REGENERX BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INC - Quarter Report: 2011 September (Form 10-Q)
Table of Contents
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 September 30, 2011
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) |
15245 Shady Grove Road
Suite 470
Suite 470
Rockville, Maryland 20850
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(301) 208-9191
(301) 208-9191
(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 þ 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 | Smaller reporting company þ | |||
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act). Yes o No þ
81,187,830 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, were outstanding as of November 11,
2011.
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Form 10-Q
Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2011
Form 10-Q
Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2011
Index
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35 | ||||||||
35 | ||||||||
35 | ||||||||
35 | ||||||||
36-37 | ||||||||
38 | ||||||||
Exhibit 31.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.1 | ||||||||
EX-101 INSTANCE DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 SCHEMA DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 CALCULATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 LABELS LINKBASE DOCUMENT | ||||||||
EX-101 PRESENTATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT |
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Part I Financial Information
Item 1. | Financial Statements |
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Balance Sheets
September 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2011 | 2010 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current assets |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 524,459 | $ | 3,790,352 | ||||
Grant receivable |
14,898 | 10,703 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
82,716 | 384,806 | ||||||
Total current assets |
622,073 | 4,185,861 | ||||||
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of
$114,827 and $107,907 |
19,104 | 24,940 | ||||||
Other assets |
11,503 | 17,255 | ||||||
Total assets |
$ | 652,680 | $ | 4,228,056 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY |
||||||||
Current liabilities |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 59,546 | $ | 185,643 | ||||
Accrued expenses |
407,051 | 430,996 | ||||||
Total current liabilities |
466,597 | 616,639 | ||||||
Commitments |
| | ||||||
Stockholders equity |
||||||||
Preferred stock, $.001 par value per share, 1,000,000 authorized;
no shares issued |
| | ||||||
Common stock, par value $.001 per share, 200,000,000 shares
authorized, 80,575,737 issued and outstanding as of September
30, 2011; 73,531,578 issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2010 |
80,576 | 73,532 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
94,777,170 | 93,063,201 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(94,671,663 | ) | (89,525,316 | ) | ||||
Total stockholders equity |
186,083 | 3,611,417 | ||||||
Total liabilities and stockholders equity |
$ | 652,680 | $ | 4,228,056 | ||||
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 September 30, | Nine Months ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
2011 | 2010 | 2011 | 2010 | |||||||||||||
Sponsored research revenue |
$ | 31,160 | $ | 42,690 | $ | 1,222,192 | $ | 53,819 | ||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Research and development |
1,371,111 | 820,984 | 4,356,637 | 1,819,036 | ||||||||||||
General and administrative |
677,876 | 811,880 | 2,013,475 | 2,345,619 | ||||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
2,048,987 | 1,632,864 | 6,370,112 | 4,164,655 | ||||||||||||
Loss from operations |
(2,017,827 | ) | (1,590,174 | ) | (5,147,920 | ) | (4,110,836 | ) | ||||||||
Interest income |
55 | 2,327 | 1,573 | 6,840 | ||||||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (2,017,772 | ) | $ | (1,587,847 | ) | $ | (5,146,347 | ) | $ | (4,103,996 | ) | ||||
Basic and diluted net loss
per common
share |
$ | (0.03 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.06 | ) | ||||
Weighted average number of
common
shares outstanding |
79,986,359 | 73,531,578 | 79,774,523 | 66,729,519 | ||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
Nine Months ended September 30, | ||||||||
2011 | 2010 | |||||||
Operating activities: |
||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (5,146,347 | ) | $ | (4,103,996 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in
operating
activities: |
||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
6,920 | 7,484 | ||||||
Non-cash share-based compensation |
144,997 | 361,195 | ||||||
Gain on settlement of accrued liabilities |
| (141,016 | ) | |||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||||
Grants receivable |
(4,195 | ) | (15,603 | ) | ||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
302,090 | (385,679 | ) | |||||
Other assets |
5,752 | 5,693 | ||||||
Accounts payable |
(126,097 | ) | 464,932 | |||||
Accrued expenses |
(23,945 | ) | (54,450 | ) | ||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(4,840,825 | ) | (3,861,440 | ) | ||||
Investing activities: |
||||||||
Purchase of property and equipment |
(1,084 | ) | (23,632 | ) | ||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(1,084 | ) | (23,632 | ) | ||||
Financing activities: |
||||||||
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock |
1,576,016 | 4,505,251 | ||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
1,576,016 | 4,505,251 | ||||||
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash
equivalents |
(3,265,893 | ) | 620,179 | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
3,790,352 | 4,355,768 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 524,459 | $ | 4,975,947 | ||||
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 and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 (Unaudited)
1. organization, business overview and basis of presentation
Organization and Nature of Operations.
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (RegeneRx, 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. Our operations are confined to one business
segment: the development and marketing of product candidates based on Thymosin Beta 4 (Tß4), an
amino acid peptide.
Management Plans to Address Operating Conditions.
We have incurred net losses of $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 and $5.1 million
for the nine months ended September 30, 2011. Since inception, and through September 30, 2011, we
have an accumulated deficit of $94.7 million, and we had cash and cash equivalents of $0.5 million
as of September 30, 2011. We are focusing our current efforts on the development of RGN-259 for
ophthalmic indications. During the quarter ended September 30, 2011, we completed patient
enrollment and treatment in a Phase 2 trial to evaluate RGN-259 in patients suffering from dry eye
syndrome, and we intend to pursue partnering opportunities for RGN-259 based on the Phase 2 trial
data. We are also supporting a small physician-sponsored study of RGN-259. We have completed
enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial to evaluate RGN-137 in patients suffering from epidermolysis
bullosa, or EB. We had intended to commence patient enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial of
RGN-352 for AMI patients near the end of the first quarter of 2011, but this trial was placed on
clinical hold by the FDA. The AMI trial remains on hold pending resolution of regulatory issues
and our access to sufficient capital resources. Depending on our capital resources, and if
regulatory and manufacturing issues with RGN-352 are resolved, we may also continue to support a
proposed physician-sponsored Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic potential of
RGN-352 in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Even with the change in our clinical development priorities during 2011, we currently do not have
sufficient capital resources to fund our ongoing research and development activities, and we will
not be able to sponsor any clinical trials in 2012 without additional funding. We project that our
existing capital resources will only be adequate to fund our operations into December 2011. We
may, however, continue to make additional sales of common stock under our committed equity facility
with Lincoln Park Capital, as described below (See Note 6, Stockholders Equity), which would
extend our resources, but our ability to use the committed equity facility depends upon our share
price and trading volume. However, even if we are able to sell shares of our common stock under
the LPC facility, based on our current stock price the amount of proceeds we would be able to
raise, doing so would not extend our capital resources significantly beyond the fourth quarter of
2011. Accordingly, we will need to seek additional sources of capital.
We anticipate incurring additional losses in the future as we continue to explore the potential
clinical benefits of Tß4-based product candidates over multiple indications. We will need
substantial additional funds in order to initiate any further preclinical studies or clinical
trials, and to fund our operations beyond the fourth quarter of 2011. Accordingly, we have a need
for financing and are in the process of exploring various alternatives, including, without
limitation, a public or private placement of our securities, debt financing, corporate
collaboration and licensing arrangements, or the sale of our company or certain of our intellectual
property rights.
These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The
accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going
concern. This basis of accounting contemplates the recovery of our assets and the satisfaction of
our liabilities in the normal course of business.
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 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. The
financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and
classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary
should we be forced to take any such actions.
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In addition to our current operational requirements, we expect to continue to expend substantial
funds to complete our planned product development efforts. Additionally, we continually refine our
operating strategy and evaluate alternative clinical uses of Tß4. 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, and/or a partner, must successfully conduct pre-clinical studies and
clinical trials, obtain required regulatory approvals and successfully manufacture and market those
pharmaceuticals 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.
Basis of Presentation. 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 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, 2010, and related notes thereto, included in our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 (the Annual Report).
