REGENERX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INC - Quarter Report: 2009 March (Form 10-Q)
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Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 10-Q
þ | Quarterly Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2009
o | Transition Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
For the transition period from to .
Commission file number 001-15070
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Delaware | 52-1253406 | |
(State of Incorporation) | (IRS Employer I.D. Number) |
3 Bethesda Metro Center
Suite 630
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Suite 630
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(301) 280-1992
(Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter
period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such
filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its
corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted
pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period
that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
Yes o No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of accelerated filer,
large accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company þ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act). Yes o No
þ
54,675,122 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, were outstanding as of May 8, 2009.
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Form 10-Q
Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2009
Form 10-Q
Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2009
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Exhibit 31.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 31.2 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.2 |
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Part I Financial Information
Item 1. Financial Statements
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Balance Sheets
March 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2009 | 2008 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current assets |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 3,904,308 | $ | 5,655,367 | ||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
164,072 | 236,477 | ||||||
Total current assets |
4,068,380 | 5,891,844 | ||||||
Fixed assets, net of accumulated depreciation
of $86,090 and $81,623 |
20,572 | 25,039 | ||||||
Other non-current assets |
5,693 | 5,693 | ||||||
Total assets |
$ | 4,094,645 | $ | 5,922,576 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY |
||||||||
Current liabilities |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 371,629 | $ | 70,554 | ||||
Accrued expenses |
1,374,374 | 1,255,358 | ||||||
Total current liabilities |
1,746,003 | 1,325,912 | ||||||
Commitments |
| | ||||||
Stockholders equity |
||||||||
Preferred stock, $.001 par value per
share, 1,000,000 authorized; no shares
issued |
| | ||||||
Common stock, par value $.001 per share,
100,000,000 shares authorized; 53,622,491
issued and outstanding |
53,623 | 53,623 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
82,817,213 | 82,550,585 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(80,522,194 | ) | (78,007,544 | ) | ||||
Total stockholders equity |
2,348,642 | 4,596,664 | ||||||
Total liabilities and stockholders equity |
$ | 4,094,645 | $ | 5,922,576 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Statements of Operations
(unaudited)
Three Months ended March 31, | ||||||||
2009 | 2008 | |||||||
Revenues |
$ | | $ | 32,167 | ||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||
Research and development |
1,661,600 | 1,634,466 | ||||||
General and administrative |
859,568 | 1,074,897 | ||||||
Total operating expenses |
2,521,168 | 2,709,363 | ||||||
Loss from operations |
(2,521,168 | ) | (2,677,196 | ) | ||||
Interest income |
6,518 | 63,855 | ||||||
Net loss |
$ | (2,514,650 | ) | $ | (2,613,341 | ) | ||
Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
$ | (0.05 | ) | $ | (0.05 | ) | ||
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding |
53,622,491 | 48,696,819 | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Statements of Cash Flows
(unaudited)
For the Three Months ended March 31, | ||||||||
2009 | 2008 | |||||||
Operating activities: |
||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (2,514,650 | ) | $ | (2,613,341 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in
operating activities: |
||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
4,467 | 5,177 | ||||||
Non-cash share-based compensation |
266,628 | 262,202 | ||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts receivable |
| (5,216 | ) | |||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
72,405 | 39,862 | ||||||
Accounts payable |
301,075 | 240,373 | ||||||
Accrued expenses |
119,016 | (1,195,797 | ) | |||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(1,751,059 | ) | (3,266,740 | ) | ||||
Investing activities: |
||||||||
Proceeds from sales/maturities of short-term investments |
| 4,581,135 | ||||||
Net cash provided by investing activities |
| 4,581,135 | ||||||
Financing activities: |
||||||||
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock |
| 4,947,760 | ||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
| 4,947,760 | ||||||
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash
equivalents |
(1,751,059 | ) | 6,262,155 | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
5,655,367 | 3,696,878 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 3,904,308 | $ | 9,959,033 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Notes to Financial Statements
For the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008 (Unaudited)
A. organization, business overview and basis of presentation
Organization and Nature of Operations. RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (the Company, We,
Us, Our), a Delaware corporation, was incorporated in 1982. We are focused on the discovery
and development of novel molecules to accelerate tissue and organ repair. Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 131, Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related
Information, requires an enterprise to report segment information based on how management
internally evaluates the operating performance of its business units (segments). Our operations
are confined to one business segment: the development and marketing of product candidates based on
Thymosin Beta 4 (Tb4), an amino acid peptide.
Management Plans to Address Operating Conditions. We incurred a net loss of $2.5 million for the
three months ended March 31, 2009. Since inception, and through March 31, 2009, we have an
accumulated deficit of $80.5 million and we had cash and cash equivalents of $3.9 million as of
March 31, 2009. On April 30, 2009 we issued 1,052,631 shares of common stock and warrants to
purchase 263,158 shares of our common stock to an affiliate of Sigma-Tau Group, our largest
stockholder group, for gross proceeds of $600,000. We have also reduced our ongoing monthly cash
outflows through salary reductions and reductions in director fees in exchange for the issuance of
stock options to our non-employee directors and certain of our executives and employees. We expect
the aggregate cash savings from these salary and fee reductions to be approximately $400,000
through December 31, 2009. Based on our operating plan with our expected reduced monthly cash
outflows and the additional funds raised from this financing with Sigma-Tau, we believe that our
cash and cash equivalents will fund our operations into early 2010.
We anticipate incurring additional losses in the future as we continue to explore the potential
clinical benefits of Tb4-based product candidates over multiple medical indications. We will need
substantial additional funds in order to initiate any further preclinical studies or clinical
trials, and to fund our operations beyond early 2010. Accordingly, we need financing and are in
the process of exploring various alternatives, including, without limitation, a public or private
placement of our securities, debt financing, corporate collaborations, licensing arrangements or
the sale of our company or certain of our intellectual property rights.
Although we intend to continue to seek additional financing and/or strategic partners, we may not
be able to complete a financing or strategic transaction, either on favorable terms or at all. If
we are unable to complete a financing or strategic transaction, we may not be able to continue as a
going concern after our funds have been exhausted, and we could be required to significantly
curtail or cease operations, file for bankruptcy or liquidate and dissolve. There can be no
assurance that we will be able to obtain any sources of funding.
In addition to our current operational requirements, we expect to continue to expend substantial
funds to complete our planned product development efforts. We continually refine our operating
strategy and evaluate alternative clinical uses of
Tb4. However,
substantial additional resources
will be needed before we will be able to achieve sustained profitability. Consequently, we
continually evaluate alternative sources of financing such as the sharing of development costs
through strategic collaboration agreements. There can be no assurance that our financing efforts
will be successful, and if we are not able to obtain
sufficient levels of financing, we would delay certain clinical and/or research activities, and our
financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. Even if we are able to obtain
sufficient funding, other factors including competition, dependence on third parties, uncertainty
regarding patents, protection of proprietary rights, manufacturing of peptides and technology
obsolescence could have a significant impact on us and our operations.
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To achieve profitability we, or a strategic partner, must successfully conduct pre-clinical studies
and clinical trials, obtain required regulatory approvals and successfully manufacture and market
those pharmaceutical products we wish to commercialize. The time required to reach profitability is
highly uncertain and there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve sustained
profitability, if at all.
The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements reflect, in the opinion of management, all
adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of
our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for each period presented. These
statements have been prepared in accordance with U. S. generally accepted accounting principles
(GAAP) and with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), for
interim financial statements. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and
footnotes required by GAAP. The accounting policies underlying our unaudited interim financial
statements are consistent with those underlying our audited annual financial statements. These
unaudited interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited annual
financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2008, and related notes thereto,
included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 (the Annual
Report).
The accompanying December 31, 2008 financial information was derived from our audited financial
statements. Operating results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 are not necessarily
indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2009 or any other future
period.
B. Sponsored Research Revenues
We account for non-refundable grants as Sponsored Research Revenues. Associated revenues are
recognized when the associated research has been performed and the related underlying costs are
incurred.
C. Net Loss per Common Share
Net loss per common share for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively,
is based on the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the periods.
Basic and diluted loss per share are identical for all periods presented as potentially dilutive
securities have been excluded from the calculation of the diluted net loss per common share because
the inclusion of such securities would be antidilutive. The potentially dilutive securities
include 9,366,590 shares and 8,048,986 shares in 2009 and 2008, respectively, reserved for the
exercise of outstanding options and warrants.
D. Stock Based Compensation
We recognized $266,628 and $262,202 in stock-based compensation expense for the three months ended
March 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Given our current estimates of future forfeitures, we expect
to recognize the compensation cost related to non-vested options as of March 31, 2009 of $1,088,000
over the weighted average remaining recognition period of 1.2 years.
During the first three months of 2009 and 2008, we did not grant options.
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E. Income Taxes
As of March 31, 2009, there have been no material changes to our uncertain tax positions
disclosures as provided in Note 8 of the Annual Report. We do not anticipate that total
unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change prior to March 31, 2010.
F. Fair Value Measurements
We adopted FAS 157 on January 1, 2008 for our financial assets and liabilities which did not have
an impact on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows. FAS 157 establishes a
framework regarding the methods used for measuring fair value and expands disclosure about such
fair value measurements. FAS 157 does not require assets and liabilities that were previously
recorded at cost to be recorded at fair value. For assets and liabilities that are already required
to be disclosed at fair value, FAS 157 introduced, or reiterated, a number of key concepts which
form the foundation of the fair value measurement approach to be used for financial reporting
purposes. Namely, fair values should reflect the amounts that we estimate to receive in connection
with the sale of an asset or paid in connection with the transfer of a liability in an orderly
transaction between market participants at the measurement date (the exit price). To facilitate
the determination of these estimates, FAS 157 established a hierarchy that prioritizes the use of
inputs used in valuation techniques into the following three levels:
| Level 1 Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. |
| Level 2 Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets
for identical assets and liabilities. |
| Level 3 Unobservable inputs. |
At March 31, 2009, we held no qualifying liabilities, and our only qualifying assets that required
measurement under the foregoing fair value hierarchy were money market funds included in Cash and
Cash Equivalents valued at $0.2 million using Level 1 inputs.
