Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc - Quarter Report: 2023 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2023
or
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 001-37708
Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
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Delaware |
32-0162505 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
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35 Gatehouse Drive, Building D, Floor 3 Waltham, Massachusetts |
02451 |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) |
(Zip Code) |
(781) 419-1400
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
Trading Symbol(s) |
Name of each exchange on which registered |
Common Stock |
SNDX |
The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:
Large accelerated filer |
☒ |
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Accelerated filer |
☐ |
Non-accelerated filer |
☐ |
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Smaller reporting company |
☐ |
Emerging growth company |
☐ |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
As of October 27, 2023, there were 69,640,668 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “would,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “intend,” “project” or “continue,” or the negative or plural of these terms or other similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
These statements are only current predictions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. We discuss many of these risks in this report in greater detail in the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Except as required by law, we are under no duty to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Item 1. |
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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 |
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2 |
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4 |
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Item 2. |
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
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14 |
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Item 3. |
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22 |
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Item 4. |
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23 |
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Item 1. |
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24 |
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Item 1A. |
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24 |
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Item 5. |
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Other Information |
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49 |
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Item 6. |
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50 |
iii
Part I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1: Financial Statements
SYNDAX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(unaudited)
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
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September 30, 2023 |
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December 31, 2022 |
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ASSETS |
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Current assets: |
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Cash and cash equivalents |
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$ |
94,550 |
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$ |
74,356 |
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Short-term investments |
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269,006 |
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401,446 |
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Short-term deposits |
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10,265 |
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8,595 |
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Collaboration receivable, net |
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3,407 |
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3,474 |
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Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
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3,746 |
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1,915 |
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Total current assets |
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380,974 |
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489,786 |
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Long-term investments |
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15,705 |
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5,469 |
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Property and equipment, net |
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10 |
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20 |
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Right-of-use asset, net |
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1,731 |
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1,039 |
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Restricted cash |
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217 |
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115 |
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Other assets |
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587 |
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|
807 |
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Total assets |
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$ |
399,224 |
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$ |
497,236 |
|
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY |
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Current liabilities: |
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Accounts payable |
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$ |
6,049 |
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$ |
4,350 |
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Accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
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32,119 |
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24,276 |
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Current portion of right-of-use liability |
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995 |
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434 |
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Current portion of capital lease |
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11 |
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5 |
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Total current liabilities |
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39,174 |
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29,065 |
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Long-term liabilities: |
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Right-of-use liability, less current portion |
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851 |
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709 |
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Capital lease, less current portion |
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13 |
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13 |
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Total long-term liabilities |
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864 |
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722 |
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Total liabilities |
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40,038 |
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29,787 |
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Stockholders’ equity: |
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Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized; 0 shares |
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— |
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— |
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Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 69,638,168 |
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7 |
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7 |
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Additional paid-in capital |
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1,189,561 |
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1,161,288 |
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Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
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(455 |
) |
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(806 |
) |
Accumulated deficit |
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(829,927 |
) |
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(693,040 |
) |
Total stockholders’ equity |
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359,186 |
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467,449 |
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Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
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$ |
399,224 |
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$ |
497,236 |
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
1
SYNDAX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(unaudited)
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
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Nine Months Ended September 30, |
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2023 |
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2022 |
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2023 |
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2022 |
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Operating expenses: |
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Research and development |
$ |
39,087 |
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$ |
26,901 |
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$ |
107,906 |
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$ |
86,658 |
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General and administrative |
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17,268 |
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8,240 |
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44,143 |
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23,066 |
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Total operating expenses |
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56,355 |
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35,141 |
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152,049 |
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109,724 |
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Loss from operations |
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(56,355 |
) |
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(35,141 |
) |
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(152,049 |
) |
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(109,724 |
) |
Other income (expense), net: |
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Interest expense |
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(70 |
) |
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(1,748 |
) |
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(145 |
) |
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(3,094 |
) |
Interest income |
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5,345 |
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1,781 |
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15,613 |
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2,884 |
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Other expense |
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(66 |
) |
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(295 |
) |
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(306 |
) |
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(210 |
) |
Total other income (expense), net |
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5,209 |
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(262 |
) |
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15,162 |
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(420 |
) |
Net loss |
$ |
(51,146 |
) |
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$ |
(35,403 |
) |
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$ |
(136,887 |
) |
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$ |
(110,144 |
) |
Other comprehensive loss: |
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Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities |
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119 |
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(270 |
) |
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351 |
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(1,650 |
) |
Comprehensive loss |
$ |
(51,027 |
) |
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$ |
(35,673 |
) |
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$ |
(136,536 |
) |
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$ |
(111,794 |
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Net loss attributable to common stockholders |
$ |
(51,146 |
) |
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$ |
(35,403 |
) |
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$ |
(136,887 |
) |
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$ |
(110,144 |
) |
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders—basic |
$ |
(0.73 |
) |
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$ |
(0.58 |
) |
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$ |
(1.97 |
) |
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$ |
(1.84 |
) |
Weighted-average number of common shares used to compute |
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69,855,766 |
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60,670,294 |
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69,645,888 |
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59,941,384 |
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
2
SYNDAX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(unaudited)
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
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Nine Months Ended September 30, |
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2023 |
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2022 |
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CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: |
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Net loss |
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$ |
(136,887 |
) |
|
$ |
(110,144 |
) |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
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Depreciation |
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9 |
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30 |
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Accretion of investments |
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(11,344 |
) |
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(1,357 |
) |
Non-cash operating lease expense |
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496 |
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|
|
309 |
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Non-cash interest expense |
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— |
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1,103 |
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Changes in fair value of derivative liability |
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— |
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(187 |
) |
Stock-based compensation |
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22,624 |
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11,778 |
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
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Prepaid expenses and other assets |
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(3,281 |
) |
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(7,674 |
) |
Collaboration receivable (payable), net |
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68 |
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(4,539 |
) |
Accounts payable |
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1,699 |
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|
1,445 |
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Accrued expenses and other liabilities |
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7,364 |
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(1,545 |
) |
Net cash used in operating activities |
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(119,252 |
) |
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(110,781 |
) |
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: |
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Purchases of short and long-term investments |
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(225,316 |
) |
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(244,467 |
) |
Proceeds from sales and maturities of short-term investments |
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359,215 |
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195,683 |
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Proceeds from sales of equipment |
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— |
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|
225 |
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Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
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133,899 |
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(48,559 |
) |
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: |
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Proceeds from Employee Stock Purchase Plan |
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633 |
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260 |
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Proceeds from stock option exercises |
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5,016 |
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10,063 |
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Proceeds from issuance of common stock in at-the-market stock offering, net |
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— |
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19,427 |
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Payment on term loan |
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— |
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(20,998 |
) |
Net cash provided by financing activities |
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|
5,649 |
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|
8,752 |
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NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH |
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20,296 |
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(150,588 |
) |
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH—beginning of period |
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|
74,471 |
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222,080 |
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CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH —end of period |
|
$ |
94,767 |
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$ |
71,492 |
|
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION: |
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Cash paid for interest |
|
$ |
— |
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$ |
2,059 |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
SYNDAX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(unaudited)
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Nature of Business
Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline of cancer therapies. We were incorporated in Delaware in 2005. We base our operations in Waltham, Massachusetts and we operate in one segment. References in these notes to condensed consolidated financial statements to “Syndax,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries.
2. Basis of Presentation
The Company has prepared the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted. The interim unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual audited financial statements and in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair statement of the Company’s financial position as of September 30, 2023, and the results of operations and comprehensive loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. The results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2023, any other interim periods, or any future year or period. These interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the notes thereto, which are included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on February 28, 2023.
In 2011, the Company established a wholly owned subsidiary in the United Kingdom. In 2014, the Company established a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, and in 2021, the Company established a wholly owned subsidiary in the Netherlands. To date, there have been no material activities for these entities. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Significant Accounting Policies
The Company’s significant accounting policies, which are disclosed in the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the notes thereto are included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K that was filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023. Since the date of filing, there have been no material changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies except as noted below.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of costs and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases estimates and assumptions on historical experience when available and on various factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. The Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis.
Estimates and assumptions about future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty and therefore require the exercise of judgment. As of the date of issuance of these financial statements, the Company is not aware of any specific event or circumstance that would require the Company to update its estimates, assumptions and judgments or revise the carrying value of its assets or liabilities. These estimates may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained and are recognized in the consolidated financial statements as soon as they become known. Actual results could differ from those estimates and any such differences may be material to the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.
Significant Risks and Uncertainties
We are subject to challenges and risks specific to our business and our ability to execute on our strategy, as well as risks and uncertainties common to companies in the pharmaceutical industry with development and commercial operations, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with: obtaining regulatory approval of our late-stage product candidate; delays or problems in the supply of our products, loss of single source suppliers or failure to comply with manufacturing regulations; identifying, acquiring or in-licensing additional products or product candidates; pharmaceutical product development and the inherent uncertainty of clinical success; the challenges of protecting and enhancing our intellectual property rights; and complying with applicable regulatory requirements.
4
Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, or other accounting standard setting bodies that we adopt as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed below, we do not believe that the adoption of recently issued standards have or may have a material impact on our consolidated statements or disclosures.
4. Collaborative Research and License Agreements
Incyte Collaboration
In September 2021, the Company entered into the Incyte License and Collaboration Agreement, or the Incyte License, with Incyte covering the worldwide development and commercialization of axatilimab. Also in September 2021, the Company entered into a share purchase agreement with Incyte, or the Incyte Share Purchase Agreement. These agreements are collectively referred to as the Incyte Agreements. Under the terms of the Incyte Agreements, Incyte received exclusive commercialization rights outside of the United States, subject to certain royalty payment obligations set forth below. In the United States, Incyte and the Company will co-commercialize axatilimab, with the Company having the right to co-promote axatilimab with Incyte, subject to the Company’s exercise of its co-promotion option. Incyte will be responsible for leading all aspects of the commercialization of axatilimab in the United States. The Company and Incyte will share equally the profits and losses from co-commercialization efforts in the United States. The Company and Incyte have agreed to co-develop axatilimab and to share development costs associated with global and U.S. – specific clinical trials, with Incyte responsible for 55% of such costs and the Company responsible for 45% of such costs. Each company will be responsible for funding any of its own independent development activities. Incyte is responsible for 100% of future development costs for trials that are specific to ex-U.S. countries. All development costs related to the collaboration will be subject to a joint development plan.
Under the terms of the Incyte Agreements, in December 2021, Incyte paid the Company a non-refundable cash payment of $117.0 million and the Company issued 1,421,523 shares of common stock with an aggregate purchase price of $35.0 million, or $24.62 per share. Additionally, under the terms of the Incyte Agreements, the Company is eligible to receive up to $220.0 million in future contingent development and regulatory milestones and up to $230.0 million in commercialization milestones as well as tiered royalties ranging in the mid-teens percentage on net sales of the licensed product comprising axatilimab in Europe and Japan and low double digit percentage in the rest of the world outside of the United States. The Company's right to receive royalties in any particular country will expire upon the last to occur of (a) the expiration of licensed patent rights covering the licensed product in that particular country, (b) a specified period of time after the first post - marketing authorization sale of a licensed product in that country, and (c) the expiration of any regulatory exclusivity for that licensed product in that country.
As of September 30, 2023, the Company has recorded $6.6 million as a collaboration receivable due from Incyte related to the Company's development and pre-commercialization costs under the Incyte Agreements and has recorded approximately $3.2 million as a collaboration payable due to Incyte for development and pre-commercialization costs incurred by Incyte as of September 30, 2023. Both expense and cost offset are recorded as part of research and development expense and general and administrative expense.
5
5. Net Loss per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders
Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Because the Company has reported a net loss for all periods presented, diluted net loss per common share is the same as basic net loss per common share for those periods. The following table summarizes the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders of the Company:
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Three Months Ended September 30, |
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
||||
|
(In thousands, except share and per |
|
|
(In thousands, except share and per |
|
||||||||||
Numerator—basic and diluted: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Net loss |
$ |
(51,146 |
) |
|
$ |
(35,403 |
) |
|
$ |
(136,887 |
) |
|
$ |
(110,144 |
) |
Net loss attributable to common |
$ |
(51,146 |
) |
|
$ |
(35,403 |
) |
|
$ |
(136,887 |
) |
|
$ |
(110,144 |
) |
Net loss per share attributable to common |
$ |
(0.73 |
) |
|
$ |
(0.58 |
) |
|
$ |
(1.97 |
) |
|
$ |
(1.84 |
) |
Denominator—basic and diluted: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Weighted-average number of common shares |
|
69,855,766 |
|
|
|
60,670,294 |
|
|
|
69,645,888 |
|
|
|
59,941,384 |
|
The following potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the computation of diluted weighted-average shares outstanding because such securities have an antidilutive impact due to losses reported (in common stock equivalent shares):
|
|
September 30, |
|
|||||
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
||
Options to purchase common stock |
|
|
10,530,750 |
|
|
|
7,386,063 |
|
Employee Stock Purchase Plan |
|
|
35,479 |
|
|
|
17,135 |
|
Non-vested restricted stock units (RSUs) |
|
|
524,236 |
|
|
|
226,038 |
|
For additional information related to the Company's common stock see Note 10.
6. Significant Agreements
Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In October 2017, the Company entered into a license agreement, or the Allergan License Agreement, with Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Allergan plc, or Allergan, under which Allergan granted the Company an exclusive, sublicensable, worldwide license to a portfolio of preclinical, orally available, small molecule inhibitors of the Menin–KMT2A binding interaction, or the Menin Assets. Subject to the achievement of certain milestone events, the Company may be required to pay Allergan up to $99.0 million in one-time development and regulatory milestone payments over the term of the Allergan License Agreement. In the event that the Company or any of its affiliates or sublicensees commercializes the Menin Assets, the Company will also be obligated to pay Allergan low single to low double-digit royalties on sales, subject to reduction in certain circumstances, as well as up to an aggregate of $70.0 million in potential one-time, sales-based milestone payments based on achievement of certain annual sales thresholds. The Company is solely responsible for the development and commercialization of the Menin Assets. Each party may terminate the Allergan License Agreement for the other party’s uncured material breach or insolvency, and the Company may terminate the Allergan License Agreement at any time upon advance written notice to Allergan. Allergan may terminate the Allergan License Agreement if the Company or any of its affiliates or sublicensees institutes a legal challenge to the validity, enforceability, or patentability of the licensed patent rights. Unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms, the Allergan License Agreement will continue on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis until the later of: (i) the expiration of all of the licensed patent rights in such country; (ii) the expiration of all regulatory exclusivity applicable to the product in such country; and (iii) 10 years from the date of the first commercial sale of the product in such country.