The accompanying December 31, 2010 financial information was derived from our audited financial
statements included in the Annual Report. Operating results for the three and nine-month periods
ended September 30, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year
ending December 31, 2011 or any other future period.
References in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to authoritative guidance are to the Accounting
Standards Codification issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).
Subsequent events have been evaluated through the filing date of these unaudited financial
statements.
Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires
management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial
statements and accompanying notes. Critical accounting policies involved in applying our accounting
policies are those that require management to make assumptions about matters that are highly
uncertain at the time the accounting estimate was made and those for which different estimates
reasonably could have been used for the current period. Critical accounting estimates are also
those which are reasonably likely to change from period to period, and would have a material impact
on the presentation of our financial condition, changes in financial condition or results of
operations. Our most critical accounting estimates relate to accounting policies for clinical trial
accruals and share-based arrangements. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and
on various other assumptions that it believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual
results could differ from those estimates.
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Sponsored Research Revenues.
We account for non-refundable grants as Sponsored research revenues in the accompanying
statements of operations. Revenues are recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement
exists, the associated research or other services have been performed, the related underlying costs
are incurred, the contract price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured.
Research and Development.
Research and development (R&D) costs are expensed as incurred and 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 Tß4; formulation of Tß4 into the various
product candidates; stability for both Tß4 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 pro-ration of our common infrastructure costs for office space
and communications.
Cost of Preclinical Studies and Clinical Trials.
We accrue estimated costs for preclinical studies based on estimates of work performed. We estimate
expenses incurred for clinical trials that are in process based on patient enrollment and based on
clinical data collection and management. Costs based on clinical data collection and management are
recognized based on estimates of unbilled goods and services received in the reporting period. We
monitor the progress of the trials and their related activities and adjust the accruals
accordingly. Adjustments to accruals are charged to expense in the period in which the facts that
give rise to the adjustment become known. In the event of early termination of a clinical trial, we
would accrue an amount based on estimates of the remaining non-cancelable obligations associated
with winding down the clinical trial.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements.
For a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements please refer to Note 2, Summary of
Significant Accounting PoliciesRecent Accounting Pronouncements, in the Annual Report. We did
not adopt any new accounting pronouncements during the nine months ended September 30, 2011 that
had or are expected to have a material impact on our financial statements.
2. Net Loss per Common Share
Net loss per common share for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2011 and 2010,
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 21,055,056 shares and 19,545,363 in 2011 and 2010, respectively,
reserved for the exercise of outstanding options and warrants.
3. Stock-Based Compensation
We measure stock-based compensation expense based on the grant date fair value of the awards, which
is then recognized over the period which service is required to be provided. We estimate the value
of our stock option awards on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and
amortize that cost over the expected term of the grant. We recognized $41,417 and $116,605 in
stock-based compensation expense for the three months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010,
respectively. We recognized $144,997 and $361,195 in stock-based compensation expense for the nine
months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. We expect to recognize the compensation
cost related to non-vested options as of September 30, 2011 of $250,751 over the weighted average
remaining recognition period of 1.3 years.
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We estimate the value of our stock option awards on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes
option pricing model. We used the following forward-looking range of assumptions to value each
stock option granted to employees and directors during the nine months ended September 30, 2011 and
2010:
2011 | 2010 | |||||||
Dividend yield |
0.0 | % | 0.0 | % | ||||
Risk-free rate of return |
1.5 | % | 1.6 | % | ||||
Expected life in years |
4.75 | 4.75 | ||||||
Volatility |
70 | % | 70 | % | ||||
Forfeiture rate |
2.6 | % | 2.6 | % |
4. Income Taxes
As of September 30, 2011, 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 September 30, 2012.
5. Fair Value Measurements
The authoritative guidance for fair value measurements defines fair value as the exchange price
that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the
principal or the most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction
between market participants on the measurement date. Market participants are buyers and sellers in
the principal market that are (i) independent, (ii) knowledgeable, (iii) able to transact, and (iv)
willing to transact. The guidance describes a fair value hierarchy based on the levels of inputs,
of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to
measure fair value which are the following:
| 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 September 30, 2011, we held no qualifying liabilities, and our only qualifying assets that
required measurement under the foregoing fair value hierarchy were money market funds and U.S.
Treasury Bills included in Cash and Cash Equivalents valued at $0.5 million, using Level 1 inputs.
6. Stockholders Equity
On January 4, 2011, we and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (LPC) entered into a committed equity
facility (the LPC Equity Facility), together with a Registration Rights Agreement (the
Registration Rights Agreement), whereby we have the right to sell to LPC up to $11,000,000 of our
common stock over a 30-month period (any such shares sold being referred to as the Purchase
Shares). Under the Registration Rights Agreement, we filed a registration statement related to the
transaction with the SEC covering the Purchase Shares and the Additional Commitment Shares (as
defined below), which was declared effective by the SEC on February 11, 2011. We will generally
have the right, but not the obligation, through October 2013, to direct LPC to periodically
purchase the Purchase Shares in specific amounts under certain conditions. The purchase price for
the Purchase Shares will be the lower of (i) the lowest trading price on the date of sale or (ii)
the arithmetic average of the three lowest closing sale prices for the common stock during the 12
consecutive business days ending on the business day immediately preceding the purchase date. In no
event, however, will the Purchase Shares be sold to LPC at a price of less than $0.15 per share.
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In consideration for entering into the LPC Equity Facility, we issued to LPC 958,333 shares of
common stock as an initial commitment fee (the Initial Commitment Shares) and are required to
issue up to 958,333 shares of common stock as additional commitment shares on a pro rata basis (the
Additional Commitment Shares) as we direct LPC to purchase our shares under the Equity Facility
over the term of the agreement. The LPC Equity Facility may be terminated by us at any time at our
discretion without any cost to us. The proceeds that may be received by us under the LPC Equity
Facility are expected to be used for preclinical and clinical development of our drug candidates
and for general corporate purposes, including working capital.
Under the LPC Equity Facility, we have agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, we will not,
during the term of the LPC Equity Facility, effect or enter into an agreement to effect any
issuance of common stock or securities convertible into, exercisable for or exchangeable for common
stock in a Variable Rate Transaction, which means a transaction in which we:
issue or sell any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or
exercisable for, or include the right to receive additional shares of common stock either (A) at a
conversion price, exercise price or exchange rate or other price that is based upon and/or varies
with the trading prices of or quotations for the shares of common stock at any time after the
initial issuance of such debt or equity securities, or (B) with a conversion, exercise or exchange
price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or
equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly
related to our business or the market for the common stock; or
enter into any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit, whereby
we may sell securities at a future determined price.
We have also agreed to indemnify LPC against certain losses resulting from our breach of any of our
representations, warranties or covenants under the agreements with LPC.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2011 we sold approximately 700,000 shares of common
stock to LPC as Purchase Shares for $177,400 in net proceeds. We also issued 15,455 Additional
Commitment Shares to LPC in connection with such sales.
7. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
During the month of October 2011, we sold an additional 600,000 shares of common stock to LPC for
$138,600 in net proceeds and also issued 12,093 Additional Commitment Shares to LPC in connection
with such sales.
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 report,
and we do not intend to update any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances that occur after that date.
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Business Overview
We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of a novel therapeutic peptide,
Thymosin beta 4, or Tß4, for tissue and organ protection, repair, and regeneration. We have
formulated Tß4 into three distinct product candidates currently in clinical development:
RGN-259, a topical eye drop for regeneration of corneal tissues damaged by injury, disease
or other pathology;
RGN-352, an injectable product candidate to treat cardiovascular diseases, central nervous
system diseases, and other medical indications that may be treated by systemic administration; and
RGN-137, a topically applied gel for dermal wounds and reduction of scar tissue.
We have a fourth product candidate, RGN-457, in preclinical development. RGN-457 is an inhaled
formulation of Tß4 targeting cystic fibrosis and other pulmonary diseases.
We are continuing strategic partnership discussions with biotechnology and pharmaceutical
companies regarding the further clinical development of all of our product candidates.
