 30, 2021 is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted Average

 

 

 

Number

 

 

Grant Date

 

 

 

of Shares

 

 

Fair Value

 

Unvested as of December 31, 2020

 

 

294,913

 

 

$

14.52

 

Vested

 

 

(71,854

)

 

 

15.70

 

Forfeited

 

 

(97,704

)

 

 

14.41

 

Unvested as of June 30, 2021

 

 

125,355

 

 

$

13.91

 

 

As of June 30, 2021, the unrecognized share-based compensation expense, net of estimated forfeitures, related to all unvested restricted stock units by the Company’s employees is 1.2 million and the weighted-average period over which that expense is expected to be recognized is 1.5 years.

The Company has granted to certain employees performance-based options to purchase shares of common stock. These options are subject to performance-based milestone vesting. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020 there were no shares that vested as a result of performance milestone achievements. The Company recorded no share-based compensation expense related to these performance-based options for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020.

 

The Company also has granted to certain employees stock options containing market conditions that vest upon the achievement of specified price targets of the Company’s share price for a period through December 31, 2024. Vesting is measured based upon the average closing price of the Company’s share price for any thirty consecutive trading days, subject to certain service requirements. Stock compensation cost is expensed on a straight-line basis over the derived service period for each stock price target within the award, ranging from approximately 4.0 to 4.6 years. The Company accelerates expense when a stock price target is achieved prior to the derived service period. The Company does not reverse expense recognized if the share price target(s) are ultimately not achieved but expense is reversed when a stock award recipient has a break in service prior to the completion of the derived service period. For each of the three months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020, the Company recorded a de minimis amount of share-based compensation expense, respectively related to these stock options containing market conditions. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, 150,000 stock options containing market conditions were forfeited with a weighted average exercise price of $2.01. As of June 30, 2021, there were 450,000 outstanding stock options containing market conditions with a weighted average exercise price of $2.01. As of June 30, 2021, there was $0.2 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to stock options containing market conditions, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.67 years.

10. Loss per share

Basic and diluted net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period as follows:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss (in thousands)

 

$

(16,182

)

 

$

(19,534

)

 

$

(29,581

)

 

$

(39,762

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average shares used in calculating net loss per share — basic and diluted (in thousands)

 

 

35,707

 

 

 

27,791

 

 

 

34,899

 

 

 

27,730

 

Net loss per share — basic and diluted

 

$

(0.45

)

 

$

(0.70

)

 

$

(0.85

)

 

$

(1.43

)

 

19


 

 

 

For both the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 there were 6,720,598 shares of common stock related to stock options and 125,355 shares of common stock related to RSUs excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share since the inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive.

For the three months ended June 30, 2020, 7,717,184 shares of common stock related to stock options and 474,923 shares of common stock related to RSU’s were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share since the inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive.

11. Defined Contribution Plan

Subsequent to the Separation, Cyclerion adopted a defined contribution 401(k) Savings Plan similar to the plan in place at Ironwood. The plan assets under the Ironwood defined contribution 401(k) Savings Plan were transferred to the Cyclerion plan.

Subject to certain IRS limits, eligible employees may elect to contribute from 1% to 100% of their compensation. Cyclerion contributions to the plan are at the sole discretion of the board of directors. Currently, Cyclerion provides a matching contribution of 75% of the employee’s contributions, up to $6,000 annually.

Included in compensation expense is a de minimis amount and approximately $0.2 million related to the defined contribution 401(k) Savings Plan for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively and approximately $0.1 million and $0.4 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively.

12. Workforce Reduction

2019 Workforce Reduction

On October 30, 2019, the Company began a reduction of its current workforce by approximately thirty (30) full-time employees to align its resources with its ongoing clinical and preclinical programs, innovation strategy and partnering efforts. The total one-time costs related to the workforce reduction were approximately $3.0 million.

