VBI Vaccines Inc/BC - Quarter Report: 2021 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, 2021
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: 001-37769
VBI VACCINES INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
British Columbia, Canada | N/A | |
(State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer | |
incorporation or organization) | Identification No.) |
160 Second Street Cambridge, Massachusetts |
02142 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 617-830-3031
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 Share, no par value per share | VBIV | Nasdaq Capital Market |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer ☒ | Smaller reporting company ☒ |
Emerging growth company ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Common Shares, no par value per share | ||
(Class) | Outstanding at November 5, 2021 |
VBI VACCINES INC.
FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SPECIAL
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT
This quarterly report on Form 10-Q (this “Form 10-Q”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. You can find many (but not all) of these statements by looking for words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “will,” “may,” or other similar expressions in this Form 10-Q. In particular, these include statements relating to future actions; prospective products, applications, customers, and technologies; future performance or results of anticipated products; anticipated expenses; and projected financial results. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations, or projections described under the sections in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our 2020 annual report on the Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 2, 2021. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
● | the timing of, and our ability to, obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our clinical trials, products, and pipeline candidates; |
● | the timing and results of our ongoing and planned clinical trials for products and pipeline candidates; |
● | the amount of funds we require for our prophylactic and therapeutic pipeline candidates; |
● | the potential benefits of strategic partnership agreements and our ability to enter into strategic partnership arrangements; |
● | the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our clinical studies, research programs, manufacturing, sourcing and supply chain, business plan, regulatory review including site inspections, and the global economy; |
● | our ability to effectively execute and deliver our plans related to commercialization, marketing, manufacturing capabilities, and strategy; |
● | our ability to maintain a good relationship with our employees; |
● | the suitability and adequacy of our office, manufacturing, and research facilities and our ability to secure term extensions or expansions of leased space; |
● | our ability to manufacture, or to have manufactured, any products we develop at a commercially viable scale to the standards and requirements of regulatory agencies; |
● | the ability of our vendors and suppliers to manufacture and deliver materials that meet regulatory agency and our standards and requirements to meet planned timelines and milestones; |
● | any disruption in the operations of our Rehovot, Israel manufacturing facility where we manufacture all of our clinical and commercial supplies of our 3-antigen prophylactic hepatitis B vaccine candidate and clinical supplies of our hepatitis B immunotherapeutic candidate, VBI-2601; |
● | our compliance with all laws, rules, and regulations applicable to our business and products; |
● | our ability to continue as a going concern; |
● | our history of losses; |
● | our ability to generate revenues and achieve profitability; |
● | emerging competition and rapidly advancing technology in our industry that may outpace our technology; |
● | customer demand for our products and pipeline candidates; |
● | the impact of competitive or alternative products, technologies, and pricing; |
● | general economic conditions and events and the impact they may have on us and our potential customers; |
● | our ability to obtain adequate financing and funding in the future on reasonable terms, as and when we need it; |
● | our ability to implement network systems and controls that are effective at preventing cyber-attacks, malware intrusions, malicious viruses, and ransomware threats; |
● | our ability to secure and maintain protection over our intellectual property; |
● | our ability to maintain our existing licenses with licensors of intellectual property, or obtain new licenses for intellectual property; |
3 |
● | changes to legal and regulatory processes for biosimilar approval and marketing that could reduce the duration of market exclusivity for our products; |
● | our success at managing the risks involved in the foregoing items; |
● | our ability to maintain compliance with the NASDAQ Capital Market’s listing standards; and |
● | other factors discussed in this Form 10-Q. |
Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
Unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “VBI,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and the “Company” refer to VBI Vaccines Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Unless indicated otherwise, all references to the U.S. Dollar, Dollar or $ are to the United States Dollar, the legal currency of the United States of America and all references to € mean Euros, the legal currency of the European Union. We may also refer to NIS, which is the New Israeli Shekel, the legal currency of Israel, and the Canadian Dollar or CAD, which is the legal currency of Canada.
Except for share and per share amounts or as otherwise specified to be in millions, amounts presented are stated in thousands.