In addition to our four pharmaceutical product candidates, we are also pursuing the commercial
development of peptide fragments and derivatives of Tß4 for potential cosmeceutical use. These
fragments are amino acid sequences, and variations thereof, within the Tß4 molecule that have
demonstrated activity in several in vitro preclinical research studies that we have sponsored. We
believe the biological activities of these fragments may be useful, for example, in developing
novel cosmeceutical products for the anti-aging market. Our strategy is to collaborate with another
company to develop cosmeceutical formulations based on these peptides.
Development of Product Candidates
RGN-259
During the quarter ended September 30, 2011, we completed a Phase 2 exploratory clinical trial
evaluating the safety and efficacy of RGN-259 in patients with dry eye syndrome. Seventy-two
patients were randomized to receive RGN-259 or placebo in this double-masked, placebo-controlled
trial. RGN-259 is the Companys proprietary preservative-free eye drop formulation of thymosin
beta 4. All patients received either RGN-259 (0.1% concentration) or placebo, twice daily for 30
days. Various signs and symptoms of dry eye, such as the degree of ocular surface damage, ocular
itching, burning and grittiness, among others, were graded periodically during and following the
treatment period. The trial was conducted by Ora Inc., an ophthalmic contract research organization
that specializes in dry eye research and clinical trials, and utilized Oras Controlled Adverse
Environment (CAE) chamber, which is a generally accepted model that stresses the eye in dry eye
patients.
In September we completed patient treatment and in early November we announced preliminary data
from the trial. RGN-259 was deemed safe and well-tolerated, with no observed drug-related adverse
events and efficacy was observed in three key CAE-related, or ocular stress-related, parameters.
After challenge in the CAE chamber, RGN-259 showed statistically significant results when comparing
the average of all 72 active and placebo patients as follows:
| Patients receiving RGN-259 experienced a 325% greater reduction from baseline in central
corneal fluorescein staining compared to placebo at the 24 hour recovery period (p =
0.0075). Reduction of fluorescein staining is indicative of a reduction in ocular surface
damage of the central cornea; |
| Patients receiving RGN-259 experienced a 257% greater reduction from baseline in
exacerbation of superior corneal fluorescein staining in the chamber as compared to the
placebo (p = 0.0210); and |
| Patients receiving RGN-259 experienced a 27.3% greater reduction in exacerbation of
ocular discomfort at day 28 during a 75-minute challenge in a controlled adverse
environment compared to the placebo
group (p = 0.0244). Reduction indicates that RGN-259 can slow exacerbation of ocular
symptoms in patients with dry eye syndrome. |
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Two primary outcome measures (inferior corneal fluorescein staining and decreased ocular discomfort
on day 29) and various secondary outcome measures were evaluated in the trial. While the study did
not meet the two primary outcome measures, three statistically significant secondary outcome
measures attributable to RGN-259 were identified as indicated above. Other CAE-related findings,
such as superior corneal staining reduction and peripheral (combination of the average of superior
and inferior) corneal staining reduction, were observed having statistical significance, while
others had positive trends after treatment with RGN-259. These observations are in line with the
known biological properties and mechanisms of action of RGN-259 reported in previous studies.
With respect to inferior corneal fluorescein staining, we did see a statistical trend at day 28
during exposure to adverse conditions in the CAE chamber in patients receiving RGN-259, rather than
at day 29. Although this improvement was not deemed to be statistically significant it did exhibit
a trend (p=0.0968).
It should be noted that the primary outcome measures selected at the outset of this initial
exploratory trial were based on the best available animal data at the time but without the benefit
of any actual human clinical experience in dry eye. Therefore, whether these outcomes were reached
is not as important as identifying statistically significant outcomes that could potentially serve
as approvable endpoints in later stage or pivotal Phase 3 trials. We believe that the statistically
significant sign and symptom improvements observed in the trial and described above reflect actual
patient benefits. Further, we believe these sign and symptom improvements would be acceptable
outcome measures to the FDA for follow-up Phase 2 or confirmatory pivotal Phase 3 trials, which we
intend to confirm with FDA. We are also optimistic that the data will be viewed favorably by
potential strategic partners for RGN-259.
Separately, we are continuing to support a small physician-sponsored clinical trial in patients
with dry eye, in order to evaluate RGN-259s ability to repair and regenerate damaged ophthalmic
tissues in a heterogeneous group of patients, most of whom have severe dry eye. Our support
includes manufacturing and supplying RGN-259 and placebo for the trial and providing regulatory and
clinical guidance.
RGN-352
During 2009, we completed a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the safety of RGN-352 in 60 healthy
subjects. Based on the results of this Phase 1 trial and extensive preclinical efficacy data
published in peer-reviewed journals, in the second half of 2010, we began a phase 2 clinical trial
to evaluate RGN-352 in patients who have suffered an acute myocardial infarction, or AMI. We had
planned to begin enrolling patients near the end of the first quarter of 2011. However, in March
2011, we were notified by the FDA that the trial was placed on clinical hold as a result of our
contract manufacturers alleged failure to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices. We have
recently learned that the manufacturer intends to close its manufacturing facility. The FDA has
prohibited us from using any of the active drug or placebo manufactured by our manufacturer in
human trials, which will require us to have new material manufactured by a new manufacturer in the
event that we seek to resume this trial.
Significant preparatory time and procedures will be required before any new manufacturer would
be able to manufacture RGN-352 for the AMI trial, due to the time required for revalidation of
processes and assays related to such production that were already in place with the original
manufacturer. Since we are unable to estimate the length of time that the trial will be on
clinical hold, we have elected to cease activities on this trial until the FDA clinical hold is
resolved and the requisite funding might be secured.
Preclinical research published in the scientific journals Neuroscience and the Journal of
Neurosurgery indicates that RGN-352 may also prove useful for patients with multiple sclerosis, or
MS, as well as stroke and traumatic brain injury. In these studies, the administration of Tß4
resulted in regeneration of neuronal tissue and improvement of neurological function.
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Based on this preclinical research, depending on our capital resources, and if we are able to
separately procure cGMP-compliant clinical trial material, we may also support a proposed
physician-sponsored Phase 1/2 clinical trial to be conducted at a major U.S. medical center to
evaluate the therapeutic potential of RGN-352 in patients with MS.
RGN-137
We have been evaluating the use of RGN-137 in the treatment of patients with epidermolysis
bullosa, or EB, which is a genetic defect that results in fragile skin and other epithelial tissues
that can blister at the slightest trauma or friction, creating a wound that at times does not heal
or heals poorly. A portion of this trial was funded by a grant from the FDA. We have completed
enrollment of 30 patients in this Phase 2 trial and are in the process of closing the trial. Once
we complete our Phase 2 EB trial, we will analyze the data in conjunction with our two other
completed Phase 2 trials of RGN-137, along with preclinical data indicating Tß4s ability to reduce
scarring, at which time we will further evaluate our strategy for the clinical development of
RGN-137.
Financial Operations Overview
We intend to use our existing capital resources to fund our ongoing research and development
activities; however, we may not be able to complete all of our active trials and those we intend to
initiate or support in 2011 and 2012 without additional funding. Even with the change in our
clinical development priorities during 2011, we currently do not have sufficient capital resources
to fund our ongoing research and development activities, and we will not be able to initiate and
support any clinical trials in 2012 without additional funding. We project that our existing
capital resources will only be adequate to fund our operations into December 2011. We may,
however, continue to make additional sales of common stock under our committed equity facility with
Lincoln Park Capital, as described below, which would extend our resources, but our ability to use
the committed equity facility depends upon our share price and trading volume. However, even if we
are able to sell shares of our common stock under the LPC facility, based on our current stock
price the amount of proceeds we would be able to raise, doing so would not extend our capital
resources significantly beyond the fourth quarter of 2011, and accordingly we will also need to
seek other sources of capital.