The workforce reduction was substantially completed during the year ended December 31, 2019, in which the Company recorded approximately $2.8 million of severance and benefits costs. The workforce reduction was finalized during the three months ended March 31, 2020, in which the Company recorded approximately $0.2 million in additional severance and benefits costs.

The following table summarizes the accrued liabilities activity recorded in connection with the reduction in workforce for the six months ended June 30, 2020 (in thousands):

 

 

 

Amounts

accrued at

December

31, 2019

 

 

Charges

 

 

Amount

paid

 

 

Adjustments

 

 

Amounts

accrued at

June 30,

2020

 

October 2019 workforce reduction

 

$

2,009

 

 

$

158

 

 

$

2,085

 

 

$

(30

)

 

$

52

 

Total

 

$

2,009

 

 

$

158

 

 

$

2,085

 

 

$

(30

)

 

$

52

 

 

2020 Workforce Reduction

On November 5, 2020, the Company began a reduction of its current workforce by approximately forty-eight (48) full-time employees to align its resources with its current priorities of focusing on the MELAS study, the planned ADv study and further characterization of CY6463 novel pharmacology.

The total one-time costs related to the 2020 Workforce Reduction were approximately $5.0 million, including approximately $0.1 million in stock-based compensation from the modification of certain share-based equity awards.

 

20


 

The Company reduced its workforce by approximately thirty-one (31) employees in the fourth quarter of 2020 and recorded approximately $4.1 million of severance and benefits costs in accordance with ASC Topic 420, Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations, or ASC 420, including a de minimis amount of stock-based compensation expense, for the year ended December 31, 2020. The workforce reduction was completed by the end of the first quarter of 2021.

 

The following table summarizes the accrued liabilities activity recorded in connection with the reduction in workforce for the six months ended June 30, 2021 (in thousands):

 

 

 

Amounts

accrued at

December 31,

2020

 

 

Charges

 

 

Amount

paid

 

 

Adjustments

 

 

Amounts

accrued at

June 30,

2021

 

2020 workforce reduction

 

$

(3,640

)

 

$

(858

)

 

$

3,859

 

 

$

 

 

$

(639

)

Total

 

$

(3,640

)

 

$

(858

)

 

$

3,859

 

 

$

 

 

$

(639

)

 

 

13. License Agreement

Akebia License Agreement

On June 3, 2021, the Company and Akebia entered into a License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) relating to the exclusive worldwide license by the Company to Akebia of our rights to the development, manufacture, medical affairs and commercialization of pharmaceutical products containing the pharmaceutical compound known as praliciguat and other related products and forms thereof enumerated in the License Agreement (collectively, the “Products”). Pursuant to the License Agreement, Akebia will be responsible for all future research, development, regulatory, and commercialization activities for the Products.

Akebia paid a $3.0 million up-front payment to the Company upon signing of the License Agreement and the Company is eligible to receive additional milestone cash payments of up to $12.0 million in the next 18 months. Further milestone cash payments by Akebia are scheduled in the License Agreement based on the initiation of phase 3 clinical trials in the U.S. for Products for first and second indication, for FDA approvals, for approvals in certain other major markets, and for certain sales milestones. In addition to these cash milestone payments, Akebia will pay the Company tiered royalty payments on net sales in certain major markets at percentages ranging from the mid-single digits to the high-teens, subject to certain reductions and offsets.

Pursuant to the License Agreement, the Company determined the License Agreement represents a service arrangement under the scope of ASC 606. Given the reversion of the rights under the License Agreement represents a penalty in substance for a termination by Akebia, the contract term would be the stated term of the License Agreement.

The Company determined that the grant of license to our patents and trademarks, know how transfer, the assignment of regulatory submissions and trademarks and additional knowledge transfer assistance obligations represent a single promise and performance obligation to be transferred to Akebia over time due to the nature of the promises in the contract. The provision of development materials on hand was identified as a separate performance obligation. However, it is immaterial in the context of the contract as the development materials are low value and do not have an alternative use to us.

The consideration related to sales-based milestone payments, including royalties, will be recognized when the related sales occur as these amounts have been determined to relate predominantly to the license. The Company will re-evaluate the probability of achievement of the milestones and any related constraints each reporting period.