4 |
PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
VBI Vaccines Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except share amounts)
September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
(unaudited) | ||||||||
CURRENT ASSETS | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 137,470 | $ | 93,825 | ||||
Short-term investments | - | 25,276 | ||||||
Accounts receivable, net | 36 | 77 | ||||||
Inventory, net | 2,265 | 2,152 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses | 3,051 | 1,569 | ||||||
Other current assets | 4,981 | 9,142 | ||||||
Total current assets | 147,803 | 132,041 | ||||||
NON-CURRENT ASSETS | ||||||||
Other long-term assets | 1,094 | 639 | ||||||
Property and equipment, net | 10,381 | 10,721 | ||||||
Right of use assets | 537 | 1,554 | ||||||
Intangible assets, net | 62,150 | 62,156 | ||||||
Goodwill | 2,263 | 2,261 | ||||||
Total non-current assets | 76,425 | 77,331 | ||||||
TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 224,228 | $ | 209,372 | ||||
CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||||||||
Accounts payable | $ | 3,745 | $ | 3,734 | ||||
Other current liabilities | 28,472 | 12,415 | ||||||
Current portion of deferred revenues | 324 | 255 | ||||||
Current portion of lease liability | 408 | 944 | ||||||
Total current liabilities | 32,949 | 17,348 | ||||||
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||||||||
Lease liability, net of current portion | 107 | 619 | ||||||
Long-term debt, net of debt discount | 27,939 | 16,329 | ||||||
Liabilities for severance pay | 549 | 522 | ||||||
Deferred revenues, net of current portion | 2,540 | 2,849 | ||||||
Total non-current liabilities | 31,135 | 20,319 | ||||||
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (NOTE 14) | ||||||||
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
Common shares (no par value) (September 30, 2021 - issued and outstanding ; December 31, 2020 - issued and outstanding ) | authorized;439,286 | 403,528 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 79,075 | 75,530 | ||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income | 1,371 | 1,265 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (359,588 | ) | (308,618 | ) | ||||
Total stockholders’ equity | 160,144 | 171,705 | ||||||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | $ | 224,228 | $ | 209,372 |
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
5 |
VBI Vaccines Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Three Months Ended September 30 | Nine Months Ended September 30 | |||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
Revenues | $ | 107 | $ | 298 | $ | 550 | $ | 897 | ||||||||
Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues | 2,466 | 2,111 | 7,511 | 6,747 | ||||||||||||
Research and development | 2,972 | 4,478 | 14,392 | 10,035 | ||||||||||||
General and administrative | 9,693 | 5,562 | 25,807 | 13,520 | ||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 15,131 | 12,151 | 47,710 | 30,302 | ||||||||||||
Loss from operations | (15,024 | ) | (11,853 | ) | (47,160 | ) | (29,405 | ) | ||||||||
Interest expense, net of interest income (including related party - see Note 9) | (1,026 | ) | (742 | ) | (3,683 | ) | (2,006 | ) | ||||||||
Foreign exchange gain (loss) | 203 | (402 | ) | (127 | ) | 543 | ||||||||||
Loss before income taxes | (15,847 | ) | (12,997 | ) | (50,970 | ) | (30,868 | ) | ||||||||
Income tax expense | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
NET LOSS | $ | (15,847 | ) | $ | (12,997 | ) | $ | (50,970 | ) | $ | (30,868 | ) | ||||
Other comprehensive income (loss) | (1,607 | ) | 1,696 | 106 | (1,988 | ) | ||||||||||
COMPREHENSIVE LOSS | $ | (17,454 | ) | $ | (11,301 | ) | $ | (50,864 | ) | $ | (32,856 | ) | ||||
Net loss per share of common shares, basic and diluted | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.20 | ) | $ | (0.15 | ) | ||||
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding, basic and diluted | 256,360,356 | 234,709,403 | 254,055,707 | 210,044,126 |
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
6 |
VBI Vaccines Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share amounts)
Number of Common Shares | Share Capital | Additional Capital | Accumulated Comprehensive | Accumulated Deficit |
|
Total Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2020 | 247,039,010 | $ | 403,528 | $ | 75,530 | $ | 1,265 | $ | (308,618 | ) | $ | 171,705 | ||||||||||||