As of the date of the Allergan License Agreement, the asset acquired had no alternative future use nor had it reached a stage of technological feasibility. As the processes or activities that were acquired along with the license do not constitute a “business,” the transaction has been accounted for as an asset acquisition. Since the inception of the Allergan License Agreement, the Company achieved certain development and regulatory milestones, resulting in $8.0 million in expense, which includes $2.0 million paid in the first quarter of 2023.
6
UCB Biopharma Sprl
In 2016, the Company entered into a license agreement, or the UCB License Agreement, as amended from time to time, with UCB Biopharma Sprl, or UCB, under which UCB granted to the Company a worldwide, sublicensable, exclusive license to UCB6352, which the Company refers to as axatilimab, an anti-CSF-1R monoclonal antibody. Subject to the achievement of certain milestone events, the Company may be required to pay UCB up to $119.5 million in one-time development and regulatory milestone payments over the term of the UCB License Agreement. In the event that the Company or any of its affiliates or sublicensees commercializes axatilimab, the Company will also be obligated to pay UCB low double-digit royalties on sales, subject to reduction in certain circumstances, as well as up to an aggregate of $250.0 million in potential one-time, sales-based milestone payments based on achievement of certain annual sales thresholds. Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to share a percentage of non-royalty income from sublicensees, subject to certain deductions, with UCB. The Company is solely responsible for the development and commercialization of axatilimab, except that UCB is performing a limited set of transitional chemistry, manufacturing and control tasks related to axatilimab. Each party may terminate the UCB License Agreement for the other party’s uncured material breach or insolvency, and the Company may terminate the UCB License Agreement at any time upon advance written notice to UCB. UCB may terminate the UCB License Agreement if the Company or any of its affiliates or sublicensees institutes a legal challenge to the validity, enforceability, or patentability of the licensed patent rights. Unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms, the UCB License Agreement will continue on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis until the later of: (i) the expiration of all of the licensed patent rights in such country; (ii) the expiration of all regulatory exclusivity applicable to the product in such country; and (iii) 10 years from the date of the first commercial sale of the product in such country.
As of the date of the UCB License Agreement, the asset acquired had no alternative future use nor had it reached a stage of technological feasibility. As the processes or activities that were acquired along with the license do not constitute a “business,” the transaction has been accounted for as an asset acquisition. As a result, in 2016, the upfront payment of $5.0 million was recorded as research and development expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Since the start of the license agreement, the Company achieved certain development and regulatory milestones and has recorded $6.0 million as research and development expense. Additionally, in connection with its most recent amendment of the UCB License Agreement, in the second quarter of 2022 the Company paid UCB $5.8 million, which is recognized as a milestone expense.
Bayer Pharma AG (formerly known as Bayer Schering Pharma AG)
In March 2007, the Company entered into a license agreement with Bayer Schering Pharma AG, or Bayer, for a worldwide, exclusive license to develop and commercialize entinostat and any other products containing the same active ingredient. The Company will pay Bayer royalties on a sliding scale based on net sales, if any, and make future milestone payments to Bayer of up to $150.0 million in the event that certain specified development and regulatory goals and sales levels are achieved.
7. Fair Value Measurements
The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts payable, and accrued expenses approximated their estimated fair values due to the short-term nature of these financial instruments. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value are performed in a manner to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The accounting standard describes a fair value hierarchy based on three 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 (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the market date for identical unrestricted assets or liabilities.
Level 2— Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs for which all significant inputs are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
Level 3— Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
7
The table below presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are regularly measured and carried at fair value and indicate the level within the fair value hierarchy of valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair values (in thousands):
|
|
Fair Value Measurements Using |
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
Prices |
|
|
Significant |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
(unadjusted) |
|
|
Other |
|
|
Significant |
|
||||
|
|
Total |
|
|
in Active |
|
|
Observable |
|
|
Unobservable |
|
||||
|
|
Carrying |
|
|
Markets |
|
|
Inputs |
|
|
Inputs |
|
||||
|
|
Value |
|
|
(Level 1) |
|
|
(Level 2) |
|
|
(Level 3) |
|
||||
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
|||||||||||||
September 30, 2023 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
94,550 |
|
|
$ |
94,550 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
Short-term investments |
|
|
269,006 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
269,006 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Long-term investments |
|
|
15,705 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
15,705 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
379,261 |
|
|
$ |
94,550 |
|
|
$ |
284,711 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
December 31, 2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
74,356 |
|
|
$ |
59,496 |
|
|
$ |
14,860 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
Short-term investments |
|
|
401,446 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
401,446 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Long-term investments |
|
|
5,469 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
5,469 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
481,271 |
|
|
$ |
59,496 |
|
|
$ |
421,775 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
There have been no material impairments of our assets measured and carried at fair value during the period ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. In addition, there have been no changes in valuation techniques during the periods ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. The fair value of Level 1 instruments classified as cash equivalents are valued using quoted market prices in active markets. The fair value of Level 2 instruments classified as cash equivalents and short and long-term investments are determined based on quoted prices in active markets, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date with fair value being determined using models or other valuation methodologies.
The Company’s short and long-term investments are classified as available-for-sale securities. As of September 30, 2023, the remaining contractual maturities of the available-for-sale securities were 1 to 13 months, and the balance in the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive loss was comprised solely of activity related to the Company’s available-for-sale securities. There were no realized gains or losses recognized on the sale or maturity of available-for-sale securities, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. As a result, the Company did not reclassify any amounts out of accumulated other comprehensive loss for the same periods. The Company has a limited number of available-for-sale securities that are not in significant loss positions as of September 30, 2023, which the Company does not intend to sell, and it has concluded it will not be required to sell before recovery of the amortized cost for the investment at maturity.
The following table summarizes the available-for-sale securities:
|
|
Amortized |
|
|
Unrealized |
|
|
Unrealized |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
Cost |
|
|
Gains |
|
|
Losses |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
||||
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
|||||||||||||
September 30, 2023 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Commercial paper |
|
$ |
179,096 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
(112 |
) |
|
$ |
178,984 |
|
Corporate bonds |
|
|
7,899 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(22 |
) |
|
|
7,877 |
|
US Treasury |
|
|
48,244 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(131 |
) |
|
|
48,113 |
|
Federal bonds |
|
|
49,927 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(190 |
) |
|
|
49,737 |
|
|
|
$ |
285,166 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
(455 |
) |
|
$ |
284,711 |
|
December 31, 2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Commercial paper |
|
$ |
321,630 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
(205 |
) |
|
$ |
321,425 |
|
US Treasury |
|
|
64,759 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(566 |
) |
|
|
64,193 |
|
Federal bonds |
|
|
36,192 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(35 |
) |
|
|
36,157 |
|
|
|
$ |
422,581 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
(806 |
) |
|
$ |
421,775 |
|
8
8. Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets
Prepaid expenses and other current assets consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
September 30, 2023 |
|
|
December 31, 2022 |
|
||
Prepaid insurance |
|
$ |
1,336 |
|
|
$ |
692 |
|
Interest receivable on investments |
|
|
788 |
|
|
|
583 |
|
Prepaid subscription |
|
|
1,027 |
|
|
|
446 |
|
Prepaid state and local taxes |
|
|
318 |
|
|
|
3 |
|
Other |
|
|
277 |
|
|
|
191 |
|
Total prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
$ |
3,746 |
|
|
$ |
1,915 |
|
9. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):
|
|
September 30, 2023 |
|
|
December 31, 2022 |
|
||
Accrued clinical study and trial costs |
|
$ |
21,832 |
|
|
$ |
14,375 |
|
Accrued compensation and related costs |
|
|
7,931 |
|
|
|
5,945 |
|
Accrued professional fees |
|
|
1,588 |
|
|
|
1,352 |
|
Accrued milestone costs |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
2,000 |
|
Other |
|
|
768 |
|
|
|
604 |
|
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
|
$ |
32,119 |
|
|
$ |
24,276 |
|
10. Stock-Based Compensation
In January 2023, the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the Company's 2015 Omnibus Incentive Plan, or the 2015 Plan, was increased by 2,724,455 shares due to the automatic annual provision to increase shares available under the 2015 Plan. As of September 30, 2023, the total number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2015 Plan was 2,488,979. The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense related to the issuance of stock option awards to employees and non-employees and related to the Company's 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP, in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive loss as follows:
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Research and development |
$ |
3,853 |
|
|
$ |
1,820 |
|
|
$ |
10,329 |
|
|
$ |
4,531 |
|
General and administrative |
|
4,468 |
|
|
|
2,542 |
|
|
|
12,295 |
|
|
|
7,247 |
|
Total |
$ |
8,321 |
|
|
$ |
4,362 |
|
|
$ |
22,624 |
|
|
$ |
11,778 |
|
Compensation expense by type of award in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 was as follows:
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Stock options |
$ |
7,242 |
|
|
$ |
3,864 |
|
|
$ |
19,654 |
|
|
$ |
9,977 |
|
Restricted Stock Units |
|
990 |
|
|
|
452 |
|
|
|
2,749 |
|
|
|
1,690 |
|
Employee Stock Purchase Plan |
|
89 |
|
|
|
46 |
|
|
|
221 |
|
|
|
111 |
|
Total |
$ |
8,321 |
|
|
$ |
4,362 |
|
|
$ |
22,624 |
|
|
$ |
11,778 |
|
9
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company granted 3,336,941 stock options to certain executives, consultants and employees having service-based vesting conditions. The grant date fair value of the options granted in the nine months ended September 30, 2023, was $57.1 million, or $17.11 per share on a weighted-average basis and will be recognized as compensation expense over the requisite service period of two to four years.
In February 2022, the Company granted to certain employees 140,000 performance-based stock options, or the 2022 Performance Awards, related to the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory development milestones and market-based conditions. Recognition of stock-based compensation expense associated with these performance-based stock options commences when the performance condition is probable of achievement, using management’s best estimates, which consider the inherent risk and uncertainty regarding the future outcomes of the milestones.
In the first quarter of 2022, management estimated one of the milestones for the 2022 Performance Awards was probable of achievement and, as such, the Company recorded approximately $258,000 and $346,000 of stock compensation expense for these awards for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of September 30, 2023, 140,000 stock options outstanding were unvested, and no options had been canceled.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, 628,253 options were exercised for cash proceeds of approximately $5.0 million. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, 1,167,295 options were exercised for cash proceeds of $10.1 million.
Restricted stock units
RSUs awarded to members of the Company's board of directors or employees vest on either (i) the one-year anniversary date of the related grant or (ii) 25% on each anniversary date of the related grant for four years. The following table summarizes the Company's RSU activity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
Number of |
|
|
Weighted |
|
||
Unvested—December 31, 2022 |
|
|
224,788 |
|
|
$ |
18.02 |
|
Granted (1) |
|
|
308,550 |
|
|
$ |
24.94 |
|
Vested |
|
|
(9,102 |
) |
|
$ |
13.87 |
|
Unvested—September 30, 2023 (2) |
|
|
524,236 |
|
|
$ |
22.16 |
|
(1) RSUs granted in 2023 and 2022 had a weighted average grant date fair value of $24.94 and $15.79, respectively. The fair values of RSUs vested in 2023 and 2022 totaled $127,000 and $656,000, respectively.
(2) Unvested RSUs as of September 30, 2023, include 317,333 RSUs which were granted to members of the Company's board of directors and will not be considered issued and outstanding until the occurrence of a separation from service, death, disability, or a change in control.
As of September 30, 2023, there were $82.7 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to employee and non-employee unvested stock options and RSUs granted under the 2015 Plan and 2007 Plan, which are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average remaining service period of 2.9 years.
