Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2022 June (Form 10-Q)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2022
OR
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to .
Commission File Number: 001-39094
PHATHOM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware |
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82-4151574 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
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(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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100 Campus Drive, Suite 102 Florham Park, New Jersey |
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07932 |
(Address of principal executive offices) |
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(Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (877) 742-8466
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
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Trading Symbol(s) |
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Name of each exchange on which registered |
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share |
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PHAT |
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Nasdaq Global Select Market |
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer |
☐ |
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Accelerated filer |
☐ |
Non-accelerated filer |
☑ |
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Smaller reporting company |
☑ |
Emerging growth company |
☑ |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☑
As of July 29, 2022, the registrant had 39,175,205 shares of common stock ($0.0001 par value) outstanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Item 1 |
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F-1 |
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F-1 |
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F-2 |
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F-3 |
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F-5 |
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F-6 |
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Item 2 |
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
20 |
Item 3 |
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30 |
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Item 4 |
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30 |
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Item 1 |
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31 |
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Item 1A |
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31 |
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Item 2 |
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32 |
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Item 3 |
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32 |
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Item 4 |
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32 |
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Item 5 |
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32 |
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Item 6 |
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33 |
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35 |
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements (unaudited)
PHATHOM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and par value amounts)
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June 30, |
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December 31, |
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Assets |
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Current assets: |
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Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
207,392 |
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$ |
183,259 |
|
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
|
1,865 |
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|
|
3,267 |
|
Total current assets |
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209,257 |
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186,526 |
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Property, plant and equipment, net |
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883 |
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650 |
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Operating lease right-of-use assets |
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2,557 |
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1,914 |
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Other long-term assets |
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805 |
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|
|
341 |
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Total assets |
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$ |
213,502 |
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$ |
189,431 |
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Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity |
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Current liabilities: |
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Accounts payable (including related party amounts of $69 and $1,343, respectively) |
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5,758 |
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5,150 |
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Accrued clinical trial expenses |
|
|
341 |
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1,402 |
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Accrued expenses (including related party amounts of $2,501 and $2,330, respectively) |
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13,783 |
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11,405 |
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Accrued interest |
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565 |
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|
477 |
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Operating lease liabilities, current |
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628 |
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|
487 |
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Total current liabilities |
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21,075 |
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18,921 |
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Long-term debt, net of discount |
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92,432 |
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89,671 |
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Revenue interest financing liability |
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98,103 |
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|
|
— |
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Operating lease liabilities |
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1,392 |
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|
1,183 |
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Other long-term liabilities |
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7,500 |
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7,500 |
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Total liabilities |
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220,502 |
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117,275 |
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Stockholders’ equity: |
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Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; authorized shares — 40,000,000; no shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 |
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Common stock, $0.0001 par value; authorized shares — 400,000,000; issued shares — 39,072,046 and 31,656,035 at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively; outstanding shares — 38,372,403 and 30,511,226 at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively |
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3 |
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3 |
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Treasury stock — 19 and 1 at June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively |
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Additional paid-in capital |
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613,952 |
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601,523 |
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Accumulated deficit |
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(620,955 |
) |
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|
(529,370 |
) |
Total stockholders’ equity (deficit) |
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(7,000 |
) |
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|
72,156 |
|
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
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$ |
213,502 |
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$ |
189,431 |
|
See accompanying notes.
F-1
PHATHOM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
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Three Months Ended |
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Six Months Ended |
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2022 |
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2021 |
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2022 |
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2021 |
Operating expenses: |
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Research and development (includes related party amounts of $370, $905, $1,800, and $1,846, respectively) |
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$18,815 |
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$21,597 |
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$36,475 |
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$42,178 |
General and administrative (includes related party amounts of $0, $0, $0, and $16, respectively) |
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26,548 |
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13,722 |
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46,794 |
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26,725 |
Total operating expenses |
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45,363 |
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35,319 |
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83,269 |
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68,903 |
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Loss from operations |
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(45,363) |
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(35,319) |
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(83,269) |
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(68,903) |
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Other income (expense): |
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Interest income |
|
112 |
|
13 |
|
119 |
|
27 |
Interest expense |
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(5,667) |
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(1,256) |
|
(8,426) |
|
(2,528) |
Other (expense) |
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(2) |
|
10 |
|
(9) |
|
9 |
Total other (expense) |
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(5,557) |
|
(1,233) |
|
(8,316) |
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(2,492) |
Net loss and comprehensive loss |
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$(50,920) |
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$(36,552) |
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$(91,585) |
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$(71,395) |
Net loss per share, basic and diluted |
|
$(1.33) |
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$(1.00) |
|
$(2.40) |
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$(1.96) |
Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding, basic and diluted |
|
38,272,044 |
|
36,636,164 |
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38,155,151 |
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36,468,498 |
See accompanying notes.
F-2
PHATHOM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (deficit)
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share amounts)
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Common Stock |
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Treasury Stock |
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Additional |
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Accumulated |
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Total |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Shares |
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Capital |
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Deficit |
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Equity |
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Balance at December 31, 2021 |
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30,511,226 |
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$ |
3 |
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|
1 |
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$ |
601,523 |
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$ |
(529,370 |
) |
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$ |
72,156 |
|
Cashless exercise of common stock warrants |
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7,359,285 |
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|
— |
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18 |
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— |
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— |
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— |
|
401(k) matching contribution |
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16,756 |
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— |
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— |
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254 |
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— |
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254 |
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Vesting of restricted shares |
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|
222,595 |
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|
|
— |
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— |
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— |
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|
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— |
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— |
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Stock-based compensation |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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5,775 |
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— |
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|
5,775 |
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ESPP shares issued |
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|
39,951 |
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— |
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— |
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|
515 |
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— |
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|
515 |
|
Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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— |
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(40,665 |
) |
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(40,665 |
) |
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Balance at March 31, 2022 |
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38,149,813 |
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|
$ |
3 |
|
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|
19 |
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|
$ |
608,067 |
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|
$ |
(570,035 |
) |
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$ |
38,035 |
|
Vesting of restricted shares |
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|
222,590 |
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|
— |
|
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— |
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|
|
— |
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|
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— |
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|
— |
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Stock-based compensation |
|
|
— |
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|
— |
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|
— |
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|
5,885 |
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— |
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|
5,885 |
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Net loss |
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— |
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— |
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|
— |
|
|
|
— |
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(50,920 |
) |
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(50,920 |
) |
Balance at June 30, 2022 |
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38,372,403 |
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|
3 |
|
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|
19 |
|
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|
613,952 |
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|
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(620,955 |
) |
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(7,000 |
) |
See accompanying notes.
F-3
PHATHOM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share amounts)
|
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Common Stock |
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Treasury Stock |
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Additional |
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Accumulated |
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Total |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Shares |
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Capital |
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Deficit |
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Equity |
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||||||
Balance at December 31, 2020 |
|
|
28,516,010 |
|
|
$ |
3 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
579,755 |
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|
$ |
(385,487 |
) |
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$ |
194,271 |
|
Issuance of common stock from exercise of stock options |
|
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36,998 |
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|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
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|
412 |
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|
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— |
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|
412 |
|
401(k) matching contribution |
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8,356 |
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|
— |
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|
|
— |
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|
|
323 |
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|
|
— |
|
|
|
323 |
|
Vesting of restricted shares |
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|
301,656 |
|
|
|
— |
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|
— |
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|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
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|
— |
|
Stock-based compensation |
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|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
3,818 |
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|
|
— |
|
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|
3,818 |
|
ESPP shares issued |
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|
13,490 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
358 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
358 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(34,843 |
) |
|
|
(34,843 |
) |
Balance at March 31, 2021 |
|
|
28,876,510 |
|
|
$ |
3 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
584,666 |
|
|
$ |
(420,330 |
) |
|
$ |
164,339 |
|
Issuance of common stock from exercise of stock options |
|
|
8,000 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
104 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
104 |
|
Vesting of restricted shares |
|
|
301,659 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Stock-based compensation |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
4,237 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
4,237 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(36,552 |
) |
|
|
(36,552 |
) |
Balance at June 30, 2021 |
|
|
29,186,169 |
|
|
$ |
3 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
589,007 |
|
|
$ |
(456,882 |
) |
|
$ |
132,128 |
|
See accompanying notes.
F-4
PHATHOM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)
|
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Six Months Ended |
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2022 |
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2021 |
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Cash flows from operating activities |
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Net loss |
|
$ |
(91,585 |
) |
|
$ |
(71,395 |
) |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
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Depreciation and amortization |
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|
277 |
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|
256 |
|
Stock-based compensation |
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|
11,660 |
|
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|
8,055 |
|
Issuance of PIK interest debt |
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|
1,713 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Accrued interest on revenue interest financing liability |
|
|
2,657 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Amortization of debt discount |
|
|
1,049 |
|
|
|
698 |
|
Other |
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|
874 |
|
|
|
540 |
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets (includes the change in related party |
|
|
1,402 |
|
|
|
2,203 |
|
Accounts payable and accrued expenses (includes the change in related party |
|
|
2,865 |
|
|
|
(12,860 |
) |
Accrued clinical trial expenses |
|
|
(1,061 |
) |
|
|
(5,759 |
) |
Accrued interest |
|
|
88 |
|
|
|
(10 |
) |
Operating right-of-use asset and lease liabilities |
|
|
(293 |
) |
|
|
50 |
|
Other long-term assets |
|
|
(464 |
) |
|
|
93 |
|
Net cash used in operating activities |
|
|
(70,818 |
) |
|
|
(78,129 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Cash flows from investing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Cash paid for property, plant and equipment |
|
|
(495 |
) |
|
|
(214 |
) |
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
|
(495 |
) |
|
|
(214 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Cash flows from financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Proceeds from issuance of common stock from exercise of stock options |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
516 |
|
Net proceeds from revenue interest financing transaction |
|
|
95,446 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
95,446 |
|
|
|
516 |
|
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
24,133 |
|
|
|
(77,827 |
) |
Cash and cash equivalents – beginning of period |
|
|
183,259 |
|
|
|
287,496 |
|
Cash and cash equivalents – end of period |
|
$ |
207,392 |
|
|
$ |
209,669 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Interest paid |
|
$ |
2,919 |
|
|
$ |
1,833 |
|
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Property and equipment purchases included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities |
|
$ |
16 |
|
|
$ |
3 |
|
Operating lease liabilities arising from obtaining right-of-use assets |
|
$ |
554 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
Settlement of ESPP liability in common stock |
|
$ |
515 |
|
|
$ |
358 |
|
Settlement of 401(k) liability in common stock |
|
$ |
254 |
|
|
$ |
323 |
|
See accompanying notes.