We adopted SFAS No. 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial
Liabilities-including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115 (FAS 159) on January 1, 2008. Under
this statement, an entity may elect to use fair value to measure eligible items. We currently do
not have any instruments eligible for election of the fair value option. Therefore, the adoption of
FAS 159 in the first quarter of fiscal 2008 did not impact our financial position, results of
operations or cash flows.
G. Subsequent Event
Effective April 1, 2009, we implemented initiatives to reduce our monthly cash outflows, including
a 35% reduction in salaries of substantially all executives and staff. In return, the employees
participating in the salary reduction have received, in the aggregate, options to purchase 701,282
shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.57 per share, one-third of which are scheduled to
vest at the end of each remaining calendar quarter during 2009. Our board of directors
also approved a 35% reduction in compensation of non-employee
directors. In return, our non-employee directors have received, in the aggregate, options to purchase 64,157 shares of common
stock at an exercise price of $0.57 per share, which options are also scheduled to vest at the end
of each remaining calendar quarter during 2009. We expect to incur a non-cash
compensation expense in the aggregate of approximately $89,000 in each of the final three calendar
quarters of 2009 as a result of these option grants.
On April 30, 2009 we issued 1,052,631 shares of common stock at a price of $0.57 per share, and
warrants to purchase 263,158 shares of our common stock at $0.91 per
share, to an affiliate of
Sigma-Tau Group, our largest stockholder group, for gross proceeds of $600,000.
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ITEM
2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including this Part I., Item 2., Managements Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, contains forward-looking statements
regarding us and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be
identified by the words project, believe, anticipate, plan, expect, estimate, intend,
should, would, could, will, may or other similar expressions. In addition, any
statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, our clinical development
programs and schedules, our future capital resources and funding requirements, our anticipated
growth and trends in our business and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are
forward-looking statements. We cannot guarantee that we will achieve the plans, intentions or
expectations expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements. There are a number of
important factors that could cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or events to
differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements we make,
including those described under Risk Factors set forth below in Part II., Item 1A. In addition,
any forward-looking statements we make in this document speak only as of the date of this document,
and we do not intend to update any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances that occur after that date.
Overview
Our operations consist primarily of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials related to the
development of product candidates based on Thymosin beta 4 (Tb4), a 43 amino acid
peptide. Currently, we have three Tb4-based drug formulations in clinical development: RGN-137, a
topically applied gel product candidate for chronic dermal wounds; RGN-259, a sterile eye drop for
ophthalmic injuries; and RGN-352, a parenteral (injectable) formulation for systemic delivery
anticipated to be used in a Phase II acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or heart attack, trial.
We are also seeking a partner for development of an inhaled formulation of Tb4 known as RGN-457,
which is in preclinical development targeting cystic fibrosis.
In the first quarter of 2009, we completed and reported results from two Phase II dermal wound
healing clinical trials using RGN-137 and terminated a proof-of-concept Phase II ophthalmic wound
healing trial using RGN-259, due to slow patient enrollment in the trial and encouraging
compassionate use data in another study. Under a compassionate use Investigational New Drug
Application (IND), corneal wound healing was observed following treatment of four patients with
RGN-259. Subject to our ability to obtain additional financing, we intend to initiate in late 2009
or early 2010 a new Phase II/III trial to evaluate RGN-259 in an ophthalmic indication more similar
to that observed under the compassionate use IND. We have also finished treating 80 healthy
subjects in a Phase I clinical trial utilizing RGN-352, consisting of 40 subjects in each of two
phases, to support our cardiovascular clinical program, and to date there have been no reported
drug-related adverse events. These healthy subjects will be followed for six months after
treatment, at which time we will report final results from this trial.
We are currently enrolling patients in one ongoing Phase II dermal wound healing clinical trial
evaluating RGN-137 in the treatment of Epidermolysis Bullosa, or EB, which we expect to complete no
earlier than 2010.
An affiliate of Sigma-Tau Group, who together with its affiliates are our largest stockholder
group, funded all costs associated with one of the Phase II dermal wound healing clinical trials
for RGN-137 in the European Union. We have been primarily responsible for the costs associated
with the other completed trials as well as the ongoing Phase II trial for EB.
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We incurred a net loss of $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009. Since inception,
and through March 31, 2009, we have an accumulated deficit of $80.5 million and we had cash and
cash
equivalents of $3.9 million as of March 31, 2009. On April 30, 2009 we issued 1,052,631 shares of
common stock and warrants to purchase 263,158 shares of our common
stock to an affiliate of Sigma-Tau
Group, our largest stockholder group, for gross proceeds of $600,000. We have also reduced our
ongoing monthly cash outflows through salary reductions and reductions in director fees in exchange
for the issuance of stock options to our non-employee directors and certain of our executives and
employees. We expect the aggregate cash savings from these salary and fee reductions to be
approximately $400,000 through December 31, 2009. Based on our operating plan with our expected
reduced monthly cash outflows and the additional funds raised from this financing with Sigma-Tau,
we believe that our cash and cash equivalents will fund our
operations into early 2010.
We anticipate incurring additional losses in the future as we continue to explore the potential
clinical benefits of Tb4-based product candidates over multiple medical indications. We will need
substantial additional funds in order to initiate any further preclinical studies or clinical
trials, and to fund our operations beyond early 2010. Accordingly, we need financing and are in
the process of exploring various alternatives, including, without limitation, a public or private
placement of our securities, debt financing, corporate collaborations, licensing arrangements or
the sale of our company or certain of our intellectual property rights.
Although we intend to continue to seek additional financing and/or strategic partners, we may not
be able to complete a financing or strategic transaction, either on favorable terms or at all. If
we are unable to complete a financing or strategic transaction, we may not be able to continue as a
going concern after our funds have been exhausted, and we could be required to significantly
curtail or cease operations, file for bankruptcy or liquidate and dissolve. There can be no
assurance that we will be able to obtain any sources of funding.
In addition to our current operational requirements, we expect to continue to expend substantial
funds to complete our planned product development efforts. We continually refine our operating
strategy and evaluate alternative clinical uses of Tb4. However, substantial additional resources
will be needed before we will be able to achieve sustained profitability. Consequently, we
continually evaluate alternative sources of financing such as the sharing of development costs
through strategic collaboration agreements. There can be no assurance that our financing efforts
will be successful, and if we are not able to obtain sufficient levels of financing, we would delay
certain clinical and/or research activities, and our financial condition would be materially and
adversely affected. Even if we are able to obtain sufficient funding, other factors including
competition, dependence on third parties, uncertainty regarding patents, protection of proprietary
rights, manufacturing of peptides and technology obsolescence could have a significant impact on us
and our operations.
To achieve profitability we, or a strategic partner, must successfully conduct pre-clinical studies
and clinical trials, obtain required regulatory approvals and successfully manufacture and market
those pharmaceutical products we wish to commercialize. The time required to reach profitability is
highly uncertain and there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve sustained
profitability, if at all.
Most of our expenditures to date have been for Research and Development activities (R&D) and
General and Administrative (G&A) activities. R&D costs include all of the wholly-allocable costs
associated with our various clinical programs passed through to us by our outsourced vendors.
Those costs include: manufacturing Tb4 and peptide fragments; formulation of Tb4 into
our various product candidates; stability studies for both Tb4 and the various formulations;
pre-clinical toxicology; safety and pharmacokinetic studies; clinical trial management; medical
oversight; laboratory evaluations; statistical data analysis; regulatory compliance; quality
assurance; and other related activities. R&D includes cash
and non-cash compensation, employee benefits, travel and other miscellaneous costs of our internal
R&D personnel, seven persons in total, who are wholly dedicated to R&D efforts. R&D also includes
a proration of our common infrastructure costs for office space and communications. We expense our
R&D costs as they are incurred.
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R&D expenditures are subject to the risks and uncertainties associated with clinical trials and the
FDA review and approval process. As a result, these expenses could exceed our expectations,
possibly materially. We are uncertain as to what we will incur in future research and development
costs for our clinical studies, as these amounts are subject to the outcome of current studies,
managements continuing assessment of the economics of each individual research and development
project and the internal competition for project funding.
G&A costs include outside professional fees for legal, audit and accounting services, including the
costs to maintain our intellectual property portfolio. G&A also includes cash and non-cash
compensation, employee benefits, travel and other miscellaneous costs of our internal G&A
personnel, three in total, who are wholly dedicated to G&A efforts. G&A also includes a proration
of our common infrastructure costs for office space, and communications.
Critical Accounting Policies
In Item 7 (Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations)
of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, which was filed with the
SEC on April 15, 2009 (the Annual Report), we included a discussion of the most significant
accounting policies and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements. There has
been no material change in the policies and estimates used in the preparation of our financial
statements since the filing of our Annual Report.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008
Revenues. For the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, revenues recognized under our grant
from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the orphan indication Epidermolysis Bullosa
(EB) decreased from approximately $32 thousand in 2008 to $0 in 2009 as we had exhausted all
funds available to us under this grant. As of March 31, 2009, all of the $681,000 in funding had
been received and we do not expect to receive any additional funds under this grant.
R&D Expenses. For the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, our R&D expenses increased by
approximately $27 thousand, or 1.7% from $1.634 million to $1.661 million. While the underlying
clinical trial activity varied between the periods, the net overall expenditures remained
consistent. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 the Phase I trial for the injectable
formulation RGN-352 was enrolling the last cohorts of healthy subjects and incurred costs of
approximately $522 thousand, an increase of approximately $355 thousand over the same period in
2008. This increase in activity was largely offset by decreased activity in our Phase II pressure
ulcer trial evaluating RGN-137 which incurred virtually no costs, a reduction of approximately $200
thousand compared to the same period last year. We also terminated our Phase II ophthalmic trial
evaluating RGN-259 during the first quarter of 2009. For the three-month period ended March 31,
2009 we incurred approximately $492 thousand on this trial, which was a reduction of approximately
$98 thousand compared to the same period in 2008. Enrollment for our EB trial evaluating RGN-137
has been erratic due to the orphan nature of this disease and our costs to treat patients also
varies widely from period to period. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 we
incurred approximately $30 thousand in costs for this trial, a reduction of approximately $67
thousand compared to the same period in 2008. The remaining difference, an increase in R&D costs
for the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 of approximately $37 thousand, primarily relates to
consulting services of medical specialists and bio-statisticians who have been reviewing the
significant amounts of data supporting our clinical announcements during the first quarter of 2009,
namely the data from our Phase II trials evaluating RGN-137 in the treatment of pressure ulcers and
venous stasis ulcers and our Phase I trial of RGN-352.