The Company did not have any accounts receivable balances due from Akebia as of June 30, 2021.

 

21


 

14. Subsequent Events

The Company has evaluated all events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date the condensed consolidated financial statements were issued and determined that there were no such events requiring recognition or disclosure in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

22


 

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward-Looking Information

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the unaudited consolidated financial statements and the corresponding notes included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve significant risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those referenced or set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative medicines for people with serious diseases of the CNS, including cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders. Our current lead asset, CY6463, is a pioneering CNS-penetrant sGC stimulator in clinical development for MELAS, ADv, and CIAS. sGC stimulators are small molecules that act synergistically with nitric oxide on sGC to boost production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate, or cGMP. cGMP is a key second messenger that, when produced by sGC, regulates diverse and critical biological functions in the CNS including blood flow and vascular dynamics, inflammatory and fibrotic processes, bioenergetics, metabolism and neuronal function.

We operate in one reportable business segment—human therapeutics.

Financial Overview

Research and Development Expense. Research and development expenses are incurred in connection with the discovery and development of our product candidates. These expenses consist primarily of the following costs: compensation, benefits and other employee-related expenses, research and development related facilities, third-party contracts relating to nonclinical study and clinical trial activities. All research and development expenses are charged to operations as incurred.

CNS assets. The core of our portfolio is CY6463, an orally administered CNS-penetrant sGC stimulator that is being developed as a symptomatic and potentially disease-modifying therapy for CNS diseases associated with cognitive impairment. Nitric oxide-sGC-cGMP is a fundamental CNS signaling network, but it has not yet been leveraged for its full therapeutic potential. CY6463 enhances the brain’s natural ability to produce cGMP, an important second messenger in the CNS, by stimulating sGC, a key node in the NO-sGC-cGMP pathway. This pathway is critical to basic CNS functions, and deficient NO-sGC-cGMP signaling is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of many CNS diseases. Agents that stimulate sGC to produce cGMP may compensate for deficient NO signaling.

In January 2020, we announced positive Phase 1 study results that provided the foundation for continued development of CY6463. The Phase 1 healthy participant study results indicate that CY6463 was well tolerated. Pharmacokinetic (PK) data, obtained from both blood and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), support once-daily dosing with or without food and demonstrated CY6463 penetration of the blood-brain-barrier with CSF concentrations expected to be pharmacologically active.

In October 2020, we announced positive topline results from our CY6463 Phase 1 translational pharmacology study in healthy elderly participants. Treatment with CY6463 for 15 days in this 24-subject study confirmed and extended results seen in the earlier first-in-human Phase 1 study: once-daily oral treatment demonstrated blood-brain-barrier penetration with expected CNS exposure and target engagement. Results also showed significant improvements in neurophysiological and objective performance measures as well as in inflammatory biomarkers associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases. CY6463 was safe and generally well tolerated in this study. Significant effects on cerebral blood flow and markers of bioenergetics were not observed in this study of healthy elderly participants. We believe that these results, together with nonclinical data, support continued development of CY6463 as a potential new medicine for serious CNS diseases.

 

23


 

We have initiated our CY6463 Phase 2a clinical trial in adult participants with MELAS. Study start-up activities are ongoing for our Phase 2a clinical trial in ADv, with enrollment expected to begin in mid-2021. The ADv study will be supported in part by a grant from the Alzheimer's Association’s Part the Cloud-Gates Partnership Grant Program, which provides Cyclerion with $2 million of funding over two years. Startup activities are ongoing for our Phase 1b clinical study in CIAS, with enrollment expected to begin in the second half of 2021.

Our next-generation CNS asset, CY3018, is a differentiated CNS-penetrant sGC with greater CSF-to-plasma exposure relative to CY6463 based on nonclinical studies. CY3018 is intended to expand the potential of sGC stimulation for the treatment of disorders of the CNS.