We have never generated product revenues, and we do not expect to generate product revenues
until the FDA approves one of our product candidates, if ever, and we begin marketing and selling
it. Subject to the availability of financing, we expect to invest increasingly significant amounts
in the furtherance of our current clinical programs and may add additional nonclinical studies and
new clinical trials as we explore the potential of our current product candidates in other
indications and explore new formulations of Tß4-based product candidates. As we expand our clinical
development initiatives, we expect to incur substantial and increasing losses. Accordingly, we will
need to generate significant product revenues in order to ultimately achieve and then maintain
profitability. Also, we expect that we will need to raise substantial additional capital in order
to meet product development requirements. We cannot assure investors that such capital will be
available when needed, on acceptable terms, or at all.
Most of our expenditures to date have been for research and development, or R&D, activities
and general and administrative, or 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 Tß4 and peptide fragments, formulation of Tß4 into our product
candidates, stability studies for both Tß4, and the various formulations, preclinical 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
either on a full or part-time basis 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. As described below under Sources of
Liquidity, in May 2010 we were awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to
support the development of RGN-352. Subject to our compliance with the terms and conditions of the
grant, we are eligible to receive up to $3.0 million over a three-year period in cost
reimbursements related to the purposes set forth in the grant.
G&A costs include outside professional fees for legal, business development, audit and
accounting services. 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. Our G&A expenses also include costs to maintain our intellectual
property portfolio. We have expanded our patent prosecution activities and have been reviewing our
pending patent applications in the United States, Europe and other countries with the advice of
outside legal counsel. In some cases, we have filed patent applications for non-critical strategic
purposes intended to prevent others from filing similar patent claims. We continue to closely
monitor our patent applications to determine if they will continue to provide strategic benefits.
In cases where we believe the benefit has been realized or it becomes unnecessary due to the
issuance of other patents, or for other reasons that will not affect the strength of our
intellectual property portfolio, we will abandon these patent applications in order to reduce our
costs of prosecution.
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, 2010, which was
filed with the SEC on March 31, 2011, which we refer to as 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 September 30, 2011 and 2010
Revenues. In May 2010, we were awarded a grant from NIHs National Heart Lung & Blood
Institute (NHLBI), in the amount of $1 million per year for three years. During the three months
ended September 30, 2011, grant revenue recognized under this grant was approximately $31,000,
compared to $43,000 for the same period in 2010, in each case based on costs incurred related to
this grant.
R&D Expenses. For the three months ended September 30, 2011, our R&D expenses increased by
approximately $550,000, or 67%, to $1.4 million from approximately $821,000 for the same period in
2010. During the three months ended September 30, 2011 we engaged a contract research organization
to conduct a Phase 2 trial of RGN-259 in dry eye patients and incurred $940,000 in costs related to
RGN-259, as compared to $73,000 in the comparable period in 2010. For the three months ended
September 30, 2011, R&D expenses incurred for our RGN-352 and RGN-137 programs was $23,000 and
$34,000, respectively. Included in the three months ended September 30, 2010 R&D expenses was
$214,000 associated with our Phase 2 trial of RGN-352 in heart attack patients that was placed on
clinical hold in March 2011 and $102,000 related to Phase 2 trial of RGN-137. R&D expenses during
the three months ended September 30, 2010 also included our initial $25,000 payment to Henry Ford
Health System under our license agreement. R&D expense also includes non-cash compensation expense
associated with stock options of $19,000 and $50,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2011
and 2010, respectively.
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G&A Expenses. For the three months ended September 30, 2011, our G&A expenses decreased by
approximately $134,000, or 17%, to approximately $678,000, from approximately $812,000 for the same
period in 2010. The decrease reflects strategic changes in our approach to intellectual property,
an overall conservation of cash in anticipation of clinical results and the departure of our CFO
during the three months ended September 30, 2011. The lower costs are across several expense
categories, including salary, non-cash compensation expense associated with stock options granted,
consulting, legal, patent and investor relations. These decreases were partially offset by an
increase in our outside accounting fees.
Comparison of the nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010
Revenue. We recognized approximately $1.2 million in revenue for the nine months ended
September 30, 2011 from the NIH grant awarded in May 2010, compared to $54,000 for the same period
in 2010. The revenue recognized was based on the costs incurred during the period related to this
grant. There were relatively minor revenue-generating activities under this grant during the same
period in 2010, as it had just been recently awarded.
R&D Expenses. For the nine months ended September 30, 2011, our R&D expenses increased by
approximately $2.5 million, or 140%, to approximately $4.4 million from approximately $1.8 million
for the same period in 2010. During the nine months ended September 30, 2011 we engaged a contract
research organization to execute a preclinical dry eye study and to conduct a Phase 2 trial in dry
eye patients and incurred approximately $1.2 million in CRO costs associated with this trial. We
also commissioned a manufacturing run of additional Tß4 for approximately $840,000, incurred costs
of approximately $700,000 associated with our Phase 2 trial of RGN-352 that has been placed on
clinical hold, and incurred approximately $55,000 in non-cash compensation expense for stock
options. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, R&D expenses include $190,000 in CRO and
drug formulation costs in anticipation of the RGN-352 Phase 2 trial, our initial $25,000 payment to
Henry Ford Health System and non-cash compensation expense of $160,000 associated with stock
options. Finally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2010, we adjusted some accrued cost
estimates downward by approximately $100,000.
G&A Expenses. For the nine months ended September 30, 2011, our G&A expenses decreased by
approximately $330,000, or 14%, to approximately $2.0 million from approximately $2.3 million for
the same period in 2010. Approximately $208,000 of this decrease was due to a reduction in costs
associated with our intellectual property as we have reduced our patent prosecution efforts,
focusing on certain of our patents. In addition, there were cost decreases in other expense
categories, including $111,000 in non-cash compensation expense associated with stock options,
$43,000 in personnel costs and $20,000 in consulting services, with offsetting cost increases
during 2011 associated with our external investor relations firm of $44,000 and outside accounting
services of $15,000.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
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, although as discussed below we
were awarded a government grant in 2010 and intend to apply for additional federal cash grants and
tax credits. The report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding our
financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010 contains an explanatory paragraph
regarding our ability to continue as a going concern based upon our history of net losses and
dependence on future financing in order to meet our planned operating activities.
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We incurred net losses of $5.0 million and $5.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010
and the nine months ended September 30, 2011, respectively. We had cash and cash equivalents
totaling $0.5 million and $3.8 million at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively.
As of September 30, 2011, we had an accumulated deficit of $94.7 million. We intend to maintain
tight cost controls and continue to operate under a closely monitored budget approved by the Board
of Directors until sufficient funding is obtained to enable
expanded research activities. Based on our current operations and planned clinical
development initiatives, we project that our existing capital resources will only be adequate to
fund our operations into December 2011. We may, however, continue to make additional sales of
common stock under our committed equity facility with Lincoln Park Capital, as described below,
which would extend our resources, but our ability to use the committed equity facility depends upon
our share price and trading volume. However, even if we are able to sell shares of our common
stock under the LPC facility, based on our current stock price the amount of proceeds we would be
able to raise, doing so would not extend our capital resources significantly beyond the fourth
quarter of 2011. Accordingly, we continue to have a need for financing, which we may not be able to
complete either on favorable terms or at all.
Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011 and 2010
Our net cash used in operating activities was approximately $4.8 million and $3.9 million for
the nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively, an increase of approximately $0.9
million in net cash used. In both periods, the net cash used in operating activities was primarily
the result of our net losses during the periods, which increased by approximately $1.0 million
during the nine months ended September 30, 2011 as compared with the same period in 2010. Changes
in elements of working capital resulted in net additional cash outflows of approximately $280,000
during the nine months ended September 30, 2011, as compared to the same period in 2010. During the
nine months ended September 30, 2011, we spent approximately $1,000 for the purchase of furniture
and equipment, which was our only investing activity during the period, as compared with purchases
of furniture and equipment of approximately $24,000 for the same period in 2010. During the nine
months ended September 30, 2011, we raised net proceeds from the sale of equity securities of
approximately $1.6 million. During the same period in 2010 we raised net proceeds from the sale of
equity securities of approximately $4.5 million.