10
11. Stockholders’ Equity
The following table presents the changes in stockholders’ equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023:
(In thousands, except share data) |
|
Common Stock |
|
|
Additional |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Total |
|
|||||||||
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2022 |
|
|
68,111,385 |
|
|
$ |
7 |
|
|
$ |
1,161,288 |
|
|
$ |
(806 |
) |
|
$ |
(693,040 |
) |
|
$ |
467,449 |
|
Stock purchase under ESPP |
|
|
16,537 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
6,238 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
6,238 |
|
Unrealized gains on investments |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
470 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
470 |
|
Vesting of RSU |
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Employee withholdings ESPP |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
196 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
196 |
|
Prefunded warrants, exercise |
|
|
85,998 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Proceeds from exercise of stock options |
|
|
276,506 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
2,278 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
2,278 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(41,126 |
) |
|
|
(41,126 |
) |
Balance as of March 31, 2023 |
|
|
68,495,426 |
|
|
$ |
7 |
|
|
$ |
1,170,000 |
|
|
$ |
(336 |
) |
|
$ |
(734,166 |
) |
|
$ |
435,505 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
8,065 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
8,065 |
|
Unrealized loss on investments |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(238 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(238 |
) |
Vesting of RSU |
|
|
1,602 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Employee withholdings ESPP |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
179 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
179 |
|
Prefunded warrants, exercise |
|
|
771,133 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
Proceeds from exercise of stock options |
|
|
163,037 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
1,146 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
1,146 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(44,615 |
) |
|
|
(44,615 |
) |
Balance as of June 30, 2023 |
|
|
69,431,198 |
|
|
$ |
7 |
|
|
$ |
1,179,389 |
|
|
$ |
(574 |
) |
|
$ |
(778,781 |
) |
|
$ |
400,041 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
8,321 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
8,321 |
|
Unrealized gains on investments |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
119 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
119 |
|
Stock purchase under ESPP |
|
|
18,260 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Employee withholdings ESPP |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
259 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
259 |
|
Prefunded warrants, exercise |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Proceeds from exercise of stock options |
|
|
188,710 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
1,592 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
1,592 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(51,146 |
) |
|
|
(51,146 |
) |
Balance as of September 30, 2023 |
|
|
69,638,168 |
|
|
$ |
7 |
|
|
$ |
1,189,561 |
|
|
$ |
(455 |
) |
|
$ |
(829,927 |
) |
|
$ |
359,186 |
|
11
The following table presents the changes in stockholders’ equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022:
(In thousands, except share data) |
|
Common Stock |
|
|
Additional |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Total |
|
|||||||||
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Balance as of December 31, 2021 |
|
|
54,983,105 |
|
|
$ |
6 |
|
|
$ |
952,019 |
|
|
$ |
45 |
|
|
$ |
(543,702 |
) |
|
$ |
408,368 |
|
Stock purchase under ESPP |
|
|
18,946 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
3,478 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
3,478 |
|
Unrealized loss on short-term investments |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(685 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(685 |
) |
Employee withholdings ESPP |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
92 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
92 |
|
Proceeds from exercise of stock options |
|
|
28,839 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
465 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
465 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(37,169 |
) |
|
|
(37,169 |
) |
Balance as of March 31, 2022 |
|
|
55,030,890 |
|
|
$ |
6 |
|
|
$ |
956,054 |
|
|
$ |
(640 |
) |
|
$ |
(580,871 |
) |
|
$ |
374,549 |
|
Proceeds from ATM sales |
|
|
1,111,111 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
19,427 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
19,427 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
3,938 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
3,938 |
|
Unrealized loss on short-term investments |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(695 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(695 |
) |
Employee withholdings ESPP |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
58 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
58 |
|
Proceeds from exercise of stock options |
|
|
257,733 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
2,235 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
2,235 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(37,572 |
) |
|
|
(37,572 |
) |
Balance as of June 30, 2022 |
|
|
56,399,734 |
|
|
$ |
6 |
|
|
$ |
981,712 |
|
|
$ |
(1,335 |
) |
|
$ |
(618,443 |
) |
|
$ |
361,940 |
|
Stock purchase under ESPP |
|
|
10,053 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
4,362 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
4,362 |
|
Unrealized loss on short-term investments |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(270 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(270 |
) |
Exercise of prefunded warrants |
|
|
2,832,151 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Employee withholdings ESPP |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
110 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
110 |
|
Proceeds from exercise of stock options |
|
|
880,723 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
7,363 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
7,363 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(35,403 |
) |
|
|
(35,403 |
) |
Balance as of September 30, 2022 |
|
|
60,122,661 |
|
|
$ |
6 |
|
|
$ |
993,547 |
|
|
$ |
(1,605 |
) |
|
$ |
(653,846 |
) |
|
$ |
338,102 |
|
In March 2021, the Company entered into a sales agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, or TD Cowen, under which the Company could, from time to time, issue and sell shares of its common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $75.0 million, in a series of one or more At-the-Market, or ATM, equity offerings, or the 2021 ATM Program. On May 26, 2023, the Company terminated the 2021 ATM Program. Prior to termination the Company sold shares for aggregate proceeds of approximately $25.0 million.
In May 2023, the Company entered into a new sales agreement with TD Cowen under which the Company could, from time to time, issue and sell shares of its common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $200.0 million, in a series of one or more ATM equity offerings, or the 2023 ATM Program. TD Cowen is not required to sell any specific share amounts but acts as the Company’s sales agent, using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices. Pursuant to the sales agreement, shares will be sold pursuant to the previous shelf registration statement on Form S-3ASR (Registration No. 333-254661), which became automatically effective upon the filing on March 24, 2021. The Company’s common stock will be sold at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, and as a result, prices may vary. For the period ended September 30, 2023, the Company sold no shares of common stock under the 2023 ATM Program.
In December 2021, the Company issued 3,802,144 shares of common stock and granted pre-funded warrants to purchase 1,142,856 shares of common stock. The offering price for the securities was $17.50 per share or $17.4999 for each pre-funded warrant, with net proceeds of approximately $81.2 million. On April 12, 2023, 273,000 pre-funded warrants were exercised for 272,996 shares of common stock, under a cashless exercise. On May 9, 2023, 498,142 pre-funded warrants were exercised for 498,137 shares of common stock, under a cashless exercise. As of September 30, 2023, 285,714 pre-funded warrants were outstanding.
In December 2021, in connection with the Incyte License and the Incyte Share Purchase Agreement, the Company issued 1,421,523 shares of common stock, with net proceeds of approximately $35.0 million. The Company recorded the equity issuance at a fair value of $24.8 million based on the market price of the stock on the date of issuance.
In December 2022, the Company issued 7,840,909 shares of common stock in a public offering. The offering price for the securities was $22.00 per share, with net proceeds of approximately $162.0 million.
12
The Company has reserved for future issuance the following shares of common stock related to the potential warrant exercise, exercise of stock options and the employee stock purchase plan:
|
September 30, 2023 |
|
|
Common stock issuable under pre-funded warrants |
|
285,714 |
|
Options to purchase common stock |
|
13,543,965 |
|
Employee Stock Purchase Plan |
|
1,732,614 |
|
12. Commitments and Contingencies
From time to time, the Company may be subject to various claims and proceedings in the ordinary course of business. If the potential loss from any claim, asserted or unasserted, or proceeding is considered probable and the amount is reasonably estimable, the Company will accrue a liability for the estimated loss. There were no contingent liabilities recorded as of September 30, 2023.
13
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following information should be read in conjunction with the unaudited financial information and the notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the audited financial information and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on February 28, 2023.
Company Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline of cancer therapies. Our two lead product candidates are revumenib (SNDX-5613), and axatilimab (SNDX-6352). We are developing revumenib, a potent, selective, small molecule inhibitor of the menin-MLL binding interaction for the treatment of KMT2A rearranged, or KMT2Ar, also known as mixed lineage leukemia rearranged, or MLLr, acute leukemias including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, and acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, and nucleophosmin 1, also known as NPM1, mutant AML. We are also exploring the use of revumenib as a treatment in solid tumors, specifically its activity in metastatic colorectal cancer. We are developing axatilimab, a monoclonal antibody that blocks the colony stimulating factor 1 receptor, or CSF-1R, in chronic graft-versus-host disease, or cGVHD, as well as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. We plan to continue to leverage the technical and business expertise of our management team and scientific collaborators to license, acquire and develop additional therapeutics to expand our pipeline.
We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any product revenues from product sales to date. We continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. Except for 2021, we have not been profitable and have incurred losses in each period since our inception in 2005. For the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, we reported a net loss of $136.9 million and $110.1 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $829.9 million. As of September 30, 2023, we had cash, cash equivalents and short and long-term investments of $379.3 million.
Clinical Developments
Revumenib
The AUGMENT-101 pivotal data will be presented at the upcoming 65th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting on December 10, 2023. Of note, the abstract for this session only includes data from the Phase 1 portion of the AUGMENT-101 trial, however the presentation will describe the pivotal dataset.
14
Axatilimab
15
Significant Risks and Uncertainties
The current high inflation rates may materially affect our business and operating results by increasing the cost of our clinical trial materials and supplies, driving the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates and increasing our overhead costs. Rising interest rates could make it more difficult for us to obtain traditional financing on acceptable terms, if at all. Additionally, the ongoing recession risk together with the foregoing, could result in further economic uncertainty and volatility in the capital markets in the near term and, as a result could negatively affect our operations. Furthermore, such economic conditions have produced downward pressure on share prices. Although we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date, ongoing high inflation could increase our operating costs, including our labor costs and research and development costs. These costs may also be negatively impacted due to supply chain constraints, the global geopolitical tension as a result of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the war in Israel, worsening macroeconomic conditions and employee availability and wage increases, which may result in additional stress on our working capital.
Additionally, we are subject to other challenges and risks specific to our business and our ability to execute on our strategy, as well as risks and uncertainties common to companies in the pharmaceutical industry with development and commercial operations, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with: obtaining regulatory approval of our late-stage product candidate; identifying, acquiring or in-licensing additional products or product candidates; pharmaceutical product development and the inherent uncertainty of clinical success; the challenges of protecting and enhancing our intellectual property rights; and complying with applicable regulatory requirements.
Financial Overview
Revenue
To date, we have not generated any product revenues. Our ability to generate revenue and become profitable depends upon our ability to obtain marketing approval of and successfully commercialize our product candidates. We generated no revenue during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.
In September 2021, we entered into the Incyte Agreements covering the worldwide development and commercialization of axatilimab. We granted Incyte an exclusive license to develop and commercialize axatilimab in the United States and the rest of the world. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, no revenue has been recognized under the Incyte Agreements.
Research and Development
Since our inception, we have primarily focused on our clinical development programs. Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for the development of our product candidates and include:
16
Internal and external research and development costs are expensed as they are incurred. Cost-sharing amounts received by us are recorded as reductions to research and development expense. Costs for certain development activities, such as clinical trials, are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using data such as patient enrollment, clinical site activations or other information provided to us by our vendors.
Research and development activities are central to our business model. Drug candidates in late stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of late-stage clinical trials. We plan to continue to spend a significant amount of our resources on research and development activities for the foreseeable future as we continue to advance the development of our product candidates. The amount of research and development expenses allocated to external spending will continue to grow, while we expect our internal spending to grow at a slower and more controlled pace.
It is difficult to determine, with certainty, the duration and completion costs of our current or future preclinical programs, clinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates. The duration, costs and timing of clinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates will depend on a variety of factors that include, but are not limited to, the following:
In addition, the probability of success for each drug product candidate will depend on numerous factors, including competition, manufacturing capability and commercial viability. The successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the nature, timing or costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the remainder of the development of our product candidates for the period, if any, in which material net cash inflows from these potential product candidates may commence. Clinical development timelines, the probability of success and development costs can differ materially from expectations.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, non-cash stock-based compensation and travel expenses, for our employees in executive, finance, business development and support functions. Other general and administrative expenses include facility-related costs not otherwise allocated to research and development expenses and accounting, tax, legal and consulting services. We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will further increase in the future as we continue to increase our headcount to support our continued research and development and anticipated commercialization of our product candidates. Additionally, if and when we believe a regulatory approval of the one or more of our product candidates appears likely, we anticipate an increase in payroll and related expenses as a result of our preparation for commercial operations, especially as it relates to the sales and marketing of our product candidates.
Interest Expense
Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense on our operational and capital leases.
Interest Income
Interest income consists of income earned on our cash, cash equivalents and short and long-term investment balances.
Other Income (Expense), net
Other income (expense), net includes income (expense) consisting of foreign currency gains (losses) on short and long-term investment balances.
17
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For a discussion of new accounting pronouncements please read Note 3 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this report.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. In making estimates and judgments, management employs critical accounting policies.
There have been no material changes to our critical accounting estimates described in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022:
|
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
$ |
|
|
% |
|
||||
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
|||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Research and development |
|
$ |
39,087 |
|
|
$ |
26,901 |
|
|
$ |
12,186 |
|
|
|
45 |
% |
General and administrative |
|
|
17,268 |
|
|
|
8,240 |
|
|
|
9,028 |
|
|
|
110 |
% |
Total operating expenses |
|
|
56,355 |
|
|
|
35,141 |
|
|
|
21,214 |
|
|
|
60 |
% |
Loss from operations |
|
|
(56,355 |
) |
|
|
(35,141 |
) |
|
|
21,214 |
|
|
|
-60 |
% |
Other income (expense), net: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Interest expense |
|
|
(70 |
) |
|
|
(1,748 |
) |
|
|
1,678 |
|
|
|
-96 |
% |
Interest income |
|
|
5,345 |
|
|
|
1,781 |
|
|
|
3,564 |
|
|
|
200 |
% |
Other expense |
|
|
(66 |
) |
|
|
(295 |
) |
|
|
229 |
|
|
|
-78 |
% |
Total other income (expense), net |
|
|
5,209 |
|
|
|
(262 |
) |
|
|
5,471 |
|
|
|
-2088 |
% |
Net loss |
|
$ |
(51,146 |
) |
|
$ |
(35,403 |
) |
|
$ |
15,743 |
|
|
|
-44 |
% |
Research and Development
For the three months ended September 30, 2023, our total research and development expenses increased $12.2 million, or 45%, to $39.1 million from $26.9 million for the comparable period in the prior year. The increase in research and development expenses was due to increased employee-related expenses of $7.2 million, professional fees of $1.1 million, other expenses of $1.0 million, and clinical and manufacturing expenses of $2.9 million. Increased employee-related activities were due to increased salary and related expense of $5.2 million and increased stock compensation of $2.0 million. Increased clinical and manufacturing expenses were due to increased axatilimab development costs of $2.2 million, increased revumenib manufacturing activities of $1.7 million and increased revumenib clinical activities of $0.9 million, partially offset by decreased axatilimab manufacturing activities of $1.9 million. We expect research and development expenses to continue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter depending on the timing of clinical trial activities, clinical manufacturing and other development activities.
Research and development expenses consisted of the following:
|
|
Three Months Ended September 30, |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
$ |
|
|
% |
|
||||
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
|||||||||||||
External research and development expenses |
|
$ |
23,522 |
|
|
$ |
18,898 |
|
|
$ |
4,624 |
|
|
|
24 |
% |
Internal research and development expenses |
|
|
15,565 |
|
|
|
8,003 |
|
|
|
7,562 |
|
|
|
94 |
% |
Total research and development expenses |
|
$ |
39,087 |
|
|
$ |
26,901 |
|
|
$ |
12,186 |
|
|
|
45 |
% |
18
General and Administrative
For the three months ended September 30, 2023, our total general and administrative expenses increased $9.0 million, or 110%, to $17.3 million from $8.2 million for the comparable period in the prior year. The increase in general and administrative expenses was due to increased employee-related expenses of $4.8 million, increased professional fees of $2.9 million and other expenses of $1.3 million.
