NORTHWEST BIOTHERAPEUTICS INC - Quarter Report: 2007 September (Form 10-Q)
Table of Contents
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
þ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2007
OR
o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Commission file number 0-26825
Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Delaware | I.R.S. Employer Identification No. 94-3306718 | |
(State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
7600 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 750
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(240) 497-9024
(Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(240) 497-9024
(Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for
such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been
subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated
filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of accelerated filer and large accelerated
filer in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act
Large accelerated filer o Accelerated filer o Non-accelerated filer þ
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of
the Exchange Act) Yes o No þ
As of November 1, 2007, the total number of shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per
share, outstanding was 42,346,088.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NORTHWEST BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Exhibit 31.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 31.2 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.2 |
2
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Part I Financial Information
NORTHWEST BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
(A Development Stage Company)
(A Development Stage Company)
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
December 31, | September 30, | |||||||
2006 | 2007 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||
Assets |
||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||
Cash |
$ | 307 | $ | 16,875 | ||||
Accounts receivable |
3 | | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
145 | 440 | ||||||
Total current assets |
455 | 17,315 | ||||||
Property and equipment: |
||||||||
Laboratory equipment |
14 | 29 | ||||||
Office furniture and other equipment |
71 | 86 | ||||||
85 | 115 | |||||||
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization |
(70 | ) | (103 | ) | ||||
Property and equipment, net |
15 | 12 | ||||||
Restricted cash |
31 | | ||||||
Deposit and other non-current assets |
3 | | ||||||
Total assets |
$ | 504 | $ | 17,327 | ||||
Liabilities And Stockholders Equity |
||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||
Note payable to related parties, net of discount |
$ | 2,505 | $ | 5,243 | ||||
Current portion of capital lease obligations |
2 | | ||||||
Accounts payable |
493 | 192 | ||||||
Accounts payable, related party |
2,852 | | ||||||
Accrued expenses |
301 | 763 | ||||||
Accrued expense, related party |
300 | 563 | ||||||
Total liabilities |
6,453 | 6,761 | ||||||
Stockholders equity: |
||||||||
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 300,000,000 shares
authorized at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007:
|
||||||||
Series A preferred stock, 50,000,000 and zero shares
designated at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007,
respectively, and 32,500,000 and zero shares issued and
outstanding at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007,
respectively |
33 | | ||||||
Series A-1 preferred stock, 10,000,000 and zero shares
designated at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007,
respectively, and 4,816,863 and zero shares issued and
outstanding at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007,
respectively |
5 | | ||||||
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 800,000,000 shares
authorized at December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007 and
4,349,419 and 42,346,088 shares issued and outstanding at
December 31, 2006 and September 30, 2007, respectively |
65 | 42 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
78,033 | 145,388 | ||||||
Deficit accumulated during the development stage |
(84,085 | ) | (134,864 | ) | ||||
Total stockholders equity |
(5,949 | ) | 10,566 | |||||
Total liabilities and stockholders equity |
$ | 504 | $ | 17,327 | ||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
Table of Contents
NORTHWEST BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
(A Development Stage Company)
(A Development Stage Company)
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
Period from | ||||||||||||||||||||
March 18, 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | (Inception) to | ||||||||||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | September 30, | ||||||||||||||||||
2006 | 2007 | 2006 | 2007 | 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Research
material sales/license fees |
$ | 80 | $ | 10 | $ | 80 | $ | 10 | $ | 540 | ||||||||||
Contract research and development
from related parties |
| | | | 1,128 | |||||||||||||||
Research grants |
| | | | 1,061 | |||||||||||||||
Total revenues |
80 | 10 | 80 | 10 | 2,729 | |||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of research material sales |
| | | | 382 | |||||||||||||||
Research and development |
1,000 | 1,873 | 2,644 | 5,342 | 41,186 | |||||||||||||||
General and administrative |
493 | 1,697 | 1,669 | 3,643 | 36,610 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
10 | 2 | 29 | 18 | 2,321 | |||||||||||||||
Accrued loss on facility sublease |
| | | | 895 | |||||||||||||||
Asset impairment loss |
| | (9 | ) | | 2,056 | ||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
1,503 | 3,572 | 4,333 | 9,003 | 83,450 | |||||||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(1,423 | ) | (3,562 | ) | (4,253 | ) | (8,993 | ) | (80,721 | ) | ||||||||||
Other income (expense): |
||||||||||||||||||||
Warrant valuation |
| | 7,127 | | 6,759 | |||||||||||||||
Gain on sale of intellectual property |
| | | | 3,656 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(407 | ) | (697 | ) | (2,246 | ) | (5,561 | ) | (21,262 | ) | ||||||||||
Interest income and other |
21 | 350 | 34 | 738 | 1,513 | |||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
(1,809 | ) | (3,909 | ) | 662 | (13,816 | ) | (90,055 | ) | |||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection
with elimination of Series A and Series
A-1 preferred stock preferences |
| | | (12,349 | ) | (12,349 | ) | |||||||||||||
Modification of Series A preferred
stock warrants |
| | | (2,306 | ) | (2,306 | ) | |||||||||||||
Modification of Series A-1 preferred
stock warrants |
| | | (16,393 | ) | (16,393 | ) | |||||||||||||
Series A preferred stock dividends |
| | | (334 | ) | (334 | ) | |||||||||||||
Series A-1 preferred stock dividends |
| | | (917 | ) | (917 | ) | |||||||||||||
Warrants issued on Series A and Series
A-1 preferred stock dividends |
| | | (4,664 | ) | (4,664 | ) | |||||||||||||
Accretion of Series A preferred stock
mandatory redemption obligation |
| | | | (1,872 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Series A preferred stock redemption fee |
| | | | (1,700 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Beneficial conversion feature of Series
D preferred stock |
| | | | (4,274 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) applicable to common
stockholders |
$ | (1,809 | ) | $ | (3,909 | ) | $ | 662 | $ | (50,779 | ) | $ | (134,864 | ) | ||||||
Net income/loss per share applicable to
common stockholders basic |
$ | (0.42 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | 0.20 | $ | (2.76 | ) | |||||||||
Weighted average shares used in
computing basic net income/loss per
share |
4,349 | 42,298 | 3,297 | 18,379 | ||||||||||||||||
Net income/loss per share applicable to
common stockholders diluted |
$ | (0.42 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | 0.02 | $ | (2.76 | ) | |||||||||
Weighted average shares used in
computing diluted net income/loss per
share |
4,349 | 42,298 | 29,521 | 18,379 | ||||||||||||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc.
(A Development Stage Company)
(A Development Stage Company)
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)
(Unaudited)
Period from | ||||||||||||
March 18, 1996 | ||||||||||||
Nine Months Ended | (Inception) to | |||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | |||||||||||
2006 | 2007 | 2007 | ||||||||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
||||||||||||
Net Income (Loss) |
$ | 662 | $ | (13,816 | ) | $ | (90,055 | ) | ||||
Reconciliation of net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities: |
||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
29 | 18 | 2,321 | |||||||||
Amortization of deferred financing costs |
| | 320 | |||||||||
Amortization debt discount |
1,801 | 5,750 | 17,996 | |||||||||
Accrued interest converted to preferred stock |
| | 260 | |||||||||
Accreted interest on convertible promissory note |
284 | 307 | 1,428 | |||||||||
Stock-based compensation costs |
3 | 4 | 1,116 | |||||||||
Gain on sale of intellectual property and royalty rights |
| | (3,656 | ) | ||||||||
Loss (gain) on sale of property and equipment |
(16 | ) | | 273 | ||||||||
Warrant valuation |
(7,127 | ) | | (6,759 | ) | |||||||
Asset impairment loss |
| | 2,056 | |||||||||
Loss on facility sublease |
| | 895 | |||||||||
Increase (decrease) in cash resulting from changes in assets and liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Accounts receivable |
(53 | ) | 3 | | ||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
82 | (261 | ) | 60 | ||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses |
(763 | ) | (2,429 | ) | 1,914 | |||||||
Accrued loss on sublease |
| | (265 | ) | ||||||||
Deferred rent |
| | 420 | |||||||||
Net Cash used in Operating Activities |
(5,098 | ) | (10,424 | ) | (71,676 | ) | ||||||
Cash Flows from Investing Activities: |
||||||||||||
Purchase of property and equipment, net |
| (15 | ) | (4,595 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment |
16 | | 250 | |||||||||
Proceeds from sale of intellectual property |
| | 1,816 | |||||||||
Proceeds from sale of marketable securities |
| | 2,000 | |||||||||
Refund of security deposit |
| | (3 | ) | ||||||||
Transfer of restricted cash |
| | (1,035 | ) | ||||||||
Net Cash provided by (used in) Investing Activities |
16 | (15 | ) | (1,567 | ) | |||||||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: |
||||||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of note payable to stockholder |
| 2,600 | 5,750 | |||||||||
Repayment of note payable to stockholder |
| (225 | ) | (1,875 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds from issuance of convertible promissory note and warrants, net of
issuance costs |
300 | | 13,099 | |||||||||
Borrowing under line of credit, Northwest Hospital |
| | 2,834 | |||||||||
Repayment of line of credit, Northwest Hospital |
| | (2,834 | ) | ||||||||
Repayment of convertible promissory note |
(13 | ) | | (119 | ) | |||||||
Payment on capital lease obligations |
(8 | ) | (2 | ) | (323 | ) | ||||||
Payments on note payable |
| | (420 | ) | ||||||||
Payment of Preferred Stock Dividends |
| (1,252 | ) | (1,252 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds from issuance Series A cumulative preferred stock, net |
| | 28,708 | |||||||||
Proceeds from exercise of stock options and warrants |
7 | | 227 | |||||||||
Proceeds from issuance common stock, net |
5,084 | 25,886 | 48,343 | |||||||||
Mandatorily redeemable Series A preferred stock redemption fee |
| | (1,700 | ) | ||||||||
Deferred financing costs |
| | (320 | ) | ||||||||
Net Cash provided by Financing Activities |
5,370 | 27,007 | 90,118 | |||||||||
Net increase in cash |
288 | 16,568 | 16,875 | |||||||||
Cash at beginning of period |
352 | 307 | | |||||||||
Cash at end of period |
$ | 640 | $ | 16,875 | $ | 16,875 | ||||||
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Period from | ||||||||||||
March 18, 1996 | ||||||||||||
Nine Months Ended | (Inception) to | |||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | |||||||||||
2006 | 2007 | 2007 | ||||||||||
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information Cash paid during the period
for interest |
$ | 58 | $ | 8 | $ | 1,404 | ||||||
Supplemental schedule of non-cash financing activities: |
||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in connection with elimination of Series A and Series
A-1 preferred stock preferences |
| 12,349 | 12,349 | |||||||||
Modification of Series A preferred stock warrants |
| 2,306 | 2,306 | |||||||||
Modification of Series A-1 preferred stock warrants |
| 16,393 | 16,393 | |||||||||
Warrants issued on Series A and Series A-1 preferred stock dividends |
| 4,664 | 4,664 | |||||||||
Equipment acquired through capital leases |
| | 285 | |||||||||
Common stock warrant liability |
6,523 | | 11,841 | |||||||||
Accretion of mandatorily redeemable Series A preferred stock redemption
obligation |
| | 1,872 | |||||||||
Beneficial conversion feature of convertible promissory notes |
| | 7,242 | |||||||||
Conversion of convertible promissory notes and accrued interest to Series D
preferred stock |
| | 5,324 | |||||||||
Conversion of convertible promissory notes and accrued interest to
Series A-1 preferred stock |
7,707 | | 7,707 | |||||||||
Conversion of convertible promissory notes and accrued interest to common stock |
269 | | 269 | |||||||||
Issuance of Series C preferred stock warrants in connection with lease agreement |
| | 43 | |||||||||
Issuance of common stock for license rights |
| | 4 | |||||||||
Issuance of common stock and warrants to Medarex |
| | 840 | |||||||||
Issuance of common stock to landlord |
| | 35 | |||||||||
Deferred compensation on issuance of stock options and restricted stock grants |
| | 759 | |||||||||
Cancellation of options and restricted stock |
| | 849 | |||||||||
Stock subscription receivable |
| | 491 | |||||||||
Financing of prepaid insurance through note payable |
| | 480 | |||||||||
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
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Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc.
(A Development Stage Company)
(A Development Stage Company)
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(unaudited)
(unaudited)
1. Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of
Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiary, NW Bio Europe Sarl (collectively, the
Company). All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The
accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction
with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2006. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial
statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). All normal recurring adjustments which are
necessary for the fair presentation of the results for the interim periods are reflected herein.
Operating results for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2007 are not necessarily
indicative of results to be expected for a full year.
The independent registered public accounting firms report on the financial statements for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 states that because of recurring operating losses, a working
capital deficit, and a deficit accumulated during the development stage, there is substantial doubt
about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern. A going concern opinion indicates
that the financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going
concern and do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the
recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that
may result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
The significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the Companys condensed
consolidated financial statements are disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2006. Additional significant accounting policies for fiscal 2007 are disclosed
below.
Cash
All liquid investments with maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase are
considered cash. The Company maintains cash deposits in excess of insured limits with certain
financial institutions.
Principles of Consolidation
The
2007 condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its
subsidiary. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. During
the third quarter of 2007, the Company established a new subsidiary in Switzerland. The Company
contributed 95% of the initial share capital in this new subsidiary and Cognate BioServices, Inc.,
a related party to the Company, contributed the remaining 5%.
Foreign Currency Translation
For operations outside the U.S. that prepare financial statements in currencies other
than U.S. dollars, we translate the financial statements into U.S. dollars. Results of operations
and cash flows are translated at average exchange rates during the period, and assets and
liabilities are translated at end of period exchange rates, except for equity transactions and
advances not expected to be repaid in the foreseeable future, which are translated at historical
cost. The effects of exchange rate fluctuations on translating foreign currency assets and
liabilities into U.S. dollars are accumulated as a separate component in other comprehensive income
(loss).
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FASB Interpretation No.
48 (FIN 48), Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxesan interpretation of FASB Statement No.
109, Accounting for Income Taxes, which clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes.