F-5
PHATHOM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
1. Organization, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Organization and Basis of Presentation
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or the Company or Phathom, was incorporated in the state of Delaware in January 2018. The Company is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel treatments for gastrointestinal diseases. The Company’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
From inception to June 30, 2022, the Company has devoted substantially all of its efforts to organizing and staffing the Company, business planning, raising capital, in-licensing its initial product candidate, vonoprazan, meeting with regulatory authorities, managing the clinical trials of vonoprazan, preparing for commercialization of its initial products containing vonoprazan, and providing other general and administrative support for these operations. The Company has a limited operating history, has never generated any revenue, and the sales and income potential of its business is unproven. The Company has incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operating activities since its inception and expects to continue to incur additional net losses in the future as it continues to develop and prepares for commercialization of vonoprazan. From inception to June 30, 2022, the Company has funded its operations through the issuance of convertible promissory notes, commercial bank debt, the sale of 10,997,630 shares of common stock for net proceeds of approximately $191.5 million in its 2019 IPO, and the sale of 2,250,000 shares of common stock for net proceeds of approximately $88.6 million in its December 2020 follow-on public offering.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business, and do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or amounts and classification of liabilities in accordance with GAAP. Management is required to perform a two-step analysis over the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management must first evaluate whether there are conditions and events that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern (Step 1). If management concludes that substantial doubt is raised, management is also required to consider whether its plans alleviate that doubt (Step 2).
Management believes that it has sufficient working capital on hand to fund operations through at least the next twelve months from the date these financial statements were issued. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in acquiring additional funding, if needed, that the Company’s projections of its future working capital needs will prove accurate, or that any additional funding would be sufficient to continue operations in future years.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the Company’s financial statements requires it to make estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the Company’s financial statements and accompanying notes. The most significant estimates in the Company’s financial statements relate to accruals for research and development expenses and the valuation of various equity instruments. Although these estimates are based on the Company’s knowledge of current events and actions it may undertake in the future, actual results could differ materially from those estimates and assumptions.
Fair Value Measurements
The accounting guidance defines fair value, establishes a consistent framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure for each major asset and liability category measured at fair value on either a recurring or non-recurring basis. Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, the accounting guidance establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
Level 1: Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets.
Level 2: Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions.
F-6
The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, are classified within the Level 1 designation discussed above, while prepaid and other current assets, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities, approximate fair value due to their short maturities.
The Company has no financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis. None of the Company’s non-financial assets or liabilities are recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis. No transfers between levels have occurred during the periods presented.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents include cash in readily available checking accounts and money market funds.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains deposits in federally insured financial institutions in excess of federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts and management believes that the Company is not exposed to significant credit risk due to the financial position of the depository institutions in which those deposits are held.
Property, Plant, and Equipment, Net
Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation expense is recognized using the straight-line method over the useful life of the asset. Computer equipment and related software are depreciated over to three years. Furniture and fixtures are depreciated over three years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the lease term or the estimated useful lives of the related assets. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance of assets are charged to expense as incurred. Upon retirement or sale, the cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets disposed of are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in loss from operations.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets, including property, plant and equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition are less than the carrying amount. The impairment loss, if recognized, would be based on the excess of the carrying value of the impaired asset over its respective fair value. No impairment losses have been recorded through June 30, 2022.
F-7
Leases
At the inception of a contractual arrangement, the Company determines whether the contract contains a lease by assessing whether there is an identified asset and whether the contract conveys the right to control the use of the identified asset in exchange for consideration over a period of time. If both criteria are met, the Company records the associated lease liability and corresponding right-of-use asset upon commencement of the lease using the implicit rate or a discount rate based on a credit-adjusted secured borrowing rate commensurate with the term of the lease. The Company additionally evaluates leases at their inception to determine if they are to be accounted for as an operating lease or a finance lease. A lease is accounted for as a finance lease if it meets one of the following five criteria: the lease has a purchase option that is reasonably certain of being exercised, the present value of the future cash flows is substantially all of the fair market value of the underlying asset, the lease term is for a significant portion of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset, the title to the underlying asset transfers at the end of the lease term, or if the underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative uses to the lessor at the end of the term. Leases that do not meet the finance lease criteria are accounted for as an operating lease. Operating lease assets represent a right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease liabilities with a term greater than one year and their corresponding right-of-use assets are recognized on the balance sheet at the commencement date of the lease based on the present value of lease payments over the expected lease term. Certain adjustments to the right-of-use asset may be required for items such as initial direct costs paid or incentives received. As the Company’s leases do not typically provide an implicit rate, the Company utilizes the appropriate incremental borrowing rate, determined as the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term and in a similar economic environment. Lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and variable lease payments are recognized as operating expenses in the period in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. Variable lease payments primarily include common area maintenance, utilities, real estate taxes, insurance, and other operating costs that are passed on from the lessor in proportion to the space leased by the Company. The Company has elected the practical expedient to not separate between lease and non-lease components. In addition, the Company elected the short-term lease exception for leases with an initial term of one year or less. Consequently, such leases are not recorded on the Company's balance sheets.
Revenue Interest Financing Liability
The Company entered into a revenue interest financing agreement, or the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement, with entities managed or advised by NovaQuest Capital Management, or NQ, Sagard Holdings Manager LP, or Sagard, and Hercules Capital, Inc., or Hercules, together with NQ and Sagard, the Initial Investors, in which the Company received funds in return for royalties on net sales of products containing vonoprazan. The net proceeds received under the transaction were recognized as a long-term liability with interest expense based on an imputed effective rate derived from the expected future payments. The Company recalculates the effective interest rate each period based on the current carrying value and the revised estimated future payments. Changes in future payments from previous estimates are included in current and future financing expense.
Research and Development Expenses and Accruals
All research and development costs are expensed in the period incurred and consist primarily of salaries, payroll taxes, employee benefits, stock-based compensation charges for those individuals involved in research and development efforts, external research and development costs incurred under agreements with contract research organizations and consultants to conduct and support the Company’s ongoing clinical trials of vonoprazan, and costs related to manufacturing vonoprazan for clinical trials.
The Company has entered into various research and development contracts with clinical research organizations, clinical manufacturing organizations and other companies. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and payments made in advance of or after performance are reflected in the accompanying balance sheets as prepaid expenses or accrued liabilities, respectively. The Company records accruals for estimated costs incurred for ongoing research and development activities. When evaluating the adequacy of the accrued liabilities, the Company analyzes progress of the services, including the phase or completion of events, invoices received and contracted costs. Significant judgments and estimates may be made in determining the prepaid or accrued balances at the end of any reporting period. Actual results could differ from the Company’s estimates.
In-Process Research and Development
The Company evaluates whether acquired intangible assets are a business under applicable accounting standards. Additionally, the Company evaluates whether the acquired assets have a future alternative use. Intangible assets that do not have future alternative use are considered acquired in-process research and development. When the acquired in-process research and development assets are not part of a business combination, the value of the consideration paid is expensed on the acquisition date. Future costs to develop these assets are recorded to research and development expense as they are incurred.
F-8
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist of salaries, stock-based compensation, facilities and third-party expenses. General and administrative expenses are associated with the activities of the executive, finance, accounting, information technology, legal, medical affairs and human resource functions.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation expense represents the cost of the grant date fair value of equity awards recognized over the requisite service period of the awards (generally the vesting period) on a straight-line basis with forfeitures recognized as they occur.
The Company also maintains an employee stock purchase program, or ESPP, under which it may issue shares. The Company estimates the fair value of shares that will be issued under the ESPP, and of stock options using the Black-Scholes valuation model, which requires the use of estimates. The Company recognizes stock-based compensation cost for shares that it will issue under the ESPP on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the statement of operations in the period that includes the enactment date.
The Company recognizes net deferred tax assets to the extent that the Company believes these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, management considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If management determines that the Company would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, management would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes.
The Company records uncertain tax positions on the basis of a two-step process whereby (i) management determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (ii) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, management recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within income tax expense. Any accrued interest and penalties are included within the related tax liability.
Beginning in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, eliminates the option to deduct research and development expenditures currently and requires taxpayers to amortize domestic and foreign research and development expenditures over 5 years and 15 years, respectively. The requirement did not impact cash from operations in the current period.
Comprehensive Loss
Comprehensive loss is defined as a change in equity during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources. The Company’s comprehensive loss was the same as its reported net loss for all periods presented.
Segment Reporting
Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker in making decisions on how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company views its operations and manages its business as one operating segment.
F-9
Net Loss Per Share
Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period, without consideration for potentially dilutive securities. The Company included 7,588,000 shares of common stock under its warrant (the “Takeda Warrant”) issued to Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) in connection with a May 2019 license agreement (see Note 4) in the calculation of basic weighted-average common shares outstanding from the time it became exercisable at the Company’s IPO until its exercise because the Takeda Warrant was exercisable for little consideration. As of June 30, 2022, all Takeda Warrants has been exercised and no Takeda Warrants remain exercisable. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company has excluded weighted-average unvested shares of 800,002 and 910,828, respectively, from the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding, compared to 2,280,603 and 2,430,800, respectively for the same periods in 2021. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares and dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding for the period determined using the treasury-stock and if-converted methods. Dilutive common stock equivalents are comprised of unvested common stock, options and warrants. For the periods presented, there is no difference in the number of shares used to calculate basic and diluted shares outstanding as inclusion of the potentially dilutive securities (warrants, stock options, and common shares subject to repurchase) would be antidilutive.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
There were no recently adopted accounting standards which would have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
The Company assesses the adoption impacts of recently issued accounting standards by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other standard setting bodies on the Company's financial statements as well as material updates to previous assessments, if any, from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. There were no new material accounting standards issued in the first half of 2022 that impacted the Company.
2. Balance Sheet Details
Property, Plant and Equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment, net, consist of the following (in thousands):
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
||
Computer equipment and software |
|
$ |
904 |
|
|
$ |
646 |
|
Furniture and fixtures |
|
|
1,023 |
|
|
|
780 |
|
Leasehold improvements |
|
|
85 |
|
|
|
76 |
|
|
|
|
2,012 |
|
|
|
1,502 |
|
Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization |
|
|
(1,129 |
) |
|
|
(852 |
) |
Total property, plant and equipment, net |
|
$ |
883 |
|
|
$ |
650 |
|
Depreciation expense for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 was approximately $149,000 and $131,000, respectively. Depreciation and amortization expense for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, was approximately $277,000 and $256,000, respectively. No property, plant or equipment was disposed of during the six months ended June 30, 2022 or the year ended December 31, 2021.