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G&A Expenses. Our G&A expenses decreased $215 thousand, or 20%, from $1.075 million to $0.860
million, during the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008. This difference was attributable
to a decrease in legal costs needed to support our intellectual property portfolio and other
business development matters. All other elements of our G&A expenses remained relatively the same
between the periods.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources of Liquidity
We have not commercialized any of our product candidates to date and have incurred significant
losses since inception. We have primarily financed our operations through the issuance of common
stock and common stock warrants in private and public financings. During 2008 and 2009, we have
been dependent on our largest stockholder group, Sigma-Tau Group and its affiliates, to provide the
necessary funding in order to continue our operations. In 2008, we raised approximately $8.0
million from Sigma-Tau and its affiliates through the sale of common stock and warrants. In April
2009, we raised an additional $600,000 from an affiliate of Sigma-Tau through the sale of common
stock and warrants.
As of March 31, 2009, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $3.9 million. This
compares to cash and cash equivalents of approximately $5.7 million at December 31, 2008. Our cash
position decreased in the first three months of 2009 by a net $1.8 million. During the three-month
period the full $1.8 million decrease was attributable to operating activities, and there was no
sources or uses of cash for investing or financing activities.
We are party to a license agreement with an affiliate of Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals that provides
the opportunity for us to receive milestone payments upon specified events and royalty payments
upon commercial sales of Tb4 in Europe. However, there can be no assurance that we will be
able to attain such milestones and generate any such payments under the agreement.
Potential sources of outside capital include entering into strategic business relationships, public
or private sales of shares of our capital stock, or debt, or other similar financial instruments.
While we closed private placements of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock involving
Sigma-Tau and its affiliates in December 2008 and April 2009, we do not have any other committed
sources of outside capital at this time. Consequently, there can be no assurance that we will be
able to obtain additional capital in sufficient amounts, on acceptable terms, or at all.
If we raise additional capital through such a strategic business relationship, we may have to give
up valuable short- and/or long-term rights to intellectual property. If we raise funds by selling
additional shares of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock, the
ownership interest of our existing stockholders may be significantly diluted. In addition, if
additional funds are raised through the issuance of preferred stock or debt securities, these
securities are likely to have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our common stock and may
involve significant fees, interest expense, restrictive
covenants and the granting of security interests in our assets.
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Cash Flows
Net Cash Used in Operating Activities. Net cash used in operating activities for the three months
ended March 31, 2009 was approximately $1.8 million, approximately $1.5 million less than net cash
used in operating activities during the same period in 2008. While the net operating losses and
the non cash expenses for the two periods were relatively similar, the difference was primarily due
to cash used in the first quarter of 2008 to pay down liabilities incurred towards the end of 2007,
related primarily to a periodic production of Tb4, along with some significant clinical activities
that had been performed but not billed.
Net Cash Provided By Investing Activities. Net cash provided by investing activities was
$0 for the three months ended March 31, 2009 and was approximately $4.6 million for the three
months ended March 31, 2008. Our investing activities provided cash in the first three months of
2008 from the maturity of various short-term investments which were re-invested in U.S. Treasury
Bills at the time, which were accounted for as a cash equivalent.
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities. Net cash provided by financing activities was $0 for
the three months ended March 31, 2009 and was approximately $4.9 million for the three months ended
March 31, 2008. Our financing activities provided cash for the first three months of 2008 from a
private placement of securities on February 29, 2008 with affiliates of the Sigma-Tau Group.
Future Funding Requirements
The expenditures that will be necessary to execute our business plan are subject to numerous
uncertainties that may adversely affect our liquidity and capital resources. During the first
quarter of 2009, we completed two Phase II clinical trials, closed one additional Phase II clinical
trial and completed the treatment phase of another Phase I clinical trial. As a result, as of the
date of this report, we are actively enrolling patients in only one trial. In order to continue the
development of our product candidates, we intend to conduct additional clinical trials, the timing
of which is uncertain.
As of the date of this report, we believe we will have sufficient liquidity and capital resources
to fund our operations until early 2010, without considering the benefits of any potential future
milestone payments that we may receive under the license agreement described above. Accordingly,
we need financing and are in the process of exploring various alternatives, including, without
limitation, a public or private placement of our securities, debt financing or corporate
collaboration and licensing arrangements, or the sale of certain of our intellectual property
rights. However, we do not currently have any commitments for future external funding and
additional equity or debt financing may not be available on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or
at all.
In the first quarter of 2009, we also initiated a number of cash preservation initiatives,
including salary reductions and reductions in non-employee director fees in exchange for stock
options to our non-employee directors and certain of our executives and other key employees. We
expect these efforts to preserve approximately $400,000 through the end of 2009.
We cannot assure you that our current liquidity and capital resources will be sufficient to fund
our operations as set forth above. The expenditures that will be necessary to execute our business
plan, and upon which our current liquidity and capital resources estimate is based, are subject to
numerous uncertainties, which may adversely affect our liquidity and capital resources. These
uncertainties primarily
concern our development efforts.
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The length of time required for clinical trials varies substantially according to the type,
complexity, novelty and intended use of a product candidate. Some of the factors that could
decrease our liquidity and increase our capital needs beyond our current expectations include, but
are not limited to:
| the progress of our clinical trials, |
| the progress of our research activities, |
| the number and scope of our research programs, |
| the progress of our pre-clinical development activities, |
| the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, enforcing and
defending patent and other intellectual property claims, |
| the costs related to development and manufacture of pre-clinical, clinical and
validation lots for regulatory purposes and commercialization of drug supply
associated with our product candidates, |
| our ability to enter into corporate collaborations and the terms and success of
these collaborations, |
| the costs and timing of regulatory approvals. and |
| the costs of establishing manufacturing, sales and distribution capabilities. |
In addition to our obligations under clinical trials, we are committed under an office space lease
that expires on December 31, 2009 that requires monthly rental payments of approximately $7,300.
If adequate funds are not available in the near future, we may be required to delay, reduce the
scope of or eliminate our research and development programs or obtain funds through arrangements
with collaborators or others that may require us to relinquish rights to certain product candidates
that we might otherwise seek to develop or commercialize independently.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as such term is defined in Item 303(a)(4) of
Regulation S-K.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
At March 31, 2009, our cash and cash equivalents, which totaled approximately $3.9 million, were
comprised primarily of FDIC insured bank deposits as set forth in Note F to the unaudited financial
statements included elsewhere in this report, with the remainder in money-market investments backed
by U.S. government obligations, U.S. government agency obligations and investment-grade corporate
bonds. Money market investments are subject to default, changes in credit ratings and changes in
market value. We limit our default risk by investing in high-quality, investment grade instruments.
Our exposure to market risks associated with changes in interest rates relates primarily to the
increase or decrease in the amount of interest income earned on our investment portfolio. Due to
the short-term nature of these investments, if market interest rates were to increase by 10% from
levels as of March 31, 2009, the decline in fair value would not be material.
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Item 4. Controls and Procedures
a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer, performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation
of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of March 31, 2009. Based upon this evaluation,
management has concluded that, as of March 31, 2009, our disclosure controls and procedures were
effective to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified under applicable
rules of the SEC, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management,
including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely
decisions regarding required disclosures.
b) Changes in Internal Controls
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended
March 31, 2009 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our
internal control over financial reporting.
Part II Other Information
Item 1.
Legal Proceedings
None.
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
Set forth below and elsewhere in this report and in other documents we file with the Securities and
Exchange Commission are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this
report. The descriptions below include any material changes to and supersede the description of the
risk factors affecting our business previously disclosed in Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors of our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.
Risks Related to Our Liquidity and Need for Financing
We estimate that our current liquidity and capital resources are sufficient to fund our operations
into early 2010. However, we will need substantial additional funds to expand operations, which we
may not be able to raise on favorable terms, or at all.
In the first quarter of 2009, we reported on several trials in our clinical program: the results of
a Phase II clinical trial evaluating our topical gel product candidate RGN-137 in patients with
pressure ulcers; the results of a Phase II clinical trial evaluating our topical gel product
candidate RGN-137 in patients with venous stasis ulcers; the results of a Phase I clinical trial
evaluating our injectable product candidate RGN-352 in healthy volunteers; and the early
termination of a Phase I clinical trial evaluating our ophthalmic product candidate RGN-259 due to
data obtained under a compassionate IND indicating RGN-259s positive effects on corneal wound
healing. As of the date of this report, we are continuing to enroll patients in our Phase II
clinical trial evaluating our topical gel product candidate RGN-137 in patients with EB, furthering
our research with our peptide fragments targeting the cosmeceutical market and actively pursuing
potential licensing partnerships for our other product candidates. As of the date of this report,
we
believe we have sufficient liquidity and capital resources to fund our operations into early 2010.
However, we will need substantial additional funds in order to initiate any further preclinical
studies or clinical trials, and to fund our operations beyond early 2010. Accordingly, we need
financing and are in the process of exploring various alternatives, including, without limitation,
a public or private placement of our securities, debt financing or corporate collaboration and
licensing arrangements or the sale of certain of our intellectual property rights.
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A significant portion of our operating expenses are variable, as opposed to fixed costs.
Accordingly, we believe that we have the ability to reduce costs to offset the results of a
prolonged or severe economic downturn. Management has been closely monitoring expenditures and
intends to restrict such expenditures to those expenses that are necessary to complete activities
related to existing clinical trials, identifying additional sources of working capital and general
administrative costs in support of these activities. We continue to actively seek new sources of
working capital.
We have recently implemented a number of efforts to preserve our cash, including salary reductions
for certain of our employees and reductions in non-employee director fees, and we recently obtained
$600,000 in equity financing from an affiliate of Sigma-Tau Group, our largest stockholder group.
With our expected reduced monthly cash outflows and these additional funds, we believe that our
cash and cash equivalents, which were approximately $3.9 million at March 31, 2009, will fund our
operations into early 2010. Although we intend to continue to seek additional
financing or a strategic partner, we may not be able to complete a financing or corporate
transaction, either on favorable terms or at all. If we are unable to complete a financing or
strategic transaction, we may not be able to continue as a going concern after our funds have been
exhausted, and we could be required to take actions that may result in stockholders having little
or no continuing interest in our assets, such as ceasing operations, seeking protection under the
provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or liquidating and dissolving our company.