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. Currently, we have recently completed enrolling patients in one Phase 2 trial, for RGN-137 in EB patients, supporting a small
physician-sponsored study of RGN-259, and recently completed the enrollment and treatment segments
of a Phase 2 study of RGN-259. We had intended to commence patient enrollment in a Phase 2
clinical trial of RGN-352 for AMI patients near the end of the first quarter of 2011, but this
trial has been placed on clinical hold by the FDA pending resolution of certain manufacturing
compliance issues. We have put the AMI trial on hold pending resolution of the regulatory and
manufacturing issues and access to sufficient capital resources.
Even with this change in our clinical development priorities, we currently do not have
sufficient capital resources to continue product development beyond the fourth quarter of 2011
without additional capital. As described below, we have access to a committed equity facility with
LPC, but our ability to draw on the facility is subject to a number of limitations, including our
stock price, as described in Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Liquidity and Need for
FinancingWe may not be able to access the full amounts available under the LPC committed equity
facility. Therefore, even if we are able to sell shares of our common stock under the LPC
facility, based on our current stock price the amount of proceeds we would be able to raise would
not extend our capital resources significantly beyond the fourth quarter of 2011 and accordingly we
will need to seek additional sources of capital.
In addition, 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 impact our liquidity and capital needs 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;
|
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| the progress of our preclinical 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 preclinical, 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, the duration and the cost of clinical trials may vary significantly over the life
of a project as a result of differences arising during the clinical trial protocol, including,
among others, the following:
| the number of patients that ultimately participate in the trial; |
||
| the duration of patient follow-up that seems appropriate in view of the results; |
||
| the number of clinical sites included in the trials; and |
||
| the length of time required to enroll suitable patient subjects. |
Also, we test our potential product candidates in numerous preclinical studies to identify
indications for which they may be product candidates. We may conduct multiple clinical trials to
cover a variety of indications for each product candidate. As we obtain results from trials, we may
elect to discontinue clinical trials for certain product candidates or for certain indications in
order to focus our resources on more promising product candidates or indications.
Our proprietary product candidates also have not yet achieved FDA regulatory approval, which
is required before we can market them as therapeutic products. In order to proceed to subsequent
clinical trial stages and to ultimately achieve regulatory approval, the FDA must conclude that our
clinical data establish safety and efficacy. Historically, the results from preclinical studies and
early clinical trials have often not been predictive of results obtained in later clinical trials.
A number of new drugs and biologics have shown promising results in clinical trials, but
subsequently failed to establish sufficient safety and efficacy data to obtain necessary regulatory
approvals.
In addition to our obligations under clinical trials, we are committed under an office space
lease through January 2013 that requires average base rental payments of approximately $7,300 per
month.
Sources of Liquidity
We have not commercialized any of our product candidates to date and have primarily financed
our operations through the issuance of common stock and common stock warrants in private and public
financings. Our largest stockholder group, which we refer to as Sigma-Tau, has historically
provided significant equity capital to us, including private placements of $950,000 in January 2011
and $1.6 million in October 2009. In January 2011, we also raised $500,000 from a registered
direct offering of our securities to LPC. During the first half of 2010, we raised approximately
$4.5 million from an underwritten public offering of our securities, and during 2009, we raised
approximately $3.7 million from a registered direct offering of our securities.
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In January 2011, we also entered into an $11 million committed equity facility with LPC. The
facility provides us with the right, but not the obligation, through October 2013, to direct LPC to
purchase up to 200,000 shares of common stock every two business days at a purchase price
calculated by reference to the prevailing market price of our common stock without any fixed
discount, subject to the floor price of $0.15 per share. While we may sell up to $11,000,000 worth
of shares under the facility, we currently would not be able to access the full amounts available
under the facility given our current stock price. We have an effective registration statement for
the resale by LPC of up to 15,000,000 shares of common stock issuable under the facility.
There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the facility, and we will
control the timing and amount of any sales of our common stock to LPC. Our ability to sell our
shares to LPC is also subject to our obtaining all necessary consents, amendments or waivers as may
be required, and subject to the shares to be sold having been registered for resale. LPC has no
right to require any sales by us, but is obligated to make purchases from us as we direct in
accordance with the facility. We can also accelerate the amount of common stock to be purchased
under certain circumstances. There are no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business
covenants, restrictions on future funding, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties
or liquidated damages. We may terminate the facility at any time, in our discretion, without any
penalty or cost to us.
As of the date of this report, we have issued an aggregate of 1,327,548 shares of common stock
to LPC under this facility for gross proceeds of $316,200.
We also have a license with Sigma-Tau that provides the opportunity for us to receive
milestone payments upon specified events and royalty payments in connection with commercial sales
of Tß4 in Europe. However, we have not received any milestone payments to date, and there can be no
assurance that we will be able to attain such milestones and generate any such payments under the
agreement.
We are also aggressively pursuing government funding and in May 2010 were awarded a grant from
the NIHs National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to support the requisite nonclinical development
of RGN-352 for patients who have suffered a heart attack. These nonclinical activities are being
conducted in parallel with our pending Phase 2 clinical trial of RGN-352. Subject to our compliance
with the terms and conditions of the grant, we are eligible to receive up to $3.0 million over a
three-year period in cost reimbursements for our associated costs incurred for the purposes set
forth in the grant. Revenue from the grant will be recorded during the same periods when we incur
eligible expenses.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enacted in 2010 included a new incentive for
biotechnology companies like ours, known as the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project grant
program. Under this program, small businesses were able to apply for a federal grant in an amount
equal to 50% of their eligible investment in qualifying therapeutic discovery projects for 2009 and
2010. Qualifying therapeutic discovery projects included those designed to treat or prevent
diseases or conditions by conducting pre-clinical or clinical activities for the purpose of
securing FDA approval of a product. We submitted three applications, covering each of our
clinical-stage product candidates, and in October 2010 were awarded an aggregate of $733,438 under
this program.
We believe our other formulations may also be of interest in healing damaged tissues for
indications that result from battlefield or homeland security situations. As such, we have engaged
a consulting firm to help us identify other sources of funding from U.S. government agencies. There
can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to secure additional funds from the U.S.
government or other governmental sources.
Other potential sources of outside capital include entering into strategic business
relationships, additional issuances of equity securities or debt financing or other similar
financial instruments. If we raise additional capital through a strategic business relationship, we
may have to give up valuable rights to our 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.
Our failure to successfully address ongoing liquidity requirements would have a materially
negative
impact on our business, including the possibility of surrendering our rights to some
technologies or product opportunities, delaying our clinical trials, or ceasing operations. There
can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional capital in sufficient amounts, on
acceptable terms, or at all.
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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. |
Our cash equivalents, which are generally comprised of Federally-insured bank deposits, are
subject to default, changes in credit rating and changes in market value. These investments are
also subject to interest rate risk and will decrease in value if market interest rates increase. As
of September 30, 2011, these cash equivalents were $0.5 million. Due to the short-term nature of
these investments, if market interest rates differed by 10% from their levels as of September 30,
2011, the change in fair value of our financial instruments would not have been material.
Item 4. | Controls and Procedures |
a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our President and Chief
Executive 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 September 30, 2011. Based upon this evaluation, management
has concluded that, as of September 30, 2011, 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
President and Chief Executive Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosures.
b) Changes in Internal Controls
During the quarter ended September 30, 2011, C. Neil Lyons, the Companys former Chief
Financial Officer, resigned from the Company. Mr. Finkelstein, the Companys President and Chief
Executive Officer, has assumed the role of principal financial officer, which is reasonably likely
to materially affect the Companys 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 SEC 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 the Annual Report.
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Risks Related to Our Liquidity and Need for Financing
Before giving effect to any potential sales of our securities, we estimate that our existing
capital resources will only be sufficient to fund our operations into December 2011.
We are focusing our current efforts on the development of RGN-259 for ophthalmic indications.
We recently completed a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate RGN-259 in patients suffering from dry
eye syndrome, and we intend to pursue partnering opportunities for RGN-259 based on the data from
this trial. We are also supporting a small physician-sponsored Phase 2 study of RGN-259 in severe
dry eye. We have completed enrolling 30 patients in our Phase 2 trial for RGN-137 in EB patients.