Accrued Expenses
Accrued expenses consist of the following (in thousands):
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
||
Accrued research and development expenses |
|
$ |
4,314 |
|
|
$ |
3,165 |
|
Accrued compensation expenses |
|
|
5,201 |
|
|
|
6,344 |
|
Accrued professional & consulting expenses |
|
|
4,229 |
|
|
|
1,855 |
|
Accrued other |
|
|
39 |
|
|
|
41 |
|
Total accrued expenses |
|
$ |
13,783 |
|
|
$ |
11,405 |
|
F-10
3. Related Party Transactions
Frazier is a principal stockholder of the Company. The Company has conducted operations within office space controlled by Frazier and Frazier allocated a portion of the costs associated with this office space to the Company. In addition, Frazier paid for various goods and services, such as employee wages, insurance and expense reimbursements and various administrative services associated with the operations of the Company and charged the Company for those expenses. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 the Company had outstanding accounts payable and accrued expenses due to Frazier in the amount of $0, related to these shared operating expenses. For the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $0, respectively, of shared operating expenses. For the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $0 and $16,000, respectively, of shared operating expenses.
Frazier is a principal stockholder in PCI Pharma Services (“PCI”). In the third quarter of 2019, the Company engaged PCI for clinical manufacturing services. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company had $1.2 million and $1.7 million, respectively, outstanding accounts payable and accrued expenses related to these manufacturing services. For the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $0.1 million and $0.7 million, respectively, of expenses related to services performed by PCI. For the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $0.4 million and $1.6 million, respectively, of expenses related to services performed by PCI.
Takeda became a common stockholder of the Company in connection with the May 2019 license agreement (see Note 4). In conjunction with this license, Takeda provides proprietary supplies for the Company’s ongoing clinical development of vonoprazan in addition to the exclusive license for the commercialization of vonoprazan in the United States, Canada and Europe. On May 5, 2020, the Company entered into a Commercial Supply Agreement, or the Commercial Supply Agreement, with Takeda, pursuant to which Takeda will supply commercial quantities of vonoprazan bulk drug product or drug substance. Pursuant to the Commercial Supply Agreement, Takeda has agreed to supply the Company with, and the Company has agreed to purchase from Takeda, certain quantities of vonoprazan bulk drug product according to approved specifications at a fixed price per batch of bulk drug product in order to commercialize vonoprazan in accordance with the Takeda License. Unless terminated earlier, the term of the Commercial Supply Agreement extends for a period of two years from the date the Company places an order for bulk drug product or drug substance for the first commercial launch of vonoprazan in any jurisdiction in the licensed territory, provided that this two-year period will expire no later than December 31, 2023. The Commercial Supply Agreement will terminate immediately upon the termination of the Takeda License in accordance with its terms. In connection with the Takeda License, the Company entered into a temporary services agreement, or the Temporary Services Agreement, with Takeda on November 24, 2020. Pursuant to the Temporary Services Agreement, Takeda agreed to provide or procure the provision of services related to the ongoing clinical development of vonoprazan. The Temporary Services Agreement will terminate immediately upon termination of the Takeda License in accordance with its terms. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company had $1.4 million and $0.9 million, respectively, in outstanding accounts payable and accrued expenses related to these agreements. For the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively, of expenses related to these agreements. For the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred $1.3 million and $0.2 million, respectively, of expenses related to these agreements. The Company has no remaining minimum purchase obligation related to these agreements.
4. Commitments and Contingencies
License Agreement
On May 7, 2019, the Company entered into a license agreement with Takeda pursuant to which it was granted an exclusive license to commercialize vonoprazan fumarate in the United States, Canada and Europe, or, the Takeda License. The Company also has the right to sublicense its rights under the agreement, subject to certain conditions. The agreement will remain in effect, on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis, until the later of (i) the expiration of the last to expire valid patent claim covering vonoprazan fumarate alone or in combination with at least one other therapeutically active ingredient, (ii) the expiration of the applicable regulatory exclusivity and (iii) 15 years from the date of first commercial sale, unless earlier terminated. The Company may terminate the Takeda License upon six months’ written notice. The Company and Takeda may terminate the Takeda License in the case of the other party’s insolvency or material uncured breach. Takeda may terminate the Takeda License if the Company challenges, or assists in challenging, licensed patents.
F-11
In consideration of the Takeda License, the Company (i) paid Takeda $25.0 million in cash, (ii) issued Takeda 1,084,000 shares of its common stock at a fair value of $5.9 million, (iii) issued the Takeda Warrant to purchase 7,588,000 shares of its common stock at an exercise price of $0.00004613 per share at an initial fair value of $47.9 million, and (iv) issued a right to receive an additional common stock warrant, or, the Takeda Warrant Right, should Takeda’s fully-diluted ownership of the Company represent less than a certain specified percentage of the fully-diluted capitalization, including shares issuable upon conversion of then outstanding convertible promissory notes, calculated immediately before the closing of the Company’s IPO, with a nominal initial fair value due to the low probability of issuance. The Takeda Warrant Right expired without effect since no fair value had been allocated to it upon completion of the IPO, and no additional warrant was issued. In addition, the Company is obligated to pay Takeda up to an aggregate of $250.0 million in sales milestones upon the achievement of specified levels of product sales, and a low double-digit royalty rate on aggregate net sales of licensed products, subject to certain adjustments. The Takeda Warrant has an exercise price of $0.00004613 per share, expires on May 7, 2029 and became exercisable upon the consummation of the IPO. As of June 30, 2022, all Takeda Warrants have been exercised.
Purchase Commitments
In December 2020, the Company entered into a supply agreement with Sandoz pursuant to which Sandoz will supply commercial quantities of amoxicillin capsules and clarithromycin tablets, package these antibiotics with vonoprazan, and provide in finished convenience packs. The supply agreement commits the Company to a minimum purchase obligation of approximately $3.8 million in the first 24-month period following the launch of the final product. The Company has not incurred any expenses under the agreement during the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021.
Contingencies
In the event the Company becomes subject to claims or suits arising in the ordinary course of business, the Company would accrue a liability for such matters when it is probable that future expenditures will be made and such expenditures can be reasonably estimated.
5. Lease Commitments
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had operating leases for office space in both Buffalo Grove, Illinois and Florham Park, New Jersey, with remaining lease terms of 2.8 years and 3.2 years, respectively. All operating leases contain an option to extend the term for one additional five year period, which was not considered in the determination of the right-of-use asset or lease liability as the Company did not consider it reasonably certain that it would exercise such options.
The total rent expense for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 was approximately $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively. The total rent expense for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 was approximately $0.4 million and $0.4 million, respectively
The following table summarizes supplemental balance sheet information related to the operating leases (in thousands):
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
||
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Operating lease right-of-use assets |
|
|
2,557 |
|
|
|
1,914 |
|
Total right-of-use assets |
|
$ |
2,557 |
|
|
$ |
1,914 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Operating lease liabilities, current |
|
|
628 |
|
|
|
487 |
|
Operating lease liabilities, non-current |
|
|
1,392 |
|
|
|
1,183 |
|
Total operating lease liabilities |
|
$ |
2,020 |
|
|
$ |
1,670 |
|
F-12
As of June 30, 2022, the future minimum annual lease payments under the operating leases were as follows (in thousands):
2022 |
|
$ |
289 |
|
2023 |
|
|
734 |
|
2024 |
|
|
753 |
|
Thereafter |
|
|
513 |
|
Total minimum lease payments |
|
$ |
2,289 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less: amount representing interest |
|
|
(269 |
) |
Present value of operating lease liabilities |
|
|
2,020 |
|
Less: operating lease liabilities, current |
|
|
(628 |
) |
Operating lease liabilities |
|
$ |
1,392 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted-average remaining lease term (in years) |
|
|
3.09 |
|
Weighted-average incremental borrowing rate |
|
|
8.13 |
% |
Operating cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 included cash payments for operating leases of approximately $0.7 million and $0.3 million, respectively.
On February 8, 2022, the Company entered into an operating lease for 6,250 rentable square feet of additional office space in Florham Park, New Jersey. The lease liability and the corresponding right-of-use asset associated with this lease obligation was recorded upon the June 14, 2022 commencement date of the lease.
The Company also entered into one year leases for passenger vehicles during 2022. The Company elected the short-term lease exception for these leases and did not recognize a right-of-use asset and operating lease liability related to these leases.
6. Debt
Total debt consists of the following (in thousands):
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
Long-term debt, current portion |
|
$ |
— |
|
Long-term debt, non-current portion |
|
|
102,703 |
|
Unamortized debt discount |
|
|
(10,271 |
) |
Total debt, net of debt discount |
|
$ |
92,432 |
|
On September 17, 2021, or the Closing Date, the Company entered into a Loan and Security Agreement, or, the Loan Agreement, with Hercules Capital, Inc., in its capacity as administrative agent and collateral agent and as a lender, or, in such capacity, the Agent or Hercules, and the other financial institutions that from time to time become parties to the Loan Agreement as lenders, or, collectively, the Lenders.
The Loan Agreement provides for term loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $200.0 million, or the Term Loan, under multiple tranches. The tranches consist of (i) a first tranche consisting of term loans in an aggregate principal amount of $100.0 million, all of which was funded to the Company on the Closing Date, or First Advance, (ii) a second tranche consisting of up to an additional $50.0 million, which became available to the Company upon achievement of the protocol-specified primary efficacy endpoints in the Company’s Phase 3 trial studying vonoprazan for the healing and maintenance of healing of erosive esophagitis with acceptable safety data, such that the results support the submission of a New Drug Application, or NDA, or supplemental NDA without the need to conduct another Phase 3 study and will be available, if specified conditions are met, through December 15, 2022, (iii) a third and fourth tranches consisting of an additional total $50.0 million, which became available to the Company in May 2022 upon the achievement of (a) Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approval of the Company’s NDA for vonoprazan and amoxicillin, or its New Drug Application for vonoprazan, amoxicillin and clarithromycin, in each case for an indication relating to the treatment of Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori, with an approved indication on the claim that is generally consistent with that sought in the Company’s NDA submission; and (b) filing of the Company’s NDA or supplemental NDA for vonoprazan for indications relating to the healing and maintenance of healing of erosive esophagitis.
The Company paid a $1.25 million facility charge in connection with closing of the Loan Agreement and would need to pay 0.5% of any advances made under the third and fourth tranches.
F-13
The Term Loan will mature on October 1, 2026, or the Maturity Date. The Term Loan bears (i) cash interest at a variable annual rate equal to the greater of (a) 5.50% and (b) the Prime Rate (as reported in the Wall Street Journal) plus 2.25%, or the “Interest Rate”, and (ii) payment-in-kind interest at a per annum rate of interest equal to 3.35%. Phathom may make payments of interest only through October 1, 2024, which was extended to October 1, 2025, upon the achievement of the Second Performance Milestone in May 2022 prior to September 30, 2024 and met the condition that no default or event of default exists, and which is further extendable to October 1, 2026, subject to FDA approval of the Company’s NDA (or supplemental NDA) for vonoprazan for an indication relating to the healing and maintenance of healing of erosive esophagitis with an approved indication on the label that is generally consistent with that sought in the Company’s NDA submission (or supplemental NDA submission), or the Third Performance Milestone, on or prior to September 30, 2025 and no default or event of default exists (the “interest only period”). After the interest-only period, the principal balance and related interest will be required to be repaid in equal monthly installments and continuing until the Maturity Date.