Our forecast of the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to
support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties, and
actual results could vary as a result of a number of factors, including the factors discussed
elsewhere in these risk factors. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be
wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect.
We are seeking to maximize the value of our assets and to address our liabilities and raise
additional capital for our existing business. We are attempting to pursue asset out-licenses, asset
sales, mergers or similar strategic transactions. There can be no assurance that we will be
successful in executing a strategic transaction.
We are actively considering strategic alternatives with the goal of maximizing the value of our
assets. In addition, we are considering restructuring alternatives, including business arrangements
such as the out-licensing or sale of product candidates or our company as a whole. There are
substantial challenges and risks which will make it difficult to successfully implement any of
these opportunities before early 2010, after which we may not be able to fund our current
operations without additional financing. Even if we determine to pursue one or more of these
alternatives, we may be unable to do so on acceptable terms, if at all.
We have incurred losses since inception and expect to incur significant losses in the foreseeable
future and may never become profitable.
We have incurred net operating losses every year since our inception in 1982. We believe these
losses will continue for the foreseeable future, and may increase, as we pursue our product
development efforts related
to Tb4. As of March 31, 2009, our accumulated deficit totaled $80.5 million and our cash and cash
equivalents totaled $3.9 million.
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We anticipate substantial and increasing operating losses over the next several years as we
continue our research and development efforts and seek to obtain regulatory approval of our product
candidates to make them commercially viable. Our ability to generate additional revenues and to
become profitable will depend largely on our ability, alone or through the efforts of third-party
licensees and collaborators, to efficiently and successfully complete the development of our
product candidates, obtain necessary regulatory approvals for commercialization, scale-up
commercial quantity manufacturing capabilities either internally or through third-party suppliers,
and market our product candidates. There can be no assurance that we will achieve any of these
objectives or that we will ever become profitable or be able to maintain profitability. Even if we
do achieve profitability, we cannot predict the level of such profitability. If we sustain losses
over an extended period of time and are not otherwise able to raise necessary funds to continue our
development efforts and maintain our operations, we may be forced to cease operations.
The recent downturn in the U.S. economy and the recent pressure on capital markets increase the
possibility of and may exacerbate the impact of any adverse effects on our financial position and
business prospects. Continued economic adversity may lead to or accelerate a decrease in the
trading price of our common stock and make it more difficult for us to raise capital, enter into
collaborations or maintain our compliance with the minimum listing standards of the NYSE Amex stock
exchange.
The recent downturn in the U.S. economy and the extraordinary pressure being placed on both debt
and equity markets have led to significant retraction in U.S. businesses, sudden and severe
decreases in the prices of U.S. equities generally and a severe shortage in available credit. These
factors have made it more difficult, in general, for companies to expand or maintain their current
operations and have increased the likelihood that certain companies will fail. Although we cannot
say with certainty the impact the current economic crises has had on us to date or may have on us
in the future, continued pressure on the U.S. economy and its capital markets may make it more
difficult for us to raise capital or enter into collaborations or licensing relationships for
purposes of developing our technology and/or increasing our liquidity. Any inability for us to
raise capital or enter into strategic relationships, as a result of the economic downturn or
otherwise, would make it more difficult or impossible for us to continue operations after the end
of 2009 or early 2010. The economic downturn may also lead to or accelerate a decrease in the
trading price of our common stock, which could make it more difficult for us to maintain compliance
with certain continued listing requirements of the NYSE Amex exchange, including a market
capitalization of at least $50 million, as described below.
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If we are unable to successfully implement our cash preservation efforts, our business could be
materially adversely affected.
We incurred a net loss of approximately $10.6 million for 2008 and $2.5 million for the three-month
period ended March 31, 2009. In light of our current cash position, we have taken, and we plan to
undertake, a number of actions intended to preserve our cash balances in 2009. In April 2009, we
initiated activities to reduce monthly cash outflows, including salary reductions for certain of
our employees, reductions in general and administrative expenses and reductions in non-employee
director fees. If these reductions are not effectively managed, or if our management and key
employees do not continue with us, we may experience unanticipated effects from these reductions
causing harm to our business and our relationships with third parties.
We are currently not in compliance with NYSE Amex rules regarding the minimum shareholders equity
requirement and are at risk of being delisted from the NYSE Amex stock exchange, which may subject
us to the SECs penny stock rules and decrease the liquidity of our common stock. If our common
stock is delisted, this would likely make capital raising efforts more difficult.
Because of our historical losses from operations, NYSE Amex rules require that we maintain a
minimum shareholders equity of $6 million, unless our market capitalization exceeds $50 million.
As of March 31, 2009, our total stockholders equity was $2.3 million, and our market
capitalization is below $50 million. In April 2009, we received a notice from NYSE Amex indicating
that were below certain of the exchanges continued listing standards.
We may submit a plan of compliance to NYSE Amex by May 25, 2009 that demonstrates our ability to
regain compliance with the listing standards within an 18 month remediation period. We currently
intend to submit such a plan, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so in a
timely manner or that any such plan we submit will be accepted. If the plan is accepted, we may be
able to continue our listing during the 18-month plan period, during which time we will be subject
to periodic review to determine whether we are making progress consistent with the plan. There can
be no assurance that, if accepted, such a plan will ultimately be successful, or that, if the plan
is rejected or we are determined to not be making progress consistent with the plan, any appeals by
us to the exchange would be successful.
If at the conclusion of compliance periods described above, we have not achieved compliance, we
expect that our common stock would be delisted from the NYSE Amex exchange. Following any such
delisting, our common stock may be traded over-the-counter on the OTC Bulletin Board or in the
pink sheets. These alternative markets, however, are generally considered to be less efficient
than, and not as broad as, the NYSE Amex exchange. Many OTC Bulletin Board and pink sheets stocks
trade less frequently and in smaller volumes than securities traded on the NYSE Amex, which could
have a material adverse effect on the liquidity of our common stock. If our common stock is
delisted from NYSE Amex, there may be a limited market for our stock, trading in our stock may
become more difficult and our share price could decrease even further. Specifically, you may not be
able to resell your shares of common stock at or above the price you paid for such shares or at
all.
In addition, if our common stock is delisted, our ability to raise additional capital may be
impaired because of the less liquid nature of the OTC Bulletin Board and the pink sheets. While we
cannot guarantee that we would be able to complete an equity financing on acceptable terms, or at
all, we believe that dilution from any equity financing while our shares are quoted on the OTC
Bulletin Board or the pink sheets would likely
be substantially greater than if we were to complete the financing while our common stock is traded
on the NYSE Amex exchange.
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In the event our common stock is delisted, it may also become subject to penny stock rules. The SEC
generally defines penny stock as an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00
per share, subject to certain exceptions. We are not currently subject to the penny stock rules
because our common stock qualifies for an exception to the SECs penny stock rules for companies
that have an equity security that is quoted on an exchange. However, if we were delisted, our
common stock would become subject to the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice
requirements on broker-dealers who sell our common stock. If our common stock were considered penny
stock, the ability of broker-dealers to sell our common stock and the ability of our stockholders
to sell their shares in the secondary market would be limited and, as a result, the market
liquidity for our common stock may be adversely affected. We cannot assure you that trading in our
securities will not be subject to these or other regulations in the future.
In addition to our current operational requirements, we will need substantial additional capital to
develop our product candidates and for our future operations. If we are unable to obtain such funds
when needed, we may have to delay, scale back or terminate our product development efforts or our
business.
Beyond our current liquidity needs, we anticipate that substantial new capital resources will be
required to continue our independent product development efforts, including any and all follow-on
trials that will result from our current clinical programs, and to scale up manufacturing processes
for our product candidates. The actual amount of funds that we will need will be determined by many
factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include, without limitation:
| the scope of our clinical trials, which is significantly influenced by
the quality of clinical data achieved as trials are completed and the
requirements established by regulatory authorities; |
||
| the speed with which we complete our clinical trials, which depends on
our ability to attract and enroll qualifying patients and the quality
of the work performed by our clinical investigators; |
||
| the time required to prosecute, enforce and defend our intellectual
property rights, which depends on evolving legal regimes and
infringement claims that may arise between us and third parties; |
||
| the ability to manufacture at scales sufficient to supply commercial
quantities of any of our product candidates that receive regulatory
approval, which may require levels of effort not currently
anticipated; and |
||
| the successful commercialization of our product candidates, which will
depend on our ability to either create or partner with an effective
commercialization organization and which could be delayed or prevented
by the emergence of equal or more effective therapies. |
Potential sources of outside capital include entering into strategic business relationships, public
or private sales of shares of our capital stock, or the issuance of debt, or other similar
financial instruments. We do not have any committed sources of outside capital at this time, and
there can be no assurance that we will
be able to obtain further capital in sufficient amounts, or on acceptable terms, or in the
timeframe needed to ensure the uninterrupted execution of our business strategy.
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Emerging biotechnology companies like us may raise capital by licensing intellectual property
rights to other biotechnology or pharmaceutical enterprises. We intend to pursue this strategy, but
there can be no assurance that we will be able to license our intellectual property or product
development programs on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. If we are successful in raising
additional capital through such a license, we may have to give up valuable short- and/or long-term
rights to our intellectual property. In addition, the business priorities of the strategic partner
may change over time, which creates the possibility that the interests of the strategic partner in
developing our technology may diminish, which could have a potentially material negative impact on
the value of our interest in the licensed intellectual property or product candidates.
In addition, if we raise funds by selling shares of our common stock or securities convertible into
our common stock, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders may be significantly diluted.
If additional funds are raised through the issuance of preferred stock or debt securities, these
securities are likely to have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our common stock and may
involve significant fees, interest expense, restrictive covenants or the granting of security
interests in our assets.
Our failure to successfully address ongoing liquidity requirements would have a material negative
impact on our business, including the possibility of surrendering our rights to some technologies
or product opportunities, delaying our clinical trials, or ceasing our operations.
Risks Related to Our Business and Operations
Our business prospects are difficult to evaluate because we are developing complex and novel
medical product candidates.