Common shares issued in financing transactions, net of share issuance costs | 5,752,068 | 21,417 | - | - | - | 21,417 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common shares issued upon exercise of warrants | 34,494 | 52 | - | - | - | 52 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common shares issued upon of conversion of long-term debt | 1,369,863 | 2,000 | - | - | - | 2,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | 51 | 2,088 | - | - | 2,139 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | (17,647 | ) | (17,647 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Unrealized holding loss on short-term investments | - | - | - | (54 | ) | - | (54 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustments | - | - | - | 397 | - | 397 | ||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF MARCH 31, 2021 | 254,195,435 | $ | 427,048 | $ | 77,618 | $ | 1,608 | $ | (326,265 | ) | $ | 180,009 | ||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF APRIL 1, 2021 | 254,195,435 | $ | 427,048 | $ | 77,618 | $ | 1,608 | $ | (326,265 | ) | $ | 180,009 | ||||||||||||
Common shares issued in financing transactions, net of share issuance costs | 284,100 | 861 | - | - | - | 861 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common shares issued upon exercise of warrants | 19,346 | 29 | - | - | - | 29 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common shares issued upon cashless exercise of warrants | 646,257 | 4,298 | (4,298 | ) | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | 32 | 2,391 | - | - | 2,423 | |||||||||||||||||||
Warrant modification in connection with debt amendment | - | - | 867 | - | - | 867 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | (17,476 | ) | (17,476 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Unrealized holding gain on short-term investments | - | - | - | 54 | - | 54 | ||||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustments | - | - | - | 1,316 | - | 1,316 | ||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF JUNE 30, 2021 | 255,145,138 | $ | 432,268 | $ | 76,578 | $ | 2,978 | $ | (343,741 | ) | $ | 168,083 | ||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF JULY 1, 2021 | 255,145,138 | $ | 432,268 | $ | 76,578 | $ | 2,978 | $ | (343,741 | ) | $ | 168,083 | ||||||||||||
Common shares issued in financing transactions, net of share issuance costs | 2,156,597 | 6,982 | - | - | - | 6,982 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common shares issued upon exercise of warrants | 3,033 | 4 | - | - | - | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | 32 | 2,497 | - | - | 2,529 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | (15,847 | ) | (15,847 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustments | - | - | - | (1,607 | ) | - | (1,607 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 | 257,304,768 | $ | 439,286 | $ | 79,075 | $ | 1,371 | $ | (359,588 | ) | $ | 160,144 | ||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2019 | 178,257,199 | $ | 284,965 | $ | 66,430 | $ | (752 | ) | $ | (262,388 | ) | $ | 88,255 | |||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | 118,471 | 131 | 1,056 | - | - | 1,187 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | (8,358 | ) | (8,358 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustments | - | - | - | (6,653 | ) | - | (6,653 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF MARCH 31, 2020 | 178,375,670 | $ | 285,096 | $ | 67,486 | $ | (7,405 | ) | $ | (270,746 | ) | $ | 74,431 | |||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF APRIL 1, 2020 | 178,375,670 | $ | 285,096 | $ | 67,486 | $ | (7,405 | ) | $ | (270,746 | ) | $ | 74,431 | |||||||||||
Common shares issued in financing transaction, net of issuance costs | 52,272,726 | 53,894 | - | - | - | 53,894 | ||||||||||||||||||
Warrants issued in connection with financing transactions | - | (453 | ) | 1,634 | - | - | 1,181 | |||||||||||||||||
Conversion feature issued in debt financing transaction | - | - | 2,577 | - | - | 2,577 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | 91 | 983 | - | - | 1,074 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | (9,513 | ) | (9,513 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustments | - | - | - | 2,969 | - | 2,969 | ||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF JUNE 30, 2020 | 230,648,396 | $ | 338,628 | $ | 72,680 | $ | (4,436 | ) | $ | (280,259 | ) | $ | 126,613 | |||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF JULY 1, 2020 | 230,648,396 | $ | 338,628 | $ | 72,680 | $ | (4,436 | ) | $ | (280,259 | ) | $ | 126,613 | |||||||||||