Interest Income and Interest Expense
For the three months ended September 30, 2023, interest income increased $3.6 million to $5.3 million from $1.8 million for the comparable period in the prior year primarily due to increased interest rates and an increased average balance on cash equivalents and short and long-term investments.
For the three months ended September 30, 2023, interest expense decreased $1.7 million to $0.1 million from $1.7 million for the comparable period in the prior year primarily due to the interest expense related to the amended loan agreement, by and between the Company and Hercules Capital, Inc., or Hercules, which was terminated in September 2022.
Other Income (Expense), net
For the three months ended September 30, 2023, total other income (expense), net decreased from the comparable period in the prior year primarily due to an increase in foreign currency losses on short and long-term investments.
Comparison of the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022:
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
$ |
|
|
% |
|
||||
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
|||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Research and development |
|
$ |
107,906 |
|
|
$ |
86,658 |
|
|
$ |
21,248 |
|
|
|
25 |
% |
General and administrative |
|
|
44,143 |
|
|
|
23,066 |
|
|
|
21,077 |
|
|
|
91 |
% |
Total operating expenses |
|
|
152,049 |
|
|
|
109,724 |
|
|
|
42,325 |
|
|
|
39 |
% |
Loss from operations |
|
|
(152,049 |
) |
|
|
(109,724 |
) |
|
|
42,325 |
|
|
|
-39 |
% |
Other income (expense), net: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Interest expense |
|
|
(145 |
) |
|
|
(3,094 |
) |
|
|
2,949 |
|
|
|
-95 |
% |
Interest income |
|
|
15,613 |
|
|
|
2,884 |
|
|
|
12,729 |
|
|
|
441 |
% |
Other expense |
|
|
(306 |
) |
|
|
(210 |
) |
|
|
(96 |
) |
|
|
46 |
% |
Total other income (expense), net |
|
|
15,162 |
|
|
|
(420 |
) |
|
|
15,582 |
|
|
|
-3710 |
% |
Net loss |
|
$ |
(136,887 |
) |
|
$ |
(110,144 |
) |
|
$ |
26,743 |
|
|
|
-24 |
% |
Research and Development
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, our total research and development expenses increased $21.2 million, or 25%, to $107.9 million from $86.7 million for the comparable period in the prior year. The increase in research and development expenses was due to increased employee-related expenses of $19.1 million, professional fees of $3.0 million and other expenses of $1.5 million, partially offset by decreased clinical and manufacturing expenses of $2.4 million. Increased employee-related activities were due to increased salary and related expense of $13.3 million and increased stock compensation of $5.8 million. Decreased clinical and manufacturing expenses were due to decreased axatilimab manufacturing activities of $6.4 million, and decreased revumenib manufacturing activities of $1.6 million, partially offset by increased axatilimab development costs of $3.3 million and increased revumenib clinical activities of $2.3 million. We expect research and development expenses to continue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter depending on the timing of clinical trial activities, clinical manufacturing and other development activities.
Research and development expenses consisted of the following:
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|
|
Change |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
|
$ |
|
|
% |
|
||||
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
|||||||||||||
External research and development expenses |
|
$ |
67,627 |
|
|
$ |
66,344 |
|
|
$ |
1,283 |
|
|
|
2 |
% |
Internal research and development expenses |
|
|
40,279 |
|
|
|
20,314 |
|
|
|
19,965 |
|
|
|
98 |
% |
Total research and development expenses |
|
$ |
107,906 |
|
|
$ |
86,658 |
|
|
$ |
21,248 |
|
|
|
25 |
% |
19
General and Administrative
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, our total general and administrative expenses increased $21.1 million, or 91%, to $44.1 million from $23.1 million for the comparable period in the prior year. The increase in general and administrative expenses was due to increased employee-related expenses of $12.4 million, professional fees of $5.6 million and other expenses of $3.1 million.
Interest Income and Interest Expense
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, interest income increased $12.7 million to $15.6 million from $2.9 million for the comparable period in the prior year due to increased interest rates and an increased average balance on cash equivalents and short and long-term investments.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, interest expense decreased $2.9 million to $0.1 million from $3.1 million for the comparable period in the prior year primarily due to the interest expense related to the amended loan agreement, by and between the Company and Hercules, which was terminated in September 2022.
Other Income (Expense), net
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, total other income (expense), net decreased from the comparable period in the prior year primarily due to an increase in foreign currency losses on short and long-term investments.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
As of September 30, 2023, we had cash, cash equivalents and short- and long-term investments totaling $379.3 million. Our operations to-date have been primarily financed by net proceeds from public stock offerings, and revenue from our license agreements. We believe that our present cash, cash equivalents and short and long-term investments as of September 30, 2023, will fund our projected operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. In addition to our existing cash, cash equivalents and short- and long-term investments, we are eligible to receive research and development funding and to earn milestone and other contingent payments for the achievement of defined collaboration objectives and certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones and royalty payments under our collaboration agreements. Our ability to earn these milestone and contingent payments and the timing of achieving these milestones is primarily dependent upon the outcome of our collaborators’ research and development activities and is uncertain at this time.
At-the-Market Offering Program
In March 2021, we entered into a sales agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, or TD Cowen, under which we could, from time to time, issue and sell shares of its common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $75.0 million, in a series of one or more At-the-Market, or ATM, equity offerings, or the 2021 ATM Program. On May 26, 2023, we terminated the 2021 ATM Program. Prior to termination, we sold shares for aggregate proceeds of approximately $25.0 million.
In May 2023, we entered into a new sales agreement with TD Cowen under which we could, from time to time, issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $200.0 million, in a series of one or more ATM equity offerings, or the 2023 ATM Program. TD Cowen is not required to sell any specific share amounts but acts as the Company’s sales agent, using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices. Pursuant to the sales agreement, shares will be sold to the shelf registration statement on Form S-3ASR (Registration No. 333-254661), which became automatically effective upon the filing on March 24, 2021. The Company’s common stock will be sold at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, and as a result, prices may vary. For the three months ended September 30, 2023, we did not sell any shares of common stock under the 2023 ATM Program. As of October 27, 2023, the Company had $200.0 million available under the 2023 ATM Program.
Future Funding Requirements
We believe that our available cash, cash equivalents and short and long-term investments are sufficient to fund existing and planned cash requirements for the next 12 months. Our primary uses of capital are, and we expect will continue to be, compensation and related expenses, third-party clinical research and development services, clinical costs, legal and other regulatory expenses and general overhead costs. We have based our estimates on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, and we could use our capital resources sooner than we currently expect.
Additionally, the process of testing drug candidates in clinical trials is costly, and the timing of progress in these trials is uncertain. We cannot estimate the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete the development and commercialization of our drug candidates or whether, or when, we may achieve profitability. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
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We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any product revenues from product sales to date. Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings and additional funding from license and collaboration arrangements. Except for any obligations of our collaborators to reimburse us for research and development expenses or to make milestone payments under our agreements with them, we will not have any committed external source of liquidity.
Our material contractual obligations and commitments as of September 30, 2023, primarily relate to our maturities of operating leases for office space and equipment and capital leases for office equipment. As of September 30, 2023, we have $1.2 million payable within 12 months.
Except as disclosed above, we have no material non-cancelable purchase commitments with service providers, as we have generally contracted on a cancelable, purchase-order basis. We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with equipment and reagent vendors, CROs, CMOs and other third parties for clinical trials, preclinical research studies and testing and manufacturing services. These contracts are cancelable by us upon prior notice. Payments due upon cancellation consist only of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including noncancelable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation. These payments are not determinable.
We have incurred losses and cumulative negative cash flows from operations since our inception, excluding the year ended December 31, 2021. As of September 30, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $829.9 million. We anticipate that we will continue to incur significant losses for at least the next several years. We expect that our research and development and general and administrative expenses will continue to increase. As a result, we will need additional capital to fund our operations, which we may raise through a combination of the sale of equity, debt financings, or other sources, including potential collaborations. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the future sale of equity or debt, the ownership interest of our stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our existing common stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration arrangements in the future, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams or drug candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market drug candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
21
Cash Flows
The following is a summary of cash flows:
|
|
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|
|||||
|
|
2023 |
|
|
2022 |
|
||
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
|||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
|
$ |
(119,252 |
) |
|
$ |
(110,781 |
) |
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
|
|
133,899 |
|
|
|
(48,559 |
) |
Net cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
5,649 |
|
|
|
8,752 |
|
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
|
$ |
20,296 |
|
|
$ |
(150,588 |
) |
Net Cash Used in Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, was $119.3 million and consisted of our net loss of $136.9 million adjusted for non-cash items, including stock-based compensation of $22.6 million, an investment accretion of $11.3 million, a net increase in operating assets and liabilities of $5.9 million and an increase in operating lease and depreciation expenses of $0.5 million. The increase in net loss was primarily due to increased clinical trial activities and manufacturing expenses. The net increase in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisted of increased accrued expenses and other liabilities of $7.4 million, collaboration receivables of $0.1 million and accounts payable of $1.7 million, partially offset by decreased prepaids and deposits of $3.3 million.
Net cash used in operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, was $110.8 million and consisted of our net loss of $110.1 million adjusted for non-cash items, including stock-based compensation of $11.8 million, a net decrease in operating assets and liabilities of $12.3 million, an investment accretion of $1.4 million, non-cash interest expense associated with the term loan of $1.1 million and a non-cash operating lease expense of $0.3 million. The increase in net loss was primarily due to increased clinical trial activities and CMC expenses. The net decrease in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisted of increased prepayments and deposits of $7.7 million, increased collaboration receivables of $4.5 million, and increased accounts payable of $1.4 million, partially offset by decreased accrued expenses and other liabilities of $1.5 million.
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities
Net cash provided by investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, was $133.9 million and was due to $359.2 million of proceeds from the maturities of available-for-sale securities, offset by the purchase of $225.3 million of available for sale securities.
Net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, was $48.6 million and was primarily due to the purchase of $244.5 million of available-for-sale securities partially offset by the $195.7 million of proceeds from the maturities of available-for-sale securities and by $0.2 million of proceeds from sale of equipment.
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, was $5.6 million and was due to proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $5.0 million and employee participation in our Employee Stock Purchase Plan of $0.6 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, was $8.8 million and was primarily due to proceeds from sales under the 2021 ATM Program, net of discounts and commissions of $19.4 million, proceeds from the exercise of stock of $10.1 million and employee participation in our Employee Stock Purchase Plan of $0.3 million, partially offset by payment on term loan of $21.0 million.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The market risk inherent in our financial instruments and in our financial position represents the potential loss arising from adverse changes in interest rates. As of September 30, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $94.6 million, consisting of overnight investments, interest-bearing money market funds and commercial paper, and short and long-term investments of $284.7 million, consisting of commercial paper, treasury and federal bonds. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates. The primary objectives of our investment activities are to ensure liquidity and to preserve principal while at the same time maximizing the income we receive from our marketable securities without significantly increasing risk. We have established guidelines regarding approved investments and maturities of investments, which are designed to maintain safety and liquidity. Due to the short-term maturities of our cash equivalents and the low risk profile of our short-term investments, an immediate 100 basis point change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market value of our cash equivalents and short-term investments. We have the ability to hold our investments until maturity, and therefore, we
22
would not expect our operating results or cash flows to be affected to any significant degree by the effect of a change in market interest rates on our investment portfolio.
We do not believe that inflation and changing prices had a significant impact on our results of operations for any periods presented herein.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Controls and Procedures
We have carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), as of September 30, 2023. Based upon that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that:
In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, our management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and our management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended September 30, 2023, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
23
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
In the ordinary course of business, we are from time to time involved in lawsuits, claims, investigations, proceedings, and threats of litigation relating to intellectual property, commercial arrangements and other matters. While the outcome of these proceedings and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, as of September 30, 2023, we were not party to any material legal or arbitration proceedings. No governmental proceedings are pending or, to our knowledge, contemplated against us.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following information about these risks, together with the other information appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes hereto, before deciding to invest in our common stock. The occurrence of any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects or cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements we have made in this report and those we may make from time to time. In these circumstances, the market price of our common stock could decline; and you may lose all or part of your investment. We cannot assure you that any of the events discussed below will not occur.
Summary of Selected Risks
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, of which you should be aware before making a decision to invest in our securities. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the following:
24
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
We are currently developing several product candidates. If we are unable to successfully complete clinical development of, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize our product candidates, our business prospects will be significantly harmed.
Our financial success will depend substantially on our ability to effectively and profitably commercialize our product candidates. In order to commercialize our product candidates, we will be required to obtain regulatory approvals by establishing that each of them is sufficiently safe and effective. The clinical and commercial success of our product candidates will depend on a number of factors, including the following:
If we fail to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, we will not be able to generate product sales, which will have a material adverse effect on our business and our prospects.
25
Revumenib has undergone limited clinical testing and we may fail to show that it is well tolerated and provides sufficient clinical benefit for patients.
Research suggests that certain acute leukemias, such as lysine methyltransferase 2A rearranged, or KMT2Ar, acute myeloid or lymphoid leukemia, AML or ALL, and nucleophosmin 1, or NPM1, mutant AML, are driven by the interaction of menin, a nuclear protein involved in transcription, with the N-terminus of KMT2A protein. In NPM1 mutant AML the interaction with menin occurs via the wild type KMT2A protein, and in KMT2Ar acute leukemia, the interaction occurs via a mutant form of KMT2A, a fusion protein known as KMT2Ar. KMT2Ar results from a rare, spontaneous fusion between the N-terminus of the KMT2A gene and a host of signaling molecules and nuclear transcription factors. This fusion produces an aberrant transcription program that drives leukemic transformation. In pre-clinical animal models, small molecule inhibitors of the menin-KMT2Ar interaction, such as revumenib, which bind to, and block the interaction of menin with either KMT2A rearranged or wildtype, have demonstrated deep and durable single agent treatment effects in multiple leukemic xenograft models harboring KMT2A fusions or NPM1 mutations. Our strategy for developing revumenib is to conduct a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in r/r patients with KMT2Ar and NPM1 mutant acute leukemias and determine if the observed clinical efficacy supports further development. The Phase 1 portion of the trial is assessing the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of revumenib, and seeks to establish a recommended Phase 2 dose. It is open label, and we have released and may in the future release results from time to time that reflect small numbers of patients which may not be accurately predictive of safety or efficacy results later in the trial or in subsequent trials. The Phase 2 portion is evaluating the efficacy of revumenib across three expansion cohorts enrolling pediatric and adult R/R patients with KMT2Ar ALL, KMT2Ar AML, and NPM1 mutant AML. In October 2023, we announced positive topline data in patients with R/R KMT2Ar acute leukemia and that we have initiated a NDA under the FDA’s RTOR program. Neither breakthrough therapy designation nor RTOR review change the standards for approval and may not ultimately expedite the approval process or lead to approval. While we believe that we have established sufficient efficacy to warrant a NDA submission and continued development in these indications, we may not yet have sufficiently demonstrated a favorable risk-benefit of revumenib in patients.