FIN 48 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement
recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The
interpretation requires that we recognize in the financial statements the impact of a tax position
if it is more likely than not that such tax position will be sustained on audit, based on the
technical merits of the position. FIN 48 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification,
interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods and disclosure. The provisions of FIN 48
were effective beginning January 1, 2007 with the cumulative effect of the change in accounting
principle recorded as an adjustment to opening retained earnings. The Company adopted FIN 48
effective January 1, 2007 and there was no impact on the Companys financial statements.
7
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In September 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Accounting
Bulletin No. 108 (SAB 108). Due to diversity in practice among registrants, SAB 108 expresses SEC
staff views regarding the process by which misstatements in financial statements are evaluated for
purposes of determining whether financial statement restatement is necessary. SAB 108 is effective
for fiscal years ending after November 15, 2006. The Company adopted SAB 108 effective January 1,
2007 and there was no impact on the Companys financial statements.
In September 2006, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, Fair
Value Measurements (SFAS 157). SFAS 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring
fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements but does not require any new fair
value measurements. SFAS 157 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years
beginning after November 15, 2007, and interim periods within those fiscal years. We are evaluating
the possible impact of SFAS 157 on the Companys financial statements.
In February 2007, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 159, The
Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, (SFAS 159). SFAS 159 permits
entities to choose to measure many financial instruments and certain other items at fair value. The
objective is to improve financial reporting by providing entities with the opportunity to mitigate
volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring related assets and liabilities differently
without having to apply complex hedge accounting provisions. SFAS 159 is effective for financial
statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. We have not yet determined
the impact of adopting SFAS 159 on our financial position.
In June 2007, the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) of the FASB issued EITF Issue No. 07-3,
Accounting for Nonrefundable Advance Payments for Goods or Services to be Used in Future Research
and Development Activities, (EITF 07-3) which is effective for fiscal years beginning after
December 15, 2007. EITF 07-3 requires that nonrefundable advance payments for future research and
development activities be deferred and capitalized. Such amounts will be recognized as an expense
as the goods are delivered or the related services are performed. The Company does not expect the
adoption of EITF 07-3 to have a material impact on the financial results of the Company.
3. Stock-Based Compensation Plans
Effective
January 1, 2006, the Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 123(R), Share-Based Payment, (SFAS 123(R))which establishes accounting for stock-based awards
exchanged for employee services, using the modified prospective transition method. Accordingly,
stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award,
over the requisite service period. Previously, the Company applied APB Opinion No. 25 and related
interpretations, as permitted by SFAS No. 123.
For options and warrants issued to non-employees, the Company recognizes stock compensation
costs utilizing the fair value methodology prescribed in SFAS No. 123(R) over the related period of
benefit.
Determining Fair Value Under SFAS No. 123(R)
Valuation and Amortization Method. The Company estimates the fair value of stock-based awards
granted using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The Company amortizes the fair value of all
awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods, which are generally the vesting
periods.
Expected Life. The expected life of awards granted represents the period of time that they are
expected to be outstanding. The Company determines the expected life based on historical experience
with similar awards, giving consideration to the contractual terms, vesting schedules and
pre-vesting and post-vesting forfeitures.
Expected Volatility. The Company estimates the volatility of its common stock at the date of
grant based on the historical volatility of its common stock. The volatility factor used in the
Black-Scholes option valuation model is based on the Companys historical stock prices over the
most recent period commensurate with the estimated expected life of the award.
Risk-Free Interest Rate. The Company bases the risk-free interest rate used in the
Black-Scholes option valuation model on the implied yield currently available on U.S. Treasury
zero-coupon issues with an equivalent remaining term equal to the expected life of the award.
8
Table of Contents
Expected Dividend Yield. The Company has never paid any cash dividends on common stock and
does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Consequently, the Company
uses an expected dividend yield of zero in the Black-Scholes option valuation model.
Expected Forfeitures. The Company uses historical data to estimate pre-vesting option
forfeitures. The Company records stock-based compensation only for those awards that are expected
to vest.
The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes
option pricing model. There were no shares purchased under the Companys employee stock purchase
plan during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006.
The stock-based compensation expense related to stock-based awards under SFAS No. 123(R)
totaled approximately $4,000 for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007,
respectively. As of September 30, 2007, the Company had less than $1,000 of total unrecognized
compensation cost related to non-vested stock-based awards granted under all equity compensation
plans.
There were no stock options granted during the three and nine month periods ended September
30, 2007 and 2006.
Stock Option Plans
The Company has established a new stock option plan, which became effective on June 22, 2007
(the 2007 Stock Option Plan). The Company has reserved a total of 5,480,868 shares of its common
stock, par value $0.001 per share (Common Stock) for issue in respect of options granted under
the plan. The plan provides for the grant to employees of the Company, its parents and
subsidiaries, including officers and employee directors, of incentive stock options within the
meaning of Section 422 of the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and for the grant of
non-statutory stock options to the employees, officers, directors, including non-employee
directors, and consultants of the Company, its parents and subsidiaries. To the extent an optionee
would have the right in any calendar year to exercise for the first time one or more incentive
stock options for shares having an aggregate fair market value, under all of the Companys plans
and determined as of the grant date, in excess of $100,000, any such excess options will be treated
as non-statutory options.
In addition, the Company has amended its existing equity plans effective June 22, 2007 such
that no further option grants may be made under those plans.
4. Liquidity
Since 2004, the Company has undergone a significant recapitalization pursuant to which Toucan
Capital Fund II, L.P. (Toucan Capital) loaned the Company an aggregate of $6.75 million and
Toucan Partners LLC, an affiliate of Toucan Capital (Toucan Partners), loaned the Company an
aggregate of $4.825 million (excluding $225,000 in proceeds from a demand note that was received on
June 13, 2007 and repaid on June 27, 2007) (the 2007 Convertible Notes).
On January 26, 2005, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with Toucan
Capital pursuant to which Toucan Capital purchased 32.5 million shares of the Companys Series A
cumulative convertible preferred stock (the Series A Preferred Stock) at a purchase price of
$0.04 per share, for a net purchase price of $1.267 million, net of offering related costs of
approximately $24,000. In April 2006, the $6.75 million of notes payable plus all accrued interest
due to Toucan Capital were converted into shares of the Companys Series A-1 cumulative convertible
Preferred Stock (the Series A-1 Preferred Stock).
The $4.825 million loaned to the Company by Toucan Partners was loaned in a series of
transactions.
(1) | From November 14, 2005 through March 9, 2006, the Company issued three promissory
notes to Toucan Partners, pursuant to which Toucan Partners loaned the Company an
aggregate of $950,000. In April 2007, these notes were amended and restated to conform
to the 2007 Convertible Notes described in Note 6. Payment is due under the notes upon
written demand. Interest accrues at 10% per annum, compounded annually, on a 365-day
year basis. The principal amount of, and accrued interest on, these notes, as amended,
is convertible at Toucan Partners election into Common Stock on the same terms as the
2007 Convertible Notes described in Note 6. |
||
(2) | From October 2006 through April 2007, Toucan Partners provided $3.15 million in
cash advances, which were converted into the 2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants in
April 2007. |
||
(3) | The Company and Toucan Partners also entered into two new promissory notes to
fix the terms of two additional cash advances provided by Toucan Partners to the
Company on May 14, 2007 and May 25, 2007 in the aggregate amount of $725,000, and
issued warrants to purchase shares of the Companys capital stock to Toucan Partners
described in Note 6 in connection with each such note. These notes and warrants are on
the same terms as the 2007 Convertible Notes and
2007 Warrants and the proceeds of these notes enabled the Company to continue to operate
and advance programs while raising additional equity financing. |
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The aggregate outstanding principal of $4.825 million and related accrued interest owed to
Toucan Partners (including the 2007 Convertible Notes) may be converted (in whole or in part) by
Toucan Partners into Common Stock at a conversion price of $0.60 per share.
On March 30, 2006, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with unrelated
investors pursuant to which it raised aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $5.5 million.
Conversion of Preferred Stock and Related Matters
On June 1, 2007, the Company issued to Toucan Capital a new warrant to purchase the Companys
Series A-1 Preferred Stock (Toucan Capital Series A-1 Warrant) in exchange for the cancellation
of all previously issued warrants to purchase Series A-1 Preferred Stock (or, at the election of
Toucan Capital, any other equity or debt security of the Company) held by Toucan Capital. The
Toucan Capital Series A-1 Warrant was exercisable for 6,471,333 shares of Series A-1 Preferred
Stock (plus shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock attributable to accrued dividends on the shares of
Series A-1 Preferred Stock held by Toucan Capital), (with each such Series A-1 Preferred Share
convertible into 2.67 shares of Common Stock at $0.60 per share) as compared to the 3,062,500
shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock (with each such Series A-1 Preferred Share convertible into
2.67 shares of Common Stock at $0.60 per share) that were previously issuable to Toucan Capital
upon exercise of the warrants being cancelled.
Also on June 1, 2007, the Company and Toucan Capital amended Toucan Capitals warrant to
purchase Series A Preferred Stock (Toucan Capital Series A Warrant) to increase the number of
shares of Series A Preferred Stock that were issuable upon exercise of the warrant to 32,500,000
shares of Series A Preferred Stock (plus shares of Series A Preferred Stock attributable to accrued
dividends on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock held by Toucan Capital) from 13,000,000 shares
of Series A Preferred Stock.
In connection with the modifications of the Series A and Series A-1 Preferred Stock warrants,
the Company recognized reductions in earnings applicable to common stockholders in June 2007 of
$2.3 million and $16.4 million, respectively. The fair value of the warrant modifications were
determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions: expected
dividend yield of 0%, risk-free interest rate of 5.0% volatility of 398%, and a contractual life of
7 years.
On June 15, 2007, the Company, Toucan Capital, and Toucan Partners entered into a conversion
agreement (Conversion Agreement) which became effective on June 22, 2007 upon the admission of
the Companys Common Stock to trade on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London
Stock Exchange (Admission).
Pursuant to the terms of the Conversion Agreement (i) Toucan Capital agreed to convert and has
converted all of its shares of the Companys Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred
Stock (in each case, excluding any accrued and unpaid dividends) into Common Stock and agreed to
eliminate a number of rights, preferences and protections associated with the Series A Preferred
Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock, including the liquidation preference entitling Toucan Capital
to certain substantial cash payments; and (ii) Toucan Partners agreed to eliminate all of its
existing rights to receive Series A-1 Preferred Stock under certain notes and warrants (and
thereafter to receive shares of Common Stock rather than shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock), and
the rights, preferences and protections associated with the Series A-1 Preferred Stock, including
the liquidation preference that would entitle Toucan Partners to certain substantial cash payments,
in return for issuance by the Company of an aggregate of 6,860,561 additional shares of Common
Stock, to be apportioned between Toucan Capital and Toucan Partners as to 4,287,851 and 2,572,710
shares of Common Stock, respectively. In connection with the issuance of these shares, the Company
recognized a further reduction of earnings applicable to common stockholders of $12.3 million in
June 2007.
Following conversion by Toucan Capital of all of its shares of the Companys Series A
Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock, no shares of either series of preferred stock
remained outstanding. Accordingly, as approved by the board of directors of the Company, upon
Admission on June 22, 2007, the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware
Certificates of Elimination of the Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock, to
eliminate the Companys Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock, respectively. In
addition, under the terms of the Conversion Agreement (i) the Toucan Capital Series A Warrant is
exercisable for 2,166,667 shares of Common Stock rather than shares of Series A Preferred Stock
(plus shares of Common Stock, rather than shares of Series A Preferred Stock, attributable to
accrued dividends on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock previously held by Toucan Capital that
were converted into Common Stock upon Admission, subject to the further provisions of the
Conversion Agreement as described below) and (ii) the Toucan Capital Series A-1 Warrant is
exercisable for an aggregate of 17,256,888 shares of Common Stock rather than shares of Series A-1
Preferred Stock (plus shares of Common Stock, rather than shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock,
attributable to accrued dividends on the shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock previously held by
Toucan Capital that were converted into Common Stock upon Admission), subject to further
provisions of the Conversion Agreement as described below.
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As noted above, the 32,500,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock held by Toucan Capital
converted, in accordance with their terms, into 2,166,667 shares of Common Stock and the 4,816,863
shares of Series A-1 Preferred Stock held by Toucan Capital converted, in accordance with their
terms, into 12,844,968 shares of Common Stock. In addition, the convertible promissory notes issued
by the Company to Toucan Partners in aggregate principal amount of $4.825 million and associated warrants (the 2007 Warrants) became convertible and
exercisable solely for shares of Common Stock.
Under the terms of the Conversion Agreement, Toucan Capital also agreed to temporarily defer
receipt of the accrued and unpaid dividends on its shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Series
A-1 Preferred Stock of amounts equal to $334,340 and $917,451, respectively, until not later than
September 30, 2007. During the third quarter of 2007, the
Company paid all of the accrued and unpaid preferred stock dividends in cash.
Placement of Shares of Common Stock with Foreign Institutional Investors
On June 22, 2007, the Company placed 15,789,473 shares of its Common Stock with foreign
institutional investors at a price of £0.95 per share. These shares were admitted to listing on the
AIM of the London Stock Exchange. The gross proceeds from the
placement were approximately £15.0 million, or $29.9 million, while net proceeds from the offering,
after deducting commissions and expenses, were approximately £13.0 million, or $25.9 million. The
Company plans to use the net proceeds from the placement to fund clinical trials, product and
process development, working capital and repayment of certain existing debt.
Despite the receipt of these proceeds, the Company expects to require additional funding to
achieve profitability and there can be no assurance that the Companys efforts to seek such funding
will be successful. If the Companys capital raising efforts are unsuccessful, its inability to
obtain additional cash as needed could have a material adverse effect on the Companys financial
position, results of operations and its ability to continue its existence. The Companys
independent registered public accounting firm has indicated in their report on the financial
statements, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, that
there is substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern.