Non-CNS assets. We have other assets that are outside of our current strategic focus. These non-core assets are not being internally developed at this time and, with the exception of praliciguat are available for licensing to a third-party partner. Praliciguat is an orally administered, once-daily systemic sGC stimulator. On June 3, 2021, we entered into a License Agreement with Akebia relating to the exclusive worldwide license to Akebia of our rights to the development, manufacture, medical affairs and commercialization of pharmaceutical products containing the pharmaceutical compound praliciguat and other related products and forms thereof enumerated in such agreement. Olinciguat is an orally administered, once-daily, vascular sGC stimulator that was evaluated in a Phase 2 study of participants with sickle cell disease. We released topline results from this study in October 2020.  

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses, employee and facility related costs allocated to research and development expense, and discovery and pre-clinical phase programs, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, and 2020. The product pipeline expenses relate primarily to external costs associated with nonclinical studies and clinical trial costs, which are presented by development candidate.

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Product pipeline external costs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CY6463

 

 

2,884

 

 

 

1,500

 

 

 

4,050

 

 

 

2,838

 

CY3018

 

 

606

 

 

 

 

 

 

606

 

 

 

 

Olinciguat

 

 

74

 

 

 

1,635

 

 

 

240

 

 

 

4,261

 

Praliciguat

 

 

54

 

 

 

79

 

 

 

(414

)

 

 

215

 

Discovery research

 

 

 

 

 

189

 

 

 

700

 

 

 

202

 

Total product pipeline external costs

 

 

3,618

 

 

 

3,403

 

 

 

5,182

 

 

 

7,516

 

Personnel and related internal costs

 

 

2,488

 

 

 

6,738

 

 

 

6,312

 

 

 

14,474

 

Facilities and other

 

 

5,948

 

 

 

3,653

 

 

 

8,652

 

 

 

8,629

 

Total research and development expenses

 

$

12,054

 

 

$

13,794

 

 

$

20,146

 

 

$

30,619

 

 

Securing regulatory approvals for new drugs is a lengthy and costly process. Any failure by us to obtain, or any delay in obtaining, regulatory approvals would materially adversely affect our product development efforts and our business overall.

Given the inherent uncertainties of pharmaceutical product development, we cannot estimate with any degree of certainty how our programs will evolve, and therefore the amount of time or money that would be required to obtain regulatory approval to market them. As a result of these uncertainties surrounding the timing and outcome of any approvals, we are currently unable to estimate precisely when, if ever, our discovery and development candidates will be approved. We invest carefully in our pipeline, and the commitment of funding for each subsequent stage of our development programs is dependent upon the receipt of clear, supportive data.

The successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain and subject to a number of risks including, but not limited to:

 

The full impact of COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop and could continue to adversely affect our programs and operations, including our clinical trials, and corporate development and

 

24


 

 

other activities. Cyclerion works closely with its clinical trial sites and investigators to deliver trials in a manner consistent with the safety of study participants and healthcare professionals.

 

The duration of clinical trials may vary substantially according to the type and complexity of the product candidate and may take longer than expected.

 

The United States FDA and comparable agencies outside the United States. impose substantial and varying requirements on the introduction of therapeutic pharmaceutical products, which typically require lengthy and detailed laboratory and clinical testing procedures, sampling activities and other costly and time-consuming procedures.

 

Data obtained from nonclinical and clinical activities at any step in the testing process may be adverse and lead to discontinuation or redirection of development activity. Data obtained from these activities also are susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval.

 

The duration and cost of discovery, nonclinical studies and clinical trials may vary significantly over the life of a product candidate and are difficult to predict.

 

The costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of a product candidate may not be favorable, and, even if approved, a product may face post-approval development and regulatory requirements.

 

The emergence of competing technologies and products and other adverse market developments may reduce or eliminate the potential value of our pipeline.