We had intended to commence patient enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial of RGN-352 for AMI
patients near the end of the first quarter of 2011, but this trial was placed on clinical hold by
the FDA. The AMI trial remains on hold pending resolution of regulatory issues and our access to
sufficient capital resources. Depending on our capital resources, and if regulatory and
manufacturing issues with RGN-352 are resolved, we may also continue to support a proposed
physician-sponsored Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic potential of RGN-352 in
patients with multiple sclerosis.
Even with the change in our clinical development priorities during 2011, we currently do not
have sufficient capital resources to fund our ongoing research and development activities, and we
will not be able to sponsor any clinical trials in 2012 without additional funding. We project
that our existing capital resources will only be adequate to fund our operations into December
2011. We may, however, continue to make additional sales of common stock under our committed
equity facility with Lincoln Park Capital, as described below, which would extend our resources,
but our ability to use the committed equity facility depends upon our share price and trading
volume. However, even if we are able to sell shares of our common stock under the LPC facility,
based on our current stock price the amount of proceeds we would be able to raise, doing so would
not extend our capital resources significantly beyond the fourth quarter of 2011 and, accordingly,
we will also need to seek other sources of capital.
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 this report. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong,
and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect.
We may not be able to access the full amounts available under the LPC committed equity facility.
In January 2011, we entered into a committed equity facility with Lincoln Park Capital, or
LPC, under which we may direct LPC to purchase up to $11,000,000 worth of shares of our common
stock through October 2013, generally in amounts of up to 200,000 shares every two business days.
The amount we can sell under the facility may be increased to 400,000 shares every two business
days, as long as the closing sale price of our common stock is not below $0.35 per share on the
purchase date. However, the extent to which we will rely on the facility as a source of funding
will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our common stock and
volume of trading and the extent to which we are able to secure working capital from other sources.
Specifically, LPC does not have the obligation to purchase any shares of our common stock on any
business day that the price of our common stock is less than $0.15 per share.
Depending on the prevailing market price of our common stock, we may not be able to sell
shares to LPC for the maximum $11,000,000 over the term of the facility. At the minimum price of
$0.15 per share, we would be able to sell 200,000 shares for proceeds of $30,000 on each purchase
date. Assuming that we sold shares to LPC ten times each month, we would receive $300,000 in
proceeds per month, or approximately $2,000,000 over the remaining term of the facility. In the
event that we make less frequent sales to LPC, the aggregate proceeds available to us will be even
less.
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Currently, we have only registered for resale 13,672,452 additional shares of our common stock
that we may sell to LPC. These shares, if and when issued to LPC, would be a combination of shares
purchased at the price per share set forth in our purchase agreement with LPC and shares issued as
additional pro rata commitment shares for no additional consideration, based on the formula set
forth in the agreement. Assuming a purchase price of $0.20 per share, which approximates the recent
trading price of our common stock, we would generate net cash proceeds of approximately $2.7
million. In the event we elect to issue more than the originally registered 15,000,000 shares, we
would be required to file a new registration statement and have it declared effective by the SEC
before selling such additional shares.
As described elsewhere in this report, we do not currently expect that funding from LPC will
be sufficient to extend our operations beyond the first quarter of
2012, and we will need to secure
another source of funding in order to satisfy our near term working capital needs. Should the
financing we require to sustain our working capital needs be unavailable or prohibitively expensive
when we require it, the consequences could be a material adverse effect on our business, operating
results, financial condition and prospects.
In addition to our current development objectives, we will need substantial additional capital for
the continued development of product candidates through marketing approval and for our longer-term
future operations.
Beyond our current liquidity needs, we anticipate that substantial new capital resources will
be required to continue our longer-term independent product development efforts, including any and
all follow-on trials that will result from our current clinical programs beyond those currently
contemplated, and to scale up manufacturing processes for our product candidates. We may be able
to obtain funding under the committed equity facility with LPC in order to further some of these
efforts. However, 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. |
Emerging biotechnology companies like us may raise capital through corporate collaborations
and 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. There are substantial challenges and risks that will make it difficult to successfully
implement any of these alternatives. If we are successful in raising additional capital through
such a license or collaboration, we may have to give up valuable rights to our intellectual
property. In addition, the business priorities of a strategic partner may change over time, which
creates the possibility that the interests of the strategic partner in developing our technology
may diminish and could have a potentially material negative impact on the value of our interest in
the licensed intellectual property
or product candidates.
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Further, if we raise additional funds by selling shares of our common stock or securities
convertible into our common stock, including under our committed equity facility with LPC, 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 long-term 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.
We have incurred losses since inception and expect to incur significant losses in the foreseeable
future and may never become profitable.
We have not commercialized any product candidates to date and 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 Tß4. As of
September 30, 2011, our accumulated deficit totaled approximately $94.7 million.
As we expand our research and development efforts and seek to obtain regulatory approval of
our product candidates to make them commercially viable, we anticipate substantial and increasing
operating losses. 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.
Our common stock is quoted on the over-the-counter market, which subjects us to the SECs penny
stock rules and may decrease the liquidity of our common stock.
Our common stock is traded over-the-counter on the OTC Bulletin Board. Over-the-counter
markets are generally considered to be less efficient than, and not as broad as, a stock exchange.
There may be a limited market for our stock now that it is quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board,
trading in our stock may become more difficult and our share price could decrease. 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, our ability to raise additional capital may be impaired because of the less
liquid nature of the over-the-counter markets. 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 an over-the-counter market would likely be
substantially greater than if we were to complete a financing while our common stock is traded on a
national securities exchange. Further, we are unable to use short-form registration statements on
Form S-3 for the registration of our securities, which could impair our ability to raise additional
capital as needed.
Our common stock is also subject to penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice
requirements on broker-dealers who sell our common stock. 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. The ability of broker-dealers to sell our common stock and the ability of our
stockholders to sell their shares in the secondary
market will be limited and, as a result, the market liquidity for our common stock will likely
be adversely affected. We cannot assure you that trading in our securities will not be subject to
these or other regulations in the future.
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The report of our independent registered public accounting firm contains explanatory language that
substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern.
The report of our independent registered public accounting firm on our financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2010 contains explanatory language that substantial doubt exists
about our ability to continue as a going concern, without raising additional capital. As described
in this report, we estimate that our existing capital resources, without giving effect to potential
additional sales of common stock under our committed equity facility with LPC, will be adequate to
fund our operations into December 2011. We continue to seek other sources of capital, but if we
are unable to obtain sufficient financing in the near term, then we would, in all likelihood,
experience severe liquidity problems and may have to curtail our operations. If we curtail our
operations, we may be placed into bankruptcy or undergo liquidation, the result of which will
adversely affect the value of our common shares.
Risks Related to Our Business and Operations
Our pending Phase 2 clinical trial of RGN-352 was placed on clinical hold by the FDA and we are
unsure when, if ever, we will be able to resume this trial.
In the second half of 2010, we began a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate RGN-352 in patients
who have suffered an acute myocardial infarction, or AMI. We had planned to begin enrolling
patients near the end of the first quarter of 2011. However, in March 2011, we were notified by the
FDA that the trial was placed on clinical hold as a result of our contract manufacturers alleged
failure to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices. The FDA has prohibited us from using any of
the active drug or placebo manufactured by our manufacturer in human trials, which will require us
to identify a new manufacturer and to have new material produced in the event that we seek to
resume this trial. Significant preparatory time and procedures will be required before any new
manufacturer would be able to manufacture RGN-352 for the AMI trial. Since we are unable to
estimate the length of time that the trial will be on clinical hold, we have elected to cease
activities on this trial until the FDA clinical hold is resolved and the requisite funding might be
secured. Consequently, there can be no assurance that we will be able to timely resume or complete
this trial, if at all.