In addition, the Company is obligated to pay a final payment fee of 7.50% of the original principal amount of amounts actually advanced under the Term Loan, or, each a Term Loan Advance and together, the Term Loan Advances. As of June 30, 2022, the aggregate final payment fee for the first Term Loan Advance of $7.5 million has been recorded as an other long-term liability.
The Company may elect to prepay all or a portion of the Term Loan Advances prior to maturity, subject to a prepayment fee of up to 1.25% of the then outstanding principal balance of the Term Loan Advances being prepaid. After repayment, no Term Loan amounts may be borrowed again.
As collateral for the obligations, the Company has granted to Hercules a senior security interest in all of Company’s right, title, and interest in, to and under substantially all of Company’s property, inclusive of intellectual property.
The Loan Agreement contains customary closing fees, prepayment fees and provisions, events of default, and representations, warranties and covenants, including a financial covenant requiring Phathom to maintain certain levels of cash subject to a control agreement in favor of the Agent (minus accounts payable not paid within 120 days of invoice), or Qualified Cash, and commencing on May 15, 2023, trailing three-month net product revenue from the sale of vonoprazan and products containing vonoprazan. The revenue covenant will be waived at any time in which the Company maintains Qualified Cash equal to at least 60.0% (prior to the Third Performance Milestone), and 35% (following the Third Performance Milestone) of the total outstanding Term Loan principal amount, or the Company’s market capitalization is at least $900.0 million. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, subject to any specified cure periods, all amounts owed by the Company may be declared immediately due and payable by Hercules, as collateral agent. As of June 30, 2022, the Company was in compliance with all applicable covenants under the Loan Agreement.
In connection with the entry into the Loan Agreement, the Company issued to Hercules a warrant, or, the Warrant, to purchase a number of shares of the Company’s common stock equal to 2.5% of the aggregate amount of the Term Loan advances funded, and will issue to Hercules additional warrants when future Term Loan advances are funded. On the Closing Date, the Company issued a Warrant for 74,782 shares of common stock. The Warrant will be exercisable for a period of seven years from the date of issuance at a per-share exercise price equal to $33.43, which was the closing price of the Company’s common stock on September 16, 2021. The Warrant is exercisable any time until September 17, 2028 and had an initial fair value of approximately $1.3 million.
The initial $1.3 million fair value of the Warrant, the $7.5 million final interest payment fee and $3.1 million of debt issuance costs have been recorded as debt discount and are being amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the Term Loan.
Future minimum principal and interest payments under the Term Loan, including the final payment fee, as of June 30, 2022 are as follows (in thousands):
Year ending December 31: |
|
|
|
|
2022 |
|
$ |
3,638 |
|
2023 |
|
|
7,510 |
|
2024 |
|
|
7,790 |
|
2025 |
|
|
30,139 |
|
2026 |
|
|
105,773 |
|
Total principal and interest payments |
|
|
154,850 |
|
Less interest and final payment fee |
|
|
(54,850 |
) |
Total term loan borrowings |
|
$ |
100,000 |
|
Prior to the Loan Agreement with Hercules, the Company had a loan with Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, and approximately $54.3 million of the proceeds from the First Advance was used to satisfy in full and retire the Company’s indebtedness under the SVB Term Loan with SVB, including accrued interest through the payoff date.
F-14
During the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recognized $3.0 million and $5.8 million, respectively, of interest expense, including amortization of the debt discount, in connection with the Hercules Loan Agreement compared to $1.2 million and $2.5 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2021 in connection with the SVB Term Loan. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had outstanding loan balance of $102.7 million and accrued interest of $0.6 million.
7. Revenue Interest Financing Liability
On May 3, 2022, Phathom entered into a Revenue Interest Financing Agreement with Initial Investors NQ, Sagard, and Hercules pursuant to which the Company will receive up to $260 million in funding from the Initial Investors. Under the terms of the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement, the Company received $100 million at the initial closing and can receive an additional $160 million upon FDA approval of vonoprazan for treatment of erosive esophagitis on or before March 31, 2024. At any time prior to December 31, 2022, the Company also has the right to obtain a written commitment from a third party for up to $15 million of funding upon FDA approval of vonoprazan for erosive esophagitis. In addition, the Company has the right at any time prior to June 30, 2024, to obtain a written commitment from a third party for up to $25 million of funding upon achievement of a sales milestone. The Initial Investors have a right of first offer if the Company seeks to obtain such additional funding. The total amount funded by the Initial Investors and any subsequent investors is referred to herein as the Investment Amount.
Under the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement, the investors are entitled to receive a 10% royalty on net sales of products containing vonoprazan. The royalty rate is subject to a step-down on net sales exceeding certain annual thresholds and if the Company receives FDA approval for vonoprazan for an indication relating to the treatment of heartburn associated with symptomatic non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease, or NERD. The investors’ right to receive royalties on net sales will terminate when the investors have aggregate payments equal to 200% of the Investment Amount. In addition, at any time after the earlier of (i) April 30, 2024 and (ii) the date that the payment for erosive esophagitis regulatory approval is made, the Company has the right to make a cap payment equal to 200% of the Investment Amount less any royalties already paid, at which time the agreement will terminate.
If the investors have not received aggregate payments of at least 100% of the Investment Amount by December 31, 2028, and at least 200% of the Investment Amount by December 31, 2037, each a Minimum Amount, then the Company will be obligated to make a cash payment to the investors in an amount sufficient to gross the investors up to the applicable Minimum Amount.
Upon the occurrence of an event of default taking place prior to April 1, 2025, between April 1, 2025, and April 1, 2028, and after April 1, 2028, the Company is obligated to pay 1.30 times Investment Amount, 1.65 times Investment Amount, and 2.0 times investment amount, respectively, less any amounts the Company previously paid pursuant to the agreement.
Upon the occurrence of a change in control event taking place prior to the earlier of April 1, 2024, or FDA approval of vonoprazan for erosive esophagitis, the Company is obligated to pay 200% of the Investment Amount plus either 15% of the Investment Amount if occurrence prior to May 3, 2023, or plus 30% of the Investment Amount if occurrence thereafter.
During the quarter ended June 30, 2022, the Company received gross proceeds of $100.0 million before deducting transaction costs of $4.6 million, which resulted in net proceeds of $95.4 million.
The Company has evaluated the terms of the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement and concluded that the features of the Investment Amount are similar to those of a debt instrument. Accordingly, the Company has accounted for the transaction as a debt obligation with interest expense based on an imputed effective rate derived from the initial carrying value of the obligation and the expected future payments. The Company recalculates the effective interest rate each period based on the current carrying value and the revised estimated future payments. Changes in future payments from previous estimates are included in the current and future financing expense. The carrying value of the revenue interest financing liability was $98.1million as of June 30, 2022.
Total revenue interest financing liability consists of the following (in thousands):
|
June 30, |
|
|
Beginning liability balance |
$ |
— |
|
Proceeds from the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement |
|
100,000 |
|
Less: transaction costs |
|
(4,554 |
) |
Less: royalty payments and payables |
|
- |
|
Plus: interest expense |
|
2,657 |
|
Ending liability balance |
$ |
98,103 |
|
F-15
The Company will record liabilities associated with additional funding upon FDA approval of vonoprazan for erosive esophagitis and achievement of the sales milestone when such contingent events occur. To determine the accretion of the liability related to the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement, the Company is required to estimate the total amount of future royalty payments and estimated timing of such payments based on the Company’s revenue projections. As royalty payments are made, the balance of the debt obligation will be effectively repaid. Based on the Company’s periodic review, the exact timing of repayment is likely to be different in each reporting period as compared to those estimated in the Company’s initial revenue projections. A significant increase or decrease in actual net sales of vonoprazan compared to the Company’s revenue projections could impact the interest expense associated with the revenue interest financing liability. Also, the Company’s total obligation can vary depending on change in control or default events and the achievement of FDA approval of vonoprazan for erosive esophagitis and achievement of the sales milestone.
8. Stockholders’ Equity
Common Stock
In March 2019, subsequent to the Merger, the Company sold 1,491,072 shares of the Company’s common stock to Frazier.
In March 2019, the founders granted the Company a repurchase right for the 3,373,408 shares of common stock originally purchased in 2018. The Company has the right, but not the obligation, to repurchase unvested shares in the event the founder’s relationship with the Company is terminated, subject to certain limitations, at the original purchase price of the stock. The repurchase right lapsed for 843,352 shares in March 2019 and the repurchase right for the remaining 2,530,056 shares lapses in equal monthly amounts over the following 48-month period ending in March 2023. The fair value of the founder shares at the date the repurchase right was granted is being recognized as stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. As of June 30, 2022, 237,192 shares of common stock were subject to repurchase by the Company and the associated repurchase liability was not significant. The amount of recognized and unrecognized stock-based compensation related to the founder stock was immaterial for all periods presented.
In May 2019, the Company issued Takeda 1,084,000 shares of common stock in connection with the Takeda License.
For the period from January 1, 2019 to May 6, 2019, the Company issued 2,524,852 shares of common stock to various employees and consultants of the Company for aggregate proceeds of approximately $1,000. Upon issuance, these shares were subject to a repurchase option by the Company at the original purchase price of the shares. The repurchase rights generally lapse as to 25% of the shares on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date, and the repurchase right lapses as to th of the shares each one-month period thereafter, subject to the purchaser remaining continuously an employee, consultant or director of the Company. In November 2019, the Company repurchased 17,560 shares at the original purchase price for an aggregate purchase price of $5.20. As of June 30, 2022, 462,432 shares remain available for repurchase by the Company and the associated repurchase liability was not significant.
On October 29, 2019, upon completion of the IPO, the Company sold 10,997,630 shares of common stock, which included the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase 1,434,473 additional shares at a public offering price of $19.00 per share. The net proceeds were approximately $191.5 million, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering costs.
In November 2020, the Company entered into an Open Market Sale AgreementSM, or, the Sales Agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or, the Sales Agent, under which it may, from time to time, sell shares of its common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $125.0 million through the Sales Agent, or, the ATM Offering. Pursuant to the Sales Agreement, the Company will pay the Sales Agent a commission for its services in acting as an agent in the sale of common stock in an amount equal to 3% of the gross sales price per share sold. No shares were sold under the ATM Offering as of June 30, 2022.
On December 16, 2020, the Company completed an underwritten public offering, in which it sold 2,250,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $42.00 per share for total gross proceeds of $94.5 million. The net purchase price after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions was $39.48 per share, which generated net proceeds of $88.8 million. The Company incurred an additional $0.2 million of offering expenses in connection with this public offering.