As a result of the factors listed in the “Risk Factors” section in Item 1A of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we are unable to determine the duration and costs to complete current or future nonclinical and clinical stages of our product candidates or when, or to what extent, we will generate revenues from the commercialization and sale of our product candidates. Development timelines, probability of success and development costs vary widely. We anticipate that we will make determinations as to which additional programs to pursue and how much funding to direct to each program on an ongoing basis in response to the data from the studies of each product candidate, the competitive landscape and ongoing assessments of such product candidate’s commercial potential.

General and Administrative Expense. General and administrative expense consists primarily of compensation, benefits and other employee-related expenses for personnel in our administrative, finance, legal, information technology, business development, and human resource functions. Other costs include the legal costs of pursuing patent protection of our intellectual property, general and administrative related facility costs, insurance costs and professional fees for accounting and legal services. Certain costs associated with our separation from Ironwood are included in these expenses. We record all general and administrative expenses as incurred.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make certain estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the amounts of expenses during the reported periods. We base our estimates on our historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ materially from our estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results in the period in which they become known.

We believe that our application of accounting policies requires significant judgments and estimates on the part of management and is the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results. Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the consolidated financial statements elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

25


 

All research and development expenses are expensed as incurred. We defer and capitalize nonrefundable advance payments we make for research and development activities until the related goods are received or the related services are performed. See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Results of Operations

The expenses reflected in the consolidated financial statements may not be indicative of revenue and expenses that will be incurred by us in the future. The following discussion summarizes the key factors we believed are necessary for an understanding of our consolidated financial statements.

Expenses

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue from license agreement

 

$

3,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

3,000

 

 

 

100

%

 

$

3,000

 

 

$

 

 

$

3,000

 

 

 

100

%

Revenue from development agreement

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

 

100

%

 

$

62

 

 

$

 

 

$

62

 

 

 

100

%

Revenue from related party

 

$

 

 

$

749

 

 

$

(749

)

 

 

(100

)%

 

$

 

 

$

1,763

 

 

$

(1,763

)

 

 

(100

)%

Total revenues

 

$

3,000

 

 

$

749

 

 

$

2,251

 

 

 

301

%

 

$

3,062

 

 

$

1,763

 

 

$

1,299

 

 

 

74

%

Cost and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

12,054

 

 

 

13,794

 

 

 

(1,740

)

 

 

(13

)%

 

 

20,146

 

 

 

30,619

 

 

 

(10,473

)

 

 

(34

)%

General and administrative

 

 

6,241

 

 

 

6,627

 

 

 

(386

)

 

 

(6

)%

 

 

11,606

 

 

 

13,518

 

 

 

(1,912

)

 

 

(14

)%

(Gain) / loss on lease modification and termination

 

 

881

 

 

 

 

 

 

881

 

 

 

100

%

 

 

881

 

 

 

(2,113

)

 

 

2,994

 

 

 

(142

)%

Total cost and expenses

 

 

19,176

 

 

 

20,421

 

 

 

(1,245

)

 

 

(6

)%

 

 

32,633

 

 

 

42,024

 

 

 

(9,391

)

 

 

(22

)%

Loss from operations

 

 

(16,176

)

 

 

(19,672

)

 

 

3,496

 

 

 

(18

)%

 

 

(29,571

)

 

 

(40,261

)

 

 

10,690

 

 

 

(27

)%

Interest and other income, net

 

 

(6

)

 

 

138

 

 

 

(144

)

 

 

(104

)%

 

 

(10

)

 

 

499

 

 

 

(509

)

 

 

(102

)%

Net loss

 

$

(16,182

)

 

$

(19,534

)

 

$

3,352

 

 

 

(17

)%

 

$

(29,581

)

 

$

(39,762

)

 

$

10,181

 

 

 

(26

)%

 

Revenues. As of January 2021, revenues earned from the services performed under the Development Agreement for Ironwood, are not considered to be related party revenues (See Note 3). The increase in revenue of approximately $2.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2020, can be attributed to the revenue from the License Agreement, which was executed in June 2021, offset by a decrease in revenue generated from services performed under the Development Agreement, which ended on March 31, 2021.