Axatilimab has undergone limited clinical testing and we may fail to show that it is well tolerated and provides a clinical benefit for patients.
Preclinical studies suggest that CSF-1/CSF-1R signaling may be the key regulatory pathway involved in the expansion and infiltration of donor derived macrophages that mediate the disease processes involved in cGVHD and other fibrotic or inflammatory diseases. Nonclinical studies and analysis of patient samples indicates that the cGVHD inflammatory disease process is a result of a complex interaction between host and donor immune cells including B cells, and regulatory T cells with M2 differentiated macrophages in target tissue appearing to represent the common distal mediator of fibrosis. Therefore, we hypothesize that a CSF-1R signal inhibitor such as axatilimab may play a meaningful role as a monotherapy agent in the treatment of cGVHD. In 2018, we commenced a Phase 1/2 clinical trial with axatilimab in subjects with active cGVHD who had failed at least two prior lines of therapy. Following our end of Phase 1 meeting with the FDA, we aligned on a regulatory path for axatilimab for the treatment of cGVHD and commenced a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial, AGAVE-201, to assess the safety and efficacy of different doses and schedules of axatilimab for the treatment of patients with cGVHD. In July 2023, we announced that AGAVE-201 met its primary endpoint across all cohorts and that, along with Incyte, we intend to submit a BLA by year-end 2023. While we believe that we have established sufficient efficacy to warrant a BLA submission and continued development in this indication, we may not yet have sufficiently demonstrated a favorable risk-benefit of axatilimab in patients.
Interim top-line and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.
From time to time, we may publish interim top-line or preliminary data from our clinical trials. For example, in each of November 2022 and 2023, we announced interim data from our Phase 1/2 clinical trial of revumenib. Interim data from clinical trials that we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available. Preliminary or top-line data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. Preliminary or top-line data may include, for example, data regarding a small percentage of the patients enrolled in a clinical trial, and such preliminary data should not be viewed as an indication, belief or guarantee that other patients enrolled in such clinical trial will achieve similar results or that the preliminary results from such patients will be maintained. As a result, interim and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. Differences between preliminary or interim data and final data could significantly harm our business prospects and may cause the trading price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly.
We may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of any of our product candidates.
Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of any of our product candidates, we or our collaborators must conduct extensive trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the product candidates in humans. Clinical testing is expensive and difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is inherently uncertain as to the outcome. A
26
failure of one or more trials can occur at any stage of testing. The outcome of preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not accurately predict the success of later trials, and interim results of a trial do not necessarily predict final results.
We are dependent upon our collaboration with Incyte to further develop and commercialize axatilimab. If we or Incyte fail to perform as expected the potential for us to generate future revenues under the collaboration could be significantly reduced, the development and/or commercialization of axatilimab may be terminated or substantially delayed, and our business could be adversely affected.
We are subject to numerous risks related to the Incyte Collaboration Agreement to collaborate on the development and commercialization of axatilimab.
For example, there is no assurance that the parties will achieve any of the regulatory development or sales milestones, that we will receive any future milestone or royalty payments under the collaboration agreement. Incyte’s activities may be influenced by, among other things, the efforts and allocation of resources by Incyte, which we cannot control. If Incyte does not perform in the manner we expect or fulfill its responsibilities in a timely manner, or at all, the clinical development, manufacturing, regulatory approval, and commercialization efforts related to axatilimab could be delayed or terminated. In addition, our license with Incyte may be unsuccessful due to other factors, including, without limitation, the following:
We cannot ensure that the potential strategic benefits and opportunities expected from this collaboration with be realized on our anticipated timeline or at all.
If we or our collaborators are unable to enroll patients in clinical trials, these clinical trials may not be completed on a timely basis or at all.
The timely completion of clinical trials largely depends on patient enrollment. Many factors affect patient enrollment, including:
As a result of the above factors, there is a risk that our or our collaborators’ clinical trials may not be completed on a timely basis or at all.
We may be required to relinquish important rights to and control over the development and commercialization of our product candidates to our current or future collaborators.
Our collaborations, including any future strategic collaborations we enter into, could subject us to a number of risks, including:
27
We may explore strategic collaborations that may never materialize or may fail.
We periodically explore a variety of possible strategic collaborations in an effort to gain access to additional product candidates or resources. At the current time, we cannot predict what form such a strategic collaboration might take. We are likely to face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic collaborators, and strategic collaborations can be complicated and time consuming to negotiate and document. We may enter into strategic collaborations that we subsequently no longer wish to pursue, and we may not be able to negotiate strategic collaborations on acceptable terms, or at all. We are unable to predict when, if ever, we will enter into any additional strategic collaborations because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with establishing them.
The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities are lengthy, time-consuming and inherently unpredictable. Our inability to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates would harm our business.
The FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities extensively and rigorously regulate and evaluate the manufacture, testing, distribution, advertising and marketing of drug products prior to granting marketing approvals with respect to such products. This approval process generally requires, at minimum, testing of any product candidate in preclinical studies and clinical trials to establish its safety and effectiveness, and confirmation by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities that any such product candidate, and any parties involved in its manufacturing, testing and development, complied with current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, current Good Laboratory Practices and current Good Clinical Practices, regulations, standards and guidelines during such manufacturing, testing and development. The time required to obtain approval by the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities is unpredictable, but typically takes many years following the commencement of preclinical studies and clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, regulations, or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. We have not obtained regulatory approval for any of our product candidates and it is possible that we will never obtain regulatory approval for our existing product candidates or any future product candidates.
In addition, our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval from the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities for other reasons, including but not limited to:
28
The FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may require more information, including additional preclinical or clinical data, to support approval, which may delay or prevent approval and our commercialization plans, or may cause us to decide to abandon our development program. Even if we were to obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve one or more of our product candidates for a more limited patient population than we request, may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing trials, may impose a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, or foreign regulatory authorities may require the establishment or modification of a similar strategy that may, for instance, restrict distribution of one or more of our product candidates and impose burdensome implementation requirements on us, or may approve it with a label that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of one or more of our product candidates, all of which could limit our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates. Moreover, if adopted in the form proposed, the recent European Commission proposals to revise the existing EU laws governing authorization of medicinal products may result in a decrease in data and market exclusivity for our product candidates in the EU.
Our product candidates may not achieve adequate market acceptance among physicians, patients, healthcare payors and others in the medical community to be commercially successful.
Even if our product candidates receive regulatory approval, they may not gain sufficient market acceptance among physicians, patients, healthcare payors and others in the medical community. Our commercial success also depends on coverage and adequate reimbursement by third-party payors, including government payors, which may be difficult or time-consuming to obtain, may be limited in scope and may not be obtained in all jurisdictions in which we may seek to market our product candidates. The degree of market acceptance will depend on a number of factors, including:
If our product candidates are approved but do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians, hospitals, healthcare payors and patients, we may not generate sufficient revenue to become or remain profitable.
We rely on third-party suppliers as well as Incyte to manufacture and distribute our clinical drug supplies for our product candidates, we intend to rely on these parties for commercial manufacturing and distribution of our product candidates and we
29
expect to rely on third parties for manufacturing and distribution of preclinical, clinical and commercial supplies of any future product candidates.
We do not currently have, nor do we plan to acquire, the infrastructure or capability to manufacture or distribute preclinical, clinical or commercial quantities of drug substance or drug product, including our existing product candidates. While we expect to continue to depend on third-party manufacturers and Incyte for the foreseeable future, we do not have direct control over the ability of these parties to maintain adequate manufacturing capacity and capabilities to serve our needs, including quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. In addition, public health crises, may impact the ability of our existing or future manufacturers to perform their obligations to us.
We are dependent on our third-party manufacturers and Incyte for compliance with cGMPs and for manufacture of both active drug substances and finished drug products. Facilities used by our third-party manufacturers and Incyte to manufacture drug substance and drug product for commercial sale must be approved by the FDA or other relevant foreign regulatory agencies pursuant to inspections that will be conducted after we submit our NDA or relevant foreign regulatory submission to the applicable regulatory agency. If our third-party manufacturers or Incyte cannot successfully manufacture materials that conform to our specifications and/or the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies, they will not be able to secure and/or maintain regulatory approval for their manufacturing facilities. Furthermore, these third-party manufacturers are engaged with other companies to supply and/or manufacture materials or products for such companies, which also exposes our third-party manufacturers to regulatory risks for the production of such materials and products. As a result, failure to meet the regulatory requirements for the production of those materials and products may also affect the regulatory clearance of a third-party manufacturers’ facility. If the FDA or a foreign regulatory agency does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates, or if it withdraws its approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would impede or delay our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for or market our product candidates, if approved.
Even if our product candidates receive regulatory approval, they may still face future development and regulatory difficulties.
Even if we obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, they would be subject to ongoing requirements by the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities governing the manufacture, quality control, further development, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, safety surveillance, import, export, advertising, promotion, recordkeeping and reporting of safety and other post-market information. The FDA and foreign regulatory authorities will continue to monitor closely the safety profile of any product even after approval. If the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities become aware of new safety information after approval of a product candidate, they may require labeling changes or establishment of a REMS or similar strategy, impose significant restrictions on its indicated uses or marketing, or impose ongoing requirements for potentially costly post-approval studies or post-market surveillance.
In addition, manufacturers of drug products and their facilities are subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP regulations and standards. If we or a regulatory agency discover previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the product is manufactured, a regulatory agency may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturing facility or us, including withdrawal of the product from the market or suspension of manufacturing, or we may recall the product from distribution. If we, or our third-party manufacturers, fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency may:
The occurrence of any event or penalty described above may inhibit our ability to commercialize and generate revenue from the sale of our product candidates.
Advertising and promotion of any product candidate that obtains approval in the United States is heavily scrutinized by the FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, state attorneys general, members of Congress, other government agencies and the public. While physicians may
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prescribe products for off-label uses as the FDA and other regulatory agencies do not regulate a physician’s choice of drug treatment made in the physician’s independent medical judgment, they do restrict promotional communications from companies or their sales force with respect to off-label uses of products for which marketing clearance has not been issued. Companies may only share truthful and not misleading information that is otherwise consistent with a product’s FDA approved labeling. Violations, including promotion of our products for unapproved (or off-label) uses, may be subject to enforcement letters, inquiries and investigations, and civil and criminal sanctions by the government. Additionally, foreign regulatory authorities will heavily scrutinize advertising and promotion of any product candidate that obtains approval in their respective jurisdictions.
In the United States, engaging in the impermissible promotion of our products for off-label uses can also subject us to false claims litigation under federal and state statutes, which can lead to administrative, civil and criminal penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, curtailment or restructuring of our operations and agreements that materially restrict the manner in which a company promotes or distributes drug products. These false claims statutes include, but are not limited to, the federal civil False Claims Act, which allows any individual to bring a lawsuit against an individual or entity, including a pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical company on behalf of the federal government alleging the knowing submission of false or fraudulent claims, or causing to present such false or fraudulent claims, for payment or approval by a federal program such as Medicare or Medicaid. These False Claims Act lawsuits against pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical companies have increased significantly in number and breadth, leading to several substantial civil and criminal settlements regarding certain sales practices, including promoting off-label drug uses involving fines in excess of $1.0 billion. This growth in litigation has increased the risk that a pharmaceutical company will have to defend a false claim action, pay settlement fines or restitution, agree to comply with burdensome reporting and compliance obligations, and be excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state healthcare programs. If we, or any partner that we may engage, do not lawfully promote our approved products, we may become subject to such litigation, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial scope of their approved use, or result in significant negative consequences following any marketing approval.
Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause the interruption, delay or halting of the trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other foreign regulatory authorities. Results of the clinical trials may reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects or other unexpected characteristics. In such event, the trials could be suspended or terminated, or the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities could deny approval of our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Drug-related side effects could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects.
Additionally, if our product candidates receive marketing approval, and we or others later identify undesirable side effects, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of our product candidates for use in targeted indications or otherwise materially harm its commercial prospects, if approved, and could harm our business, results of operations and prospects.
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Our failure to obtain regulatory approval in international jurisdictions would prevent us from marketing our product candidates outside the United States.
In order to market and sell our product candidates in other jurisdictions, we must obtain separate marketing approvals for those jurisdictions and comply with their numerous and varying regulatory requirements. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, or at all. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval may differ substantially from that required to obtain FDA approval. The regulatory approval process outside the United States generally includes all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. In addition, in many countries outside the United States, product reimbursement approvals must be secured before regulatory authorities will approve the product for sale in that country. Obtaining foreign regulatory approvals and compliance with foreign regulatory requirements could result in significant delays, difficulties and costs for us and could delay or prevent the introduction of our product candidates in certain countries. Further, clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries and regulatory approval in one country does not ensure approval in any other country, while a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory approval process in others. Our failure to obtain approval of our product candidates by foreign regulatory authorities may negatively impact the commercial prospects of such product candidates and our business prospects could decline. Also, if regulatory approval for our product candidates is granted, it may be later withdrawn. If we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements in international jurisdictions and receive applicable marketing approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential for our product candidates will be harmed and our business may be adversely affected.