5. Net Income (Loss) Per Share Applicable to Common Stockholders
Effective June 19, 2007, all shares of the Companys Common Stock issued and outstanding were
combined and reclassified on a one-for-fifteen basis (the Reverse Stock Split). The effect of the
Reverse Stock Split has been retroactively applied to all periods presented in the accompanying
condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
In addition, as more fully discussed in Note 4 above, the Companys Series A and Series A-1
Preferred Stock converted into Common Stock effective June 22, 2007 and accrued and unpaid
dividends on its shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock in an amount
equal to $334,340 and $917,451, respectively, have been recorded. Under the terms of the Toucan
Capital Series A Warrant and the Toucan Capital Series A-1 Warrant described above, Toucan Capital
also received warrants associated with these dividends with an aggregate fair value of $4.67
million, which entitle Toucan Capital to purchase an additional 1,345,057 shares of Common Stock at
$0.60 per share and 1,266,477 shares of Common Stock at $0.15 per share, respectively. The fair
value of the warrants was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the
following assumptions: expected dividend yield of 0%, risk-free interest rate of 5.0% volatility of
205%, and contractual lives ranging from 4.5 to 6 years. The aggregate value of the preferred stock
dividends and the dividend-related warrants has been recorded as a reduction in earnings applicable
to common stockholders.
The following Common Stock equivalents on an as-converted basis were excluded from the
calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share, as the effect would be antidilutive (in
thousands):
Nine months ended | ||||||||
September 30, | ||||||||
2007 | 2006 | |||||||
Common stock options |
51 | 19 | ||||||
Common stock warrants |
834 | 38 | ||||||
Preferred stock warrants |
19,424 | | ||||||
Warrants on preferred stock dividends |
2,612 | | ||||||
Convertible promissory notes |
8,739 | | ||||||
Convertible promissory note warrants |
8,739 | |
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For the nine months ended September 30, 2006, options to purchase 18,533 shares of common
stock and warrants to purchase approximately 1.1 million shares of common stock were included in
the computation of diluted net income (loss) per share because they were dilutive. Convertible debt
having a face value of $950,000 is also considered to be dilutive for purposes of computing diluted
net income (loss) per share. The conversion of the convertible debt increases the number of shares
outstanding for purposes of computing diluted net income (loss) per share by approximately 1.7
million shares for the nine month period ended September 30, 2006. The Series A Preferred stock and
Series A-1 Preferred Stock, which is convertible into approximately 15.0 million shares of Common
Stock, is also considered to be dilutive for purposes of computing diluted net income per share for
the nine months ended September 30, 2006, and is included in such computation. In determining the
amount of net income used to compute diluted earnings per share, the Company applied the if
converted method. Accordingly, net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2006, has been
increased by approximately $65,000, representing interest expense that would have been avoided if
the debt had been converted as of January 1, 2006. Additionally, net income for nine months ended
September 30, 2006, has been decreased by approximately $243,000 representing the expense for the
unamortized discount of the beneficial conversion feature as of January 1, 2006. Options, warrants,
convertible debt and convertible preferred stock outstanding were all considered anti-dilutive for
the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007, and for the three-months ended September 30,
2006, due to net losses.
6. Notes Payable
From November 14, 2005 through March 9, 2006, the Company issued three promissory notes and
associated warrants to Toucan Partners pursuant to which Toucan Partners loaned the Company an
aggregate of $950,000. In April 2007, these notes were amended and restated to conform to the 2007
Convertible Notes described below. Payment is due under the $950,000 of notes upon written demand.
Interest accrues at 10% per annum, compounded annually, on a 365-day year basis. The principal
amount of, and accrued interest on, these notes, as amended, is convertible into Common Stock on
the same terms as the 2007 Convertible Notes.
Proceeds from the issuance of $950,000 senior convertible promissory notes and warrants
between November 14, 2005 and March 9, 2006 were allocated between the notes and warrants on a
relative fair value basis. The value allocated to the warrants on the date of the grant was
approximately $587,000. The fair value of the warrants was determined using the Black-Scholes
option pricing model with the following assumptions: expected dividend yield of 0%, risk-free
interest rate ranging from 4.1% to 4.4%, volatility ranging between 398% and 408%, and a
contractual life of 7 years. The value of the warrants was recorded as a deferred debt discount
against the $950,000 proceeds of the notes. In addition, a beneficial conversion feature related to
the notes was determined to be approximately $363,000. As a result, the total discount on the notes
equaled $950,000 which was amortized over the original twelve-month term of the respective notes.
As of March 31, 2007, the original debt discount was fully amortized. Amortization of the original
deferred debt discount of approximately $239,000 and $655,000 was recorded for the three and nine
months ended September 30, 2006, respectively.
From October 2006 through April 2007, the Company received a series of cash advances from
Toucan Partners in an aggregate principal amount of $3.15 million. In April 2007, these cash
advances were converted into a new series of convertible promissory notes (and associated
warrants), the 2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants. The 2007 Convertible Notes accrue
interest at 10% per annum from their respective original cash advance dates; however, the
conversion terms of these notes and the exercise price of these warrants were not fixed. On June 1,
2007, the Company and Toucan Partners amended the 2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants to
specify and fix the conversion and exercise prices thereof. The Company and Toucan Partners also
entered into two new promissory notes to fix the terms of the two additional cash advances provided
by Toucan Partners to the Company on May 14, 2007 and May 25, 2007 in the aggregate amount of
$725,000, and issued warrants to purchase shares of the Companys capital stock to Toucan Partners
in connection with each such note. These notes and warrants have the same terms as the 2007
Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants. As amended, the 2007 Convertible Notes provided that the
principal and interest thereon was convertible into shares of the Companys Series A-1 Preferred
Stock at the conversion price of $1.60 per share, (with each such share of Series A-1 Preferred
Stock convertible into 2.67 shares of Common Stock at $0.60 per share) or, at the election of
Toucan Partners, any other equity security of the Company (at a conversion price of $0.60 per
share). As amended, the 2007 Warrants provided that they were exercisable for shares of Series A-1
Preferred Stock at the exercise price of $1.60 per share (with each such share of Series A-1
Preferred Stock convertible into 2.67 shares of Common stock at $0.60 per share) or, at the
election of Toucan Partners, any other equity security of the Company (at an exercise price of
$0.60 per share). Each of the 2007 Warrants is exercisable for the same number of shares that the
corresponding 2007 Convertible Note is convertible into at the time of exercise or, if earlier, the
date on which the corresponding 2007 Convertible Note is either converted or repaid in full.
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In recognition of the modification to the 2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants, the
aggregate proceeds of $3.875 million received from Toucan Partners between October 2006 and May
2007 and the aggregate proceeds of $950,000 received from Toucan Partners between November 14, 2005
and March 9, 2006 were reallocated between the notes (including accrued interest) and warrants on a
relative fair value basis as of June 1, 2007. The value allocated to the warrants on the date of
the modification was approximately $3.7 million. The fair value of the warrants was determined using the Black-Scholes option
pricing model with the following assumptions: expected dividend yield of 0%, risk-free interest
rate of 4.9%, volatility of 240%, and a contractual life of 7 years. The value of the warrants was
recorded as a deferred debt discount against the $4.825 million proceeds (plus accrued interest) of
the notes. In addition, a beneficial conversion feature related to the notes was determined to be
approximately $1.4 million. As a result, the total discount on the notes (including accrued
interest) equaled $5.1 million which was expensed in its entirety in June 2007 in recognition of
the June 30, 2007 maturity date of the respective notes. Interest accretion on the notes of
approximately $125,000 and $307,000 was recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30,
2007, respectively. Interest accretion on the notes of approximately $24,200 and $65,900 was
recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006, respectively.
Pursuant to the terms of the Conversion Agreement discussed in Note 4 above, which became
effective on June 22, 2007, Toucan Partners agreed to eliminate all of its existing rights to
receive Series A-1 Preferred Stock in connection with the 2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants
(and thereafter to receive shares of Common Stock at $0.60 per share rather than shares of Series
A-1 Preferred Stock at $1.60 per share), and the rights, preferences and protections associated
with the Series A-1 Preferred Stock, including the liquidation preference that would entitle Toucan
Partners to certain substantial cash payments, in return for the issuance by the Company of
2,572,710 shares of Common Stock.
At September 30, 2007, the principal and cumulative interest balance of the 2007 Convertible
Notes and the $950,000 Notes totaled $4.825 million and $0.418 million, respectively, and were
convertible into 8,737,800 shares of Common Stock. In addition, Toucan Partners held 2007 Warrants to
purchase a further 8,737,800 shares of Common Stock at $0.60 per share. The Company determined the
fair value of the warrant related to the additional accrued interest incurred during third quarter
2007 using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions: expected dividend
yield of 0%, risk-free interest rate of 4.4% volatility of 204%, and a contractual life of 7 years.
The aggregate value of the accrued interest related warrant has been recorded as a charge to
interest expense.
7. Related Party Transactions
On July 30, 2004, the Company entered into a service agreement with Cognate Therapeutics, Inc.
(now known as Cognate BioServices, Inc., or Cognate), a contract manufacturing and services
organization in which Toucan Capital has a majority interest. In addition, two of the principals of
Toucan Capital are members of Cognates board of directors and, on May 17, 2007, the managing
director of Toucan Capital was appointed to serve as a director of the Company and as the
non-executive Chairperson of the Companys board of directors. Under the service agreement, the
Company agreed to utilize Cognates services for an initial two-year period, related primarily to
manufacturing DCVax® product candidates, providing regulatory advice and research and development
preclinical activities, and managing clinical trials. The agreement expired on July 30, 2006;
however the Company continued to utilize Cognates services under the same terms as set forth in
the expired agreement. On May 17, 2007, the Company entered into a new services agreement with
Cognate pursuant to which Cognate will provide certain consulting and, when needed, manufacturing
services to the Company for its DCVax®-Brain Phase II clinical trial. Under the terms of the new
contract, the Company paid a non-refundable contract initiation fee of $250,000 and committed to
pay budgeted monthly service fees of $400,000, subject to quarterly true-ups, and monthly facility
fees of $150,000. The Company may terminate this agreement with 180 days notice and payment of all
reasonable wind-up costs and Cognate may terminate the contract in the event that the brain cancer
clinical trial fails to complete enrollment by July 1, 2009. However, if such termination by the
Company occurs at any time prior to the earlier of the submission of an FDA biological license
application/new drug application on the Companys brain cancer clinical trial or July 1, 2010; or,
if such termination by Cognate results from failure of the brain cancer clinical trial to complete
patient enrollment by July 1, 2009, the Company shall make an additional termination fee payment to
Cognate equal to $2 million.
During the three and nine months ending September 30, 2007, respectively, the Company
recognized approximately $1.7 million and $4.1 million of research and development costs related to
these service agreements. During the three and nine months ending September 30, 2006, respectively,
the Company recognized approximately $0.7 million and $1.7 million of research and development
costs related to these service agreements. As of September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006, the
Company owed Cognate approximately zero and $2.2 million, respectively.
In accordance with a recapitalization agreement dated April 26, 2004 between the Company and
Toucan Capital, as amended and restated on July 30, 2004 and as further amended ten times between
October 22, 2004 and November 14, 2005, pursuant to which Toucan Capital agreed to recapitalize the
Company by making loans to the Company, the Company accrued and paid certain legal and other
administrative costs on Toucan Capitals behalf. During the three and nine months ending September
30, 2007, respectively, the Company recognized approximately zero and $493,000 of general and
administrative costs related to this recapitalization agreement and to certain other costs incurred
by Toucan Capital on the Companys behalf. Approximately $220,000 of the costs recorded during the
nine months ended September 30, 2007 relate to activities which took place prior to 2007. During
the three and nine months ending September 30, 2006, respectively, the Company recognized
approximately $12,000 and $151,000 of general and administrative
costs related to the recapitalization agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Conversion
Agreement discussed above, the recapitalization agreement was terminated on June 22, 2007.
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8. Contingencies
Reduction in Authorized Number of Common and Preferred Shares
On June 13, 2007 a majority of the Companys stockholders approved an amendment of the
Companys Certificate of Incorporation, reducing the number of authorized shares of Common Stock
from 800 million to 100 million and the number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock from 300
million to 20 million. This amendment will take effect approximately 20 days following the mailing
of an Information Statement to the Companys stockholders setting out the details of such
amendment.
Private Placement
On March 30, 2006, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement (the Purchase
Agreement) with a group of accredited investors pursuant to which the Company sold an aggregate of
approximately 2.63 million shares of its Common Stock, at a price of $2.10 per share (the PIPE
Shares), and issued, for no additional consideration, warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of
approximately 1.3 million shares of Companys Common Stock (the Warrant Shares).
Under the Purchase Agreement, the Company agreed to register for resale under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) both the PIPE Shares and the Warrant Shares. The
Company also agreed to other customary obligations regarding registration, including matters
relating to indemnification, maintenance of the registration statement, payment of expenses, and
compliance with state blue sky laws. The Company may be liable for liquidated damages if the
registration statement (after being declared effective) ceases to be effective in a manner, and for
a period of time, that violates the Companys obligations under the Purchase Agreement. The amount
of the liquidated damages payable to the investors is, in aggregate, one percent (1%) of the
aggregate purchase price of the shares per month, subject to a cap of ten percent (10%) of the
aggregate purchase price of the shares.
As of April 17, 2007, the Companys registration statement ceased to be effective.
Accordingly, the Company will incur liquidated damages until the Company files a post-effective
amendment to the registration statement and such post-effective amendment is declared effective by
the SEC. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2007, the Company accrued liquidated
damages in the amount of $71,000 and $154,000, respectively, as a charge to interest expense.
Legal Proceedings
Soma Arbitration
We signed an engagement letter, dated October 15, 2003, with Soma Partners, LLC, or Soma, a
New Jersey-based investment bank, pursuant to which we engaged them to locate potential investors.
Pursuant to the terms of the engagement letter, any disputes arising between the parties would be
submitted to arbitration in the New York metropolitan area. A dispute arose between the parties.
Soma filed an arbitration claim against us with the American Arbitration Association in New York,
NY claiming unpaid commission fees of $186,000 and seeking declaratory relief regarding potential
fees for future transactions that may be undertaken by us with Toucan Capital. We vigorously
disputed Somas claims on multiple grounds. We contended that we only owed Soma approximately
$6,000.
Soma subsequently filed an amended arbitration claim, claiming unpaid commission fees of
$339,000 and warrants to purchase 6% of the aggregate securities issued to date, and seeking
declaratory relief regarding potential fees for future financing transactions which may be
undertaken by us with Toucan Capital and others, which could potentially be in excess of $4
million. Soma also requested the arbitrator award its attorneys fees and costs related to the
proceedings. We strongly disputed Somas claims and defended ourselves.