Since our product candidates rely on complex technologies, it may be difficult for you to assess
our growth, licensing and earnings potential. It is likely we will face many of the difficulties
that companies developing new biological or pharmaceutical technologies often face. These include,
among others:
| limited financial resources; |
||
| developing novel, commercial-grade drug substances; |
||
| testing and evaluating a new chemical entity and its effects in
highly-complex biological systems; |
||
| marketing new products for which a market is not yet established and
may never become established; |
||
| challenges related to the approval and acceptance of drug candidates
by United States federal and international regulatory authorities; |
||
| delays inherent in the execution of clinical trials; |
||
| high product development costs that result from all of these factors; |
||
| competition from other therapies and drug candidates promoted by
entities with significantly more capital resources and marketing
expertise than us; and |
||
| difficulty recruiting qualified employees for management and other positions. |
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We will likely face these and other difficulties in the future, some of which may be beyond our
control. If we are unable to successfully address these difficulties as they arise, our future
results of operations and business prospects will be negatively affected. We cannot be certain that
our product candidates will prove safe and efficacious, that our business strategies will be
successful or that we will successfully address any and all problems that may arise.
We may not successfully establish and maintain development and testing relationships with third
party service providers and collaborators, which could adversely affect our ability to develop our
product candidates.
We have only limited resources, experience with and capacity to conduct requisite testing and
clinical trials of our drug candidates. As a result, we rely and expect to continue to rely on
third-party service providers and collaborators, including corporate partners, licensors and
contract research organizations, or CROs, to perform a number of activities relating to the
development of our drug candidates, including the design and conduct of clinical trials, and
potentially the obtaining of regulatory approvals. For example, we currently rely on several
third-party contractors to manufacture and formulate Tb4 into the product candidates used in our
clinical trials, develop assays to assess Tb4s effectiveness in complex biological systems,
recruit clinical investigators and sites to participate in our trials, manage the clinical trial
process and collect, evaluate and report clinical results.
We may not be able to maintain or expand our current arrangements with these third parties or
maintain such relationships on favorable terms. Our agreements with these third parties may also
contain provisions that restrict our ability to develop and test our product candidates or that
give third parties rights to control aspects of our product development and clinical programs. In
addition, conflicts may arise with our collaborators, such as conflicts concerning the
interpretation of clinical data, the achievement of milestones, the interpretation of financial
provisions or the ownership of intellectual property developed during the collaboration. If any
conflicts arise with our existing or future collaborators, they may act in their self-interest,
which may be adverse to our best interests. Any failure to maintain our collaborative agreements
and any conflicts with our collaborators could delay or prevent us from developing our product
candidates. We and our collaborators may fail to develop products covered by our present and future
collaborations if, among other things:
| we do not achieve our objectives under our collaboration agreements; |
||
| we or our collaborators are unable to obtain patent protection for the
products or proprietary technologies we develop in our collaborations; |
||
| we are unable to manage multiple simultaneous product development
collaborations; |
||
| our collaborators become competitors of ours or enter into agreements
with our competitors; |
||
| we or our collaborators encounter regulatory hurdles that prevent
commercialization of our product candidates; or |
||
| we develop products and processes or enter into additional
collaborations that conflict with the business objectives of our other
collaborators. |
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We also have less control over the timing and other aspects of our clinical trials than if we
conducted the monitoring and supervision entirely on our own. Third parties may not perform their
responsibilities for our clinical trials on our anticipated schedule or consistent with a clinical
trial protocol or applicable regulations. We also rely on clinical research organizations to
perform much of our data management and analysis. They may not provide these services as required
or in a timely manner. If any of these parties do not meet deadlines or follow proper procedures,
including procedures required by law, the pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may take longer
than expected, may be delayed or may be terminated, which would have a materially negative impact
on our product development efforts. If we were forced to find a replacement entity to perform any
of our pre-clinical studies or clinical trials, we may not be able to find a suitable entity on
favorable terms or at all. Even if we were able to find a replacement, resulting delays in the
tests or trials may result in significant additional expenditures and delays in obtaining
regulatory approval for drug candidates, which could have a material adverse impact on our results
of operations and business prospects.
We are subject to intense government regulation and we may not receive regulatory approvals for our
new drug candidates.
Our product candidates will require regulatory approvals prior to sale. In particular, therapeutic
agents are subject to stringent approval processes, prior to commercial marketing, by the FDA and
by comparable agencies in most foreign countries. The process of obtaining FDA and corresponding
foreign approvals is costly and time-consuming, and we cannot assure you that such approvals will
be granted. Also, the regulations we are subject to change frequently and such changes could cause
delays in the development of our product candidates. In addition, the timing of clinical trials
necessary for FDA approval is dependent on, among other things, FDA and investigational review
board, or IRB reviews, clinical site approvals, successful manufacturing of clinical materials,
sufficient funding, eligible patient enrollment and other factors outside of our control. There can
be no assurance that our clinical trials will in fact demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the FDA
and others, that our product candidates are sufficiently safe or effective. The FDA or we may also
restrict or suspend our clinical trials at any time if either believes that we are exposing the
subjects participating in the trials to unacceptable health risks.
As a consequence, we may need to perform more or larger clinical trials than planned, for reasons
such as:
| the FDA or other health regulatory authorities, or IRBs, do not
approve a clinical trial protocol or place a clinical trial on hold; |
||
| suitable patients do not enroll in a clinical trial in sufficient
numbers or at the expected rate, or data is adversely affected by
trial conduct or patient drop out; |
||
| patients experience serious adverse events, including adverse side
effects of our drug candidates, for a variety of reasons that may or
may not be related to our product candidates, including the advanced
stage of their disease and other medical problems; |
||
| patients in the placebo or untreated control group exhibit greater
than expected improvements or fewer than expected adverse events; |
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| third-party clinical investigators do not perform the clinical trials
on the anticipated schedule or consistent with the clinical trial
protocol and good clinical practices, or other third-party
organizations do not perform data collection and analysis in a timely
or accurate manner; |
||
| service providers, collaborators or co-sponsors do not adequately
perform their obligations in relation to the clinical trial or cause
the trial to be delayed or terminated; |
||
| regulatory inspections of manufacturing facilities, which may, among
other things, require us or a co-sponsor to undertake corrective
action or suspend the clinical trials; |
||
| the interim results of the clinical trial are inconclusive or negative; |
||
| the clinical trial, although approved and completed, generates data
that is not considered by the FDA or others to be sufficient to
demonstrate safety and efficacy; and |
||
| changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions affect
the conduct of the clinical trial or the interpretation of its
results. |
Any failure to obtain or any delay in obtaining regulatory approvals would have a material adverse
impact on our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates.
Mauro Bove, a member of our Board, is also a director and officer of Sigma-Tau Finanziaria S.p.A,
which together with its affiliates comprise our largest stockholder group, a relationship which
could give rise to a conflict of interest involving Mr. Bove.
Mauro Bove, a member of our Board of Directors, is also a director and officer of Sigma-Tau
Finanziaria S.p.A, who with its affiliated entities are collectively our largest stockholder group.
Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals is also our strategic partner in Europe with respect to the development
of certain of our drug candidates. During 2008, we issued shares of common stock and common stock
warrants to affiliates of Sigma-Tau in two private placement financing transactions, but we
retained the right to repurchase some of these shares under certain circumstances. In April 2009,
we sold common stock and warrants for $600,000 in gross proceeds to
an affiliate of Sigma-Tau.
We have licensed certain rights to our product candidates generally for the treatment of dermal and
internal wounds, to Defiante Farmaceutica S.p.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sigma-Tau, in
Europe. Under the license agreement, upon the completion of a Phase II clinical trial of either of
these product candidates that yields positive results in terms of clinical efficacy and safety,
Defiante is obligated to either make a $5 million milestone payment to us or to initiate and fund a
pivotal Phase III clinical trial of the product candidate. As described elsewhere in this report,
we have recently completed two Phase II clinical trials of RGN-137 in the treatment of pressure
ulcers and venous stasis ulcers. However, due to the lack of statistical significance of the
reported efficacy results, we cannot assure you that the results of these trials will be sufficient
to trigger the milestone obligation described above, and there can be no assurance that we will
ever receive this payment or be able to initiate a pivotal Phase III clinical trial of RGN-137
under this provision. As a result of Mr. Boves relationship with Sigma-Tau, there could be a
conflict of interest between Mr. Bove and our stockholders other than Sigma-Tau with respect to
these and other agreements and circumstances that may require the exercise of the Boards
discretion with respect to Sigma-Tau. Any
decision in the best interests of Sigma-Tau may not be in the best interest of our other
stockholders.
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We
are heavily reliant on our license from the National Institutes of
Health for the rights to Tß4,
and any loss of these rights would adversely affect our business.
We have received an exclusive worldwide license to intellectual property discovered at the National
Institutes of Health, or NIH, pertaining to the use of Tb4 in wound healing and tissue repair. The
intellectual property rights from this license form the basis for our current commercial
development focus with Tb4. This license terminates upon the last to expire of the patent
applications that are filed in connection with the license. This license requires us to pay a
minimum annual royalty to the NIH, regardless of the success of our product development efforts,
plus certain other royalties upon the sale of products created by the intellectual property granted
under the license. We rely on this license for a significant portion of our business. This license
may be terminated for a number of reasons, including non-payment of the royalty or lack of
continued product development, among others. While to date we believe that we have complied with
all requirements to maintain the license, the loss of this license would have a material adverse
effect on our business and business prospects and may require us to cease development of our
current line of Tb4-based product candidates.
All of our drug candidates are based on a single compound that has yet to be proven effective in
human subjects.
Our
current primary business focus is the development of Tb4, and its analogues, derivatives and
fragments, for the treatment of non-healing wounds and other conditions. While we have in the past
explored and may in the future explore the use of other compounds for the treatment of other
medical conditions, we presently have no immediate plans to develop products for such purposes.
Unlike many pharmaceutical companies that have a number of unique chemical entities in development,
we are dependent on a single molecule, formulated for different administrations, for our potential
commercial success. As a result, any common safety or efficacy
concerns for Tb4-based products that
cross formulations would have a much greater impact on our business prospects than if our product
pipeline were more diversified.