The increase in revenue of approximately $1.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020 can be attributed to the revenue from the License Agreement, offset by a decrease in revenue generated from services performed under the Development Agreement.

Research and development expense.  The decrease in research and development expense of approximately $1.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2020 was driven by a decrease of approximately $4.2 million in salaries, stock-based compensation and other employee-related expenses primarily due to lower average headcount, partially offset by a net increase of approximately $2.3 million in facilities and operating costs allocated to research and development primarily due to $4.2 million of non-cash write off of leasehold improvements, and $1.9 million reduction in the Company’s total leased premises cost, and a net increase of approximately $0.2 million in external research costs. The net increase in external research costs was primarily due to increases of approximately $1.4 million associated with the startup of CY6463 studies, CIAS and ADv, in Q2’21, and approximately $0.6 million for CY3018 costs, offset by a decrease of $1.6 million related to olinciguat due to the completion of the STRONG-SCD study, with topline data read out on October 14, 2020, and a decrease of approximately $0.2 million in discovery research.

 

26


 

The decrease in research and development expense of approximately $10.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020 was driven by a decrease of approximately $8.2 million in salaries, stock-based compensation, and other employee-related expenses primarily due to lower average headcount, a decrease of approximately $4.2 million in facilities and operating costs, and a net decrease of approximately $2.3 million in external research costs, partially offset by an increase due to $4.2 million of non-cash write-off of leasehold improvements. The net decrease in external research costs was primarily due to decreases over the periods of approximately $4.0 million related to olinciguat and $0.6 million related to praliciguat studies, due to the completion of both studies, partially offset by an increase of approximately $1.2 million in startup costs for CY6463 studies in CIAS and ADv, an increase of approximately $0.6 million associated with CY3018 and an increase of approximately $0.5 million in discovery research.

General and administrative expense.  The decrease in general and administrative expenses of approximately $0.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2020 was primarily driven by decreases of approximately $1.3 million in salaries, stock-based compensation and other employee-related expenses due to lower average headcount, and a decrease of approximately $1.2 million in facilities and operating costs, partially offset by an increase of approximately $2.1 million of non-cash write off of leasehold improvements.

The decrease in general and administrative expenses of approximately $1.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020 was primarily driven by a decrease of approximately $2.5 million in salaries, stock-based compensation and other employee-related costs due to lower average headcount, a decrease of approximately $1.1 million in facilities and operating costs, and approximately $0.4 million in professional services, partially offset by $2.1 million of non-cash write off of leasehold improvements.

(Gain) loss on lease modification and termination.  The loss on lease modification and termination of approximately $0.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2020, which is related to the Lease Termination of the Head Lease at 301 Binney Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was executed on April 30, 2021. (see Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements).

The loss on lease modification and termination of approximately $0.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 is related to the Lease Termination of the Head Lease at 301 Binney Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was executed on April 30, 2021, compared to the gain on lease modification and termination of $2.1 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020 related to the Lease Amendment of the Head Lease at 301 Binney Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was executed on February 28, 2020 (see Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements).

Interest and other income, net.  Interest and other income, net decreased by approximately $0.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2020 due to a decrease of approximately $0.1 million in net sublease income.

Interest and other income, net decreased by approximately 0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020 due to a decrease of approximately $0.3 million in interest income driven by a lower cash balances and lower interest rates, partially offset by a decrease of approximately $0.2 million in net sublease income.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Prior to the Separation, the primary source of liquidity for our business was cash flow allocated to Cyclerion from Ironwood. Post Separation, transfers of cash to and from Ironwood related to the Transition Service Agreements, Development Agreement, and provisions of the Separation Agreement, have been reflected in the consolidated statement of cash flows.

After the Separation on April 1, 2019, we raised approximately $165 million net of direct financing expenses with the closing of the 2019 Equity Private Placement on April 2, 2019.

 

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On July 29, 2020, we closed on a private placement of 6,062,500 shares of our common stock, pursuant to a Common Stock Purchase Agreement, for total gross proceeds of approximately $24.3 million. There were no material fees or commissions related to the transaction. The Company intends to use the proceeds to fund working capital and other general corporate purposes.