We face significant competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and our operating results will suffer if we fail to compete effectively.
Even if any of our product candidates received regulatory approval, such product candidates would face competition from other therapies in the relevant indication. For example, chronic graft versus host disease has historically been managed by off-label treatments. However, in the past several years, the FDA has approved three drugs, ibrutinib (Imbruvica®), belomosidil (Rezurock®) and ruxolitinib (Jakafi®), for use in patients with cGVHD after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy. All three of these drugs may compete with axatilimab in patients diagnosed with cGVHD.
Revumenib is being developed for the treatment of R/R adult and pediatric patients with KMT2Ar ALL, KMT2Ar AML and NPM1 mutant AML. At this time, there are no drugs approved for these defined populations and patients are managed using the standard of care treatment regimens developed for general AML and ALL populations. While there are other agents in early development for similar populations, revumenib has the potential to be the first defined therapy for patients with KMT2Ar ALL, KMT2Ar AML and/or NPM1 mutant AML.
Many of our existing or potential competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we do and significantly greater experience in the discovery and development of product candidates, obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals of products and the commercialization of those products. Our competitors may be more successful than us in obtaining FDA approval for drugs and achieving widespread market acceptance. Our competitors’ drugs may be more effective or more effectively marketed and sold than any drug we may commercialize and may render our product candidates obsolete or non-competitive before we can recover the expenses of developing and commercializing any of our product candidates. Our competitors may also obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours. We anticipate that we will face intense and increasing competition as new drugs enter the market and advanced technologies become available.
We believe that our ability to successfully compete will depend on, among other things:
Even if we obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates, the availability, commercial formulary placement, and price of our competitors’ products could limit the demand and the price we are able to charge. We may not be able to implement our business plan if the acceptance of our product candidates is inhibited by price competition or the reluctance of physicians to switch from
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existing methods of treatment, or if physicians switch to other new drug or biologic products or choose to reserve our drugs for use in limited circumstances.
Certain of our investigational products may require companion diagnostics in certain indications. Failure to successfully develop, validate and obtain regulatory clearance or approval for such tests could harm our product development strategy or prevent us from realizing the full commercial potential of our investigational products.
Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities as a medical device and may require separate regulatory authorization prior to commercialization. Certain of our revumenib clinical trials include the use of an investigational or laboratory developed diagnostic test to help identify eligible patients. We currently do not have any plans to develop diagnostic tests internally. We are therefore dependent on the sustained cooperation and effort of third-party collaborators in developing and, if our investigational products are approved for use only with an approved companion diagnostic test, obtaining approval and commercializing these tests. If these parties are unable to successfully develop companion diagnostics for our investigational products, or experience delays in doing so, the development of our investigational products may be adversely affected and we may not be able to obtain marketing authorization for these investigational products. Furthermore, our ability to market and sell, as well as the commercial success, of any of our investigational products that require a companion diagnostic will be tied to, and dependent upon, the receipt of required regulatory authorization and the continued ability of such third parties to make the companion diagnostic commercially available on reasonable terms in the relevant geographies. Any failure to develop, validate, obtain and maintain marketing authorization and supply for a companion diagnostic we need may harm our business prospects.
We are dependent on UCB Biopharma Sprl, or UCB, to comply with the terms of our license agreement for axatilimab.
Our commercial success also depends upon our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell axatilimab. We have a worldwide, sublicensable, exclusive license to axatilimab pursuant to a license agreement with UCB. Certain of the rights licensed to us under the UCB license agreement are in-licensed by UCB from third parties. We are dependent on UCB maintaining the applicable third-party license agreements in full force and effect, which may include activities and performance obligations that are not within our control. If any of these third-party license agreements terminate, certain of our rights to develop, manufacture, commercialize or sell axatilimab may be terminated as well. The occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect the development and commercialization of axatilimab, and materially harm our business.
Our employees, consultants and collaborators may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including insider trading and non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements.
We are exposed to the risk that our employees, consultants, distributors, and collaborators may engage in fraudulent or illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates the regulations of the FDA and non-U.S. regulators, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such regulators, manufacturing standards, healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations in the United States and abroad or laws that require the true, complete and accurate reporting of financial information or data. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the healthcare industry, including the sale of pharmaceuticals, are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by our employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could result in the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, additional reporting obligations and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings and curtailment of operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. Whether or not we are successful in defending against such actions or investigations, we could incur substantial costs, including legal fees, and divert the attention of management in defending ourselves against any of these claims or investigations.
We must attract and retain additional highly skilled employees in order to succeed.
To succeed, we must recruit, retain, manage and motivate qualified clinical, scientific, technical, commercial and management personnel and we face significant competition for experienced personnel. If we do not succeed in attracting and retaining qualified personnel, particularly at the management level, it could adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan and harm our operating results. In particular, the loss of one or more of our executive officers could be detrimental to us if we cannot recruit suitable replacements in a timely manner. The competition for qualified personnel in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries is
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intense and as a result, we may be unable to continue to attract and retain qualified personnel necessary for the development of our business or to recruit suitable replacement personnel.
Many of the other pharmaceutical companies that we compete against for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a longer history in the industry than we do. They also may provide more diverse opportunities and better chances for career advancement. Some of these characteristics may be more appealing to high-quality candidates than what we have to offer. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high-quality personnel, the rate and success at which we can discover and develop product candidates and our business will be limited.
Even if we commercialize our product candidates, they or any other product candidates that we develop, may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations or third-party coverage or reimbursement practices, which could harm our business.
Our ability to successfully commercialize our existing product candidates, or any other product candidates that we develop, will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from third-party payors, including government healthcare programs, private health insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, managed care plans and other organizations. Third-party payors determine which medications they will cover and establish reimbursement levels. Third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined rebates and discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products.
We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any product that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Limitation on coverage and reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, and our ability to successfully commercialize any product candidates that we develop.
There may be significant delays in obtaining adequate coverage and reimbursement for newly approved drugs, and coverage may be more limited than the indications for which the drug is approved by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for coverage and reimbursement does not imply that a drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, marketing, sale and distribution expenses. Interim reimbursement levels for new drugs, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may only be temporary. Reimbursement rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on reimbursement levels already set for lower cost drugs and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States.
Private payors often follow decisions by CMS, regarding coverage and reimbursement to a substantial degree. However, one payor’s determination to provide coverage for a drug product does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the drug product. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement rates from both government-funded and private payors for any approved products that we develop could have an adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition.
The regulations that govern marketing approvals, coverage and reimbursement for new drug products vary widely from country to country. Current and future legislation may significantly change the approval requirements in ways that could involve additional costs and cause delays in obtaining approvals. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or product licensing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we may obtain marketing approval for our product candidates in a particular country, but be subject to price regulations that delay our commercial launch of the product, possibly for lengthy time periods, which could negatively impact the revenues we generate from the sale of the product in that particular country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment even if our product candidates obtain marketing approval.
There can be no assurance that our product candidates, if they are approved for sale in the United States or in other countries, will be considered medically reasonable and necessary for a specific indication, that it will be considered cost effective by third-party payors, that coverage and an adequate level of reimbursement will be available, or that third-party payors’ reimbursement policies will not adversely affect our ability to sell our product candidates profitably.
Current and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to commercialize our product candidates and affect the prices we may obtain.
The United States and many foreign jurisdictions have enacted or proposed legislative and regulatory changes affecting the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval.
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For example, then President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act. Among other cost containment measures, the Affordable Care Act established an annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports branded prescription drugs and biologic agents, a Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, and a formula that increased the rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.
There have been executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act.
While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, several bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under the Affordable Care Act have been signed into law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 includes a provision that repealed, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the Affordable Care Act on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds that argued the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress. On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 or IRA, into law, which among other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in Affordable Care Act marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA also eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D program beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary maximum out-of-pocket costs through a newly established manufacturer discount program. It is possible that the Affordable Care Act will be subject to judicial or Congressional challenges in the future. It is unclear how any such challenges and the healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration will impact the Affordable Care Act and our business.
Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the Affordable Care Act was enacted. These changes include aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2% per fiscal year, which began in 2013, and due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, will remain in effect through 2031 unless additional Congressional action is taken. Under current legislation, the actual reduction in Medicare payments will vary from 1% in 2022 to up to 4% in the final fiscal year of this sequester.
Additional changes that may affect our business include the expansion of new programs such as Medicare payment for performance initiatives for physicians under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, or MACRA, which ended the use of the statutory formula and established a quality payment program, also referred to as the Quality Payment Program. In November 2019, CMS issued a final rule finalizing the changes to the Quality Payment Program. At this time, the full impact to overall physician reimbursement as a result of the introduction of the Quality Payment Program remains unclear.
Also, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny recently over the manner in which drug manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which have resulted in several, Presidential executive orders, Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. At the federal level, in July 2021, the Biden administration released an executive order, “Promoting Competition in the American Economy,” with multiple provisions aimed at prescription drugs. In response to President Biden’s executive order, on September 9, 2021, HHS, released a Comprehensive Plan for Addressing High Drug Prices that outlines principles for drug pricing reform and sets out a variety of potential legislative policies that Congress could pursue as well as potential administrative actions HHS can take to advance these principles. In addition, the IRA, among other things, (i) directs the Secretary of HHS to negotiate the price of certain high-expenditure, single-source drugs and biologics covered under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D, and subjects drug manufacturers to civil monetary penalties and a potential excise tax by offering a price that is not equal to or less than the negotiated “maximum fair price” under the law, and (ii) imposes rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation. These provisions will take effect progressively starting in fiscal year 2023, although they may be subject to legal challenges. Further, the Biden administration released an additional executive order on October 14, 2022, directing HHS to report on how the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation can be further leveraged to test new models for lowering drug costs for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.
We expect these and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved drug. For example, based on a recent executive order, the Biden administration expressed its intent to pursue certain policy initiatives to reduce drug prices. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability or commercialize our products.
We are in the process of building our sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure.
In order to market any approved product candidate in the future, we must build our sales, marketing, distribution, managerial and other non-technical capabilities or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services, as we do not presently have all
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of these capabilities. To develop our internal sales, distribution and marketing capabilities, we must invest significant amounts of financial and management resources in the future. For drugs where we decide to perform sales, marketing and distribution functions ourselves, we could face a number of challenges, including that:
Alternatively, we may rely on third parties to launch and market our product candidates, if approved. We may have limited or no control over the sales, marketing and distribution activities of these third parties and our future revenue may depend on the success of these third parties. Additionally, if these third parties fail to comply with all applicable legal or regulatory requirements, the FDA or another governmental agency could take enforcement action that could jeopardize their ability and our ability to market our product candidates.
Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of our product candidates.
We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of our product candidates in human trials and will face an even greater risk if we commercially sell any products that we may develop. Product liability claims may be brought against us by subjects enrolled in our trials, patients, healthcare providers or others using, administering or selling our products. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that our product candidates or other products that we may develop caused injuries, we could incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:
While we currently hold trial liability insurance coverage consistent with industry standards, this may not adequately cover all liabilities that we may incur. We also may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise in the future. We intend to expand our insurance coverage for products to include the sale of commercial products if we obtain marketing approval for our product candidates, but we may be unable to obtain commercially reasonable product liability insurance. A successful product liability claim or series of claims brought against us, particularly if judgments exceed our insurance coverage, could decrease our cash and adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Our relationships with healthcare providers, customers and third-party payors will be subject to applicable anti-kickback, fraud and abuse, transparency and other healthcare laws and regulations as well as privacy and data security laws and regulations, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm, fines, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, curtailments or restrictions of our operations, administrative burdens and diminished profits and future earnings.
Healthcare providers, including physicians and third-party payors play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with healthcare providers, third-party payors and customers may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we conduct clinical research and market, sell and distribute our products for which we obtain marketing approval. Restrictions under applicable federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties and our business generally, will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law interpreting applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, contractual damages, reputational harm, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. Defending against any such actions can be costly, time-consuming and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired. Further, if any physician or other healthcare provider or entity with whom we expect to do business is found not to be in compliance with applicable laws, that person or entity may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government-funded healthcare programs.
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Significant disruptions of our information technology systems or data security incidents could result in significant financial, legal, regulatory, business and reputational harm to us.
We are increasingly dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure, including mobile technologies, to operate our business. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store, process and transmit large amounts of sensitive information, including intellectual property, proprietary business information, personal information and other confidential information. It is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of such sensitive information. We have also outsourced elements of our operations (including elements of our information technology infrastructure) to third parties, and as a result, we manage a number of third-party vendors who may or could have access to our computer networks, our confidential information or the confidential information of third parties that is in our possession. In addition, those third-party vendors may in turn subcontract or outsource some of their responsibilities to other parties. While all information technology operations are inherently vulnerable to inadvertent or intentional security breaches, incidents, attacks and exposures, the accessibility and distributed nature of our information technology systems, and the sensitive information stored on those systems, make such systems potentially vulnerable to unintentional or malicious, internal and external attacks on our technology environment. In addition, we currently offer a hybrid-work environment, which may make us more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Potential vulnerabilities can be exploited from inadvertent or intentional actions of our employees, third-party vendors, business partners, or by malicious third parties. Attacks of this nature are increasing in their frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication and intensity, and are being conducted by sophisticated and organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives (including, but not limited to, industrial espionage) and expertise, including organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” nation states and others. In addition to the extraction of sensitive information, such attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. The prevalent use of mobile devices further increases the risk of data security incidents.
Significant disruptions of our, our third-party vendors’ and/or business partners’ information technology systems or other similar data security incidents could adversely affect our business operations and/or result in the loss, misappropriation and/or unauthorized access, use or disclosure of, or the prevention of access to, sensitive information, which could result in financial, legal, regulatory, business and reputational harm to us. In addition, information technology system disruptions, whether from attacks on our technology environment or from computer viruses, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures, could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data.