Our drug candidates are still in research and development, and we do not expect them to be
commercially available for the foreseeable future, if at all. Only a small number of research and
development programs ultimately result in commercially successful drugs. Potential products that
appear to be promising at early stages of development may not reach the market for a number of
reasons. These include the possibility that the potential products may:
| be found ineffective or cause harmful side effects during pre-clinical
studies or clinical trials; |
||
| fail to receive necessary regulatory approvals; |
||
| be precluded from commercialization by proprietary rights of third parties; |
||
| be difficult to manufacture on a large scale; or |
||
| be uneconomical or otherwise fail to achieve market acceptance. |
If any
of these potential problems occurs, we may never successfully market Tb4-based products.
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We have no manufacturing or formulation capabilities and are dependent upon third-party suppliers
to provide us with our product candidates. If these suppliers do not manufacture our product
candidates in sufficient quantities, at acceptable quality levels and at acceptable cost, or if we
are unable to identify
suitable replacement suppliers if needed, our clinical development efforts could be delayed,
prevented or impaired.
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities and have little experience in manufacturing
pharmaceutical products. We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, primarily on one of the
leading peptide manufacturers to supply us with Tb4 for further formulation into our product
candidates. We have engaged three separate smaller drug formulation contractors for the formulation
of clinical grade product candidates, one each for RGN-137, RGN-259 and RGN-352. We currently do
not have an alternative source of supply for either Tb4 or the individual drug candidates. If these
suppliers, together or individually, are not able to supply us with either Tb4 or individual
product candidates on a timely basis, in sufficient quantities, at acceptable levels of quality and
at a competitive price, or if we are unable to identify a replacement manufacturer to perform these
functions on acceptable terms as needed, our development programs could be seriously jeopardized.
The risks of relying solely on single suppliers for our product candidates include:
| Their respective abilities to ensure quality and compliance with
regulations relating to the manufacture of pharmaceuticals; |
||
| Their manufacturing capacity may not be sufficient or available to
produce the required quantities of our product candidates based on our
planned clinical development schedule, if at all; |
||
| They may not have access to the capital necessary to expand their
manufacturing facilities in response to our needs; |
||
| Commissioning replacement suppliers would be difficult and time-consuming; |
||
| Individual suppliers may have used substantial proprietary know-how
relating to the manufacture of our product candidates and, in the
event we must find a replacement or supplemental supplier, our ability
to transfer this know-how to the new supplier could be an expensive
and/or time-consuming process; |
||
| An individual supplier may experience events, such as a fire or
natural disaster, that force it to stop or curtail production for an
extended period; |
||
| An individual supplier could encounter significant increases in labor,
capital or other costs that would make it difficult for them to
produce our products cost-effectively; or |
||
| An individual supplier may not be able to obtain the raw materials or
validated drug containers in sufficient quantities, at acceptable
costs or in sufficient time to complete the manufacture, formulation
and delivery of our product candidates. |
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If any of our key employees discontinue their services with us, our efforts to develop our business
may be delayed.
We are highly dependent on the principal members of our management team. The loss of our chairman
and
chief scientific advisor, Allan Goldstein, or our chief executive officer, J.J. Finkelstein, could
prevent or significantly delay the achievement of our goals. We have employment agreements with
Dr. Goldstein and Mr. Finkelstein. As described elsewhere in this report, we have recently
initiated salary reductions for our employees, including Dr. Goldstein and Mr. Finkelstein.
However, we cannot assure you that such agreements would prevent them from terminating their
employment with or without good reason, and they, or other key employees, may elect to terminate
their employment as a result of recent salary reductions or for other reasons. In addition, we do
not maintain a key man life insurance policy with respect to Dr. Goldstein or Mr. Finkelstein. In
the future, we anticipate that we may need to add additional management and other personnel.
Competition for qualified personnel in our industry is intense, and our success will depend in part
on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel. We cannot assure you that our
efforts to attract or retain such personnel will be successful.
We are subject to intense competition from companies with greater resources and more mature
products, which may result in our competitors developing or commercializing products before or more
successfully than we do.
We are engaged in a business that is highly competitive. Research and development activities for
the development of drugs to treat indications within our focus are being sponsored or conducted by
private and public research institutions and by major pharmaceutical companies located in the
United States and a number of foreign countries. Most of these companies and institutions have
financial and human resources that are substantially greater than our own, and they have extensive
experience in conducting research and development activities and clinical trials and in obtaining
the regulatory approvals necessary to market pharmaceutical products that we do not have. As a
result, they may develop competing products more rapidly that are safer, more effective, or have
fewer side effects, or are less expensive, or they may develop and commercialize products that
render our product candidates non-competitive or obsolete.
With respect to wound healing, Johnson & Johnson is marketing Regranex for this purpose in
patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Other companies, such as Novartis, are developing and marketing
artificial skins, which could compete with our product candidates in certain wound healing areas.
Moreover, wound healing is a large and highly fragmented marketplace attracting many companies,
large and small, to develop products for treating acute and chronic wounds, including, for example,
honey-based ointments and low frequency cavitational ultrasound. Additionally, most large
pharmaceutical companies and many smaller biomedical companies are vigorously pursuing therapeutics
to treat patients after heart attacks and other cardiovascular indications.
We face the risk of product liability claims, which could adversely affect our business and
financial condition.
We may be subject to product liability claims as a result of our testing, manufacturing, and
marketing of drugs. In addition, the use of our product candidates, when and if developed and sold,
will expose us to the risk of product liability claims. Product liability may result from harm to
patients using our product candidates, such as a complication that was either not communicated as a
potential side effect or was more extreme than anticipated. We require all patients enrolled in our
clinical trials to sign consents, which explain various risks involved with participating in the
trial. However, patient consents provide only a limited level of protection, and it may be alleged
that the consent did not address or did not adequately address a risk that the patient suffered.
Additionally, we will generally be required to indemnify our clinical product manufacturers,
clinical trial centers, medical professionals and other parties conducting related activities in
connection with losses they may incur through their involvement in the clinical trials.
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Our ability to reduce our liability exposure for human clinical trials and commercial sales, if
any, of Tb4 is dependent in part on our ability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance or
to collaborate with third parties that have adequate insurance. Although we intend to obtain and
maintain product liability insurance coverage, we cannot guarantee that product liability insurance
will continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all, or that its coverage will be
sufficient to cover all claims against us. A product liability claim, even one without merit or for
which we have substantial coverage, could result in significant legal defense costs, thereby
potentially exposing us to expenses significantly in excess of our revenues.
Governmental and third-party payers may subject any product candidates we develop to sales and
pharmaceutical pricing controls that could limit our product revenues and delay profitability.
The successful commercialization of our product candidates will likely depend on our ability to
obtain reimbursement for the cost of the product and treatment. Government authorities, private
health insurers and other organizations, such as health maintenance organizations, are increasingly
seeking to lower the prices charged for medical products and services. Also, the trend toward
managed health care in the United States, the growth of healthcare maintenance organizations, and
legislative
proposals to reform healthcare and government insurance programs could have a significant influence
on the purchase of healthcare services and products, resulting in lower prices and reducing demand
for our product candidates. The cost containment measures that healthcare providers are instituting
and any healthcare reform could reduce our ability to sell our product candidates and may have a
material adverse effect on our operations. We cannot assure you that reimbursement in the United
States or foreign countries will be available for any of our product candidates, that any
reimbursement granted will be maintained, or that limits on reimbursement available from
third-party payors will not reduce the demand for, or the price of, our product candidates. The
lack or inadequacy of third-party reimbursements for our product candidates would decrease the
potential profitability of our operations. We cannot forecast what additional legislation or
regulation relating to the healthcare industry or third-party coverage and reimbursement may be
enacted in the future, or what effect the legislation or regulation would have on our business.
Clinical trials could be delayed or fail to show efficacy, resulting in additional cost or failure
to commercialize our technology platform.
All of our drug candidates are currently in the clinical stage and we cannot be certain that a
collaborator or we will successfully complete the clinical trials necessary to receive regulatory
product approvals. This process is lengthy, unpredictable and expensive. To obtain regulatory
approvals, a collaborator or we must ultimately demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA and
others that our product candidates are sufficiently safe and effective for their proposed use. Many
factors, known and unknown, can adversely impact clinical trials and the ability to evaluate a
product candidates safety and efficacy, including unexpected delays in the initiation of clinical
sites, slower than projected enrollment, competition with ongoing clinical trials and scheduling
conflicts with participating clinicians, regulatory requirements, limits on manufacturing capacity
and failure of a product candidate to meet required standards for administration to humans. Such
factors may have a negative impact on our business by making it difficult to advance product
candidates or by reducing or eliminating their potential or perceived value. Further, if we are
forced to contribute greater financial and clinical resources to a study, valuable resources will
be diverted from other areas of our business.
Clinical trials for product candidates such as ours are often conducted with patients who have more
advanced forms of a particular condition and/or other unrelated conditions. For example, in
clinical trials for our lead product candidate RGN-137, we have studied patients who are not only
suffering from chronic epidermal wounds but are also older and much more likely to have other
serious adverse conditions. During the course of treatment with our product candidates, patients
could die or suffer other adverse events for reasons that may or may not be related to the drug
candidate being tested. Furthermore, and as a consequence of all of our drug candidates being based
on Tb4, cross-over risk exists such that a patient in one trial may be adversely impacted by one
drug candidate, and that adverse event may have implications for our other trials and other drug
candidates. However, even if unrelated to our product candidates, such adverse events can
nevertheless negatively impact our clinical trials, and our business prospects would suffer.
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Our ability to complete clinical trials depends on many factors, including obtaining adequate
clinical supplies and having a sufficient rate of patient recruitment. For example, patient
recruitment is a function of many factors, including the size of the patient population, the
proximity of patients to clinical sites, the eligibility criteria for the trial, the perceptions of
investigators and patients regarding safety, and the availability of other treatment options. Even
if patients are successfully recruited, we cannot be sure they will complete the treatment process.
Delays in patient enrollment or treatment in clinical trials may result in increased costs, program
delays, or failure, any of which can substantially affect our business or perceived value.