The arbitration proceedings occurred from March 8-10, 2005 and on May 24, 2005 the arbitrator
ruled in our favor and denied all claims of Soma. In particular, the arbitrator decided that we did
not owe Soma the fees and warrants sought by Soma, that we would not owe Soma fees in connection
with future financings, if any, and that we had no obligation to pay any of Somas attorneys fees
or expenses. The arbitrator agreed with us that the only amount we owed Soma was $6,702.87, which
payment we made on May 27, 2005.
On August 29, 2005, Soma filed a notice of petition to vacate the May 24, 2005 arbitration
award issued by the Supreme Court of the State of New York. On December 30, 2005, the Supreme Court
of the State of New York dismissed Somas petition.
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On February 3, 2006, Soma filed another notice of appeal with the Supreme Court of the State
of New York. On December 6, 2006, we filed our brief for this appeal and on December 12, 2006, Soma
filed its reply brief. On June 19, 2007, the Appellate Division, First Department of the Supreme
Court of the State of New York, reversed the December 30, 2005 decision and ordered a new
arbitration proceeding. On July 26, 2007, we filed a Motion for Leave to Appeal with the Court of
Appeals of the State of New York and on August 3, 2007 Soma filed its reply brief. On October 16,
2007 the Court of Appeals of the State of New York denied our motion to appeal. We intend to
continue to vigorously defend ourselves against the claims of Soma.
Lonza Patent Infringement Claim
On July 27, 2007, Lonza Group AG filed a complaint against the Company in the United States
District Court for the District of Delaware alleging patent infringement relating to recombinant
DNA methods, sequences, vectors, cell lines and host cells. The complaint seeks temporary and
permanent injunctions enjoining the Company from infringing Lonzas patents and unspecified
damages. The Company believes that Lonzas claims have no merit.
To date the complaint has not been served on the Company and as a
result the Company has not yet had an opportunity to respond. If the
complaint is served, the Company intends to file a response and vigorously defend this action.
Stockholder Class Action Lawsuits
On August 13, 2007 a complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of
Washington naming the Company, the Chairperson of its Board of Directors, Linda Powers, and its
Chief Executive Officer, Alton Boynton, as defendants in a class action for violation of federal
securities laws. After this complaint was filed five additional complaints were filed in other
jurisdictions alleging the similar claims. The complaints were filed on behalf of purchasers of the
Companys common stock between July 9, 2007 and July 18, 2007 and allege violations of Section
10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. The complaints
seek unspecified compensatory damages, costs and expenses. The Company disputes these claims and
intends to vigorously defend these actions. Motions are currently pending to consolidate the
complaints into a single action and to designate a lead plaintiff.
SEC Inquiry
On August 13, 2007, we received a letter of non-public informal inquiry from the SEC regarding the
events surrounding our application for Swiss regulatory approval and related press releases dated
July 9, 2007 and July 16, 2007. The Company is co-operating with the inquiry.
Management Warrants
On November 13, 2003, we borrowed an aggregate of $335,000 from certain members of our
management. As part of the consolidation of this loan, the lenders received warrants exercisable to
acquire an aggregate of 0.25 million shares of our common stock. From March 2006 through May 2006,
all of these warrants were exercised for shares of Common Stock on a net exercise basis, pursuant to the
terms of the warrants.
Two former members
of our management who had participated as lenders in these management loans
have claimed that they are entitled to receive, for no additional cash consideration, an aggregate
of up to approximately 0.63 million (prior to our 1 for 15 reverse stock split) additional shares
of our Common Stock due to the alleged triggering of an anti-dilution provision in the warrant
agreements. We do not believe that these claims have merit and, in the event such claims are
pursued, we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against them.
Item. 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations
should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes to
those statements included with this report. In addition to historical information, this report
contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the Exchange Act). Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. The words
believe, expect, intend, anticipate, and similar expressions are used to identify
forward-looking statements, but some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. Many
factors could affect our actual results, including those factors described under Risk Factors
elsewhere in this report. These factors, among others, could cause results to differ materially
from those presently anticipated by us. You should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements.
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Overview
We are a development stage biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and
commercializing immunotherapy products that generate and enhance immune system responses to treat
cancer. Currently approved cancer treatments are frequently ineffective, can cause undesirable side
effects and provide marginal clinical benefits. Our approach in developing cancer therapies
utilizes our expertise in the biology of dendritic cells, which are a type of white blood cell that
activate the immune system. Our cancer therapies have been demonstrated in clinical trials to
significantly extend both time to recurrence and survival, while providing a superior quality of
life with no debilitating side effects when compared with current therapies.
Our platform technology, DCVax®, uses a patients own dendritic cells, the starter engine of
the immune system. The dendritic cells are extracted from the body, loaded with tumor biomarkers or
antigens, thereby creating a personalized therapeutic vaccine. Injection of these cells back into
the patient initiates a potent immune response against cancer cells, resulting in delayed time to
progression and prolonged survival. Our lead product candidate is DCVax®-Brain which targets
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), the most lethal form of brain cancer. DCVax®-Brain has entered a
Phase II FDA-allowed clinical trial, which is designed and powered as a pivotal trial (i.e. a trial
from which a company may go directly to product approval). Following this trial, we anticipate
filing a biologic license application (or BLA) with the FDA for DCVax®- Brain. DCVax®-Prostate,
which targets hormone independent (i.e. late stage) prostate cancer, has also been cleared by the
FDA to commence a Phase III clinical trial, which is also designed and powered as a pivotal trial.
Additional activities have included pre-clinical development of antibody drugs targeting CXCR4, a
chemokine receptor that plays a central role in all three phases of cancer progression: expansion
of the primary tumor, migration of tumor cells and establishment of distant metastases.
In February 2007, we, through our legal representative, applied to the Bundesamt für
Gesundheit (BAG or Office Fédéral de la Santé Publique) in Switzerland for an Authorization for
Use (Autorisation). In June 2007, we, through our legal representative, received such
Autorisation from the BAG to make
DCVax®-Brain
available at limited selected medical centers in Switzerland as
well as an authorization (Autorisation pour activités transfrontalières avec des transplants) to
export patients cells and tissues from Switzerland, for vaccine manufacturing in the USA, and to
import patients DCVax®-Brain finished vaccines into Switzerland. These authorizations are
conditional upon certain implementation commitments which must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of
Swissmedic (Institut Suisse des Agents Thérapeutiques) before the product may be
made available (e.g., finalizing our pending arrangements for a clean-room suite for processing of patients
immune cells). Implementation of these commitments is underway.
In the BAGs
processing of and decision on our application and data with respect to the authorizations
described above, Swissmedic conducted an inspection of our facilities. A comprehensive evaluation
of DCVax®-Brain will be conducted
by Swissmedic within the assessment of a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA).
We plan to submit for Marketing Authorization Application by the end of this year. The assessment
by Swissmedic of our MAA will include a full review by Swissmedic of the safety and efficacy data
generated in our DCVax®-Brain
clinical studies to date. This review could take up to one year from the date the MAA is
submitted. If Marketing Authorization is granted for DCVax®-Brain by
Swissmedic we would have the right to fully market and commercialise the product in Switzerland.
However, if and until such a Market Authorization is granted, and assuming the Company completes
its implementation committments to the satisfaction of Swissmedic,
DCVax®-Brain may only be made
available at the selected Medical Centers in Switzerland under the Autorisation granted, by the
BAG. The term of the BAG Autorisation is five years from June 2007.
We are also conducting a DCVax-Brain® Phase II pivotal trial in 141 patients in the U.S.
Presently we have four clinical sites with open enrollment. We plan to seek product approval in
both the US and EU in 2009, based upon the results of the pivotal trial.
DCVax®-Brain has been granted orphan drug status in both the U.S. and the European Union. Such
status will afford DCVax®-Brain 7 years of market exclusivity in the U.S. and 10 years in the
European Union, if DCVax®-Brain is the first product of its type to reach product approval.
On June 22,
2007, we placed 15,789,473 shares of our Common Stock with foreign institutional investors at a
price of £0.95 per share through an initial public offering on the AIM market of the
London Stock Exchange. The gross proceeds from the placement were approximately £15.0 million, or
$29.9 million, while net proceeds from the offering, after deducting commissions and expenses, were
approximately £13.0 million, or $25.9 million. The net proceeds from the placement are being used
to fund clinical trials, product and process development, working capital and repayment of certain
existing debt.
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Despite the receipt of these proceeds, we may require additional funding to achieve
profitability and there can be no assurance that our efforts to seek such funding will be
successful. If our capital raising efforts are unsuccessful, our inability to obtain additional
cash as needed could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of
operations and our ability to continue our existence. Our independent registered public accounting
firm has indicated in their report on the financial statements, included in our December 31, 2006
annual report on Form 10-K, that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a
going concern.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon
our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us
to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues
and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The critical accounting
policies that involve significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial
statements are disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006.
New critical accounting policies that involve significant judgments and estimates are disclosed
below.
In June 2006, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 48 (FIN 48), Accounting for
Uncertainty in Income Taxesan interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109, Accounting for Income
Taxes, which clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes. FIN 48 prescribes a
recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and
measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The interpretation
requires that we recognize in the financial statements the impact of a tax position if it is more
likely than not that such tax position will be sustained on audit, based on the technical merits of
the position. FIN 48 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and
penalties, accounting in interim periods and disclosure. The provisions of FIN 48 are effective
beginning January 1, 2007 with the cumulative effect of the change in accounting principle recorded
as an adjustment to opening retained earnings. The Company adopted FIN 48 effective January 1, 2007
and there was no impact on the Companys financial statements.
In September 2006, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 108 (SAB 108). Due to
diversity in practice among registrants, SAB 108 expresses SEC staff views regarding the process by
which misstatements in financial statements are evaluated for purposes of determining whether
financial statement restatement is necessary. SAB 108 is effective for fiscal years ending after
November 15, 2006. The Company adopted SAB 108 effective January 1, 2007 and there was no impact on
the Companys financial statements.
Results of Operations
Operating costs and expenses consist primarily of research and development expenses, including
clinical trial expenses, and general and administrative expenses.
Research and development expenses include salary and benefit expenses and costs of laboratory
supplies used in our internal research and development projects, as well as consulting and
pre-manufacturing costs incurred with respect to our third-party manufacturer.
From our inception through September 30, 2007, we incurred costs of approximately $41.2
million associated with our research and development activities. Because our technologies are
unproven, we are unable to estimate with any certainty the costs we will incur in the continued
development of our product candidates for commercialization.
General and administrative expenses include salary and benefit expenses related to
administrative personnel, cost of facilities, insurance, legal support, as well as amortization
costs of stock options granted to employees and warrants issued to consultants for their
professional services.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2006 we realized net income of $662,000. This net
income was generated from the reversal of previously recorded non-cash items as further described
in Total Other Income (Expense), Net. We do not expect similar transactions in the future.
Three Months Ended September 30, 2006 and 2007
Total Revenues. We recognized $80,000 and $10,000 in revenues during the three months ended
September 30, 2006 and 2007 respectively. To date, our revenues have primarily been derived from
the manufacture and sale of research materials, contract research and development services,
licensing fees and research grants from the federal government.
Revenues in 2006 and 2007 reflected income generated from license fees.
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Cost of Research Material Sales. Cost of research material sales were zero for the three
months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007. We discontinued selling research materials effective
December 31, 2005.
Research and Development Expense. Research and development expense increased from $1.0 million
for the three months ended September 30, 2006 to $1.9 million for the three months ended September
30, 2007. The increase in research and development expense from 2006 to 2007 is due primarily to
the initiation of our DCVax®-Brain pivotal study and an increase in our related contract
pre-manufacturing fees.
General and Administrative Expense. General and administrative expense increased from $493,000
for the three months ended September 30, 2006 to $1,697,000 for the three months ended September
30, 2007. We have expanded our business activities internationally, especially in Switzerland, and
as a result have incurred higher legal, patent, travel and consulting costs. Additionally, in the
three months ended September 30, 2007, our overall legal costs have increased relative to the
comparable period in 2006 due to legal defense costs incurred in the litigation discussed above in
Note 8 Contingencies and our patent application and maintenance costs in the United States and
internationally. Insurance costs have also increased due to increased directors and officers
liability insurance coverage acquired in connection with the increase in the size of the Board of
Directors and the appointment of a new independent board member in June 2007.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization decreased from $10,000 during the
three months ended September 30, 2006 to $2,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2007. This
decrease was primarily due to the majority of our property and equipment becoming fully depreciated
during the three months ended June 30, 2007.
Total Other Income (Expense), Net. Interest expense increased from $407,000 for the three
months ended September 30, 2006 to approximately $697,000 for the three months ended September 30,
2007. Interest expense is primarily related to the debt discount and interest accretion associated
with the convertible promissory notes and warrants debt financing. Interest expense increased
during the three months ended September 30, 2007 due to the immediate amortization of the debt
discount associated with the June 1, 2007 amendment to certain
convertible notes payable to Toucan Partners on June 30, 2007
and the additional warrants to be issued in connection with the additional
interest expense incurred on the convertible notes payable to Toucan Partners.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2006 and 2007.
Total Revenues. We recognized $80,000 and $10,000 in revenues during the nine months ended
September 30, 2006 and 2007, respectively. To date, our revenues have primarily been derived from
the manufacture and sale of research materials, contract research and development services and
research grants from the federal government. .Revenues in 2006 and 2007 reflected sales of residual
research materials.
Cost of Research Material Sales. Cost of research material sales were zero for the nine months
ended September 30, 2006 and 2007. We discontinued selling research materials effective December
31, 2005.
Research and Development Expense. Research and development expense increased from $2.6 million
for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 to $5.3 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2007. The increase in research and development expense is due primarily to the initiation of
our DCVax®-Brain pivotal clinical trial. In January 2007 our pre-manufacturing costs increased as
we prepared for the enrollment of our first patients. These costs have continued to increase as we
initiate additional sites and prepare to enroll additional patients.