There is no way of knowing with certainty whether we have experienced any data security incidents that have not been discovered. While we have no reason to believe this to be the case, attackers have become very sophisticated in the ways that they conceal access to systems. Many companies that have been attacked are not aware that they have been attacked. Any event that leads to unauthorized access, use or disclosure of personal information, including but not limited to personal information regarding employees or clinical trial patients, could disrupt our business, harm our reputation, compel us to comply with applicable federal and/or state breach notification laws and foreign law equivalents, subject us to time consuming, distracting and expensive litigation, regulatory investigation and oversight, mandatory corrective action, require us to verify the correctness of database contents, or otherwise subject us to liability under laws, regulations and contractual obligations, including those that protect the privacy and security of personal information. This could result in increased costs to us and result in significant legal and financial exposure and/or reputational harm. Any failure or perceived failure by us or our vendors or business partners to comply with our privacy, confidentiality or data security-related legal or other obligations to third parties, or any further security incidents or other inappropriate access events resulting in the unauthorized access, release or transfer of sensitive information, which could include personally identifiable information, may result in governmental investigations, enforcement actions, regulatory fines, litigation, or public statements against us by advocacy groups or others, and could cause third parties, including clinical sites, regulators or current and potential partners, to lose trust in us or we could be subject to claims by third parties that we have breached our privacy- or confidentiality-related obligations, which could materially and adversely affect our business and prospects. Moreover, data security incidents and other inappropriate access can be difficult to detect. Any delay in identifying them may lead to increased harm of the type described above. While we have implemented security measures to protect our information technology systems and infrastructure, there can be no assurance that such measures will successfully prevent service interruptions or security incidents. Further, because of the work-from-home policies we implemented due to COVID-19, information that is normally protected, including company confidential information, may be less secure.
Social media platforms and artificial intelligence-based platforms present new risks and challenges to our business.
As social media continues to expand, it also presents us with new risks and challenges. Social media is increasingly being used to communicate information about us, our programs and the diseases our product candidates are being developed to treat. Social media practices in the biopharmaceutical industry are evolving, creating uncertainty and risk of noncompliance with regulations applicable to our business. For example, patients may use social media platforms to comment on the effectiveness of, or adverse experiences with, a product or a product candidate, which could result in reporting obligations or other consequences. Further, the accidental or intentional disclosure of non-public information by our workforce or others through media channels could lead to information loss. In addition,
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there is a risk of inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information or negative or inaccurate posts or comments about us, our products, or our product candidates on any social media platform. The nature of social media prevents us from having real-time control over postings about us on social media. We may not be able to reverse damage to our reputation from negative publicity or adverse information posted on social media platforms or similar mediums. If any of these events were to occur or we otherwise fail to comply with application regulations, we could incur liability, face restrictive regulatory actions or incur other harm to our business including quick and irreversible damage to our reputation, brand image and goodwill. Additionally, artificial intelligence, or AI, based platforms are increasingly being used in the biopharmaceutical industry. The use of AI platforms by people, including our vendors, suppliers and contractors, with access to our proprietary and confidential information, including trade secrets, may continue to increase and may lead to the release of such information, which may negatively impact our company, including our ability to realize the benefit of our intellectual property.
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Capital Needs
We have incurred net losses since our inception, except 2021, and anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future.
Investment in biopharmaceutical product development is highly speculative because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that any potential product candidate will fail to demonstrate adequate efficacy or an acceptable safety profile, gain regulatory approval or be commercially viable. We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with limited operating history. We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any product revenues to date, and we continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations and clinical development of our product candidates. As a result, we are not and have never been profitable and have incurred losses in each period since our inception in 2005, except in 2021.
For the quarter ended September 30, 2023, we reported a net loss attributable to stockholders of $51.1 million. As of September 30, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $829.9 million, which included non-cash charges for stock-based compensation, preferred stock accretion and extinguishment charges. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect these losses to increase as we continue our pre-commercialization activities for, and our research and development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates. We may also encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of growth of our expenses and our ability to generate revenues, if any. Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital.
We currently have no source of product revenue and may never achieve or maintain profitability.
Our ability to generate product revenue and become profitable depends upon our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates. We do not anticipate generating revenue from the sale of our product candidates for the foreseeable future. Our ability to generate future product revenue also depends on a number of additional factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to:
In addition, because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with drug development, we are unable to predict the timing or amount of increased expenses, and if or when we will achieve or maintain profitability. In addition, our expenses could increase beyond expectations if we decide to or are required by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities to perform studies or trials in addition to those that we currently anticipate. Even if we complete the development and regulatory processes described above, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with launching and commercializing our current product candidates and any other product candidates we may develop.
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Even if we generate revenues from the sale of our product candidates, we may not become profitable and may need to obtain additional funding to continue operations or acquire additional products that will require additional funding to develop them. If we fail to become profitable or do not sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then we may be unable to continue our operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce our operations or even shut down.
We will require additional capital to finance our planned operations, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. As a result, we may not complete the development and commercialization of, or obtain regulatory approval for our existing product candidates or develop new product candidates.
Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since our inception, primarily due to our research and development efforts. We expect our research and development expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing and planned activities. We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will fund our projected operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. Unexpected circumstances may cause us to consume capital more rapidly than we currently anticipate, including as a result of the global economic slowdown, including any recessions that have occurred or may occur in the future. In addition, we may discover that we need to conduct additional activities that exceed our current budget to achieve appropriate rates of patient enrollment, which would increase our development costs.
In any event, we will require additional capital to continue the development of, obtain regulatory approval for, and to commercialize our existing product candidates and any future product candidates. Any efforts to secure additional financing may divert our management from our day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates.
While the long-term economic impacts associated with public health crises and global geopolitical tensions, like the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the war in Israel, are difficult to assess or predict, each of these events has caused significant disruptions to the global financial markets and contributed to a general global economic slowdown. Furthermore, inflation rates have increased recently to levels not seen in decades. Increased inflation may result in increased operating costs (including labor costs) and may affect our operating budgets. In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve has raised and is expected to further raise, interest rates in response to concerns about inflation. Increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may further increase economic uncertainty and heighten these risks. If the disruptions and slowdown deepen or persist, we may not be able to access additional capital on favorable terms, or at all, which could in the future negatively affect our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy. We cannot guarantee that future financing will be available in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we do not raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, we may need to:
If we need to conduct additional fundraising activities and we do not raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may be unable to pursue development and commercialization efforts, which will harm our business, operating results and prospects.
Our future funding requirements, both short- and long-term, will depend on many factors, including:
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If we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we cannot secure sufficient capital, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Changes in tax laws or regulations could materially adversely affect our company.
New tax laws or regulations could be enacted at any time, and existing tax laws or regulations could be interpreted, modified or applied in a manner that is adverse to us, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition. For example, legislation enacted in 2017, informally titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the Tax Act, enacted many significant changes to the U.S. tax laws, including changes in corporate tax rates, which collectively may impact the utilization of our NOLs and other deferred tax assets, the deductibility of expenses, and the taxation of foreign earnings. Future guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities with respect to the Tax Act may affect us, and certain aspects of the Tax Act could be repealed or modified in future legislation. For example, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, modified certain provisions of the Tax Act. In addition, it is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Act, the CARES Act, or any newly enacted federal tax legislation. Most recently, the IRA included a number of significant drug pricing reforms, including the establishment of a drug price negotiation program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would require pharmaceutical manufacturers to charge a negotiated “maximum fair price” for certain selected drugs or pay an excise tax for noncompliance, the establishment of rebate payment requirements on manufacturers under Medicare Parts B and D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation, and a redesign of the Part D benefit, as part of which manufacturers are required to provide discounts on Part D drugs and Part D beneficiaries’ annual out-of-pocket spending will be capped at $2,000 beginning in 2025. The impact of changes under the Tax Act, the CARES Act, the IRA, or future reform legislation could increase our future U.S. tax expense and could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial condition.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
We have incurred substantial losses during our history. We do not expect to become profitable in the near future, and we may never achieve profitability. Unused losses generally are available to be carried forward to offset future taxable income, if any. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards, or NOLs, and other pre-change tax attributes (such as research tax credits) to offset its post-change taxable income or taxes may be limited. We last completed an analysis from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022 and determined that no ownership changes had occurred in that period. Prior analyses determined that on March 30, 2007, August 21, 2015, and May 4, 2020, ownership changes had occurred. We may also experience ownership changes in the future as a result of shifts in our stock ownership, some of which may be outside of our control. As a result, our ability to use our pre-change NOLs to offset U.S. federal taxable income may be subject to limitations, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to us. In addition, at the state level, there may be periods during which the use of NOLs is suspended or otherwise limited, which could accelerate or permanently increase state taxes owed.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
If we are unable to obtain or protect intellectual property rights, we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.
Our success depends in significant part on our and our licensors’ and licensees’ ability to establish, maintain and protect patents and other intellectual property rights and operate without infringing the intellectual property rights of others. We have filed patent applications both in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions to obtain patent rights to inventions we have discovered. We have also licensed from third parties rights to patent portfolios. Some of these licenses give us the right to prepare, file and prosecute patent applications and maintain and enforce patents we have licensed, and other licenses may not give us such rights.
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The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and we and our current or future licensors and licensees may not be able to prepare, file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we or our licensors or licensees will fail to identify patentable aspects of inventions made in the course of development and commercialization activities before it is too late to obtain patent protection on them. Moreover, in some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain the patents, covering technology that we license from or license to third parties and are reliant on our licensors or licensees. Therefore, these patents and applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. If our current or future licensors or licensees fail to establish, maintain or protect such patents and other intellectual property rights, such rights may be reduced or eliminated. If our licensors or licensees are not fully cooperative or disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement of any patent rights, such patent rights could be compromised.
The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our and our current or future licensors’ or licensees’ patent rights are highly uncertain. Our and our licensors’ or licensees’ pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued which protect our technology or products, in whole or in part, or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and products. The patent examination process may require us or our licensors or licensees to narrow the scope of the claims of our or our licensors’ or licensees’ pending and future patent applications, which may limit the scope of patent protection that may be obtained. It is possible that third parties with products that are very similar to ours will circumvent our or our licensors’ or licensees’ patents by means of alternate designs or processes. We cannot be certain that we are the first to invent the inventions covered by pending patent applications and, if we are not, we may be subject to priority disputes. We may be required to disclaim part or all of the term of certain patents or all of the term of certain patent applications. There may be prior art of which we are not aware that may affect the validity or enforceability of a patent claim. There also may be prior art of which we are aware, but which we do not believe affects the validity or enforceability of a claim, which may, nonetheless, ultimately be found to affect the validity or enforceability of a claim. No assurance can be given that if challenged, our patents would be declared by a court to be valid or enforceable or that even if found valid and enforceable, a competitor’s technology or product would be found by a court to infringe our patents. We may analyze patents or patent applications of our competitors that we believe are relevant to our activities, and consider that we are free to operate in relation to our product candidate, but our competitors may achieve issued claims, including in patents we consider to be unrelated, which block our efforts or may potentially result in our product candidate or our activities infringing such claims. The possibility exists that others will develop products which have the same effect as our products on an independent basis which do not infringe our patents or other intellectual property rights, or will design around the claims of patents that we have had issued that cover our products. Our and our licensors’ or licensees’ patent applications cannot be enforced against third parties practicing the technology claimed in such applications unless and until a patent issues from such applications, and then only to the extent the issued claims cover the technology.
Furthermore, given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.
The portfolio that we licensed from UCB includes granted patents and applications with pending claims directed to the composition of matter of axatilimab (a humanized, full-length IgG4 (kappa light chain) antibody with high affinity for the CSF-1R) as well as claims directed to methods of use of axatilimab. There is no guarantee that any further patents will be granted based on the pending applications we licensed from UCB or even if one or more patents are granted that the claims issued in those patents would cover axatilimab, methods of using axatilimab, or formulations of axatilimab. Based on the priority date and filing date of the applications in the portfolio we licensed from UCB, we expect that additional patents, if any, granted based on the currently pending applications would expire in 2036. The actual term of any patents granted based on the pending applications we licensed from UCB can only be determined after such patents are granted.
The portfolio that we licensed from Vitae Pharmaceuticals, which is now a subsidiary of AbbVie Inc., or AbbVie, includes granted patents and applications with pending claims directed to inhibitors of the interaction of menin with MLL and MLL fusion proteins, pharmaceutical compositions containing the same, and their use in the treatment of cancer and other diseases mediated by the menin-MLL interaction. There is no guarantee that any additional patents will be granted based on the pending applications that we licensed from AbbVie or even if one or more patents are granted that the claims issued in those patents would cover the desired lead compounds, compositions, and methods of use thereof. Based on the priority date and filing date of the applications in the portfolio that we licensed from AbbVie, we expect that a patent, if any, granted based on the currently pending applications would expire in 2037. The actual term of any patents granted based on the pending applications that we licensed from AbbVie can only be determined after such patents are granted.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
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Filing, prosecuting, enforcing and defending patents on product candidates in all countries throughout the world is prohibitively expensive, and our or our licensors’ intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States. Consequently, we and our licensors may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our and our licensors’ inventions in countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing products made using our and our licensors’ inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our and our licensors’ technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we and our licensors have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our product candidates and our and our licensors’ patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biopharmaceuticals, which could make it difficult for us and our licensors to stop the infringement of our and our licensors’ patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our and our licensors’ proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our and our licensors’ patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our attention from other aspects of our business, could put our and our licensors’ patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our and our licensors’ patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us or our licensors. We or our licensors may not prevail in any lawsuits that we or our licensors initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful.
The requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly developing countries. For example, unlike other countries, China has a heightened requirement for patentability, and specifically requires a detailed description of medical uses of a claimed drug. In India, unlike the United States, there is no link between regulatory approval of a drug and its patent status. Furthermore, generic drug manufacturers or other competitors may challenge the scope, validity or enforceability of our or our licensors’ patents, requiring us or our licensors to engage in complex, lengthy and costly litigation or other proceedings. Generic drug manufacturers may develop, seek approval for, and launch generic versions of our products. In addition to India, certain countries in Europe and developing countries, including China, have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In those countries, we and our licensors may have limited remedies if patents are infringed or if we or our licensors are compelled to grant a license to a third party, which could materially diminish the value of those patents. This could limit our potential revenue opportunities. Accordingly, our and our licensors’ efforts to enforce intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we own or license.