If we fail to complete or if we experience material delays in completing our clinical trials as
currently planned, or we otherwise fail to commence or complete, or experience delays in, any of
our other present or planned clinical trials, including as a result of the actions of third parties
upon which we rely for these functions, our ability to conduct our business as currently planned
could materially suffer. Development costs will increase if we experience any future delays in our
clinical trials or if we need to perform more or larger clinical trials than we currently plan. If
the delays or costs are significant, our financial results and our ability to commercialize our
product candidates will be adversely affected.
We have no marketing experience, sales force or distribution capabilities. If our product
candidates are approved, and we are unable to recruit key personnel to perform these functions, we
may not be able to commercialize them successfully.
Although we do not currently have any marketable products, our ability to produce revenues
ultimately depends on our ability to sell our product candidates if and when they are approved by
the FDA and other regulatory authorities. We currently have no experience in marketing or selling
pharmaceutical products and we do not have a marketing and sales staff or distribution
capabilities. Developing a marketing and sales force is also time-consuming and could delay the
launch of new products or expansion of existing product sales. In addition, we will compete with
many companies that currently have extensive and well-funded marketing and sales operations. If we
fail to establish successful marketing and sales capabilities or fail to enter into successful
marketing arrangements with third parties, our ability to generate revenues will suffer.
Even if approved for marketing, our technologies and product candidates are unproven and they may
fail to gain market acceptance.
Our drug candidates, which are all based on the molecule Tb4, are new and rapidly evolving and have
not been shown to be effective on a widespread basis. Our product candidates, and the technology
underlying them, are new and unproven and there is no guarantee that health care providers or
patients will be interested in our product candidates even if they are approved for use. Our
success will depend in part on our ability to demonstrate sufficient clinical benefits,
reliability, safety, and cost effectiveness of our product candidates and technology relative to
other approaches, as well as on our ability to continue to develop our product candidates to
respond to competitive and technological changes. If the market does not accept our product
candidates, when and if we are able to commercialize them, then we may never become profitable.
Factors that could delay, inhibit or prevent market acceptance of our product candidates may
include:
| the timing and receipt of marketing approvals; |
||
| the safety and efficacy of the products; |
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| the emergence of equivalent or superior products; |
||
| the cost-effectiveness of the products; and |
||
| ineffective marketing. |
It is difficult to predict the future growth of our business, if any, and the size of the market
for our product candidates because the markets and technologies are continually evolving. There can
be no assurance that our technologies and product candidates will prove superior to technologies
and products that may currently be available or may become available in the future or that our
technologies or research and development activities will result in any commercially profitable
products.
Our technologies and product candidates may have unacceptable side effects that could delay or
prevent product approval.
Possible side effects of therapeutic technologies may be serious and life threatening. The
occurrence of any unacceptable side effects with our product candidates, during or after
pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, or the perception or possibility that our product
candidates cause or could cause such side effects, could delay or prevent approval of our product
candidates and negatively impact our business.
Our suppliers may use hazardous and biological materials in their businesses. Any claims relating
to improper handling, storage or disposal of these materials could be time-consuming and costly to
us, and we are not insured against such claims.
Our product candidates and processes involve the controlled storage, use and disposal by our
suppliers of certain hazardous and biological materials and waste products. We and our suppliers
and other collaborators are subject to federal, state and local regulations governing the use,
manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of materials and waste products. Even if we and these
suppliers and collaborators comply with the standards prescribed by law and regulation, the risk of
accidental contamination or injury from hazardous materials cannot be completely eliminated. In the
event of an accident, we could be held liable for any damages that result, and we do not carry
insurance for this type of claim. We may also incur significant costs to comply with current or
future environmental laws and regulations.
If we enter markets outside the United States our business will be subject to political, economic,
legal and social risks in those markets, which could adversely affect our business.
There are significant regulatory and legal barriers to entering markets outside the United States
that we must overcome if we seek regulatory approval to market our product candidates in countries
other than the United States. We would be subject to the burden of complying with a wide variety of
national and local laws, including multiple and possibly overlapping and conflicting laws. We also
may experience difficulties adapting to new cultures, business customs and legal systems. Any sales
and operations outside the United States would be subject to political, economic and social
uncertainties including, among others:
| changes and limits in import and export controls; |
||
| increases in custom duties and tariffs; |
||
| changes in currency exchange rates; |
||
| economic and political instability; |
||
| changes in government regulations and laws; |
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| absence in some jurisdictions of effective laws to protect our
intellectual property rights; and |
||
| currency transfer and other restrictions and regulations that may
limit our ability to sell certain product candidates or repatriate
profits to the United States. |
Any changes related to these and other factors could adversely affect our business if and to the
extent we enter markets outside the United States.
Risks Related To Our Intellectual Property
If we are not able to maintain adequate patent protection for our product candidates, we may be
unable to prevent our competitors from using our technology or technology that we license.
Our success will depend in substantial part on our ability to obtain, defend and enforce patents,
maintain trade secrets and operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others, both
in the United States and abroad. Pursuant to an exclusive worldwide license from the NIH, we have
exclusive rights under a patent application filed by the NIH for the use of Tb4 in the treatment of
non-healing wounds. While this patent has issued in certain countries, we cannot guarantee whether
or when the patent will be issued or the scope of the patent issued in other countries. We have
attempted to create a substantial intellectual property portfolio, submitting patent applications
for various compositions of matter, methods of use and fragments and derivatives of Tb4. We have
also in-licensed other intellectual property rights from third parties that could be subject to the
same risks as our own patents. If any of these patent applications do not issue, or do not issue in
certain countries, or are not enforceable, the ability to commercialize Tb4 in various medical
indications could be substantially limited or eliminated.
In addition, the patent positions of the technologies being developed by us and our collaborators
involve complex legal and factual uncertainties. As a result, we cannot assure you that any patent
applications filed by us, or by others under which we have rights, will result in patents being
issued in the United States or foreign countries. In addition, there can be no assurance that
(i) any patents will be issued from any pending or future patent applications of ours or our
collaborators; (ii) the scope of any patent protection will be sufficient to provide us with
competitive advantages; (iii) any patents obtained by us or our collaborators will be held valid if
subsequently challenged; or (iv) others will not claim rights in or ownership of the patents and
other proprietary rights we or our collaborators may hold. Unauthorized parties may try to copy
aspects of our product candidates and technologies or obtain and use information we consider
proprietary. Policing the unauthorized use of our proprietary rights is difficult. We cannot
guarantee that no harm or threat will be made to our or our collaborators intellectual property.
In addition, changes in, or different interpretations of, patent laws in the United States and
other countries may also adversely affect the scope of our patent protection and our competitive
situation.
Due to the significant time lag between the filing of patent applications and the publication of
such patents, we cannot be certain that our licensors were the first to file the patent
applications we license or, even if they were the first to file, also were the first to invent,
particularly with regards to patent rights in the United States. In addition, a number of
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and research and academic institutions have developed
technologies, filed patent applications or received patents on various technologies that may be
related to our operations. Some of these technologies, applications or patents may conflict with
our or our licensors technologies or patent applications. A conflict could limit the scope of the
patents, if any, that we or our licensors may be able to obtain or result in denial of our or our
licensors patent applications. If patents that cover our activities are issued to other companies,
we may not be able to develop or obtain alternative technology.
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Additionally, there is certain subject matter that is patentable in the United States but not
generally patentable outside of the United States. Differences in what constitutes patentable
subject matter in various countries may limit the protection we can obtain outside of the United
States. For example, methods of treating humans are not patentable in many countries outside of the
United States. These and other issues may prevent us from obtaining patent protection outside of
the United States, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
Changes to U.S. patent laws could materially reduce any value our patent portfolio may have.
The value of our patents depends in part on their duration. A shorter period of patent protection
could lessen the value of our rights under any patents that may be obtained and may decrease
revenues derived from its patents. For example, the United States patent laws were previously
amended to change the term of patent protection from 17 years following patent issuance to 20 years
from the earliest effective filing date of the application. Because the time from filing to
issuance of biotechnology applications may be more than three years depending on the subject
matter, a 20-year patent term from the filing date may result in substantially shorter patent
protection. Future changes to patent laws could shorten our period of patent exclusivity and may
decrease the revenues that we might derive from the patents and the value of our patent portfolio.
We may not have adequate protection for our unpatented proprietary information, which could
adversely affect our competitive position.
In addition to our patents, we also rely on trade secrets, know-how, continuing technological
innovations and licensing opportunities to develop and maintain our competitive position. However,
others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or
otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose our technology. To protect our trade
secrets, we may enter into confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants and potential
collaborators. However, we may not have such agreements in place with all such parties and, where
we do, these agreements may not provide meaningful protection of our trade secrets or adequate
remedies in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information. Also, our trade
secrets or know-how may become known through other means or be independently discovered by our
competitors. Any of these events could prevent us from developing or commercializing our product
candidates.
We may be subject to claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged
trade secrets of former employers.
As is commonplace in the biotechnology industry, we employ now, and may hire in the future,
individuals who were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies,
including competitors or potential competitors. Although there are no claims currently pending
against us, we may be subject to claims that we or certain employees have inadvertently or
otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of former employers.
Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending
against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and would be a significant
distraction to management.
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Risks Related To Our Common Stock
Our common stock price is volatile, our stock is highly illiquid, and any investment in our stock
could decline substantially in value.
For the period from January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009, our closing stock price has ranged from
$0.42 to $1.92 with an average daily trading volume of approximately 29,000 shares. In light of our
small size and limited resources, as well as the uncertainties and risks that can affect our
business and industry, our stock price is expected to continue to be highly volatile and can be
subject to substantial drops, with or even in the absence of news affecting our business. The
following factors, in addition to the other risk factors described in this report, and the
potentially low volume of trades in our common stock, may have a significant impact on the market
price of our common stock, some of which are beyond our control:
| results of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials; |
||
| commercial success of approved products; |
||
| corporate partnerships; |
||
| technological innovations by us or competitors; |
||
| changes in laws and government regulations both in the U.S. and overseas; |
||
| changes in key personnel at our company; |
||
| developments concerning proprietary rights, including patents and
litigation matters; |
||
| public perception relating to the commercial value or safety of any of
our product candidates; |
||
| future sales of our common stock; |
||
| future issuance of our common stock causing dilution; |
||
| anticipated or unanticipated changes in our financial performance; |
||
| general trends related to the biopharmaceutical and biotechnological
industries; and |
||
| general conditions in the stock market. |
The stock market in general has recently experienced relatively large price and volume
fluctuations. In particular, the market prices of securities of smaller biotechnology companies
have experienced dramatic fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the
operating results of these companies. Continued market fluctuations could result in extreme
volatility in the price of our common stock, which could cause a decline in its value. You should
also be aware that price volatility may be worse if the trading volume of the common stock remains
limited or declines.