On September 3, 2020, the Company entered into the Sales Agreement with Jefferies with respect to the ATM Offering under the Shelf. Under the ATM Offering, the Company may offer and sell, from time to time at its sole discretion, shares of its common stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $50.0 million through Jefferies as its sales agent. The Company will pay to Jefferies cash commissions of 3.0 percent of the gross proceeds of sales of common stock under the Sales Agreement. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company sold 3,351,559 shares of common stock for net proceeds of $12.5 million under the ATM Offering.

On June 7, 2021, we closed on a private placement of 5,735,988 shares of our common stock, pursuant to a Common Stock Purchase Agreement, for total gross proceeds of approximately $18 million. There were no material fees or commissions related to the transaction. The Company intends to use the proceeds to fund working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Our ability to continue to fund our operations and meet capital needs will depend on our ability to generate cash from operations and access to capital markets and other sources of capital, as further described below. We anticipate that our principal uses of cash in the future will be primarily to fund our operations, working capital needs, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes.

On June 30, 2021, we had approximately $70.4 million of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents. Our cash equivalents include amounts held in U.S. government money market funds. We invest cash in excess of immediate requirements in accordance with our investment policy, which requires all investments held by us to be at least “AAA” rated or equivalent, with a remaining final maturity when purchased of less than twelve months, so as to primarily achieve liquidity and capital preservation.

Going Concern

Based on the timing expectations of our research and development plans, including our clinical trials, we expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2021 will be sufficient to fund our planned operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements at least through the next 12 months following the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, particularly as the process of testing drug candidates in clinical trials is costly and the timing of progress in these trials is uncertain.

Cash Flows

The following is a summary of cash flows for the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020:

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

June 30,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

 

(dollars in thousands)

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

$

(19,964

)

 

$

(43,401

)

 

$

23,437

 

 

 

(54

)%

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

 

$

1,464

 

 

$

(1,421

)

 

$

2,885

 

 

 

(203

)%

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

$

30,657

 

 

$

3,664

 

 

$

26,993

 

 

 

737

%

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $20.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $43.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease in net cash used in operations of $23.4 million primarily relates to a decrease in our net loss of $10.1 million, non-cash leasehold improvement write off of $6.3 million in the current year, the recording of non-cash loss on lease termination of $0.9 million in the current year and non-cash gain on lease modification of $2.1 million in prior year, and a decrease in working capital accounts of $8.4 million, partially offset by a decrease of stock-based compensation and other non-cash items of $4.4 million.

 

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Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities was $1.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to net cash used in investing activities of $1.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in net cash provided by investing activities of $2.9 million was primarily from an increase in cash received from sale of lab equipment in 2021 compared to purchases of leasehold improvements and other property and equipment in 2020.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $30.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $3.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase of $27.0 million was the result of cash received from the June 2021 Equity Private Placement of $18 million, net proceeds from the ATM Offering of $12.5 million, partially offset by the cash received from the short-term note payable of $3.5 million in 2020.

Debt – Paycheck Protection Program

On April 21, 2020, we received loan proceeds in the amount of approximately $3.5 million pursuant to a promissory note agreement (the “Promissory Note”) with a bank under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), of which certain key terms were adjusted by the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (“PPPFA”). The Promissory Note has an initial loan maturity of April 20, 2022, a stated interest rate of 1.0% per annum, and has payments of principal and interest that are due monthly after an initial deferral period where interest accrues, but no payments are due. Under the PPPFA, the initial deferral may be extended from six up to ten months and the loan maturity may be extended from two to five years. The Promissory Note provides for customary events of default, including, among others, those relating to failure to make payment when due and breaches of representations. We may prepay the principal of the Promissory Note at any time without incurring any prepayment charges. The loan is subject to all the terms and conditions applicable under the PPPFA and is subject to review by the Small Business Association for compliance with program requirements.