Common shares issued in financing transaction, net of issuance costs | 10,840,334 | 47,163 | - | - | - | 47,163 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common shares issued upon exercise of warrants | 550,000 | 1,837 | - | - | - | 1,837 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common shares issued up on exercise of options | 750 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | 89 | 1,404 | - | - | 1,493 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net loss | - | - | - | - | (12,997 | ) | (12,997 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Unrealized holding gains on short-term investments | - | - | - | 125 | - | 125 | ||||||||||||||||||
Currency translation adjustments | - | - | - | 1,571 | - | 1,571 | ||||||||||||||||||
BALANCE AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 | 242,039,480 | $ | 387,718 | $ | 74,084 | $ | (2,740 | ) | $ | (293,256 | ) | $ | 165,806 |
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
7 |
VBI Vaccines Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)
For the Nine Months Ended September 30 | ||||||||
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES | ||||||||
Net loss | $ | (50,970 | ) | $ | (30,868 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash and cash equivalents used in operating activities: | ||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 1,366 | 1,218 | ||||||
Stock-based compensation | 7,091 | 3,754 | ||||||
Amortization of debt discount | 2,499 | 1,102 | ||||||
Inventory reserve | 1,056 | 1,046 | ||||||
Interest accrued on short-term investments | - | (95 | ) | |||||
Net change in operating working capital items: | ||||||||
Change in accounts receivable | 40 | 173 | ||||||
Change in inventory | (1,178 | ) | (1,504 | ) | ||||
Change in prepaid expenses | (1,477 | ) | (1,267 | ) | ||||
Change in other current assets | 4,182 | (1,676 | ) | |||||
Change in other long-term assets | (448 | ) | (3 | ) | ||||
Change in operating right of use assets | 768 | 724 | ||||||
Change in accounts payable | 10 | 2,167 | ||||||
Change in deferred revenues | (244 | ) | (646 | ) | ||||
Change in other current liabilities | 16,710 | (3,962 | ) | |||||
Payments made on operating lease liabilities | (797 | ) | (718 | ) | ||||
Net cash flows used in operating activities | (21,392 | ) | (30,555 | ) | ||||
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES | ||||||||
Redemption of short-term investments | 25,151 | - | ||||||
Purchase of short-term investments | - | (25,000 | ) | |||||
Purchase of property and equipment | (1,385 | ) | (468 | ) | ||||
Net cash flows provided by/ (used in) investing activities | 23,766 | (25,468 | ) | |||||
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES | ||||||||
Proceeds from issuance of common shares for cash | 30,275 | 106,269 | ||||||
Share issuance costs | (937 | ) | (4,919 | ) | ||||
Proceeds from debt financing | 12,000 | 20,000 | ||||||
Debt issuance costs | (22 | ) | (1,021 | ) | ||||
Proceeds from issuance of common shares for cash, upon exercise of warrants | 85 | 1,837 | ||||||
Proceeds from issuance of common shares for cash, upon exercise of stock options | - | 1 | ||||||
Repayment of long-term debt | - | (15,300 | ) | |||||
Net cash flows provided by financing activities | 41,401 | 106,867 | ||||||
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents | (130 | ) | 101 | |||||
CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, FOR THE PERIOD | 43,645 | 50,945 | ||||||
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD | 93,825 | 44,213 | ||||||
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD | $ | 137,470 | $ | 95,158 | ||||
Supplementary information: | ||||||||
Interest paid | $ | 1,428 | $ | 1,187 | ||||
Non-cash investing and financing activities: | ||||||||
Warrant modification in connection with debt amendment | 867 | - | ||||||
Warrant issued in connection with financing activities | - | 1,634 | ||||||
Common shares issued in connection with cashless warrant exercise | 4,298 | - | ||||||
K2 conversion feature in connection with financing activities | - | 2,577 | ||||||
Common shares issued upon conversion of debt | 2,000 | - | ||||||
Capital expenditures included in accounts payable and other current liabilities | (73 | ) | (86 | ) | ||||
Share issuance costs included in other current liabilities | (78 | ) | (293 | ) | ||||
Unrealized holding gains on short term investment | - | (125 | ) |
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
8 |
VBI Vaccines Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
1. NATURE OF BUSINESS AND CONTINUATION OF BUSINESS
Corporate Overview
VBI Vaccines Inc. (the “Company” or “VBI”) was incorporated under the laws of British Columbia, Canada on April 9, 1965.
The Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, VBI Vaccines (Delaware) Inc., a Delaware corporation (“VBI DE”); VBI DE’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Variation Biotechnologies (US), Inc., a Delaware corporation (“VBI US”); Variation Biotechnologies, Inc. a Canadian company and the wholly-owned subsidiary of VBI US (“VBI Cda”); SciVac Ltd. an Israeli company (“SciVac”); SciVac Hong Kong Limited (“SciVac HK”), a Hong Kong corporation; and VBI Vaccines B.V., a Netherlands company (“VBI BV”), are collectively referred to as the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”, or “VBI”.
The Company’s registered office is located at Suite 1700, Park Place, 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2X8 with its principal office located at 160 Second Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. In addition, the Company has research and manufacturing facilities located in Rehovot, Israel and research facilities located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Principal Operations
VBI is a biopharmaceutical company driven by immunology in the pursuit of powerful prevention and treatment of disease. Through its innovative approach to virus-like particles (“VLPs”), including a proprietary enveloped VLP (“eVLP”) platform technology, VBI develops vaccine candidates that mimic the natural presentation of viruses, designed to elicit the innate power of the human immune system. VBI is committed to targeting and overcoming significant infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, COVID-19 and coronaviruses, and cytomegalovirus (“CMV”), as well as aggressive cancers including glioblastoma (“GBM”). VBI is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with research operations in Ottawa, Canada, and a research and manufacturing site in Rehovot, Israel.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has materially negatively affected and continues to affect the global economy, and there is continued severe uncertainty about the duration and intensity of the impacts of the pandemic. As a result, the Company’s business and results of operations have also been adversely affected and could continue to be adversely affected by COVID-19 which has necessitated restricting the number of personnel in the Company’s research laboratories and manufacturing facility until recently, and has slowed recruitment to clinical trials. The pandemic has also caused interruptions to global supply chains which have significantly limited the availability of raw materials, laboratory supplies, and manufacturing equipment. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. We do not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, our clinical studies, our research programs, the recoverability of our assets, and our manufacturing; however, the COVID-19 pandemic may continue to disrupt or delay our business operations, including with respect to efforts relating to potential business development transactions, and it could disrupt the marketplace which could have an adverse effect on our operations.
9 |
Liquidity and Going Concern
The Company faces a number of risks, including but not limited to, uncertainties regarding the success of the development and commercialization of its products, demand and market acceptance of the Company’s products, and reliance on major customers. The Company anticipates that it will continue to incur significant operating costs and losses in connection with the development of its products.
The Company had an accumulated deficit of $359,588 as of September 30, 2021 and cash outflows from operating activities of $21,392 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
The Company will require significant additional funds to conduct clinical and non-clinical trials, achieve regulatory approvals, and, subject to such approvals, commercially launch its products. The Company plans to finance near term future operations with existing cash and cash equivalent reserves. Additional financing may be obtained from the issuance of equity securities, the issuance of additional debt, and/or revenues from potential business development transactions, if any. There is no assurance the Company will manage to obtain these sources of financing, if required. The above conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classifications of liabilities that may result should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
On March 9, 2021, the Company and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (“CEPI”) announced a partnership (“CEPI Funding Agreement”) to develop eVLP vaccine candidates against SARS-COV-2 variants, including the Beta variant, also known as the B.1.351 variant and 501Y.V2, first identified in South Africa. CEPI agreed to provide up to $33,018 to support the advancement of VBI-2905, a monovalent eVLP candidate expressing the pre-fusion form of the spike protein from the Beta variant, through Phase I clinical development. This funding will also support preclinical expansion of additional multivalent vaccine candidates designed to evaluate the potential breadth of our eVLP technology. The preclinical expansion is intended to develop clinic-ready vaccine candidates capable of addressing emerging variants. See more information on the CEPI Funding Agreement in Note 12.
On May 17, 2021, the Company entered into the First Amendment to the Loan and Guaranty Agreement and Affirmation of Pledge and Security Agreement (the “First Amendment”) with K2 HealthVentures LLC and any other lender from time-to-time party thereto (the “Lenders”). See Note 9 for more details.
In June 2021, the Company issued common shares to Perceptive Credit Holdings, LP and PCOF EQ AIV, LP (related parties), upon exercise of warrants on a cashless “net exercise” basis.