We have never paid dividends on our common stock.
We have paid no cash dividends on any of our classes of capital stock to date, and we currently
intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business.
In addition, the terms of any future debt or credit facility may preclude or limit our ability to
pay any dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole
source of potential gain for the foreseeable future.
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Our principal stockholders have significant voting power and may take actions that may not be in
the best interests of our other stockholders.
As of April 30, 2009, our officers, directors and principal stockholders together control
approximately 55% of our outstanding common stock. Included in this group is Sigma-Tau and its
affiliates, which together hold outstanding shares representing approximately 44% of our
outstanding common stock. A portion of the shares of common stock currently held by Sigma-Tau and
its affiliates, representing 16% of our outstanding common stock, are subject to voting agreements
under which our Board controls the voting power of such stock. We cannot assure you that such
voting agreements would prevent Sigma-Tau and its affiliates from taking actions not in your best
interests and effectively exercising control over us. These voting agreements expire between
June 2010 and April 2012. After such time, we will have no control over the voting of these shares
controlled by Sigma-Tau, including with respect to the election of directors and approval of
significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying
or preventing a change in control and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock,
and therefore may not be in the best interest of our other stockholders.
Our rights to repurchase certain shares of stock held by Sigma-Tau expire over time, and we may
never be able or elect to exercise these rights.
Until June 2010, we have the right to repurchase at a price of $5.00 per share a number of shares
of common stock issued to Sigma-Tau and its affiliates equal to the lesser of the shares sold to Sigma-Tau and its affiliates in
connection with our private placement of securities in June 2005, or the number of shares necessary
to reduce Sigma-Taus ownership of our outstanding capital stock to an aggregate of approximately
30% at the time of such repurchase. In addition, we have the right to repurchase at any time until
December 31, 2009, for $2.00 per share or, at any time between January 1, 2010 and December 31,
2010, for $2.50 per share, up to 5,000,000 shares of common stock issued to Sigma-Tau in connection
with a private placement of securities in February 2008. After December 31, 2010, our rights to
repurchase common stock held by Sigma-Tau and its affiliates will expire. These provisions could, under certain
circumstances, allow us to reduce dilution by repurchasing these shares at prices lower than the
then-prevailing market price of our common stock. However, we cannot assure you that our share
price will increase sufficiently to make such repurchases economically feasible or that we would
avail ourselves of the opportunity to make such repurchases even if our share price had risen to
such a level.
A sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, or the perception that such sales
will occur, may cause the price of our common stock to decline.
Currently, we are authorized to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of our common stock, and as of April
30, 2009, there were issued and outstanding 54,675,122 shares of our common stock. The authorized
but unissued shares may be issued by us in such transactions and at such times as our Board
considers appropriate, whether in public or private offerings, as stock splits or dividends or in
connection with mergers and acquisitions or otherwise. Sales of a substantial number of shares of
our common stock in the public market could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
The exercise of options and warrants and other issuances of shares of common stock or securities
convertible into common stock will dilute your interest.
As of April 30, 2009, there were outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 4,882,939 shares
of our common stock at exercise prices ranging from $0.28 per share to $3.82 per share, of which
options to purchase 2,938,999 shares were exercisable as of such date. As of April 30, 2009, there
were exercisable warrants to purchase 5,178,916 shares of our common stock, at a weighted average
exercise price of $2.70. The exercise of options and warrants at prices below the market price of
our common stock could adversely affect the price of shares of our common stock. Additional
dilution may result from the issuance of shares of our capital stock in connection with
collaborations or manufacturing arrangements or in connection with other financing efforts.
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Any issuance of our common stock that is not made solely to then-existing stockholders
proportionate to their interests, such as in the case of a stock dividend or stock split, will
result in dilution to each stockholder by reducing his, her or its percentage ownership of the
total outstanding shares. Moreover, if we issue options or warrants to purchase our common stock in
the future and those options or warrants are exercised or we issue restricted stock, stockholders
may experience further dilution. Holders of shares of our common stock have no preemptive rights
that entitle them to purchase their pro rata share of any offering of shares of any class or
series.
In addition, certain warrants to purchase shares of our common stock currently contain an exercise
price above the current market price for the common stock, or above-market warrants. As a result,
these warrants may not be exercised prior to their expiration and we may not realize any proceeds
from their exercise.
Our certificate of incorporation, our stockholder rights plan and Delaware law contain provisions
that could discourage or prevent a takeover or other change in control, even if such a transaction
would be beneficial to our stockholders, which could affect our stock price adversely and prevent
attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Our certificate of incorporation provides our Board with the power to issue shares of preferred
stock without stockholder approval. In addition, under our stockholder rights plan, our Board has
the discretion to issue certain rights to purchase our capital stock when a person acquires in
excess of 25% of our outstanding common shares. These provisions may make it more difficult for
stockholders to take corporate actions and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change
in control, even if such actions or change in control would be in your best interests. In addition,
we are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation
Law. Subject to specified exceptions, this section provides that a corporation may not engage in
any business combination with any interested stockholder, as defined in that statute, during the
three-year period following the time that such stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. This
provision could also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company.
The foregoing factors could reduce the price that investors or an acquirer might be willing to pay
in the future for shares of our common stock.
We may become involved in securities class action litigation that could divert managements
attention and harm our business and our insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover all costs
and damages.
The stock market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that
have affected the market prices for the common stock of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
These broad market fluctuations may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. In the
past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a particular companys securities,
securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. We may become
involved in this type of litigation in the future. Litigation often is expensive and diverts
managements attention and resources, which could hurt our business, operating results and
financial condition.
Item 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3.
Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
34
Table of Contents
Item 4.
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
None.
Item 5.
Other Information
None.
Item 6.
Exhibits
Exhibit No. | Description of Exhibit | Reference* | ||||
3.1 | Restated Certificate of Incorporation
|
Exhibit 3.1 to Amendment No. 1 to
Registration Statement (File No.
33-9370) (filed November 26, 1986) |
||||
3.2 | Certificate of Amendment
|
Exhibit 3.2 to the Companys
Transitional Report on Form 10-K
(File No. 1-15070) (filed March 18,
1991) |
||||
3.3 | Certificate of Amendment
|
Exhibit 3.3 to the Companys Annual
Report on Form 10-KSB (File No.
1-15070) (filed April 2, 2001) |
||||
3.4 | Certificate of Designation of Series A
Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock
|
Exhibit 2 to the Companys Current
Report on Form 10-K (File
No. 1-15070) (filed May 2, 1994) |
||||
3.5 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company
|
Exhibit 3.4 to the Companys
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
(filed August 14, 2006) |
||||
3.6 | Amendment to Amended and Restated Bylaws of
the Company
|
Exhibit 3.6 to the Companys
Registration Statement on Form S-8
(File No. 333-152250) (filed
July 10, 2008) |
||||
4.1 | Form of Stock Certificate
|
Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 1 to
Registration Statement (File
No. 33-9370) (filed November 26,
1986) |
||||
4.2 | Form of Rights Certificate
|
Exhibit 3 to the Companys Current
Report on Form 8-K (File
No. 1-15070) (filed May 2, 1994) |
35
Table of Contents
Exhibit No. | Description of Exhibit | Reference* | ||||
4.3 | Rights Agreement, dated April 29, 1994,
between the Company and American Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent
|
Exhibit 1 to the Companys Current
Report on Form 8-K (File
No. 1-15070) (filed May 2, 1994) |
||||
4.4 | Amendment No. 1 to Rights Agreement, dated
March 4, 2004, between the Company and
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as
Rights Agent
|
Exhibit 4.3 to the Companys Annual
Report on Form 10-KSB (filed
March 31, 2006) |
||||
10.1 | ^ | Second Amended and
Restated Employment
Agreement, dated
March 11, 2009,
between the Company
and Allan L.
Goldstein, as
amended
|
Exhibit 10.4 to
Amendment No. 1 to
the Companys
Annual Report on
Form 10-K/A for the
year ended December
31, 2008 (filed
April 30, 2009) |
|||
10.2 | ^ | Second Amended and
Restated Employment
Agreement, dated
March 12, 2009,
between the Company
and J.J.
Finkelstein, as
amended
|
Exhibit 10.5 to the
Companys Annual
Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended
December 31, 2008
(filed on April 15,
2009) |
|||
10.3 | ^ | Second Amended and
Restated Employment
Agreement, dated
March 31, 2009,
between the Company
and C. Neil Lyons,
as amended
|
Exhibit 10.6 to the
Companys Annual
Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended
December 31, 2008
(filed on April 15,
2009) |
|||
10.4 | ^ | Second Amended and
Restated Employment
Agreement, dated
March 31, 2009,
between the Company
and David Crockford
|
Exhibit 10.7 to the
Companys Annual
Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended
December 31, 2008
(filed on April 15,
2009) |
|||
31.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer
pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14
promulgated under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934
|
Filed herewith | ||||
31.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer
pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14
promulgated under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934
|
Filed herewith |
36
Table of Contents
Exhibit No. | Description of Exhibit | Reference* | ||||
32.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as
adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
Filed herewith | ||||
32.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as
adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
Filed herewith |
* | Except where noted, the exhibits referred to in this column have
heretofore been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as
exhibits to the documents indicated and are hereby incorporated by
reference thereto. The Registration Statements referred to are
Registration Statements of the Company. |
|
^ | Compensatory plan, contract or arrangement. |
37
Table of Contents
Signatures
In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Registrant) |
||||
Date: May 15, 2009 | /s/ J.J. Finkelstein | |||
J.J. Finkelstein | ||||
President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||
/s/ C. Neil Lyons | ||||
C. Neil Lyons | ||||
Chief Financial Officer |
38
Table of Contents
Exhibit
Index
Exhibit No. | Description of Exhibit | |||
31.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14
and 15d-14 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
|||
31.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14
and 15d-14 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
|||
32.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
|||
32.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
39