The loan’s principal and accrued interest are forgivable to the extent that the proceeds are used for eligible purposes, subject to certain limitations, and that we maintain our payroll levels over a twenty-four-week period following the loan date. The loan forgiveness amount may be reduced if we terminate employees or reduce salaries during the twenty-four-week period. We believe that we have used the proceeds for eligible purposes consistent with the provisions of the PPPFA. However, the Company cannot assure at this time that the loan under the Promissory Note will be forgiven partially, or in full.

Funding Requirements

We expect our expenses to fluctuate as we advance the preclinical activities and clinical trials of our product candidates.

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2021 will enable us to fund our planned operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements at least through the next 12 months following the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, excluding net cash flows from potential business development activities. We based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect.

Because of the many risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of product candidates, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Our expenses will fluctuate, and our future funding requirements will depend on, and could increase or decrease significantly as a result of many factors, including the:

 

scope, progress, results and costs of researching and developing our product candidates, and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials;

 

costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;

 

29


 

 

 

costs of future activities, including medical affairs, manufacturing and distribution, for any of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;

 

cost and timing of necessary actions to support our strategic objectives;

 

costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending intellectual property-related claims; and

 

timing, receipt and amount of sales of, or milestone payments related to or royalties on, our current or future product candidates, if any.

A change in any of these or other variables with respect to the development of any of our product candidates could significantly change the costs and timing of the development of that product candidate. Further, our operating plans may change in the future, and we may need additional funds to meet operational needs and capital requirements associated with such operating plans.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, outstanding equity ownership may be materially diluted, and the terms of securities sold in such transactions could include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of holders of common stock. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specified actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. In addition, debt financing would result in increased fixed payment obligations.

If we raise funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us.

If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be required to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Contractual Commitments and Obligations

Tax-related Obligations

We exclude assets, liabilities or obligations pertaining to uncertain tax positions from our summary of contractual commitments and obligations as we cannot make a reliable estimate of the period of cash settlement with the respective taxing authorities. As of June 30, 2021, we had no uncertain tax positions.

Other Funding Commitments

As of June 30, 2021, we had, and continue to have, several ongoing studies in various clinical trial stages. Our most significant clinical trial spending is with clinical research organizations, or CROs. The contracts with CROs generally are cancellable, with notice, at our option and do not have any significant cancellation penalties.

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.

 

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New Accounting Pronouncements

For a discussion of new accounting pronouncements see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and are not required to provide the information required under this item.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act refers to controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Because there are inherent limitations in all control systems, a control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, as opposed to absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective, at the reasonable assurance level, as of the end of the period covered by this report. However, our management does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q which have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

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PART II

We are not a party to any material legal proceedings at this time. From time to time we may be subject to various legal proceedings and claims, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should carefully review and consider the information regarding certain factors which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.

Item 5. Other Information

Not applicable.

Item 6. Exhibits

See the Exhibit Index on the following page of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

32


 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit

No.

 

Description

 

 

 

10.1

 

Common Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 3, 2021, by and between Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. and the Investors named therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed on June 16, 2021 (File No. 333-257145)).

10.2*

 

License Agreement, dated as of June 3, 2021, by and between Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. and Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.

31.1

 

Certificate of Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

31.2

 

Certificate of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

32.1

 

Certificate of Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

32.2

 

Certificate of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Executive Officer) pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

101.INS

 

Inline XBRL Instance Document.

101.SCH

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.

101.CAL

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.

101.DEF

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.

101.LAB

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.

101.PRE

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.

104

 

Cover Page Interactive Data File.

 

* Certain portions of this exhibit (indicated by asterisks) have been omitted because they are not material and are the type that the Registrant treats as private or confidential.

 

33


 

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.

 

 

CYCLERION THERAPEUTICS, INC.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Peter Hecht

 

Name:

Peter M. Hecht

 

Title:

Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Anjeza Gjino

 

Name:

Anjeza Gjino

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

Date: July 29, 2021

 

34