If we breach the UCB license agreement related to axatilimab or if the UCB license agreement is otherwise terminated, we could lose the ability to continue the development and commercialization of axatilimab.
Our commercial success depends upon our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell axatilimab. Subject to the achievement of certain milestone events, we may be required to pay UCB up to $119.5 million in one-time development and regulatory milestone payments over the term of the UCB license agreement. If we or any of our affiliates or sublicensees commercializes axatilimab, we will also be obligated to pay UCB low double-digit royalties on sales, subject to reduction in certain circumstances, as well as up to an aggregate of $250.0 million in potential one-time sales-based milestone payments based on achievement of certain annual sales thresholds. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to share a percentage of non-royalty income from sublicensees, subject to certain deductions, with UCB.
Either party may terminate the UCB license agreement in its entirety or with respect to certain countries in the event of an uncured material breach by the other party. Either party may terminate the UCB license agreement if voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy proceedings are instituted against the other party, if the other party makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or upon the occurrence of other specific events relating to the insolvency or dissolution of the other party. UCB may terminate the UCB license agreement if we seek to revoke or challenge the validity of any patent licensed to us by UCB under the UCB license agreement or if we procure or assist a third party to take any such action.
Unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms, the UCB license agreement will continue on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis until the later of: (i) the expiration of all of the licensed patent rights in such country; (ii) the expiration of all regulatory exclusivity applicable to the product in such country; and (iii) 10 years from the date of the first commercial sale of the product in such country. We cannot determine the date on which our royalty payment obligations to UCB would expire because no commercial sales of axatilimab have occurred and the last-to-expire relevant patent covering axatilimab in a given country may change in the future.
If the UCB license agreement is terminated, we would not be able to develop, manufacture, market or sell axatilimab and would need to negotiate a new or reinstated agreement, which may not be available to us on equally favorable terms, or at all. In addition, our collaboration with Incyte to further develop and commercialize axatilimab is dependent upon the effectiveness of the
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UCB license agreement. If the UCB license agreement is terminated, Incyte may terminate our collaboration and our business could be adversely affected.
If we breach the license agreement related to revumenib or if the license agreement is otherwise terminated, we could lose the ability to continue the development and commercialization of revumenib.
Our commercial success depends upon our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell revumenib. Subject to the achievement of certain milestone events, we may be required to pay Vitae, which is now a subsidiary of AbbVie, up to $99.0 million in one-time development and regulatory milestone payments over the term of the AbbVie license agreement. In the event that we or any of our affiliates or sublicensees commercializes revumenib, we will also be obligated to pay AbbVie low single to low double-digit royalties on sales, subject to reduction in certain circumstances, as well as up to an aggregate of $70.0 million in potential one-time sales-based milestone payments based on achievement of certain annual sales thresholds. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to share a percentage of non-royalty income from sublicensees, subject to certain deductions, with AbbVie.
Either party may terminate the license agreement in its entirety or with respect to certain countries in the event of an uncured material breach by the other party. Either party may terminate the license agreement if voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy proceedings are instituted against the other party, if the other party makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or upon the occurrence of other specific events relating to the insolvency or dissolution of the other party. AbbVie may terminate the license agreement if we seek to revoke or challenge the validity of any patent licensed to us by AbbVie under the license agreement or if we procure or assist a third party to take any such action.
Unless terminated earlier in accordance with its terms, the license agreement will continue on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis until the later of: (i) the expiration of all of the licensed patent rights in such country; (ii) the expiration of all regulatory exclusivity applicable to the product in such country; and (iii) 10 years from the date of the first commercial sale of the product in such country. We cannot determine the date on which our royalty payment obligations to AbbVie would expire because no commercial sales of revumenib have occurred and the last-to-expire relevant patent covering revumenib in a given country may change in the future.
If the license agreement is terminated, we would not be able to develop, manufacture, market or sell revumenib and would need to negotiate a new or reinstated agreement, which may not be available to us on equally favorable terms, or at all.
Changes in patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product candidates.
As is the case with other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biopharmaceutical industry involve technological and legal complexity, and obtaining and enforcing biopharmaceutical patents is costly, time-consuming, and inherently uncertain. The Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years, either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our and our licensors’ ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. Depending on decisions by Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that may weaken our and our licensors’ ability to obtain new patents or to enforce existing patents and patents we and our licensors or collaborators may obtain in the future. In view of recent developments in U.S. patent laws, in spite of our efforts and the efforts of our licensors, we may face difficulties in obtaining allowance of our biomarker based patient selection patent claims or if we are successful in obtaining allowance of our biomarker based patient selection claims, we or our licensor may be unsuccessful in defending the validity of such claims if challenged before a competent court.
Recent patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our and our licensors’ patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our or our licensors’ issued patents. On September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the America Invents Act, was signed into law. The America Invents Act includes a number of significant changes to U.S. patent law. These include provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and may also affect patent litigation. The USPTO recently developed new regulations and procedures to govern administration of the America Invents Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the America Invents Act and in particular, the first to file provisions, only became effective on March 16, 2013. Accordingly, it is not clear what, if any, impact the America Invents Act will have on the operation of our business. However, the America Invents Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our or our licensors’ patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our or our licensors’ issued patents, all of which could harm our business and financial condition.
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Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
Periodic maintenance and annuity fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patent. The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we or our licensors fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our product candidates, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would harm our business.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful and have an adverse effect on the success of our business and on our stock price.
Third parties may infringe our or our licensors’ patents or misappropriate or otherwise violate our or our licensors’ intellectual property rights. In the future, we or our licensors may initiate legal proceedings to enforce or defend our or our licensors’ intellectual property rights, to protect our or our licensors’ trade secrets or to determine the validity or scope of intellectual property rights we own or control. Also, third parties may initiate legal proceedings against us or our licensors to challenge the validity or scope of intellectual property rights we own or control. The proceedings can be expensive and time-consuming and many of our or our licensors’ adversaries in these proceedings may have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to prosecuting these legal actions than we or our licensors can. Accordingly, despite our or our licensors’ efforts, we or our licensors may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating intellectual property rights we own or control, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect our rights as fully as in the United States. Litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources, which could harm our business and financial results. In addition, in an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent owned by or licensed to us is invalid or unenforceable or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our or our licensors’ patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our or our licensors’ patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable or interpreted narrowly.
Third-party pre-issuance submission of prior art to the USPTO, or opposition, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review or interference proceedings, or other pre-issuance or post-grant proceedings in the United States or other jurisdictions provoked by third parties or brought by us or our licensors or collaborators may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions with respect to our or our licensors’ patents or patent applications. An unfavorable outcome could require us or our licensors to cease using the related technology and commercializing our product candidates, or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us or our licensors a license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we or our licensors obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us or our licensors. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our or our licensors’ patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future product candidates. Even if we successfully defend such litigation or proceeding, we may incur substantial costs and it may distract our management and other employees. We could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent.
Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this process. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a downward effect on the price of shares of our common stock.
Third parties may initiate legal proceedings against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights or we may initiate legal proceedings against third parties to challenge the validity or scope of intellectual property rights controlled by third parties, the outcome of which would be uncertain and could have an adverse effect on the success of our business.
Third parties may initiate legal proceedings against us or our licensors or collaborators alleging that we or our licensors or collaborators infringe their intellectual property rights or we or our licensors or collaborators may initiate legal proceedings against third parties to challenge the validity or scope of intellectual property rights controlled by third parties, including in oppositions, interferences, reexaminations, inter partes reviews or derivation proceedings before the United States or other jurisdictions. These proceedings can be expensive and time-consuming and many of our or our licensors’ adversaries in these proceedings may have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to prosecuting these legal actions than we or our licensors or collaborators can.
An unfavorable outcome could require us or our licensors or collaborators to cease using the related technology or developing or commercializing our product candidates, or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be
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harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us or our licensors or collaborators a license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we or our licensors or collaborators obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us or our licensors or collaborators. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our product candidates or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could materially harm our business.
We may be subject to claims by third parties asserting that we or our employees have misappropriated their intellectual property, or claiming ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.
Many of our employees, including our senior management, were previously employed at universities or at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Some of these employees executed proprietary rights, non-disclosure and non-competition agreements in connection with such previous employment. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees have used or disclosed confidential information or intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee’s former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims.
In addition, for some of our in-licensed patents and patent applications, we do not have access to every patent assignments or employee agreements demonstrating that all inventors have assigned their rights to the inventions or related patents. As a result, we may be subject to claims of ownership by such inventors.
If we fail in prosecuting or defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel or sustain damages. Such intellectual property rights could be awarded to a third party, and we could be required to obtain a license from such third party to commercialize our technology or products. Such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we successfully prosecute or defend against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and distract management.
Our inability to protect our confidential information and trade secrets would harm our business and competitive position.
In addition to seeking patents for some of our technology and products, we also rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect these trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, third-party manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts both within and outside the United States may be less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If a competitor lawfully obtained or independently developed any of our trade secrets, we would have no right to prevent such competitor from using that technology or information to compete with us, which could harm our competitive position.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock and Other General Matters
The market price of our stock may be volatile and you could lose all or part of your investment.
The trading price of our common stock is highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which we cannot control. In addition to the factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this report, these factors include:
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In addition, the stock market in general, and the Nasdaq Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, and biopharmaceutical companies in particular, frequently experiences extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of such companies. Broad market and industry factors, including potentially worsening economic conditions and other adverse effects or developments may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those described in this “Risk Factors” section, could have a dramatic and negative impact on the market price of our common stock.
Unstable market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and share price.
The global economy, including credit and financial markets, has experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, bank failures, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates, increases in inflation rates and uncertainty about economic stability. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread unemployment, economic slowdown and extreme volatility in the global capital markets. Similarly, the current Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated volatility in the global capital markets and continues to disrupt the global supply chain and energy markets. Any such volatility and disruptions may have adverse consequences on us or the third parties on whom we rely. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, including as a result of political unrest or war, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to obtain in a timely manner or on favorable terms, more costly or more dilutive. Inflation can adversely affect us by increasing our costs, including personnel costs (wages). Any significant increases in inflation and related increase in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition
We may sell additional equity or debt securities or enter into other arrangements to fund our operations, which may result in dilution to our stockholders and impose restrictions or limitations on our business.
Until we can generate a sufficient amount of profit from our products, if ever, we expect to finance future cash needs through public or private equity or debt offerings. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of additional equity or debt securities, it may result in dilution to our existing stockholders and/or increased fixed payment obligations. For example, in December 2022, we sold a total of 7,840,909 shares of our common stock in a public offering. The issuance of these shares of our common stock resulted, and any future issuance pursuant to sales under the 2023 ATM Program will result, in dilution to our stockholders.
We may also seek additional funding through government or other third-party funding and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. These financing activities may have an adverse impact on our stockholders’ rights as well as on our operations, and such additional funding may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all. Furthermore, these securities may have rights senior to those of our common stock and could contain covenants that would restrict our operations and potentially impair our competitiveness, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business.
Additionally, if we seek funds through arrangements with collaborative partners, these arrangements may require us to relinquish rights to some of our technologies or product candidates or otherwise agree to terms unfavorable to us. Any of these events could significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects.
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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If no or few securities or industry analysts continue coverage of us, the trading price for our stock could be negatively impacted. If any of the analysts who cover us issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property or our stock performance, or if our trials or operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts, our stock price could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant influence control over matters subject to stockholder approval.
As of September 30, 2023, our executive officers, directors, and holders of 5% or more of our capital stock and their respective affiliates beneficially owned approximately 40.4% of our outstanding voting stock and options. As a result, these stockholders will continue to have a significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval. For example, these stockholders may be able to influence elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, or approval of any merger, sale of assets or other major corporate transaction. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our stockholders. The interests of this group of stockholders may not always coincide with your interests or the interests of other stockholders and they may act in a manner that advances their best interests and not necessarily those of other stockholders, including seeking a premium value for their common stock, and might affect the prevailing market price for our common stock.
We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.
The market price of our common stock may be volatile, and in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal controls for financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Commencing after the filing of our initial annual report on Form 10-K, we have been required, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This assessment needs to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that results in more than a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also generally requires an attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
We are required to get an attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our compliance with Section 404 requires that we incur substantial expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we may need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge and compile the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. We cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting once that firm begin its Section 404 reviews, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets.
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Some provisions of our charter documents and Delaware law may have anti-takeover effects that could discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if an acquisition would benefit our stockholders and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us or increase the cost of acquiring us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders, or remove our current management. These provisions include a classified board of directors, a prohibition on actions by written consent of our stockholders and the ability of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval. These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, who are responsible for appointing the members of our management. Because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, which may discourage, delay or prevent someone from acquiring us or merging with us whether or not it is desired by or beneficial to our stockholders. Under the DGCL, a corporation may not, in general, engage in a business combination with any holder of 15% or more of its capital stock unless the holder has held the stock for three years or, among other things, the board of directors has approved the transaction. Any provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change of control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.
Item 5. Other Information
Trading Arrangements
During our last fiscal quarter, none of our directors and officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) adopted or terminated contracts, instructions or written plans for the purchase or sale of our securities.
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Item 6. Exhibits
Exhibit No. |
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Description |
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3.1 |
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3.2 |
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3.3 |
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31.1 |
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31.2 |
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32.1* |
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101.INS |
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Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL Document. |
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101.SCH |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document |
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101.CAL |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document |
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101.DEF |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document |
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101.LAB |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document |
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101.PRE |
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Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document |
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104 |
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Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). |
* Furnished herewith and not deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act (whether made before or after the date of the Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) 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.
Date: November 2, 2023
By: |
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/s/ Michael A. Metzger |
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Michael A. Metzger |
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Chief Executive Officer |
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(Principal Executive Officer) |
By: |
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/s/ Keith A. Goldan |
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Keith A. Goldan |
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Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
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(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) |
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