A summary of the Company’s unvested shares is as follows:
Balance at December 31, 2021 |
|
|
1,144,809 |
|
Share vesting |
|
|
(445,185 |
) |
Balance at June 30, 2022 |
|
|
699,624 |
|
For accounting purposes, unvested shares of common stock are considered issued, but not outstanding until they vest.
F-16
Common stock reserved for future issuance consists of the following:
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
Common stock warrants |
|
|
91,228 |
|
Stock options, PSUs and RSUs outstanding |
|
|
6,624,915 |
|
Shares available for issuance under the 2019 Incentive Plan |
|
|
1,311,660 |
|
Shares available for issuance under the ESPP Plan |
|
|
802,085 |
|
Balance at June 30, 2022 |
|
|
8,829,888 |
|
Preferred Stock
The Company is authorized to issue up to 40 million shares of preferred stock. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Equity Incentive Plan
The Company’s 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Existing Incentive Plan”) provides for the grant of incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, and other stock awards to eligible recipients, including employees, directors or consultants of the Company. The Company had 2,231,739 shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the Existing Incentive Plan, of which, 1,400,528 stock options and 16,260 restricted stock awards were granted. As a result of the adoption of the 2019 Incentive Award Plan (the “2019 Plan”) in October 2019, no further shares are available for issuance under the Existing Incentive Plan.
2019 Incentive Award Plan
In October 2019, the board of directors adopted, and the Company’s stockholders approved, the 2019 Plan, which became effective in connection with the IPO. Under the 2019 Plan, the Company may grant stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other awards to individuals who are then employees, officers, non-employee directors or consultants of the Company or its subsidiaries. The number of shares initially available for issuance will be increased by (i) the number of shares subject to stock options or similar awards granted under the Existing Incentive Plan that expire or otherwise terminate without having been exercised in full after the effective date of the 2019 Plan and unvested shares issued pursuant to awards granted under the Existing Incentive Plan that are forfeited to or repurchased by the Company after the effective date of the 2019 Plan, with the maximum number of shares to be added to the 2019 Plan pursuant to clause (i) above equal to 1,416,788 shares, and (ii) an annual increase on January 1 of each calendar year beginning in 2020 and ending in 2029, equal to the lesser of (a) 5% of the shares of common stock outstanding on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (b) such smaller number of shares as determined by the board of directors. As of June 30, 2022, 1,311,660 shares remain available for issuance, which reflects 2,148,734 of stock option, performance-based unit, or PSU, and restricted stock unit, or RSU, awards granted, and 104,848 of awards cancelled or forfeited, during the six months ended June 30, 2022 as well as an annual increase of 1,582,802 shares authorized on January 1, 2022.
Performance-based Units
During 2020, the Company granted the initial PSUs whereby vesting depends upon the approval by the FDA of vonoprazan for H. pylori and then, or concurrent with, erosive esophagitis. In 2022, the Company granted an additional 37,500 PSUs to employees. As of June 30, 2022, the PSU milestones had not been achieved and no related compensation cost had been recognized. The following table summarizes PSU activity under the 2019 Incentive Award Plan during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
|
|
Number of |
|
|
Weighted- |
|
||
Unvested balance at December 31, 2021 |
|
|
394,300 |
|
|
$ |
32.23 |
|
Granted |
|
|
37,500 |
|
|
|
20.06 |
|
Vested |
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
||
Forfeited |
|
|
(11,250 |
) |
|
|
38.14 |
|
Unvested balance at June 30, 2022 |
|
|
420,550 |
|
|
$ |
30.99 |
|
As of June 30, 2022, there was approximately $13.0 million of related unrecognized compensation cost, which will begin to be recognized upon vesting.
F-17
Restricted Stock Units
During 2022, the Company granted 590,937 RSUs with vesting over time. The following table summarizes RSU activity under the 2019 Incentive Award Plan during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
|
|
Number of |
|
|
Weighted- |
|
||
Unvested balance at December 31, 2021 |
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
Granted |
|
|
590,937 |
|
|
|
11.66 |
|
Vested |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Forfeited |
|
|
(4,050 |
) |
|
|
15.21 |
|
Unvested balance at June 30, 2022 |
|
|
586,887 |
|
|
$ |
11.64 |
|
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had $6.0 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.1 years.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
In October 2019, the board of directors adopted, and the Company’s stockholders approved, the Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the ESPP, which became effective in connection with the IPO. The ESPP permits participants to purchase common stock through payroll deductions of up to 20% of their eligible compensation, which includes a participant’s gross base compensation for services to the Company, including overtime payments and excluding sales commissions, incentive compensation, bonuses, expense reimbursements, fringe benefits and other special payments. A total of 270,000 shares of common stock was initially reserved for issuance under the ESPP. In addition, the number of shares available for issuance under the ESPP will be annually increased on January 1 of each calendar year beginning in 2020 and ending in 2029, by an amount equal to the lesser of: (i) 1% of the shares outstanding on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (ii) such smaller number of shares as is determined by the board of directors. As of June 30, 2022, 802,085 shares of common stock remain available for issuance, which includes the 39,951 shares sold to employees during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
The ESPP is considered a compensatory plan, and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recorded related stock-based compensation of $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively, compared to $0.1 million and $0.2 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2021. The weighted-average assumptions used to estimate the fair value of ESPP awards using the Black-Scholes option valuation model were as follows:
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
|||||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
||
Assumptions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Expected term (in years) |
|
|
0.49 |
|
|
|
0.75 |
|
Expected volatility |
|
|
72.41 |
% |
|
|
81.83 |
% |
Risk free interest rate |
|
|
0.37 |
% |
|
|
0.10 |
% |
Dividend yield |
|
- |
|
|
- |
|
The estimated weighted-average fair value of ESPP awards for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, were $5.31 and $15.85, respectively. As of June 30, 2022, the total unrecognized compensation expense related to the ESPP was $28,000, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 0.5 months.
401(k) Plan
The Company established a 401(k) savings plan during the year ended December 31, 2020. The Company’s contributions to the plan are discretionary. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company incurred $0.3 million and $0.9 million, respectively, of expense related to estimated employer contribution liabilities, which was based on a 75% match of employees’ contributions during the periods, compared to $0.2 million and $0.6 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2021. In August 2021, the Board of Directors approved a semi-annual discretionary match for 2021, which was settled by contributing 18,394 shares. In January 2022, the Board of Directors approved a second semi-annual discretionary match for 2021, which was settled by contributing 16,756 shares.
F-18
Stock Options
The fair value of each employee and non-employee stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Company, prior to the IPO on October 29, 2019, was a private company and lacked company-specific historical and implied volatility information. Therefore, it estimated its expected volatility based on the historical volatility of a publicly traded set of peer companies. Due to the lack of historical exercise history, the expected term of the Company’s stock options for employees was determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards. The expected term of stock options granted to non-employees was equal to the contractual term of the option award. The risk-free interest rate was determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. Expected dividend yield was zero based on the fact that the Company has never paid cash dividends and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
A summary of the Company’s stock option activity and related information is as follows:
|
|
Options |
|
|
Weighted- |
|
|
Weighted- |
|
|
Aggregate |
|
||||
Balance at December 31, 2021 |
|
|
4,186,729 |
|
|
$ |
27.53 |
|
|
|
8.43 |
|
|
$ |
13,973 |
|
Options granted |
|
|
1,520,297 |
|
|
|
14.76 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Options exercised and shares vested |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Options forfeited, expired or cancelled |
|
|
(89,548 |
) |
|
|
32.99 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Balance at June 30, 2022 |
|
|
5,617,478 |
|
|
$ |
23.99 |
|
|
|
8.34 |
|
|
$ |
1,435 |
|
Options exercisable as of June 30, 2022 |
|
|
2,013,657 |
|
|
$ |
24.74 |
|
|
|
7.57 |
|
|
$ |
838 |
|
The estimated weighted-average fair value of employee and nonemployee director stock options granted during 2022 was $8.96 per option. As of June 30, 2022, the Company had $47.9 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.3 years.
The weighted-average assumptions used to estimate the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option valuation model were as follows:
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
|||||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
||
Assumptions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Expected term (in years) |
|
|
6.05 |
|
|
|
6.04 |
|
Expected volatility |
|
|
66.04 |
% |
|
|
67.38 |
% |
Risk free interest rate |
|
|
1.89 |
% |
|
|
0.64 |
% |
Dividend yield |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
Stock-based compensation expense recognized for all equity awards, including founder stock, has been reported in the statements of operations and comprehensive loss as follows (in thousands):
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
||||
Research and development expense |
|
$ |
1,319 |
|
|
$ |
1,027 |
|
|
$ |
2,458 |
|
|
$ |
1,886 |
|
General and administrative expense |
|
|
4,566 |
|
|
|
3,210 |
|
|
|
9,202 |
|
|
|
6,169 |
|
Total |
|
$ |
5,885 |
|
|
$ |
4,237 |
|
|
$ |
11,660 |
|
|
$ |
8,055 |
|
F-19
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the unaudited interim financial statements and notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and with our audited financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the related Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, both of which are contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (“2021 Form 10-K”).
Forward Looking Statements
The following discussion and other parts of this quarterly report contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this quarterly report, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, research and development plans and costs, the impact of COVID-19, the timing and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, commercialization plans, pricing and reimbursement, the potential to develop future product candidates, the timing and likelihood of success of the plans and objectives of management for future operations, and future results of anticipated product development efforts, are forward-looking statements. These statements are often identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “should,” “estimate,” or “continue,” and similar expressions or variations. The forward-looking statements in this quarterly report are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, operating results, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this quarterly report and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in the Part II, Item 1A under the heading “Risk Factors.” The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
Overview
We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel treatments for gastrointestinal, or GI, diseases. Our initial product candidate, vonoprazan, is an oral small molecule potassium-competitive acid blocker, or P-CAB. P-CABs are a novel class of medicines that block acid secretion in the stomach. Vonoprazan has shown rapid, potent, and durable anti-secretory effects and has demonstrated clinical benefits over the current standard of care as a single agent in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, and in combination with antibiotics for the treatment of H. pylori, infection. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, or Takeda, developed vonoprazan and has received marketing approval in numerous countries in Asia and Latin America as well as Russia. Vonoprazan generated approximately $850 million in net sales in its seventh full year on the market since its approval in Japan in late 2014. In May 2019, we in-licensed the U.S., European, and Canadian rights to vonoprazan from Takeda.