General and Administrative Expense. General and administrative expense increased from $1.7
million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 to $3.6 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007. We have expanded our business activities both in the United States and
internationally, especially in Switzerland, and as a result have incurred higher legal, patent,
travel and consulting costs. Our overall legal costs have increased during the nine months ending
September 30, 2007 relative to the comparable period in 2006 due to legal defense costs incurred in
the litigation discussed above in Note 8 (Contingencies) and our patent application and maintenance
costs in the United States and internationally. Insurance costs have also increased due to
increased directors and officers liability insurance coverage acquired in connection with the
increase in the size of the Board of Directors and the appointment of a new independent board
member in June 2007. Additionally, in the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we recognized
approximately $493,000 of general and administrative costs related to the Toucan Capital
recapitalization agreement and to certain other costs incurred by Toucan Capital on the Companys
behalf. Approximately $220,000 of these costs relate to activities which took place prior to 2007.
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Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization decreased from $29,000 for the
nine months ended September 30, 2006 to $18,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2007. This
decrease was primarily due to the majority of our property and equipment becoming fully depreciated
during the second quarter of 2007.
Total Other Income (Expense), Net. Interest expense increased from $2.2 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2006 to approximately $5.6 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2007. Interest expense is primarily related to the debt discount and interest accretion
associated with the convertible promissory notes and warrants debt financing. Interest expense
increased significantly during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 due to the immediate
amortization of the debt discount associated with the June 1, 2007 amendment to certain convertible
notes payable to Toucan Partners on June 30, 2007. In addition, we recorded a warrant valuation
gain of $7.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 with respect to the
revaluation of the potential shares that could be issued in excess of the available authorized
shares. We did not have a similar gain or loss during the nine months ended September 30, 2007.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we have also recorded foreign exchange gains on
our foreign currency cash transferred to the US and on the increasing number of transactions in
foreign currencies.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Since 2004, we have undergone a significant recapitalization pursuant to which Toucan Capital
loaned us an aggregate of $6.75 million and Toucan Partners loaned us an aggregate of $4.825
million (excluding $225,000 in proceeds from a demand note that was received on June 13, 2007 and
repaid on June 27, 2007).
On January 26, 2005, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with Toucan Capital
pursuant to which Toucan Capital purchased 32.5 million shares of our Series A cumulative
convertible preferred stock (the Series A Preferred Stock) at a purchase price of $0.04 per
share, for a purchase price of $1.267 million, net of offering related costs of approximately
$24,000. In April 2006, the $6.75 million of notes payable plus all accrued interest due to Toucan
Capital were converted into shares of our Series A-1 cumulative convertible preferred stock (the
Series A-1 Preferred Stock).
Toucan Partners has loaned us an aggregate of $4.825 million through a series of transactions.
From November 14, 2005 through March 9, 2006, we issued three promissory notes to Toucan Partners,
pursuant to which Toucan Partners has loaned us an aggregate of $950,000. In April 2007, these
notes were amended and restated to conform to the 2007 Convertible Notes. Payment is due under the
notes upon written demand. Interest accrues at 10% per annum, compounded annually, on a 365-day
year basis. The principal amount of, and accrued interest on, these notes, as amended, is
convertible at Toucan Partners election into Common Stock on the same terms as the 2007
Convertible Notes described below.
In addition to the $950,000 of promissory notes described above, Toucan Partners provided
$3.15 million in cash advances from October 2006 through April 2007, which were converted into the
2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants in April 2007. Toucan Partners also entered into two new
promissory notes with us to fix the terms of two additional cash advances provided by Toucan
Partners to us on May 14, 2007 and May 25, 2007 in the aggregate amount of $725,000, and we issued
warrants to purchase shares of our stock to Toucan Partners in connection with each such note.
These notes and warrants are on the same terms as the 2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants and
enabled us to continue to operate and advance programs, while raising additional equity financing.
The aggregate outstanding principal of $4.825 million and related accrued interest owed to
Toucan Partners under the 2007 Convertible Notes and the $950,000 notes payable may be converted
(in whole or in part) by Toucan Partners into Common Stock at a conversion price of $0.60 per
share.
On March 30, 2006, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with unrelated investors
(PIPE Financing) pursuant to which we raised aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $5.5
million.
On June 22, 2007, we placed 15,789,473 shares of our Common Stock with foreign institutional
investors at a price of £0.95 per share. The gross proceeds from the placement were approximately
£15.0 million, or $29.9 million, while net proceeds from the offering, after deducting commissions
and expenses, were approximately £13.0 million, or $25.9 million. We plan to use the net proceeds
from the placement to fund clinical trials, product and process development, working capital and
repayment of certain existing debt.
In July 2007
warrants issued in connection with the PIPE Financing were exercised.
The warrant holders exercised the warrants under the cashless provision of the warrant instruments.
As a result, 335,097 shares were issued.
We have also submitted an application to the FDA for cost recovery for our Phase II pivotal
trial in brain cancer. If this application is approved, we will be permitted to charge patients or
their insurers for the direct costs of manufacturing DCVax®-Brain during this
clinical trial. We consider our cost recovery application to the FDA to be an important factor
in our plans for moving forward with our product development programs. The FDA has responded to
our submission and requested further information, which we are in the process of compiling.
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We estimate that
our available cash is sufficient to enable us to proceed with our
pivotal DCVax®-Brain trial,
begin treating patients with the DCVax®-Brain vaccine pursuant to the BAG authorization, and
complete the submission of the SwissMedic application for approval of this product candidate.
Although we believe that we have funding available to pursue the
activities described above, its
adequacy will depend on many factors, including the speed with which we are able to identify and
hire people to
fill key positions, the speed of patient enrollment in our pivotal brain cancer trial, whether (and
when) the cost recovery application is approved, timing of final approval and the potential adoption of
DCVax®-Brain in the selected hospitals in Switzerland, timing of any requested repayments of
indebtedness under our demand notes payable, and unanticipated developments including adverse
developments in pending litigation matters. However, without additional capital, we will not be
able to move forward with any of our other product candidates for which investigational new drug
applications have been cleared by the FDA. We will also be constrained in developing our second
generation manufacturing processes, which offer substantial product cost reductions.
As of September 30, 2007, we had approximately $16.9 million of cash. We intend to use this
cash to fund current operations and reduce our current liabilities, including our liabilities to
related parties. Approximately $5.8 million of our $6.8 million of current liabilities at September
30, 2007 were payable to related parties, including the costs associated with preparing to
manufacture our DCVax® product
candidates and notes payable to Toucan Partners. The $4.825 million in notes
payable to Toucan Partners plus accrued interest of approximately $0.4 million is due upon written
demand. In October, Toucan Partners demanded and were repaid principal and interest in the aggregate
amount of $2 million. In addition, Toucan Capital is entitled to approximately $563,000 which has
been accrued with respect to costs incurred by Toucan Capital on behalf of the Company through
September 30, 2007.
Despite our improved cash position, we expect to require additional funding before we achieve
profitability and there can be no assurance that our efforts to seek such funding will be
successful. If our capital raising efforts are unsuccessful, our inability to obtain additional
cash as needed could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of
operations and our ability to continue our existence. Our independent registered public accounting
firm has indicated in their report on the financial statements, included in the Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, that there is substantial doubt about our ability
to continue as a going concern.
Sources of Cash
During the nine months ending September 30, 2007, we received $2.375 million in cash advances
from Toucan Partners, which were converted into the 2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants
discussed above. Additionally, we received $225,000 from Toucan Partners on June 13, 2007 in the
form of a $225,000 demand note bearing interest of 10% (Demand Note). The Demand Note was repaid
on June 27, 2007.
On June 22, 2007, we placed 15,789,473 shares of our Common Stock with foreign institutional
investors at a price of £0.95 per share. The gross proceeds from the placement were approximately
£15.0 million, or $29.9 million, while net proceeds from the offering, after deducting commissions
and expenses, were approximately £13.0 million, or $25.9 million.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2006, we received net proceeds of $5.1 million from
the sale of Common Stock as part of the PIPE Financing and $300,000 from the issuance of a
convertible promissory note (and related warrants) to Toucan Partners, which were converted into
the 2007 Convertible Notes and 2007 Warrants discussed above.
Uses of Cash
We used $10.4 million in cash for operating activities during the nine months ended September
30, 2007, compared to $5.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The increase in
cash used in operating activities from 2006 to 2007 occurred as a result of the significant
increase in our pre-manufacturing activities and decrease in accounts payable balances at September
30, 2007 as we had funds available to repay vendors on a timely basis.
We generated $16,000 in cash from investing activities during the nine months ended September
30, 2006 compared to $15,000 used in investing activities during the nine months ended September
30, 2007. The cash provided during the nine months ended September 30, 2006 consisted of net
proceeds from the sale of property and equipment and the cash used during the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 consisted of purchases of property and equipment.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market Interest Rate Risk
Our exposure to market risk is presently limited to the interest rate sensitivity of our cash
and cash equivalents which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. and U.K. interest
rates. We are exposed to interest rate changes primarily as a result of our investment activities.
The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve principal while at the same time
maximizing the income we receive without significantly increasing risk. To minimize risk, we
maintain our cash and cash equivalents in interest-bearing instruments, primarily money market
funds. Our interest rate risk management objective with respect to our borrowings is to limit the
impact of interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows. Due to the nature of our cash and cash
equivalents, we believe that we are not subject to any material market risk exposure. We do not
have any other derivative financial instruments.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
As a corporation with contractual arrangements overseas, we are exposed to changes in foreign
exchange rates. These exposures may change over time and could have a material adverse impact on
our financial results. At this time we do not have a program to hedge this exposure as we do not
anticipate any material effect on our financial position given the current level of payments in
foreign currencies.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SECs rules
and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including
the Companys Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely
decisions regarding required disclosures. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and
procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and
operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and
management necessarily is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit
relationship of possible controls and procedures.
Evaluation of disclosure controls, procedures, and internal controls
Our President/Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, after evaluating, as
required, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act
Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)), recognized, as of September 30, 2007, that our disclosure controls
and procedures were not effective to provide reasonable assurance that information we are required
to disclose in our reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported
accurately within the time periods required.
Material Weakness Identified
In connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the year ended December 31,
2006, certain significant internal control deficiencies became evident to management that, in the
aggregate, represent material weaknesses, including,
(i) | lack of independent directors on our audit committee; |
||
(ii) | lack of an audit committee financial expert; |
||
(iii) | insufficient personnel in our finance/accounting functions; |
||
(iv) | insufficient segregation of duties; and |
||
(v) | insufficient corporate governance policies. |
As part of the communications by Peterson Sullivan, PLLC, or Peterson Sullivan, with our audit
committee with respect to Peterson Sullivans audit procedures for fiscal 2006, Peterson Sullivan
informed the audit committee that these deficiencies constituted material weaknesses, as defined by
Auditing Standard No. 2, An Audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Performed in Conjunction with an Audit of Financial Statements, established by the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB.
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In accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we intend to take
appropriate and reasonable steps to make the necessary improvements to remediate these
deficiencies. We intend to consider the results of our remediation efforts and related testing as
part of our year-end 2007 assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial
reporting. On October 1, 2007, we hired a full-time chief financial officer.
Changes in Internal Controls
During the period covered by this Report on Form 10-Q, there have not been any changes in our
internal controls that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our
internal control over financial reporting.
As part of a continuing effort to improve our business processes, management is evaluating our
internal controls and intends to update certain controls to accommodate any modifications to our
business processes or accounting procedures.
Part II Other Information
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Soma Arbitration
We signed an engagement letter, dated October 15, 2003, with Soma Partners, LLC, or Soma, a
New Jersey-based investment bank, pursuant to which we engaged them to locate potential investors.
Pursuant to the terms of the engagement letter, any disputes arising between the parties would be
submitted to arbitration in the New York metropolitan area. A dispute arose between the parties.
Soma filed an arbitration claim against us with the American Arbitration Association in New York,
NY claiming unpaid commission fees of $186,000 and seeking declaratory relief regarding potential
fees for future transactions that may be undertaken by us with Toucan Capital. We vigorously
disputed Somas claims on multiple grounds. We contended that we only owed Soma approximately
$6,000.
Soma subsequently filed an amended arbitration claim, claiming unpaid commission fees of
$339,000 and warrants to purchase 6% of the aggregate securities issued to date, and seeking
declaratory relief regarding potential fees for future financing transactions which may be
undertaken by us with Toucan Capital and others, which could potentially be in excess of $4
million. Soma also requested the arbitrator award its attorneys fees and costs related to the
proceedings. We strongly disputed Somas claims and defended ourselves.
The arbitration proceedings occurred from March 8-10, 2005 and on May 24, 2005; the arbitrator
ruled in our favor and denied all claims of Soma. In particular, the arbitrator decided that we did
not owe Soma the fees and warrants sought by Soma, that we would not owe Soma fees in connection
with future financings, if any, and that we had no obligation to pay any of Somas attorneys fees
or expenses. The arbitrator agreed with us that the only amount we owed Soma was $6,702.87, which
payment we made on May 27, 2005.
On August 29, 2005, Soma filed a notice of petition to vacate the May 24, 2005 arbitration
award issued by the Supreme Court of the State of New York. On December 30, 2005, the Supreme Court
of the State of New York dismissed Somas petition.
On February 3, 2006, Soma filed another notice of appeal with the Supreme Court of the State of New
York. On December 6, 2006, we filed our brief for this appeal and on December 12, 2006, Soma filed
its reply brief. On June 19, 2007, the Appellate Division, First Department of the Supreme Court of
the State of New York, reversed the December 30, 2005 decision and ordered a new arbitration
proceeding. On July 26, 2007, we filed a Motion for Leave to Appeal with the Court of Appeals of
the State of New York and on August 3, 2007 Soma filed its reply brief. On October 16, 2007 the
Court of Appeals of the State of New York denied our motion to appeal. We intend to continue to
vigorously defend ourselves against the claims of Soma.
Lonza Patent Infringement Claim
On July 27, 2007, Lonza Group AG filed a complaint against us in the United States District Court
for the District of Delaware alleging patent infringement relating to recombinant DNA methods,
sequences, vectors, cell lines and host cells. The complaint seeks temporary and permanent
injunctions enjoining us from infringing Lonzas patents and unspecified damages. We believe that
Lonzas claims have no merit. We dispute the allegations in the complaint and deny the claims of
infringement. To date the complaint has not been served on the
Company and as a result the Company has not yet had the opportunity
to respond. If the complaint is served the Company intends to file a
response and vigorously defend this action.