On July 31, 2020, the Company entered into an Open Market Sale AgreementSM with Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell its common shares having an aggregate price of up to $125,000 from time to time through Jefferies, acting as agent or principal (the “ATM Program”). Common shares are offered pursuant to a sales agreement prospectus included in the Company’s automatic shelf registration on Form S-3 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on July 31, 2020. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company issued common shares under the ATM Program, for total gross proceeds of $30,275 at an average price of $ . The Company incurred $1,015 of share issuance costs related to the common shares issued resulting in net proceeds of $29,260. As of September 30, 2021, $ of common shares remained available for issuance under the ATM Program.
On September 3, 2021, the Company entered into a second Open Market Sale AgreementSM with Jefferies to act as the Company’s sales agent and/or principal, for the issuance and sale of up to an additional $125,000,000 of the Company’s common shares from time to time in an at-the-market public offering, which the Company could choose to use when no shares remain available for issuance under the ATM Program.
Financial instruments recognized in the condensed consolidated balance sheet consist of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable, other current assets, accounts payable, and other current liabilities. The Company believes that the carrying value of its current financial instruments approximates their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The Company does not hold any derivative financial instruments.
The carrying amounts of the Company’s other long-term assets approximate their respective fair values.
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
The Company’s fiscal year ends on December 31 of each calendar year. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in U.S. dollars (“USD”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC, for interim reporting. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with United States of America generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The December 31, 2020 consolidated balance sheet in this document was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements. The condensed consolidated financial statements and notes included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q (this “Form 10-Q”) does not include all of the disclosures required by U.S. GAAP and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the “2020 10-K”), as filed with the SEC on March 2, 2021.
The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries: VBI DE, VBI US, VBI Cda, SciVac, SciVac HK, and VBI BV. Intercompany balances and transactions between the Company and its subsidiaries are eliminated in the condensed consolidated financial statements. Certain items previously reported in specific financial statement captions have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.
In the opinion of management, these condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments and accruals of a normal and recurring nature necessary to fairly state the results of the periods presented. The results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full year or for any future periods.
10 |
Significant Accounting Policies
The significant accounting policies used in the preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements are disclosed in the 2020 10-K, and there have been no changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies during the nine months ended September 30, 2021, other than the polices discussed below.
CEPI Funding Agreement
Cash received in advance from the CEPI Funding Agreement is included in cash and cash equivalents on the condensed consolidated balance sheet, however, it is restricted as to its use until the relevant expenses are incurred. The cash received is recognized as deferred funding, included in other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet, and recognized as a reduction in the related expense when incurred. As of September 30, 2021, the amount of cash received in advance from CEPI, not yet recognized as a reduction in expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations but included in cash and cash equivalents on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, is $13,469. See more information on the CEPI Funding Agreement in Note 12.
3. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
None
Recently Issued Accounting Standards, not yet Adopted
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (“ASU 2020-06”), which will simplify the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, including certain convertible instruments and contracts on an entity’s own equity. Specifically, the new standard will remove the separation models required for convertible debt with cash conversion features and convertible instruments with beneficial conversion features. It will also remove certain settlement conditions that are currently required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and will simplify the diluted earnings per share calculation for convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted but no earlier than fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. This ASU can be applied either through a modified retrospective method of transition or a fully retrospective method of transition. The Company will adopt ASU 2020-06 on January 1, 2022, and is currently evaluating the impact this new guidance will have on its condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In May 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-04, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Debt – Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modification or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options (“ASU 2021-04”), which will clarify and reduce diversity in practice. Specifically, the new standard includes a recognition model comprising four categories of transactions and corresponding accounting treatment for each category. The category that would apply to a modification or an exchange of an equity-classified warrant would depend on the substance of the modification transaction (e.g., a financing transaction to raise equity versus one to raise debt). This recognition model is premised on the idea that the accounting for the transaction should not differ from what it would have been had the issuer of the warrants paid cash instead of modifying the warrants. ASU 2021-04 will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. This ASU will be applied prospectively to modifications or exchanges occurring on or after the effective date of the ASU. The Company will adopt ASU 2021-04 on January 1, 2022, and is currently evaluating the impact this new guidance will have on its condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
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4. INVENTORY, NET
Inventory consists of the following:
September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
Work-in-process | $ | 515 | $ | 390 | ||||
Raw materials | 1,750 | 1,762 | ||||||
Inventory, net | $ | 2,265 | $ | 2,152 |
5. OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
Other current assets consisted of the following:
September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
Government receivables | $ | 2,854 | $ | 7,830 | ||||
Other current assets | 2,127 | 1,312 | ||||||
Total other current assets | $ | 4,981 | $ | 9,142 |
6. INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND GOODWILL
The Company’s intangible assets determined to have indefinite useful lives including In-Process Research and Development (“IPR&D”) and goodwill, are tested for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired. Such circumstances could include but are not limited to: (1) a significant adverse change in legal factors or in business climate, (2) unanticipated competition, or (3) an adverse action or assessment by a regulator.