20
In 2021 we reported topline data from two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials for vonoprazan: one for the treatment of H. pylori infection (PHALCON-HP), and a second for the treatment of erosive GERD (PHALCON-EE), also known as erosive esophagitis, or EE. In April 2021, we reported positive topline data from PHALCON-HP, and in October 2021, we reported positive topline data from PHALCON-EE. In September 2021, we submitted new drug applications (NDAs) for two treatment regimens containing vonoprazan for the treatment of H. pylori, vonoprazan triple therapy (vonoprazan, amoxicillin, clarithromycin) and vonoprazan dual therapy (vonoprazan, amoxicillin), and in November 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, accepted both NDAs for filing, granted each of them Priority Review, and assigned us a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date in May 2022. In addition, both of our H. pylori NDAs received qualified infectious disease product (QIDP) designations which provides a potential extension of any regulatory exclusivity awarded following approval. On May 3, 2022, we received FDA approval for vonoprazan triple therapy, under the brand name VOQUEZNA TRIPLE PAK and vonoprazan dual therapy, under the brand name VOQUEZNA DUAL PAK, in each case for the treatment of H. pylori infection in adults. Further, in March 2022, we submitted an NDA for the use of vonoprazan as a treatment for adults for the healing of all grades of EE and relief of heartburn, and maintenance of healing of all grades of EE and relief of heartburn, which was accepted for filing by the FDA in May 2022, with a PDUFA action date of January 11, 2023. In August 2022, we announced that, consistent with current FDA recommendations for all chemically synthesized drug compounds such as vonoprazan, we had previously initiated post-approval testing to determine whether nitrosamine impurities were present in vonoprazan drug product. These tests showed trace levels of a nitrosamine impurity that is not described within the FDA guidance document entitled “Control of Nitrosamine Impurities in Human Drugs – Guidance for Industry.” We are working with the FDA and plan to obtain approval of and implement an additional test method, specification, including a proposed acceptable intake limit, and additional controls to address this impurity prior to releasing our first vonoprazan-based products to the market. These additional activities will result in a delay of the planned VOQUEZNA TRIPLE PAK and VOQUEZNA DUAL PAK full commercial launches. We currently expect full commercial launch of these products, as well as, if approved, VOQUEZNA tablets for EE, in the first quarter of 2023.
We have also progressed our clinical development program in NERD. In February 2022, we reported positive topline data from a Phase 2 trial studying vonoprazan for on-demand treatment of NERD, based on the positive results from this study plan to discuss with FDA a Phase 3 trial design for this novel dosing regimen. Also in February 2022, we commenced enrollment of patients in a Phase 3 trial studying vonoprazan, dosed on a once-daily basis, for the treatment of NERD with topline data for the primary endpoint expected in the first quarter of 2023 and topline results for the full trial expected in 2023. Additionally, we plan to discuss with the FDA our proposed development plan to study vonoprazan as a treatment for eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE.
We plan to independently commercialize vonoprazan in the United States. We also plan to seek commercial partnerships for vonoprazan in Europe and Canada, expand development of vonoprazan into other indications, dosing regimens and alternative formulations and packaging, and in-license or acquire additional clinical or commercial stage product candidates for the treatment of GI diseases in a capital efficient manner.
We commenced our operations in 2018 and have devoted substantially all of our resources to date to organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, in-licensing our initial product candidate, vonoprazan, meeting with regulatory authorities, conducting our clinical trials of vonoprazan, preparing applications for regulatory approval for vonoprazan and preparing for the commercial launch. Our operations to date have been funded primarily through the issuance of convertible promissory notes, commercial bank debt, the proceeds from our initial public offering and our follow-on public offering. From our inception through June 30, 2022, we have raised aggregate gross proceeds of $90.3 million from the issuance of convertible promissory notes, $100.0 million of debt, $100,0 million of revenue interest financing liability, net proceeds from our initial public offering of $191.5 million from the sale of 10,997,630 shares of common stock, which included the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase 1,434,473 additional shares at a public offering price of $19.00 per share, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering costs, and net proceeds of $88.6 million from the sale of 2,250,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $39.48 per share after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, and an additional $0.2 million in offering costs.
We have incurred net losses since our inception. Our net losses for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 were $91.6 million and $71.4 million, respectively. As of June 30, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $621.0 million. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year, depending on the timing of our clinical development activities, other research and development activities, and pre-commercialization activities. We expect our expenses and operating losses will increase substantially as we advance vonoprazan through additional clinical trials, seek further regulatory approval for vonoprazan, expand our clinical, regulatory, quality, manufacturing and commercialization capabilities, incur significant commercialization expenses for marketing, sales, manufacturing and distribution, protect our intellectual property, expand our general and administrative support functions, including hiring additional personnel, and incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company.
21
We have never generated any revenue and do not expect to generate any revenues from product sales unless and until we commence commercialization of our initial approved products. Accordingly, until such time as we can generate significant revenue from sales of vonoprazan, if ever, we expect to finance our cash needs through equity offerings, our existing loan and security agreement, or the Loan Agreement, debt financings, Revenue Interest Financing Agreement or other capital sources, including potential collaborations, licenses and other similar arrangements. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all, and this risk could be exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19 on global economic conditions. Our failure to raise capital or enter into such other arrangements when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and could force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
License Agreement with Takeda
On May 7, 2019, we and Takeda entered into an exclusive license, or the Takeda License, pursuant to which we in-licensed the U.S., European, and Canadian rights to vonoprazan fumarate. During the term of the Takeda License, we and our affiliates are not permitted to commercialize any pharmaceutical product, other than vonoprazan, that treats acid-related disorders, except for certain generic and OTC competing products in specified circumstances. We will be responsible at our cost for the development, manufacture and commercialization of vonoprazan products. We are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize the vonoprazan products in our licensed territory.
Under the Takeda License, Takeda has the sole right and authority, with our input, to prepare, file, prosecute, and maintain all Takeda and joint patents on a worldwide basis at its own cost. We are responsible, at our cost, for preparing, filing, prosecuting, and maintaining patents on inventions made solely by us in connection with vonoprazan, subject to input from Takeda.
We paid Takeda upfront consideration consisting of a cash fee of $25.0 million, 1,084,000 shares of our common stock, a warrant to purchase 7,588,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.00004613 per share, or the Takeda Warrant, and issued Takeda a right to receive an additional common stock warrant, or the Takeda Warrant Right, if Takeda’s fully-diluted ownership of the Company represented less than a certain specified percentage of the fully-diluted capitalization, including shares issuable upon conversion of then outstanding convertible promissory notes, calculated immediately prior to the closing of our IPO. The Takeda Warrant Right expired without effect since no fair value had been allocated to it upon completion of our IPO, and no additional warrant was issued. We agreed to make milestone payments to Takeda upon achieving certain tiered aggregate annual net sales of licensed products in the United States, Europe, and Canada up to a total maximum milestone amount of $250.0 million. We also agreed to make tiered royalty payments at percentages in the low double digits on net sales of licensed products, subject to specified offsets and reductions. Royalties will be payable, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis from the first commercial sale of such product in such country, until the latest of expiration of the licensed patents covering the applicable product, expiration of regulatory exclusivity in such country, or 15 years following first commercial sale in such country.
Components of Results of Operations
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
To date, our research and development expenses have related to the development of vonoprazan. Research and development expenses are recognized as incurred and payments made prior to the receipt of goods or services to be used in research and development are capitalized until the goods or services are received.
Research and development expenses include:
22
We plan to increase our research and development expenses for the foreseeable future as we continue the development of vonoprazan. We cannot determine with certainty the timing of initiation, the duration or the completion costs of current or future clinical trials and nonclinical studies of vonoprazan or any future product candidates due to the inherently unpredictable nature of clinical and preclinical development. Clinical and preclinical development timelines, the probability of success and development costs can differ materially from expectations. In addition, we cannot forecast which product candidates may be subject to future collaborations, when such arrangements will be secured, if at all, and to what degree such arrangements would affect our development plans and capital requirements
Our future clinical development costs may vary significantly based on factors such as:
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist of salaries and employee-related costs, including stock-based compensation, for personnel in executive, finance, accounting, legal, human resources and other administrative functions, legal fees relating to intellectual property and corporate matters, and professional fees for accounting and consulting services. We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will significantly increase in the future to support our continued research and development activities, pre-commercial preparation activities in light of the recent approvals of VOQUEZNA TRIPLE PAK and VOQUEZNA DUAL PAK to treat H. Pylori infection in adults and, if any future product candidate receives marketing approval, commercialization activities. We also anticipate increased expenses related to audit, legal, regulatory, and tax-related services associated with maintaining compliance with exchange listing and Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, requirements, director and officer insurance premiums, and investor relations costs associated with operating as a public company.
Interest Income
Interest income consists of interest on our money market fund.
Interest Expense
Beginning on May 3, 2022, interest expense includes interest on the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement, which is based on the imputed effective rate derived from expected future payments and the carrying value of the obligation. The Company recalculates the effective interest rate each period based on the current carrying value and the revised estimated future payments. Changes in future payments from previous estimates are included in current and future financing expense.
23
Beginning on September 17, 2021, interest expense includes interest on the Hercules Loan Agreement, which consists of (i) cash interest at a variable annual rate equal to the greater of (a) 5.50% and (b) the Prime Rate (as reported in the Wall Street Journal) plus 2.25% (the “Interest Rate”), (ii) payment-in-kind interest at a per annum rate of interest equal to 3.35%, and (iii) amortization of the Hercules Loan Agreement debt discount recorded in connection with the fair value of warrants issued to the lenders, the debt issuance costs incurred, and the obligation to make a final payment.
Prior to September 17, 2021, interest expense consisted of interest on our outstanding commercial bank debt with SVB at a variable annual rate equal to the greater of (a) 7.25% and (b) Prime Rate (as reported by the Wall Street Journal) plus 1.75% and amortization of the SVB Term Loan debt discount recorded in connection with the fair value of warrants issued to the lenders, the debt issuance costs incurred, and the obligation to make a final payment.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
Change |
|
|||
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Research and development |
|
$ |
36,475 |
|
|
$ |
42,178 |
|
|
$ |
(5,703 |
) |
General and administrative |
|
|
46,794 |
|
|
|
26,725 |
|
|
|
20,069 |
|
Total operating expenses |
|
|
83,269 |
|
|
|
68,903 |
|
|
|
14,366 |
|
Loss from operations |
|
|
(83,269 |
) |
|
|
(68,903 |
) |
|
|
(14,366 |
) |
Other income (expense): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Interest income |
|
|
119 |
|
|
|
27 |
|
|
|
92 |
|
Interest expense |
|
|
(8,426 |
) |
|
|
(2,528 |
) |
|
|
(5,898 |
) |
Other income (expense) |
|
|
(9 |
) |
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
(18 |
) |
Total other income (expense) |
|
|
(8,316 |
) |
|
|
(2,492 |
) |
|
|
(5,824 |
) |
Net loss |
|
$ |
(91,585 |
) |
|
$ |
(71,395 |
) |
|
$ |
(20,190 |
) |
Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses were $36.5 million and $42.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The decrease of $5.7 million consisted of a $9.0 million reduction of clinical trial cost partially offset by increases of $2.0 million of personnel-related, consulting and other research expenses, and $1.3 million of chemistry manufacturing and controls, or CMC, costs related to vonoprazan.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses were $46.8 million and $26.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase of $20.1 million was due to increases of $11.6 million in professional services expenses for commercial, medical affairs and other services, $8.2 million in personnel-related expenses, $1.6 million in legal and other expenses, partially offset by a $1.3 million reduction in consulting fees. Due to the planned continued buildout of administrative and commercial functions we expect general and administrative expenses to increase in future periods.