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Stockholder Class Action Lawsuits
On August 13, 2007 a complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of
Washington naming the Company, the Chairperson of its Board of Directors, Linda Powers, and its
Chief Executive Officer, Alton Boynton as defendants in a class action for violation of federal
securities laws. After this complaint was filed, five additional complaints were filed in other
jurisdictions alleging similar claims. The complaints were filed on behalf of purchasers of the
Companys common stock between July 9, 2007 and July 18, 2007 and allege violations of Section
10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. The complaints
seek unspecified compensatory damages, costs and expenses. The Company disputes these claims and
intends to vigorously defend these actions. Motions are currently pending to consolidate the
complaints into a single action and to designate a lead plaintiff.
SEC Inquiry
On August 13, 2007, we received a letter of non-public informal inquiry from the SEC regarding
the events surrounding our application for Swiss regulatory approval and related press releases
dated July 9, 2007 and July 16, 2007. The Company is co-operating with the enquiry.
Management Warrants
On November 13, 2003, we borrowed an aggregate of $335,000 from certain members of our
management. As part of the consideration for this loan, the lenders received warrants exercisable
to acquire an aggregate of 0.25 million shares of our Common Stock. From March 2006 through May
2006, all of these warrants were exercised for Common Stock on a net exercise basis, pursuant to
the terms of the warrants.
Two former members of management who had participated as lenders in our management loans have
claimed that they are entitled to receive, for no additional cash consideration, an aggregate of up
to approximately 0.63 million additional shares of our Common Stock due to the alleged triggering
of an anti-dilution provision in the warrant agreements. We do not believe that these claims have
merit and, in the event such claims are pursued, we intend to
vigorously defend against them.
We
have no other legal proceedings pending at this time.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
This section briefly discusses certain risks that should be considered by our stockholders and
prospective investors. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all
other information included in this Form 10-Q and those risk factors disclosed in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006. If any of the following risks actually occur,
our business, financial condition, or operating results may be adversely affected. In such case,
you could lose all of your investment.
We are likely to continue to incur substantial losses, and may never achieve profitability.
We have incurred net losses every year since our incorporation in July 1998 and had a deficit
accumulated during the development stage of approximately $135 million as of September 30, 2007.
We expect that these losses will continue and anticipate negative cash flows from operations for
the foreseeable future. Despite the receipt of approximately $26.0 million of net proceeds from an
offering of our common stock on AIM in June 2007, we expect we will need additional funding, and
over the medium term we will need to generate revenue sufficient to cover operating expenses,
clinical trial expenses and some research and development costs to achieve profitability. We may
never achieve or sustain profitability.
Our auditors have issued a going concern audit opinion.
Our independent auditors have indicated in their report on our December 31, 2006 financial
statements that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. A
going concern opinion indicates that the financial statements have been prepared assuming we will
continue as a going concern and do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future
effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of
liabilities that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Therefore, you should not rely on
our consolidated balance sheet as an indication of the amount of proceeds that would be available
to satisfy claims of creditors, and potentially be available for distribution to stockholders, in
the event of liquidation.
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As a company in the early stage of development with an unproven business strategy, our limited
history of operations makes an evaluation of our business and prospects difficult.
We have had a limited operating history and we are at an early stage of development. We may
not be able to achieve revenue growth in the future. We have generated the following limited
revenues: $529,000 in 2003; $390,000 in 2004; $124,000 in 2005; $80,000 in 2006; and $10,000 in
2007. We have derived most of these limited revenues from the sale of research products to a
single customer, contract research and development from related parties and research grants. Our
limited operating history makes it difficult to assess our prospects for generating revenues.
We will need to raise additional capital, which may not be available.
It is likely that we will need additional capital in the future to support and fund the
research, development and commercialization of our product candidates. If we require additional
funds and we are unable to obtain them on a timely basis or on favorable terms, we may be required
to curtail or cease certain of our operations. We may raise additional funds by issuing additional
Common Stock or securities (equity or debt) convertible into shares of Common Stock, in which
case, the ownership interest of our stockholders will be diluted. Any debt financing, if
available, is likely to include restrictive covenants that could limit our ability to take certain
actions.
We may not be able to retain existing personnel.
We employ four full-time employees and one part-time employee. The uncertainty of our
business prospects and the volatility in the price of our Common Stock may create anxiety and
uncertainty, which could adversely affect employee morale and cause us to lose employees whom we
would prefer to retain. To the extent that we are unable to retain existing personnel, our business
and financial results may suffer.
We may not be able to attract expert personnel.
In order to pursue our product development and marketing plans, we will need additional
management personnel and personnel with expertise in clinical testing, government regulation,
manufacturing and marketing. Attracting and retaining qualified personnel, consultants and advisors
will be critical to our success. There can be no assurance that we will be able to attract
personnel on acceptable terms given the competition for such personnel among biotechnology,
pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, universities and non-profit research institutions. The
failure to attract any of these personnel could impede the achievement of our development
objectives.
We must rely at present on a single relationship with a third-party contract manufacturer, which
will limit our ability to control the availability of our product candidates in the near-term.
We rely upon a single contract manufacturer, Cognate BioServices, Inc. (Cognate). The
majority owner of Cognate is Toucan Partners LLC (Toucan Partners), our majority stockholder.
Cognate provides consulting services and is the manufacturer of our product candidates. We have an
agreement in place with Cognate pursuant to which Cognate has agreed to provide manufacturing and
other services in connection with our pivotal Phase II clinical trial for DCVax®-Brain. The
agreement requires us to make minimum monthly payments to Cognate irrespective of whether any
DCVax® products are manufactured. The agreement does not extend to providing services in respect of
commercialization of the DCVax®-Brain product, nor for other clinical trials or commercialization
of any of our other product candidates. If and to the extent we wish to engage Cognate to
manufacture our DCVax®-Brain for commercialization or any of our other product candidates
(including DCVax®-Prostate) for clinical trials or commercialization, we will need to enter into a
new agreement with Cognate or another third-party manufacturer which might not be feasible on a
timely or favorable basis. The failure to timely enroll patients in our clinical trials will have
an adverse impact on our financial results due, in part, to the minimum monthly payments that we
make to Cognate.
Problems with our contract manufacturers facilities or processes could result in a failure to
produce, or a delay in production, of adequate supplies of our product candidates. Any prolonged
interruption in the operations of our contract manufacturers facilities could result in
cancellation of shipments or a shortfall in availability of a product candidate. A number of
factors could cause interruptions, including the inability of a supplier to provide raw materials,
equipment malfunctions or failures, damage to a facility due to natural disasters, changes in FDA
regulatory requirements or standards that require modifications to our manufacturing processes,
action by the FDA or by us that results in the halting or slowdown of production of components or
finished products due to regulatory issues, the contract manufacturer going out of business or
failing to produce product as contractually required or other similar factors. Because
manufacturing processes are highly complex and are subject to a lengthy FDA approval process,
alternative qualified production capacity may not be available on a timely basis or at all.
Difficulties or delays in our contract manufacturers manufacturing and supply of components could
delay our clinical trials, increase our costs, damage our reputation and, if our product candidates
are approved for sale, cause us to lose revenue or market share if it is unable to timely meet
market demands.
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Our success partly depends on existing and future collaborators.
We work with scientists and medical professionals at academic and other institutions,
including UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre and the H. Lee Moffitt
Cancer Centre, among others, some of whom have conducted research for us or have assisted in
developing our research and development strategy. We do not employ these scientists and medical
professionals. They may have commitments to, or contracts with, other businesses or institutions
that limit the amount of time they have available to work with us. We have little control over
these individuals. We can only expect that they devote time to us as required by our license,
consulting and sponsored research agreements. In addition, these individuals may have arrangements
with other companies to assist in developing technologies that may compete with our products. If
these individuals do not devote sufficient time and resources to our programs, or if they provide
substantial assistance to our competitors, our business could be seriously harmed.
The success of our business strategy may partially depend upon our ability to develop and
maintain our collaborations and to manage them effectively. Due to concerns regarding our ability
to continue our operations or the commercial feasibility of our personalized DCVax® product
candidates, these third parties may decide not to conduct business with us or may conduct business
with us on terms that are less favorable than those customarily extended by them. If either of
these events occurs, our business could suffer significantly.
We may have disputes with our collaborators, which could be costly and time consuming.
Failure to successfully defend our rights could seriously harm our business, financial condition
and operating results. We intend to continue to enter into collaborations in the future. However,
we may be unable to successfully negotiate any additional collaboration and any of these
relationships, if established, may not be scientifically or commercially successful.
We are involved in legal proceedings that could result in the payment of damages, which could be
substantial, or that could otherwise harm our business. In addition, future litigation could be
costly to defend or pursue and uncertain in its outcome.
We are party to
various legal actions, as more fully described above under Item 1. Legal
Proceedings. These pending legal proceedings include a dispute with Soma Partners, LLC, an
investment bank, regarding certain fees Soma claims it is entitled to under an engagement letter
with us, as well as a patent infringement claim filed against us by Lonza Group AG alleging
infringement of certain patents relating to recombinant DNA methods, sequences, vectors, cell lines
and host cells. In addition, several complaints seeking class-action status have been filed
against us alleging violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule
10b-5 thereunder based on the Companys public announcements in July 2007 regarding the status of
certain regulatory approvals for its DCVax®-Brain vaccine in Switzerland. We are also cooperating
with an informal inquiry of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, regarding the same
matter. We can provide no assurances as to the outcome of these legal proceedings. We may be
subject to future litigation.
The defense of these or future legal proceedings could divert managements attention and
resources from the needs of our business. We may be required to make substantial payments in the
event of adverse judgments or settlements of any such claims, investigations, or proceedings. Any
legal proceeding, even if resolved in our favor, could result in negative publicity or cause us to
incur significant legal and other expenses. In addition, an adverse judgment in the patent
infringement claim could limit our ability to pursue our business strategy as currently planned.
Actual costs incurred in any legal proceedings may differ from our expectations and could exceed
any amounts for which we have made reserves.
Clinical trials for our product candidates are expensive and time consuming and their outcome is
uncertain.
The process of obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals for new therapeutic products is
expensive, lengthy and uncertain. It can vary substantially, based upon the type, complexity and
novelty of the product involved. Accordingly, any of our current or future product candidates could
take a significantly longer time to gain regulatory approval than we expect or may never gain
approval, either of which could reduce our anticipated revenues and delay or terminate the
potential commercialization of our product candidates.
We have limited experience in conducting and managing clinical trials.
We rely on third parties to assist us in managing and monitoring all our clinical trials. Our
reliance on these third parties may result in delays in completing, or failure to complete, these
trials if the third parties fail to perform under the terms of our agreements with them. We may not
be able to find a sufficient alternative supplier of these services in a reasonable time period, or
on commercially
reasonable terms, if at all. If we were unable to obtain an alternative supplier of these
services, we might be forced to curtail our Phase II clinical trial for DCVax®-Brain.
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Our product candidates will require a different distribution model than conventional therapeutic
products.
The nature of our product candidates means that different systems and methods will need to be
followed for the distribution and delivery of the products than is the case for conventional
therapeutic products. The personalized nature of these products, the need for centralized storage,
and the requirement to maintain the products in frozen form may mean that we are not able to take
advantage of distribution networks normally used for conventional therapeutic products. If our
product candidates are approved, it may take time for hospitals and physicians to adapt to the
requirements for handling and storage of these products, which may adversely affect their sales.
We lack sales and marketing experience and as a result may experience significant difficulties
commercializing our research product candidates.
The commercial success of any of our product candidates will depend upon the strength of our
sales and marketing efforts. We do not have a sales force and have no experience in sales,
marketing or distribution. To fully commercialize our product candidates, we will need a
substantial marketing staff and sales force with technical expertise and the ability to distribute
these products. As an alternative, we could seek assistance from a third party with a large
distribution system and a large direct sales force. We may be unable to put either of these plans
in place. In addition, if we arrange for others to market and sell our products, our revenues will
depend upon the efforts of those parties. Such arrangements may not succeed.
Even if one or more of our product candidates is approved for marketing, if we fail to
establish adequate sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, independently or with others,
our business will be seriously harmed.
Competition in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry is intense and most of our
competitors have substantially greater resources than us.
The biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries are characterized by rapidly advancing
technologies, intense competition and a strong emphasis on proprietary products. Several companies,
such as Cell Genesys, Inc., Dendreon Corporation, Immuno-Designed Molecules, Inc., Celldex
Therapeutics, Inc., Ark Therapeutics plc, Oxford Biomedica plc, Argos Therapeutics, Inc. and
Antigenics, are actively involved in the research and development of immunotherapies or cell-based
cancer therapeutics. Of these companies, we believe that only Dendreon and Cell Genesys are
carrying-out Phase III clinical trials with a cell-based therapy. No dendritic cell-based
therapeutic product is currently approved for commercial sale. Additionally, several companies,
such as Medarex, Inc., Amgen, Inc., Agensys, Inc., and Genentech, Inc., are actively involved in
the research and development of monoclonal antibody-based cancer therapies. Currently, at least
seven antibody-based products are approved for commercial sale for cancer therapy. Genentech is
also engaged in several Phase III clinical trials for additional antibody-based therapeutics for a
variety of cancers, and several other companies are in early stage clinical trials for such
products. Many other third parties compete with us in developing alternative therapies to treat
cancer, including: biopharmaceutical companies; biotechnology companies; pharmaceutical companies;
academic institutions; and other research organizations.
Most of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in
research and development, manufacturing, pre-clinical testing, conducting clinical trials,
obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing than we do. In addition, many of these competitors are
actively in seeking patent protection and licensing arrangements in anticipation of collecting
royalties for use of technology they have developed. Smaller or early-stage companies may also
prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and
established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified
scientific and management personnel, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to our
programs.
We expect that our ability to compete effectively will be dependent upon our ability to:
obtain additional funding; successfully complete clinical trials and obtain all requisite
regulatory approvals; maintain a proprietary position in our technologies and products; attract and
retain key personnel; and maintain existing or enter into new partnerships.
Our competitors may develop more effective or affordable products, or achieve earlier patent
protection or product marketing and sales. As a result, any products developed by us may be
rendered obsolete and non-competitive.