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 Tß4, and its analogues, derivatives
and fragments, for the improvement of cardiac function, the acceleration of corneal healing, the
treatment of non-healing wounds and other conditions. Unlike many pharmaceutical companies that
have a number of unique chemical entities in development, we are dependent on a single molecule,
formulated for different routes of administration and different clinical indications, for our
potential commercial success. As a result, any common safety or efficacy concerns for Tß4-based
products that cross formulations would have a much greater impact on our business prospects than if
our product pipeline were more diversified.
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We may never be able to commercialize our product candidates.
Although Tß4 has shown biological activity in in vitro and animal models, we cannot assure you
that our product candidates will exhibit activity or importance in humans. 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 preclinical 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 Tß4-based products.
We are subject to intense government regulation, and we may not receive regulatory approvals for
our 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
Three of our drug candidates are currently in the clinical stage, and we cannot be certain
that we or our collaborators will successfully complete the clinical trials necessary to receive
regulatory product approvals. The regulatory approval process is lengthy, unpredictable and
expensive. To obtain regulatory approvals in the United States, we or a collaborator must
ultimately demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA that our product candidates are sufficiently
safe and effective for their proposed administration to humans. Many factors, known and unknown,
can adversely impact clinical trials and the ability to evaluate a product candidates safety and
efficacy, including:
| the FDA or other health regulatory authorities, or institutional review boards, 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, for reasons such as 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; |
||
| clinical trial data is adversely affected by trial conduct or patient withdrawal
prior to completion of the trial; |
||
| there may be competition with ongoing clinical trials and scheduling conflicts with
participating clinicians; |
||
| 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; |
||
| 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; |
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| 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; |
||
| we are unable to obtain a sufficient supply of manufactured clinical trial materials; |
||
| 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, such as the clinical hold with respect to our Phase 2 clinical trial of
RGN-352; |
||
| 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 clinically relevant or 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. |
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.
Clinical trials for product candidates such as ours are often conducted with patients who have
more advanced forms of a particular condition or other unrelated conditions. For example, in
clinical trials for our product candidate RGN-137, we have studied patients who are not only
suffering from chronic epidermal wounds but who 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. Further, and as a consequence that all of our drug candidates are based on
Tß4, crossover 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.
These factors, many of which may be outside of our control, 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. As a consequence, we may need to perform more or larger clinical
trials than planned. 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. 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.
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 Tß4 into the product candidates used in our
clinical trials, develop assays to assess Tß4s 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.
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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. |
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 preclinical 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 preclinical 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 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 our product candidate RGN-259, there are also numerous ophthalmic companies
developing drugs for corneal wound healing and other outside-of-the-eye diseases and injuries.
Amniotic membranes have been successfully used to treat corneal wounds in certain cases, as have
topical steroids and antibacterial agents.
We have initially targeted our product candidate RGN-352 for cardiovascular indications. Most
large pharmaceutical companies and many smaller biomedical companies are vigorously pursuing the
development of therapeutics to treat patients after heart attacks and for other cardiovascular
indications.
With respect to our product candidate RGN-137 for wound healing, Johnson & Johnson has
previously marketed Regranex for this purpose in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Other
companies, such as Novartis, are developing and marketing artificial skins, which we believe could
also compete with RGN-137. 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, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and low frequency
cavitational ultrasound.
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We are also developing potential cosmeceutical products, which are loosely defined as products
that bridge the gap between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, for example, by improving skin texture
and reducing the appearance of aging. This industry is intensely competitive, with potential
competitors ranging from large multinational companies to very small specialty companies. New
cosmeceutical products often have a short product life and are frequently replaced with newer
products developed to address the latest trends in appearance and fashion. We may not be able to
adapt to changes in the industry as quickly as larger and more experienced cosmeceutical companies.
Further, larger cosmetics companies have the financial and marketing resources to effectively
compete with smaller companies like us in order to sell products aimed at larger markets.
Even if approved for marketing, our technologies and product candidates are unproven and they may
fail to gain market acceptance.
Our product candidates, all of which are based on the molecule Tß4, 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. If any of our product candidates are approved by the
FDA, our success will depend in part on our ability to demonstrate sufficient clinical benefits,
reliability, safety, and cost effectiveness of our product candidates 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; |
||
| 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 are continually evolving. There can be no
assurance that our product candidates will prove superior to products that may currently be
available or may become available in the future or that our research and development activities
will result in any commercially profitable products.
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.
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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; |
||
| 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.
Governmental and third-party payors 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, if they are approved by the FDA,
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 recently enacted legislation reforming healthcare and
proposals to reform 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, and 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.
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 peptide
manufacturers to supply us with Tß4 for further formulation into our product candidates. We have
historically engaged three separate smaller drug formulation contractors for the formulation of
clinical grade product candidates, one for each of our three product candidates in clinical
development, although, as described below, the contractor we engaged for RGN-352 recently notified
us that it intends to close its manufacturing facility. We currently do not have an alternative
source of supply for either Tß4 or the individual drug candidates. If these suppliers, together or
individually, are not able to supply us with either Tß4 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.
As described elsewhere in this report, we had previously been conducting a phase 2 clinical
trial to evaluate our product candidate RGN-352, the injectable formulation of Tß4, in patients who
have suffered an acute myocardial infarction. However, in March 2011, we were notified by the FDA
that the trial was placed on clinical hold as a result of our contract manufacturers alleged
failure to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices. We have recently learned that the
manufacturer intends to close its manufacturing
facility, and the FDA has prohibited us from using any of the active drug or placebo
manufactured by this manufacturer in human trials.
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The clinical hold will require us to have new material manufactured by a new manufacturer in
the event that we seek to resume this trial. Significant preparatory time and procedures will be
required before any new manufacturer would be able to manufacture RGN-352 for the AMI trial, due to
the time required for revalidation of processes and assays related to such production that were
already in place with the original manufacturer. Since we are unable to estimate the length of
time that the trial will be on clinical hold, we have elected to cease activities on this trial
until the FDA clinical hold is resolved and the requisite funding might be secured.
Other risks of relying solely on single suppliers for each of our product candidates include:
| the possibility that our other manufacturers, and any new manufacturer
that we may identify for RGN-352, may not be able 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. |
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.
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 Tß4 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 if we gain approval to market any of our product
candidates, 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, as well as harm to our reputation and distraction
of our management.
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. We cannot assure you that they, or other key
employees, will not elect to terminate their employment. In addition, we do not maintain a key man
life insurance policy with respect to Dr. Goldstein or Mr. Finkelstein. In August 2011, our former
Chief Financial Officer, Neil Lyons, announced his resignation from our company, effective in
September 2011. Although we are seeking a replacement for Mr. Lyons, there can be no guarantee that
we will find a suitable replacement for him in a reasonable period of time. In the future, we
anticipate that we will also 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.
Mauro Bove, a member of our Board, is also a director and officer of entities affiliated with
Sigma-Tau, 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 entities
affiliated with Sigma-Tau, which collectively make up our largest stockholder group. Sigma-Tau has
provided us with significant funding, may continue doing so in the future, and is also our
strategic partner in Europe with respect to the development of certain of our drug candidates. We
have issued shares of common stock and common stock warrants to Sigma-Tau in several private
placement financing transactions, including as recently as January 2011, but we retained the right
to repurchase some of these shares under certain circumstances.
We have licensed certain rights to our product candidates generally for the treatment of
dermal and internal wounds to Sigma-Tau. Under the license agreement, upon the completion of a
Phase 2 clinical trial of either of these product candidates that yields positive results in terms
of clinical efficacy and safety, Sigma-Tau is obligated to either make a $5 million milestone
payment to us or to initiate and fund a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of the product candidate. In
2009, we completed two Phase 2 clinical trials of RGN-137, but these trials were not sufficient to
trigger the milestone obligation. There can be no assurance that we will ever receive this payment
or be able to initiate a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of RGN-137 that would be funded by
Sigma-Tau. As a result of Mr. Boves relationship with Sigma-Tau, there could be a conflict of
interest between Sigma-Tau and our other stockholders 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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Risks Related To Our Intellectual Property
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 Tß4 in wound healing and tissue
repair. The intellectual property rights from this license form the basis for our current
commercial development focus with Tß4. This license terminates upon the last to expire of the
patent applications that are filed, or any patents that may issue from such applications, 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. This license may
be terminated for a number of reasons, including our 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 Tß4-based product candidates.