24
Other Income (Expense). Other expense of $8.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 consisted of interest expense under the Hercules Loan and Revenue Interest Financing Agreements, partially offset by interest income on deposits. Other expense of $2.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021 consisted of interest expense under the SVB Term Loan.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
Change |
|
|||
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Research and development |
|
$ |
18,815 |
|
|
$ |
21,597 |
|
|
$ |
(2,782 |
) |
General and administrative |
|
|
26,548 |
|
|
|
13,722 |
|
|
|
12,826 |
|
Total operating expenses |
|
|
45,363 |
|
|
|
35,319 |
|
|
|
10,044 |
|
Loss from operations |
|
|
(45,363 |
) |
|
|
(35,319 |
) |
|
|
(10,044 |
) |
Other income (expense): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Interest income |
|
|
112 |
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
99 |
|
Interest (expense) |
|
|
(5,667 |
) |
|
|
(1,256 |
) |
|
|
(4,411 |
) |
Other (expense) |
|
|
(2 |
) |
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
(12 |
) |
Total other (expense) |
|
|
(5,557 |
) |
|
|
(1,233 |
) |
|
|
(4,324 |
) |
Net loss |
|
$ |
(50,920 |
) |
|
$ |
(36,552 |
) |
|
$ |
(14,368 |
) |
Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses were $18.8 million and $21.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The decrease of $2.8 million consisted of reductions of $3.7 million of clinical trial cost and $0.4 million of consulting research expenses, partially offset by increases of $0.7 million of personnel-related costs, and $0.4 million of regulatory and other research expenses, and $0.2 million of chemistry manufacturing and controls, or CMC, costs related to vonoprazan.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses were $26.5 million and $13.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase of $12.8 million was due to increases of $8.1 million in professional services expenses for commercial, medical affairs and other services, $4.3 million in personnel-related costs, and $0.4 million of legal expenses. Due to the planned continued buildout of administrative and commercial functions we expect general and administrative expenses to increase in future periods.
Other Income (Expense). Other expense of $5.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 consisted of interest expense under the Hercules Loan and Revenue Interest Financing Agreements, partially offset by interest income on deposits. Other expense of $1.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021 consisted of interest expense under the SVB Term Loan.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have incurred net losses and negative cash flows from operations since our inception and anticipate we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. As of June 30, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $207.4 million.
Loan Agreement with Hercules
On September 17, 2021, (the “Closing Date”), we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Hercules Capital, Inc., in its capacity as administrative agent and collateral agent and as a lender (in such capacity, the “Agent” or “Hercules”) and the other financial institutions that from time to time become parties to the Loan Agreement as lenders (collectively, the “Lenders”).
25
The Loan Agreement provides for term loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $200.0 million (the “Term Loan”) under multiple tranches. The tranches consist of (i) a first tranche consisting of term loans in an aggregate principal amount of $100.0 million, all of which was funded on the Closing Date (the “First Advance”), (ii) a second tranche consisting of up to an additional $50.0 million, which became available to us upon achievement of the protocol-specified primary efficacy endpoints in our Phase 3 trial studying vonoprazan for the healing and maintenance of healing of erosive esophagitis with acceptable safety data, such that the results support the submission of a New Drug Application (“NDA”) or supplemental NDA without the need to conduct another Phase 3 study and will be available, if specified conditions are met, through December 15, 2022, (iii) a third and fourth tranches consisting of an additional total $50.0 million, which became available to us in May 2022 upon the achievement of (a) FDA approval of our NDA for vonoprazan and amoxicillin, or its NDA for vonoprazan, amoxicillin and clarithromycin, in each case for an indication relating to the treatment of H. pylori with an approved indication on the claim that is generally consistent with that sought in our NDA submission; and (b) filing of an NDA or supplemental NDA for vonoprazan for indications relating to the healing and maintenance of healing of erosive esophagitis. We intend to use the proceeds of the Term Loan advances for working capital and general corporate purposes. In addition, approximately $54 million of the proceeds from the First Advance was used to satisfy in full and retire our indebtedness under its previously outstanding credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank (the “SVB Term Loan”).
The Term Loan will mature on October 1, 2026 (the “Maturity Date”). The Term Loan bears (i) cash interest at a variable annual rate equal to the greater of (a) 5.50% and (b) the Prime Rate (as reported in the Wall Street Journal) plus 2.25% (the “Interest Rate”) and (ii) payment-in-kind interest at a per annum rate of interest equal to 3.35%. We may make payments of interest only through October 1, 2024, which was extended to October 1, 2025, upon the achievement of the Second Performance Milestone in May 2022 prior to September 30, 2024 and the condition that no default or event of default exists, and which is further extendable to October 1, 2026, subject to FDA approval of our NDA (or supplemental NDA) for vonoprazan for an indication relating to the healing and maintenance of healing of erosive esophagitis with an approved indication on the label that is generally consistent with that sought in our NDA submission (or supplemental NDA submission) (the “Third Performance Milestone”) on or prior to September 30, 2025 and no default or event of default exists (the “interest only period”). After the interest-only period, the principal balance and related interest will be required to be repaid in equal monthly installments and continuing until the Maturity Date.
The Loan Agreement contains customary closing fees, prepayment fees and provisions, events of default, and representations, warranties and covenants, including a financial covenant requiring us to maintain certain levels of cash subject to a control agreement in favor of the Agent (minus accounts payable not paid within 120 days of invoice) (“Qualified Cash”), and commencing on May 15, 2023, trailing three-month net product revenue from the sale of vonoprazan and products containing vonoprazan. The revenue covenant will be waived at any time in which we maintain Qualified Cash equal to at least 60.0% (prior to the Third Performance Milestone), and 35% (following the Third Performance Milestone) of the total outstanding Term Loan principal amount, or our market capitalization is at least $900.0 million.
As collateral for the obligations, we granted to Hercules a senior security interest in all of our right, title, and interest in, to and under substantially all of our property, inclusive of intellectual property.
In connection with the entry into the Loan Agreement, we issued to Hercules a warrant (the “Warrant”) to purchase a number of shares of our common stock equal to 2.5% of the aggregate amount of the Term Loan advances funded, and will issue to Hercules additional warrants when future Term Loan advances are funded. On the Closing Date, we issued a Warrant for 74,782 shares of common stock. The Warrant will be exercisable for a period of seven years from the date of issuance at a per-share exercise price equal to $33.43, which was the closing price of our common stock on September 16, 2021.
Revenue Interest Financing Agreement
On May 3, 2022, we entered into a Revenue Interest Financing Agreement with Initial Investors NQ, Sagard, and Hercules pursuant to which we will receive up to $260 million in funding from the Initial Investors. Under the terms of the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement, we received $100 million at the initial closing and can receive an additional $160 million upon FDA approval of vonoprazan for treatment of erosive esophagitis on or before March 31, 2024. We also have the right to obtain written commitments from third parties at any time prior to December 31, 2022, for up to $15 million of funding upon FDA approval of vonoprazan for erosive esophagitis and, at any time prior to June 30, 2024, for up to $25 million upon achievement of a sales milestone. The Initial Investors have a right of first offer if the Company seeks to obtain such additional funding.
Under the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement, the investors are entitled to receive a 10% royalty on net sales of products containing vonoprazan. The royalty rate is subject to a step-down on net sales exceeding certain annual thresholds and if the Company receives FDA approval for vonoprazan for an indication relating to the treatment of heartburn associated with symptomatic non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease, or NERD. The investors’ right to receive royalties on net sales will terminate when the investors have aggregate payments equal to 200% of the Investment Amount. In addition, at any time after the earlier of (i) April 30, 2024 and (ii) the date that the payment for erosive esophagitis regulatory approval is made, we have the right to make a cap payment equal to 200% of the Investment Amount less any royalties already paid, at which time the agreement will terminate.
26
If the investors have not received aggregate payments of at least 100% of the Investment Amount by December 31, 2028, and at least 200% of the Investment Amount by December 31, 2037, each a Minimum Amount, then we will be obligated to make a cash payment to the investors in an amount sufficient to gross the investors up to the applicable Minimum Amount.
Upon the occurrence of an event of default taking place prior to April 1, 2025, between April 1, 2025, and April 1, 2028, and after April 1, 2028, we are obligated to pay 1.30 times Investment Amount, 1.65 times Investment Amount, and 2.0 times investment amount, respectively, less any amounts previously paid pursuant to the agreement.
Upon the occurrence of a change in control event taking place prior to the earlier of April 1, 2024, or FDA approval of vonoprazan for erosive esophagitis, we are obligated to pay 200% of the Investment Amount plus either 15% of the Investment Amount if occurrence prior to May 3, 2023, or plus 30% of the Investment Amount if occurrence thereafter.
We intend to use the proceeds received under the Revenue Interest Financing Agreement for working capital and general corporate purposes.
At-the-Market-Offering
On November 10, 2020, we entered into an Open Market Sale AgreementSM, or the Sales Agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or the Sales Agent, under which we may, from time to time, sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $125.0 million through the Sales Agent, or the ATM Offering. Sales of our common stock made pursuant to the Sales Agreement, if any, will be made under our shelf registration statement on Form S-3 which was filed on November 10, 2020 and declared effective by the SEC on November 16, 2020. We are not obligated to, and we cannot provide any assurances that we will, make any sales of the shares under the Sales Agreement. The Sales Agreement may be terminated by the Sales Agent or us at any time. There were no sales of our common stock under the ATM Offering for the six-month period ended June 30, 2022.
Underwritten Public Offering
On December 16, 2020, the Company completed an underwritten public offering, in which it sold 2,250,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $42.00 per share for total gross proceeds of $94.5 million. The net purchase price after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions was $39.48 per share, which generated net proceeds of $88.8 million. We incurred an additional $0.2 million of offering expenses in connection with the public offering.
Funding Requirements
Based on our current operating plan, we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents together with the drawdown of the remaining $100 million under our Loan Agreement with Hercules, receipt of amounts potentially available under the revenue interest financing agreement and anticipated future sales of products containing vonoprazan will be sufficient to fund our operations through 2024. We expect such amounts will allow us to complete our ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial studying vonoprazan for NERD (daily dosing), and launch vonoprazan for H. pylori and, if approved, erosive esophagitis. However, our forecast of the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement that involves risks and uncertainties and actual results could vary materially. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could deplete our capital resources sooner than we expect. Additionally, the process of testing product candidates in clinical trials is costly, and the timing of progress and expenses in these trials is uncertain.
Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
27
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues to support our cost structure, we expect to finance our cash needs through equity offerings, debt financings, or other capital sources, including potential collaborations, licenses, and other similar arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our stockholders will be or could be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing and equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise funds through collaborations, or other similar arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us and/or may reduce the value of our common stock. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market our product candidates even if we would otherwise prefer to develop and market such product candidates ourselves.
Including our existing cash and cash equivalents, we believe that we have sufficient working capital on hand to fund operations such that there is no substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern at the date the financial statements were issued. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in acquiring additional funding, that our projections of future working capital needs will prove accurate, or that any additional funding would be sufficient to continue operations in future years.
Cash Flows
The following table sets forth a summary of the net cash flow activity for each of the periods indicated (in thousands):
|
|
Six Months Ended |
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
Change |
|
|||
Net cash provided by (used in): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Operating activities |
|
$ |
(70,818 |
) |
|
$ |
(78,129 |
) |
|
$ |
7,311 |
|
Investing activities |
|
|
(495 |
) |
|
|
(214 |
) |
|
|
(281 |
) |
Financing activities |
|
|
95,446 |
|
|
|
516 |
|
|
|
94,930 |
|
Net increase (decrease) in cash |
|
$ |
24,133 |
|
|
$ |
(77,827 |
) |
|
$ |
101,960 |
|
Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $70.8 million and $78.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2022 was due to approximately $73.3 million spent on ongoing research and development and general and administrative activities, partially offset by a $2.5 million net change in operating assets and liabilities. The net change in operating assets and liabilities primarily related to a $1.6 million increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses (including clinical trial expenses), a $1.4 million decrease in prepaid assets and other current assets, partially offset by a $0.5 million increase in other long-term assets. The net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was due to approximately $61.8 million spent on ongoing research and development and general and administrative activities and a $16.3 million net change in operating assets and liabilities. The net change in operating assets and liabilities primarily related to a $18.6 million decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses (including clinical trial expenses), partially offset by a $2.2 million decrease in prepaid assets and a $0.1 million decrease in other long-term assets.
28
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, was primarily due to the cash we paid for acquiring property, plant and equipment.
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2022 was due to the net proceeds from the revenue interest financing liability. Net cash provided by financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was due to issuance of common stock from exercise of stock options.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Other than disclosed below, there were no material changes outside the ordinary course of our business during the six months ended June 30, 2022 to the information regarding our contractual obligations that was disclosed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in our 2021 Form 10-K.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP. The preparation of our financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our financial statements and accompanying notes. We evaluate these estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
For a description of our critical accounting policies, please see the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates” contained in our 2021 Form 10-K. There have not been any material changes to the critical accounting policies discussed therein during the six months ended June 30, 2022.
Other Company Information
JOBS Act
As an emerging growth company under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, we can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption and, therefore, we will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. We intend to rely on other exemptions provided by the JOBS Act, including without limitation, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of Sarbanes-Oxley.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the consummation of our IPO, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, (iii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700.0 million as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of such year, or (iv) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
The information required by this item is included in Note 1, Organization, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies included in Part 1, Item 1 of this quarterly report.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
During the periods presented we did not have, nor do we currently have, any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined under SEC rules.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
As of June 30, 2022, there have been no material changes surrounding our market risk, including interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange risk, and inflation risk, from the discussion provided in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” of our 2021 Form 10-K.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our periodic and current reports that we file with the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable and not absolute assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In reaching a reasonable level of assurance, management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. In addition, the design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report. Based on such evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the six months ended June 30, 2022 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings. From time to time, we may be involved in legal proceedings or subject to claims incident to the ordinary course of business. Regardless of the outcome, such proceedings or claims can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of resources and other factors, and there can be no assurances that favorable outcomes will be obtained.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
There have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of our 2021 Form 10-K, other than as set forth below.
We currently depend entirely on the success of vonoprazan, which is our only approved product and product candidate. If we are unable to successfully launch and commercialize vonoprazan, obtain additional, required regulatory approvals and advance the clinical development of vonoprazan in additional indications, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
We currently have two approved products and one product candidate, all of which contain vonoprazan, which we in-licensed from Takeda. Our current business depends entirely on our ability to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and commercialize products containing vonoprazan in a timely manner. This may make an investment in our company riskier than similar companies that have multiple approved products or product candidates in active development that may be able to better sustain failure of a single product. In May 2022, we received FDA approval for vonoprazan triple therapy, under the brand name VOQUEZNA TRIPLE PAK and vonoprazan dual therapy, under the brand name VOQUEZNA DUAL PAK, in each case for the treatment of H. pylori infection in adults. Further, in March 2022, we submitted an NDA for the use of vonoprazan as a treatment for adults for the healing of all grades of EE and relief of heartburn, and maintenance of healing of all grades of EE and relief of heartburn, which was accepted for filing by the FDA in May 2022, with a PDUFA action date of January 11, 2023. In February 2022, we initiated a Phase 3 trial for vonoprazan using a daily dosing regimen for the treatment of NERD, with topline data for the primary endpoint expected in the first quarter of 2023 and topline results for the full trial expected in 2023. Our assumptions about vonoprazan’s commercial potential are based in large part on the commercial experience of vonoprazan in Japan. However, our assumptions may prove to be wrong, and we may encounter a materially and adversely different development and commercial experience. The success of vonoprazan will depend on several factors, including the following:
acceptance by the FDA or by comparable foreign regulatory authorities of our proposed design of our clinical trials;
successful enrollment in clinical trials and completion of clinical trials with favorable results;
the willingness of the FDA, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities to accept the data from the clinical trials and preclinical studies and clinical trials conducted outside of our licensed territories by Takeda and independent investigators as part of the basis for review and approval of vonoprazan;
demonstrating safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities;
the outcome, timing and cost of meeting regulatory requirements established by the FDA, EMA, and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities;
receipt of marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities, including one or more NDAs from the FDA and maintaining such approvals;
making and/or maintaining arrangements with Takeda, Catalent, Sandoz, or any future third-party manufacturers for, or establishing, commercial manufacturing capabilities and receiving/importing commercial supplies approved by FDA and other regulators from Takeda, Catalent or any future third-party manufacturer;
establishing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities and commercializing vonoprazan, if approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others;
establishment and maintenance of patent and trade secret protection or regulatory exclusivity for vonoprazan;
maintaining an acceptable safety profile of vonoprazan following approval; and
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maintaining and growing an organization of people who can develop and, if approved, commercialize, market, and sell vonoprazan to physicians, patients, healthcare payors, and others in the medical community.
In August 2022, we announced that, consistent with current FDA recommendations for all chemically synthesized drug compounds such as vonoprazan, we previously initiated post-approval testing to determine whether nitrosamine impurities were present in vonoprazan drug product. These tests showed trace levels of a nitrosamine impurity that is not described within the FDA guidance document entitled “Control of Nitrosamine Impurities in Human Drugs – Guidance for Industry.” We are working with the FDA and plan to obtain approval of and implement an additional test method, specification, including a proposed acceptable intake limit, and additional controls to address this impurity prior to releasing our first vonoprazan-based products to the market. These additional activities will result in a delay of the planned VOQUEZNA TRIPLE PAK and VOQUEZNA DUAL PAK full commercial launches. We currently expect full commercial launch of these products, as well as, if approved, VOQUEZNA tablets for EE, in the first quarter of 2023. If we are unable to obtain FDA approval for, or are unable to develop and implement, a test method, a specification and controls to maintain nitrosamine levels in vonoprazan drug product at or below an acceptable intake limit, these product launches may be further delayed, and approval of our EE NDA may also be delayed, which could substantially increase our costs and delay or put at risk our ability to generate revenue and adversely affect our commercial prospects.
The success of our business, including our ability to finance our company and generate any revenue in the future, will primarily depend on the successful completion of clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization of vonoprazan, including successfully addressing, to the FDA’s and the medical community’s satisfaction, the formation of nitrosamine impurities in commercial batches of vonoprazan drug product, which may be significantly delayed beyond our current expectations and may never occur. Although we have obtained marketing approval of vonoprazan in one indication, we have not yet succeeded in launching and successfully commercializing vonoprazan. Any inability to obtain required, additional regulatory approvals for, or, if approved, successfully commercializing vonoprazan, would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, prospects and operating results.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
None.
Issuer Repurchases of Equity Securities
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
Not Applicable.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not Applicable.
Item 5. Other Information
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Item 6. Exhibits
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Incorporated by Reference |
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Exhibit Number |
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Exhibit Description |
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Form |
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Date |
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Number |
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Filed Herewith |
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3.1 |
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8-K |
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10/29/19 |
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3.1 |
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3.2 |
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8-K |
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09/25/2020 |
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3.1 |
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4.1 |
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S-1/A |
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10/15/19 |
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4.1 |
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4.2 |
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Warrant to purchase shares of common stock issued to Takeda Company Limited, dated May 7, 2019 |
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S-1 |
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9/30/19 |
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4.2 |
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4.3 |
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Warrant to purchase stock issued to Silicon Valley Bank, dated May 14, 2019 |
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S-1 |
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9/30/19 |
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4.3 |
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4.4 |
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Warrant to purchase stock issued to WestRiver Innovation Lending Fund VIII, L.P., dated May 14, 2019 |
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S-1 |
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9/30/19 |
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4.4 |
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4.5 |
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S-1/A |
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10/15/19 |
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4.5 |
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4.6 |
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10-K |
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12/31/21 |
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4.6 |
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10.2# |
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X |
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10.3 |
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X
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10.4 |
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X |
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10.5# |
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Amended and Restated Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy |
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X |
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10.6# |
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X |
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31.1 |
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X |
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31.2 |
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X |
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32.1* |
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Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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X |
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32.2* |
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Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
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X |
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101.INS |
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Inline XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. |
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X |
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101.SCH |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document |
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X |
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101.CAL |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document |
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X |
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101.LAB |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document |
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X |
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101.PRE |
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Inline XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document |
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X |
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101.DEF |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document |
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X |
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104 |
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
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# Indicates management contract or compensatory plan
Portions of this exhibit have been omitted for confidentiality purposes.
* This certification is deemed not filed for purpose of section 18 of the Exchange Act or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
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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.
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PHATHOM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. |
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Date: |
August 2, 2022 |
By: |
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/s/ Terrie Curran |
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Terrie Curran |
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Chief Executive Officer and Director |
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(Principal Executive Officer) |
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Date: |
August 2, 2022 |
By: |
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/s/ Molly Henderson |
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Molly Henderson |
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Chief Financial and Business Officer |
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(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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