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Our intellectual property rights may not provide meaningful commercial protection for our
research products or product candidates, which could enable third parties to use our technology,
or very similar technology, and could reduce our ability to compete in the market.
We rely on patent, copyright, trade secret and trademark laws to limit the ability of others
to compete with us using the same or similar technology in the United States and other countries.
However, as described below, these laws afford only limited protection and may not adequately
protect our rights to the extent necessary to sustain any competitive advantage we may have. The
laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of
the United States, and we may encounter significant problems in protecting our proprietary rights
in these countries.
We have 23 issued and licensed patents (9 in the United States and 14 in other jurisdictions)
and 135 patent applications pending (15 in the United States and 120 in other jurisdictions) which
cover the use of dendritic cells in DCVax® as well as targets for either our dendritic cell or
fully human monoclonal antibody therapy candidates. The issued patents expire at various dates from
2015 to 2026.
We will only be able to protect our technologies from unauthorized use by third parties to the
extent that they are covered by valid and enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as
trade secrets. The patent positions of companies developing novel cancer treatments, including our
patent position, generally are uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions,
particularly concerning the scope and enforceability of claims of such patents against alleged
infringement. Recent judicial decisions are prompting a reinterpretation of the limited case law
that exists in this area, and historical legal standards surrounding questions of infringement and
validity may not apply in future cases. A reinterpretation of existing law in this area may limit
or potentially eliminate our patent position and, therefore, our ability to prevent others from
using our technologies. The biotechnology patent situation outside the United States is even more
uncertain. Changes in either the patent laws or the interpretations of patent laws in the United
States and other countries may, therefore, diminish the value of our intellectual property.
We own or have rights under licenses to a variety of issued patents and pending patent
applications. However, the patents on which we rely may be challenged and invalidated, and our
patent applications may not result in issued patents. Moreover, our patents and patent applications
may not be sufficiently broad to prevent others from using our technologies or from developing
competing products. We also face the risk that others may independently develop similar or
alternative technologies or design around our patented technologies.
We have taken security measures to protect our proprietary information, especially proprietary
information that is not covered by patents or patent applications. These measures, however, may not
provide adequate protection for our trade secrets or other proprietary information. We seek to
protect our proprietary information by entering into confidentiality agreements with employees,
partners and consultants. Nevertheless, employees, collaborators or consultants may still disclose
our proprietary information, and we may not be able to protect our trade secrets in a meaningful
way. If we lose any employees, we may not be able to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of
our technical knowledge or other trade secrets by those former employees despite the existence of
nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements and other contractual restrictions to protect our
proprietary technology. In addition, others may independently develop substantially equivalent
proprietary information or techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets.
Our success will depend substantially on our ability to operate without infringing or
misappropriating the proprietary rights of others.
Our success will depend to a substantial degree upon our ability to develop, manufacture,
market and sell our research products and product candidates without infringing the proprietary
rights of third parties and without breaching any licenses entered into by us regarding our product
candidates.
There is a substantial amount of litigation involving patent and other intellectual property
rights in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries generally. Infringement and other
intellectual property claims, with or without merit, can be expensive and time-consuming to
litigate and can divert managements attention from our core business. For example, recently, Lonza
Group AG filed a complaint against us in the United States District Court for the District of
Delaware alleging patent infringement. In addition, we may be exposed to future litigation by third
parties based on claims that our products infringe their intellectual property rights. This risk is
exacerbated by the fact that there are numerous issued and pending patents in the biotechnology
industry and the fact that the validity and breadth of biotechnology patents involve complex legal
and factual questions for which important legal principles remain unresolved.
Competitors may assert that our products and the methods we employ are covered by U.S. or
foreign patents held by them. In addition, because patents can take many years to issue, there may
be currently pending applications, unknown to us, which may later result in issued patents that our
products may infringe. There could also be existing patents of which we are not aware that one or
more of our products may inadvertently infringe.
If we lose a patent infringement claim, we could be prevented from selling our research
products or product candidates unless we can obtain a license to use technology or ideas covered by
such patent or we are able to redesign our products to avoid infringement. A
license may not be available at all or on terms acceptable to us, or we may not be able to
redesign our products to avoid infringement. If we are not successful in obtaining a license or
redesigning our products, we may be unable to sell our products and our business could suffer.
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We may not receive regulatory approvals for our product candidates or there may be a delay in
obtaining such approvals.
Our products and our ongoing development activities are subject to regulation by governmental
and other regulatory authorities in the countries in which we or our collaborators and distributors
wish to test, manufacture or market our products. For instance, the FDA will regulate the product
in the U.S. and equivalent authorities, such as the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), will
regulate in other jurisdictions. Regulatory approval by these authorities will be subject to the
evaluation of data relating to the quality, efficacy and safety of the product for its proposed
use.
The time taken to obtain regulatory approval varies between countries. Different regulators
may impose their own requirements and may refuse to grant, or may require additional data before
granting, an approval, notwithstanding that regulatory approval may have been granted by other
regulators. Regulatory approval may be delayed, limited or denied for a number of reasons,
including insufficient clinical data, the product not meeting safety or efficacy requirements or
any relevant manufacturing processes or facilities not meeting applicable requirements.
Further trials and other costly and time-consuming assessments of the product may be required to
obtain or maintain regulatory approval.
Medicinal products are generally subject to lengthy and rigorous pre-clinical and clinical
trials and other extensive, costly and time-consuming procedures mandated by regulatory
authorities. We may be required to conduct additional trials beyond those currently planned, which
could require significant time and expense. For example, the field of cancer treatment is evolving,
and the standard of care for a particular cancer could change while we are in the process of
conducting the clinical trials for our product candidates. Such a change in standard of care could
make it necessary for us to conduct additional clinical trials, which could delay our opportunities
to obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates.
As for all biological products, we may need to provide pre-clinical and clinical data
evidencing the comparability of products before and after any changes in manufacturing process both
during and after product approval. Regulators may require that we generate data to demonstrate that
products before or after any change are of comparable safety and efficacy if we are to rely on
studies using earlier versions of the product. DCVax®-Brain has been the subject of process changes
during the early clinical phase of its development and regulators may require comparability data
unless they are satisfied that changes in process do not affect the quality, and hence efficacy and
safety, of the product.
We plan to rely on our current Phase II study in DCVax®-Brain as a single study in support of
regulatory approval. While under certain circumstances, both EMEA and the FDA will accept a Phase
II study as a single study in support of approval, it is not yet known whether they will do so in
this case. If the regulators do not consider the Phase II study adequate on its own to support a
finding of efficacy, we may be required to perform additional clinical trials in DCVax®-Brain.
There is some possibility that changes requested by the FDA could complicate the licensing
application process. Only the data for DCVax®-Brain has been discussed with European regulators. On
an informal basis, a number of European national regulators have indicated that additional
pre-clinical and clinical data could be required before the DCVax®-Brain product would be approved.
However, it is not clear whether such data will be required until formal scientific advice is
sought from the EMEA, which is the regulator that will ultimately review any application for
approval of this product. Unless the EMEA grants a deferral or a waiver, we may also be obliged to
generate clinical data in pediatric populations.
The FDA previously identified a number of deficiencies regarding the design of our original
proposed Phase III clinical trial for DCVax®-Prostate. We believe we remedied these deficiencies in
the new trial design for a 600-patient Phase III trial, which was cleared by the FDA in January
2005. However, we now intend to split this single 600-patient Phase III trial into two separate
300-patient Phase III trials, and submit a Special Protocol Assessment to the FDA. These revisions
in trial design may cause delay in the development process for DCVax®-Prostate. It is not yet known
whether the FDA will consider the two-trial design sufficient for marketing approval, or whether
the agency will require us to design and carry out additional studies. If, after the Phase III
studies are carried out, the FDA is not satisfied that its concerns were adequately addressed,
those studies could be insufficient to demonstrate efficacy and additional clinical studies could
be required at that time.
Any delay in completing sufficient trials or other regulatory requirements will delay our
ability to generate revenue from product sales and we may have insufficient capital resources to
support its operations. Even if we do have sufficient capital resources, our ability to generate
meaningful revenues or become profitable may be delayed.
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Regulatory approval may be withdrawn at any time.
After regulatory approval has been obtained for medicinal products, the product and the
manufacturer are subject to continual review and there can be no assurance that such approval will
not be withdrawn or restricted. Regulators may also subject approvals to restrictions or
conditions, or impose post-approval obligations on the holders of these approvals, and the
regulatory status of such products may be jeopardized if we do not comply. Extensive post-approval
safety studies are likely to be a condition of the approval and will commit us to significant time
and expense.
We may fail to comply with regulatory requirements.
Our success will be dependent upon our ability, and of our collaborative partners, to maintain
compliance with regulatory requirements including regulators current good manufacturing practices
(cGMP) and safety reporting obligations. The failure to comply with applicable regulatory
requirements can, among other things, result in fines, injunctions, civil penalties, total or
partial suspension of regulatory approvals, refusal to approve pending applications, recalls or
seizures of products, operating and production restrictions and criminal prosecutions.
We may be subject to sanctions if we are determined to be promoting our investigational products
prior to regulatory approval or for unapproved uses.
In both the U.S. and Europe, legislation prohibits us from promoting any product that has not
received approval from the appropriate regulator, or from promoting a product for an unapproved
use. If any regulator determines that we have engaged in such pre-approval, or off-label promotion,
through our website, press releases, or other communications, the authority could require us to
change the content of those communications and could also take regulatory enforcement action,
including the issuance of a warning letter, requirements for corrective action, civil fines, and
criminal penalties. In the event of a product liability lawsuit, materials that appear to promote a
product for unapproved uses may increase our product liability exposure.
We may not obtain or maintain orphan drug status and the associated benefits, including marketing
exclusivity.
We may not receive the benefits associated with orphan drug designation. This may result from
a failure to achieve or maintain orphan drug status or the development of a competing product that
has an orphan designation for the same indication. In Europe, the orphan status of DCVax®-Brain
will be reassessed shortly prior to the product receiving any regulatory approval. The EMEA will
need to be satisfied that there is evidence that DCVax®-Brain offers a significant benefit relative
to existing therapies for the treatment of glioma if DCVax®-Brain is to maintain its orphan drug
status.
New legislation may have an adverse effect on our business.
Changes in applicable legislation and/or regulatory policies or discovery of problems with the
product, production process, site or manufacturer may result in delays in bringing products to
market, the imposition of restrictions on the products sale or manufacture, including the possible
withdrawal of the product from the market, or may otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.
The availability and amount of reimbursement for our product candidates and the manner in which
government and private payers may reimburse for our potential products is uncertain.
In many of the markets where we intend to operate, the prices of pharmaceutical products are
subject to direct price controls (by law) and to drug reimbursement programs with varying price
control mechanisms.
We expect that many of the patients in the United States who seek treatment with our products
that are approved for marketing will be eligible for U.S. Medicare benefits. Other patients may be
covered by private health plans or uninsured. The application of existing U.S. Medicare regulations
in the United States, and interpretive coverage and payment determinations to newly approved
products, especially novel products such as ours, is uncertain, and those regulations and
interpretive determinations are subject to change. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and
Modernization Act (the Medicare Modernization Act), enacted in the United States in December
2003, provides for a change in reimbursement methodology that reduces the Medicare reimbursement
rates for many drugs, including oncology therapeutics, which may adversely affect reimbursement for
potential products in the United States, if they are approved for sale. If we are unable to obtain
or retain adequate levels of reimbursement from Medicare or from private health plans, our ability
to sell our products will be adversely affected. U.S. Medicare regulations and interpretive
determinations also may determine who may be reimbursed for certain services. This may adversely
affect our ability to market or sell our potential products, if approved.
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U.S. federal, state and foreign governments continue to propose legislation designed to
contain or reduce health care costs. Legislation and regulations affecting the pricing of products
like our potential products may change further or be adopted before any of our potential products
are approved for marketing. Cost control initiatives by governments or third party payers could
decrease the price that we receive for any one or all of our potential products or increase patient
coinsurance to a level that makes our products under development unaffordable. In addition,
government and private health plans persistently challenge the price and cost-effectiveness of
therapeutic products. Accordingly, these third parties may ultimately not consider our products
under development to be cost-effective, which could result in products not being covered under
their health plans or covered only at a lower price. Any of these initiatives or developments could
prevent us from successfully marketing and selling any of our potential products. We are unable to
predict what impact the Medicare Modernization Act or other future regulation or third party payer
initiatives, if any, relating to reimbursement for any of our potential products will have on sales
of those product candidates, if any of them are approved for sale.
In the E.U., governments influence the price of pharmaceutical products through their pricing
and reimbursement rules and control of national health care systems that fund a large part of the
cost of such products to consumers. The approach taken varies from member state to member state.
Some jurisdictions operate positive and/or negative list systems under which products may only be
marketed once a reimbursement price has been agreed. Other member states allow companies to fix
their own prices for medicines, but monitor and control company profits. The downward pressure on
health care costs in general, particularly prescription drugs, has become very intense. As a
result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products, as exemplified
by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the U.K. which evaluates the data
supporting new medicines and passes reimbursement recommendations to the government. In addition,
in some countries cross-border imports from low-priced markets (parallel imports) exert commercial
pressure on pricing within a country.
We may not be granted permission to charge for the cost of our investigational product in our
pivotal Phase II clinical trial for DCVax®-Brain.
We have submitted to the FDA a cost recovery request for our pivotal clinical trial for
DCVax®-Brain. In this request, we have asked the FDAs permission to charge subjects for the cost
of the DCVax®-Brain product administered in the trial. Sponsors are not normally permitted to
charge for investigational products, but a sponsor can in some cases be granted permission to do
this where it provides the FDA with a satisfactory explanation as to why charging is necessary in
order for the sponsor to undertake or continue the clinical trial, e.g., why distribution of the
drug to test subjects should not be considered part of the normal cost of doing business. We have
cited several factors in favor of the FDA allowing cost recovery, including the life-threatening
nature of the disease affecting the DCVax®-Brain trial subjects the clinical benefits shown in
prior studies, and the difficulty of obtaining funding for the study from other sources. The FDAs
decision to grant permission to charge for an investigational drug is completely discretionary,
however, and it is unclear at this time whether that permission will be granted.