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 to use Tß4 in the treatment of non-healing wounds. While patents
covering our use of Tß4 have issued in some countries, we cannot guarantee whether or when
corresponding patents will be issued, or the scope of any patents that may be 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 Tß4. 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 Tß4 in various medical indications could be substantially limited or eliminated.
In addition, the patent positions of the products 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 any
patents will be issued from any pending or future patent applications of ours or our collaborators,
that the scope of any patent protection will be sufficient to provide us with competitive
advantages, that any patents obtained by us or our collaborators will be held valid if subsequently
challenged or that 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 product candidates. 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 U.S. 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 Securities
Our common stock price is volatile, our stock is highly illiquid, and any investment in our
securities could decline substantially in value.
For
the period from January 1, 2011 through September 30, 2011, the closing price of our common
stock has ranged from $0.18 to $0.32, with an average daily trading volume of approximately 129,000
shares. We expect the trading volume of our common stock to decline further in light of our
delisting from the NYSE Amex exchange. 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:
| the delisting of our common stock from the NYSE Amex exchange in December 2010; |
||
| 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, including to LPC under our committed equity facility; |
||
| other issuances 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.
Our principal stockholders have significant voting power and may take actions that may not be in
the best interests of our other stockholders.
Our officers, directors and principal stockholders together control approximately 43% of our
outstanding common stock. Included in this group is Sigma-Tau and its affiliates, which together
hold outstanding shares representing approximately 35% of our outstanding common stock. A portion
of the shares of common stock currently held by Sigma-Tau and its affiliates 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
periodically through September 2012. After their expiration, 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.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports or publish unfavorable
research about our business, the price of our common stock and other securities and their trading
volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock and other securities will depend in part on the
research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do
not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by securities and industry analysts. If
securities or industry analysts do not commence or maintain coverage of us, the trading price for
our common stock and other securities would be negatively affected. In the event we obtain
securities or industry analyst coverage, if one or more of the analysts
who covers us downgrades our securities, the price of our securities would likely decline. If
one or more of these analysts ceases to cover us or fails to publish regular reports on us,
interest in the purchase of our securities could decrease, which could cause the price of our
common stock and other securities and their trading volume to decline.
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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 the date of this report, there are outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of
5,523,988 shares of our common stock at exercise prices ranging from $0.22 per share to $3.82 per
share and outstanding warrants to purchase 15,531,068 shares of our common stock at a weighted
average exercise price of $0.77 per share. 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,
including our committed equity facility with LPC.
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, most of the outstanding warrants to purchase shares of our common stock have an
exercise price above the current market price for our common stock. As a result, these warrants may
not be exercised prior to their expiration, in which case we would not realize any proceeds from
their exercise.
The sale of shares of our common stock to LPC may cause substantial dilution to our existing
stockholders and could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
Under our committed equity facility with LPC, we may sell to LPC, under certain circumstances,
up to $11,000,000 of our common stock through October 2013. Generally, we have the right, but no
obligation, to direct LPC to periodically purchase up to $11,000,000 of our common stock in
specific amounts under certain conditions, which periodic purchase amounts can be increased under
specified circumstances. Through the date of this report, we have sold approximately 1,300,000
shares to LPC for gross proceeds of $316,200.
We have also agreed to issue to LPC up to an aggregate of 1,916,666 shares of common stock as
a fee for LPCs commitment to purchase our shares. Of these commitment shares, we issued one-half,
or 958,333 shares, upon entering into the facility with LPC. The remaining commitment shares are
issuable to LPC on a pro rata basis as purchases are made under the facility. In connection with
the purchases made to date, we have issued 27,548 of the remaining commitment shares.
Depending upon market liquidity at the time, sales of shares of our common stock to LPC may
cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. LPC may ultimately purchase all, some or no
additional portion of the $11,000,000 of common stock, and after it has acquired shares, LPC may
sell all, some or none of those shares. Therefore, sales to LPC by us could result in substantial
dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. The sale of a substantial number of
shares of our common stock to LPC, or the anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult
for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we
might otherwise wish to effect sales. However, we have the right to control the timing and amount
of any sales of our shares to LPC, and we may terminate the facility at any time, in our
discretion, without any cost to us.
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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. Our Board has exempted purchases by
Sigma-Tau to date and purchases that may be made by LPC under the committed equity facility from
the operation of our stockholder rights plan. The stockholder rights plan 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 |
During the three months ended September 30, 2011, the Company issued 613,835 shares of common
stock to LPC for aggregate cash proceeds of $158,800. The offer, sale, and issuance of the shares
to LPC were exempt from registration under the Securities Act under Section 4(2) of the Securities
Act and Regulation D promulgated thereunder as transactions by an issuer not involving a public
offering. LPC represented to the Company that it is an accredited investor as defined in Rule 501
promulgated under the Securities Act.
Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities |
None.
Item 4. | Reserved |
Item 5. | Other Information |
None.
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Item 6. | Exhibits |
Exhibit No. | Description of Exhibit | Reference* | ||||
3.1 | Restated Certificate of Incorporation
|
Exhibit 3.1 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed April 16, 2010) | ||||
3.2 | Certificate of Amendment to Restated
Certificate of Incorporation
|
Exhibit 3.2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed April 16, 2010) | ||||
3.3 | Certificate of Amendment to Restated
Certificate of Incorporation
|
Exhibit 3.3 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed April 16, 2010) | ||||
3.4 | Certificate of Amendment to Restated
Certificate of Incorporation
|
Exhibit 3.4 to Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-168252) (filed July 21, 2010) | ||||
3.5 | Certificate of Designation of Series A
Participating Cumulative Preferred
Stock
|
Exhibit 3.4 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed April 16, 2010) | ||||
3.6 | Amended and Restated Bylaws
|
Exhibit 3.4 to the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (filed August 14, 2006) | ||||
3.7 | Amendment to Amended and Restated Bylaws
|
Exhibit 3.6 to the Companys Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-152250) (filed July 10, 2008) | ||||
4.1 | Specimen Common Stock Certificate
|
Exhibit 4.1 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed April 16, 2010) | ||||
4.2 | Specimen Rights Certificate
|
Exhibit 4.2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed April 16, 2010) |
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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 4.3 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed April 16, 2010) | ||||
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 4.4 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed April 16, 2010) | ||||
4.5 | Warrant Agreement, dated May 21, 2010,
between the Company and American Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant
Agent
|
Exhibit 4.6 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-15070) (filed May 21, 2010) | ||||
4.6 | Form of Warrant Certificate
|
Exhibit 4.6 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-166146) (filed May 17, 2010) | ||||
31.1 | Certification of Principal Executive
Officer and Principal Financial Officer
pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14
promulgated under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
|
Filed herewith | ||||
32.1 | Certification of Principal Executive
Officer and 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** | ||||
101 | The following materials from the
Registrants Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the quarter ended September
30, 2011, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible
Business Reporting Language): (i)
Balance Sheets at September 30, 2011
and December 31, 2010; (ii) Statements
of Operations for the three months and
nine months ended September 30, 2011
and 2010; (iii) Statements of Cash
Flows for the nine months ended
September 30, 2011 and 2010; and (iv)
Notes to Financial Statements.
|
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. |
|
** | These certifications are being furnished solely to accompany this
quarterly report pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, and are not being
filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of
the registrant, whether made before or after the date hereof,
regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing. |
|
*** | Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, the Interactive Data Files
included in Exhibit 101 hereto are deemed not filed or part of a
registration statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, are deemed not filed for
purposes of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and otherwise are not subject to liability under those
Sections. |
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Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Registrant) |
||||
Date: November 14, 2011 | /s/ J.J. Finkelstein | |||
J.J. Finkelstein | ||||
President and Chief Executive Officer (On Behalf of the Registrant and as Principal Financial Officer) |
38