DCVax® is our only technology in clinical development.
Unlike many pharmaceutical companies that have a number of products in development and which
utilize many technologies, we are dependent on the success of our DCVax® platform and, potentially,
our CXCR4 antibody technology. While DCVax® technology has a number of potentially beneficial uses,
if that core technology is not commercially viable, we would have to rely on the CXCR4 technology,
which is at an early pre-clinical stage of development, for our success. If the CXCR4 technology
also fails, we currently do not have other technologies to fall back on and our business could
fail.
We may be prevented from using the DCVax® name in Europe.
The EMEA has indicated that DCVax® may not be an acceptable name because of the suggested
reference to a vaccine. Failure to obtain the approval for the use of the DCVax® name in Europe
would require us to market our potential products in Europe under a different name which could
impair the successful marketing of our potential products and may have a material adverse effect on
our results of operations and financial condition.
Competing generic medicinal products may be approved.
In the E.U., there exists a process for the approval of generic biological medicinal products
once patent protection and other forms of data and market exclusivity have expired. If generic
medicinal products are approved, competition from such products may reduce sales of our products.
Other jurisdictions, including the U.S., are considering adopting legislation that would allow the
approval of generic medicinal products.
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We may be exposed to potential product liability claims, and insurance against these claims may
not be available to us at a reasonable rate in the future, if at all.
Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the testing,
manufacturing, marketing and sale of therapeutic products. Our insurance coverage may not be
adequate to cover claims against us or may not be available to us at an acceptable cost, if at all.
Regardless of their merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in decreased
demand for a product, injury to our reputation, withdrawal of clinical trial volunteers and loss of
revenues. Thus, whether or not we are insured, a product liability claim or product recall may
result in losses that could be material.
Our business could be adversely affected by animal rights activists.
Our business activities have involved animal testing. These types of activities have been the
subject of controversy and adverse publicity. Some organizations and individuals have attempted to
stop animal testing by pressing for legislation and regulation in these areas. To the extent the
activities of such groups are successful; our business could be adversely affected. Negative
publicity about us, our pre-clinical trials and our product candidates could lead to an impact upon
our sales and profitability.
We use hazardous materials and must comply with environmental, health and safety laws and
regulations, which can be expensive and restrict how we do business.
We store, handle, use and dispose of controlled hazardous, radioactive and biological
materials in our business. Our current use of these materials generally is below thresholds giving
rise to burdensome regulatory requirements. Our development efforts, however, may result in our
becoming subject to additional requirements, and if we fail to comply with applicable requirements
we could be subject to substantial fines and other sanctions, delays in research and production,
and increased operating costs. In addition, if regulated materials were improperly released at our
current or former facilities or at locations to which we send materials for disposal, we could be
strictly liable for substantial damages and costs, including cleanup costs and personal injury or
property damages, and incur delays in research and production and increased operating costs.
Insurance covering certain types of claims of environmental damage or injury resulting from
the use of these materials is available but can be expensive and is limited in its coverage. We
have no insurance specifically covering environmental risks or personal injury from the use of
these materials and if such use results in liability, our business may be seriously harmed.
Toucan Capital and Toucan Partners beneficially own a majority of our shares of common stock and,
as a result, the trading price for the Common Stock may be depressed and these stockholders can
take actions that may be adverse to the interests of other investors.
As of September 30, 2007, Toucan Capital Fund II, L.P. (Toucan Capital) and its affiliate,
Toucan Partners, collectively beneficially owned an aggregate of 21,872,196 shares of Common Stock,
representing approximately 51.7 percent of the outstanding Common Stock. In addition, as of
September 30, 2007, Toucan Capital may acquire an aggregate of approximately
22.0 million shares of common stock upon exercise of warrants and Toucan Partners may acquire an aggregate of 17.5 million
shares of common stock upon the exercise of warrants and conversion of promissory notes pursuant to the terms of
the 2007 Warrants and 2007 Convertible Notes. This significant concentration of ownership may
adversely affect the trading price of our Common Stock because investors often perceive
disadvantages in owning stock in companies with controlling stockholders. Toucan Capital has the
ability to exert substantial influence over all matters requiring approval by our stockholders,
including the election and removal of directors and any proposed merger, consolidation or sale of
all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, a managing director of the manager of Toucan
Capital is a member of the Board. In light of the foregoing, Toucan Capital can significantly
influence the management of our business and affairs. This concentration of ownership could have
the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control, or impeding a merger or
consolidation, takeover or other business combination that could be favorable to investors.
Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and stockholder rights plan may delay or prevent a
change in our management.
Our Seventh Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the Certificate of
Incorporation), Third Amended and Restated Bylaws (the Bylaws) and our stockholder rights plan
contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in our management team. Some of these
provisions:
| authorize the issuance of preferred stock that can be created and issued by the Board
without prior stockholder approval, commonly referred to as blank check preferred stock,
with rights senior to those of the Common Stock; |
||
| allow the Board to call special meetings of stockholders at any time but restrict the
stockholders from calling special meetings; |
||
| authorize the Board to issue dilutive Common Stock upon certain events; and |
||
| provide for a classified Board. |
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These provisions could allow our Board to affect the rights of an investor since the Board can
make it more difficult for holders of Common Stock to replace members of the Board. Because the
Board is responsible for appointing the members of the management team, these provisions could in
turn affect any attempt to replace the current management team.
There may not be an active, liquid trading market for our common stock.
Our Common Stock is currently listed on the Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board, or OTCBB, and the
Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange, or AIM, which are generally recognized
as being less active markets than NASDAQ. You may not be able to sell your shares at the time or at
the price desired. There may be significant consequences associated with our stock trading on the
OTCBB rather than a national exchange. The effects of not being able to list our securities on a
national exchange include:
| limited release of the market price of our securities; |
||
| limited news coverage; |
||
| limited interest by investors in our securities; |
||
| volatility of our stock price due to low trading volume; |
||
| increased difficulty in selling our securities in certain states due to blue sky
restrictions; and |
||
| limited ability to issue additional securities or to secure additional financing. |
The resale, or the availability for resale, of the shares issued in the March 2006 PIPE Financing
could have a material adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.
In March 2006, we completed the PIPE Financing, consisting of a private placement of an
aggregate of approximately 2.6 million shares of common stock and accompanying warrants to purchase an aggregate of
approximately 1.3 million shares. In connection with the PIPE Financing, we agreed to register, and
subsequently did register, the resale of the shares of common stock sold in the PIPE Financing and
the shares underlying the warrants issued in the PIPE Financing.
Although that registration statement is not currently effective, we
are required to file a post effective amendment to the registration
statement to once again register these shares for resale. Moreover, even in the absence of
an effective registration statement covering these shares, these stockholders may currently resell
their shares pursuant to, and in accordance with the provisions of, Rule 144 under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act). The resale of a substantial number of the shares
covered by this prospectus, or even the availability of these shares for resale, could have a
material adverse impact on our stock price.
Because our common stock is subject to penny stock rules, the market for the common stock may
be limited.
Because our common stock is subject to the SECs penny stock rules, broker-dealers may
experience difficulty in completing customer transactions and trading activity in our securities
may be adversely affected. Under the penny stock rules promulgated under the Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), broker-dealers who recommend such securities to persons
other than institutional accredited investors must:
| make a special written suitability determination for the purchaser; |
||
| receive the purchasers written agreement to a transaction prior to sale; |
||
| provide the purchaser with risk disclosure documents which identify certain risks
associated with investing in penny stocks and which describe the market for these penny
stocks as well as a purchasers legal remedies; and |
||
| obtain a signed and dated acknowledgment from the purchaser demonstrating that the
purchaser has actually received the required risk disclosure document before a transaction
in a penny stock can be completed. |
As a result of these rules, broker-dealers may find it difficult to effectuate customer
transactions and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected. As a result, the
market price of our securities may be depressed, and stockholders may find it more difficult to
sell our securities.
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The price of our Common Stock may be highly volatile
The share price of publicly traded biotechnology and emerging pharmaceutical companies,
particularly companies without earnings and consistent product revenues, can be highly volatile and
are likely to remain highly volatile in the future. The price at which the Common Stock will be
quoted and the price which investors may realize for their Common Stock will be influenced by a
large number of factors, some specific to us and our operations and some unrelated to our operating
performance. These factors could include the performance of our marketing programs, large purchases
or sales of the shares, currency fluctuations, legislative changes and general economic conditions.
In the past, share class action litigation has often been brought against companies that experience
volatility in the market price of their shares. Whether or not meritorious, litigation brought
against us following fluctuations in the trading price of the Common Stock could result in
substantial costs, divert managements attention and resources and harm our financial condition and
results of operations.
The requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other U.S. securities laws reporting
requirements impose cost and operating challenges on us.
We are subject to certain of the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in the U.S.
and the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act. These laws require, among other things, an
attestation report of our independent auditor on the effectiveness of our internal control over
financial reporting, beginning with our annual report for the year ended December 31, 2008 as well
as the filing of annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and periodic reports
on Form 8-K following the happening of certain material events. In addition, our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer will be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal
control over financial reporting beginning with our annual report for the year ended December 31,
2007. To meet these compliance deadlines, we will need to have our internal controls designed,
tested and operational by early 2008 to ensure compliance with applicable standards. We have not
taken any steps to document our internal controls or financial reporting procedures. This process
will likely be time consuming and will result in us having to significantly change our controls and
reporting procedures due to the small number of employees and lack of governance controls. Most
similarly-sized companies registered with the SEC have had to incur significant costs to ensure
compliance. Moreover, any failure by us to comply with such provisions would be required to be
disclosed publicly, which could lead to a loss of public confidence in our internal controls and
could harm the market price of our Common Stock.
Our management has identified significant internal control deficiencies, which management and our
independent auditor believe constitute material weaknesses.
In connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the year ended December 31,
2006, certain significant internal control deficiencies became evident to management that, in the
aggregate, represent material weaknesses, including:
| lack of sufficient number of independent directors for our audit committee; |
||
| lack of an audit committee financial expert; |
||
| insufficient personnel in our finance and accounting functions; |
||
| insufficient segregation of duties; and |
||
| insufficient corporate governance policies. |
As part of the communications by our independent auditors, with our audit committee with
respect to audit procedures for the year ended December 31, 2006, our independent auditors informed
the audit committee that these deficiencies constituted material weaknesses, as defined by Auditing
Standard No. 2, An Audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting Performed in Conjunction
with an Audit of Financial Statements, established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board, or PCAOB. We intend to take appropriate and reasonable steps to make the necessary
improvements to remediate these deficiencies but we cannot be certain that we will have the
necessary financing to address these deficiencies or that we will be able to attract qualified
individuals to serve on our Board and to take on key management roles within the Company. Our
failure to successfully remediate these issues could lead to heightened risk for financial
reporting mistakes and irregularities and a further loss of public confidence in our internal
controls that could harm the market price of our Common Stock.
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Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None
Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities
None
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
On
June 15, 2007, we received (1) a written consent in lieu of a meeting of stockholders
from the holder of shares representing 77.5% of the total issued and outstanding shares of
our capital stock voting together as a single class and 100% of each of our total issued and
outstanding Series A Preferred Stock and Series A-1 Preferred Stock voting each as a separate
class (collectively, the Majority Stockholder) to amend our Seventh Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, as amended to decrease the number of authorized shares of Common
Stock of the Company from 800,000,000 shares to 100,000,000 shares and decrease the number of
authorized shares of preferred stock of the Company from 300,000,000 to 20,000,000 and (2) a
written consent in lieu of a meeting of stockholders from the Majority Stockholder to amend our
Seventh Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to eliminate certain
redundant language in Article VI, Section (A) thereof. An Information Statement relating to
this matter will be distributed to stockholders during the fourth quarter of 2007.
Item 5. Other Information
None
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Item 6. Exhibits
3.1 |
Seventh Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation as amended. (3.1)(1) | |
3.2 |
Third Amended and Restated Bylaws of Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. (3.1)(2) | |
3.3 |
Amendment to the Seventh Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. (3.2)(2) | |
10.1 |
Employment Agreement dated October 1, 2007 between Anthony P. Deasey and Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. (3.2)(2)(3) | |
*31.1 |
Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer, Pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
*31.2 |
Certification of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer), Pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
*32.1 |
Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer, Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
*32.2 |
Certification of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer), Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
(1) | Incorporated by reference to
the exhibit (3.1) shown in the preceding parentheses filed with the
Registrants registration statement Form S-1 (File No. 333-67350). |
|
(2) | Incorporated by reference to
the exhibit (3.1) shown in the preceding parentheses filed with the
Registrants Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 21, 2007. |
|
(3) | Incorporated by reference to
the exhibit (3.2)(2) shown in the preceding parentheses filed with the
Registrants Current Report of Form 8-K
on October 2, 2007 |
|
* | Filed herewith. |
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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.
NORTHWEST BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC | ||||||
Dated: November 14, 2007
|
By: | /s/ Alton L. Boynton | ||||
Alton L. Boynton President and Chief Executive Officer |
||||||
(Principal Executive Officer) | ||||||
By: | /s/ Anthony P. Deasey | |||||
Anthony P. Deasey | ||||||
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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NORTHWEST BIOTHERAPEUTICS, INC.
(A Development Stage Company)
(A Development Stage Company)
EXHIBIT INDEX
3.1 |
Seventh Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation as amended. (3.1)(1) | |
3.2 |
Third Amended and Restated Bylaws of Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. (3.1)(2) | |
3.3 |
Amendment to the Seventh Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. (3.2)(2) | |
10.1 |
Employment Agreement dated October 1, 2007 between Anthony P. Deasey and Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc (3.2)(2)(3) | |
*31.1 |
Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer, Pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
*31.2 |
Certification of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer), Pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a), as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
*32.1 |
Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer, Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
*32.2 |
Certification of Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer), Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
(1) | Incorporated by reference to
the exhibit (3.1) shown in the preceding parentheses filed with the
Registrants registration statement Form S-1 (File No. 333-67350). |
|
(2) | Incorporated by reference to
the exhibit (3.1) shown in the preceding parentheses filed with the
Registrants Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 22, 2007. |
|
(3) | Incorporated by reference to
the exhibit (3.2)(2) shown in the preceding parentheses filed with the
Registrants Current Report of Form 8-K
on October 2, 2007 |
|
* | Filed herewith. |
37