The Company has established August 31st as the date for its annual impairment test of IPR&D and goodwill. The costs of rights to IPR&D projects acquired in an asset acquisition are expensed in the consolidated statements of operations unless the project has an alternative future use. These costs include initial payments incurred prior to regulatory approval in connection with research and development agreements that provide rights to develop, manufacture, market and/or sell pharmaceutical products.
The IPR&D assets, which consist of the CMV and GBM programs, were acquired in a business combination, capitalized as an intangible asset and are tested for impairment at least annually until commercialization, after which time the IPR&D will be amortized over its estimated useful life. The impairment test compares the carrying amount of the IPR&D asset to its fair value. If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value of the asset, such excess is recorded as an impairment loss. There was no IPR&D impairment determined as a result of the Company’s annual testing on August 31, 2021. The fair value of the IPR&D assets included in the impairment test was determined using the income approach method and is considered Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. Some of the more significant estimates and assumptions inherent in the estimate of the fair value of IPR&D assets include the amount and timing of costs to develop the IPR&D into viable products, the amount and timing of future cash inflows, the discount rate and the probability of technical and regulatory success applied to the cash flows. The discount rate used was 11% and the cumulative probability of technical and regulatory success to achieve approval to market the products ranged from approximately 10% to 17%.
September 30, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross Carrying | Accumulated Amortization | Cumulative Impairment Charge | Cumulative Currency Translation | Net Book Value | ||||||||||||||||
Patents | $ | 669 | $ | (641 | ) | $ | $ | 43 | $ | 71 | ||||||||||
IPR&D assets | 61,500 | (300 | ) | 879 | 62,079 | |||||||||||||||
$ | 62,169 | $ | (641 | ) | $ | (300 | ) | $ | 922 | $ | 62,150 |
December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross Carrying Amount | Accumulated Amortization | Cumulative Impairment Charge | Cumulative Currency Translation | Net Book Value | ||||||||||||||||
Patents | $ | 669 | $ | (590 | ) | $ | $ | 44 | $ | 123 | ||||||||||
IPR&D assets | 61,500 | (300 | ) | 833 | 62,033 | |||||||||||||||
$ | 62,169 | $ | (590 | ) | $ | (300 | ) | $ | 877 | $ | 62,156 |
The Company amortizes intangible assets with finite lives on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives.
The change in carrying value for IPR&D assets from December 31, 2020 relates to currency translation adjustments which increased by $46 for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021.
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination. When evaluating goodwill for impairment, we may first perform an assessment qualitatively whether it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value, referred to as a “step zero” approach. Subsequently (if necessary, after step zero), if the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeded its fair value an impairment would be recorded. We would perform our goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. There was no goodwill impairment determined as a result of the Company’s annual testing on August 31, 2021. The fair value of the Company, which consists of a single reporting unit, included in the impairment test was determined using the closing market stock price of VBI as of August 31, 2021.
September 30, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||
Gross Carrying Amount | Cumulative Impairment | Cumulative Translation | Net Book Value | |||||||||||||
Goodwill | $ | 8,714 | $ | (6,292 | ) | $ | (159 | ) | $ | 2,263 |
December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
Gross Carrying Amount | Cumulative Impairment | Cumulative Translation | Net Book Value | |||||||||||||
Goodwill | $ | 8,714 | $ | (6,292 | ) | $ | (161 | ) | $ | 2,261 |
The change in carrying value for goodwill from December 31, 2020 relates to currency translation adjustments which increased by $2 for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021.
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7. OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES
Other current liabilities consisted of the following:
September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
Accrued research and development expenses (including clinical trial accrued expenses) | $ | 7,254 | $ | 5,842 | ||||
Accrued professional fees | 4,143 | 1,547 | ||||||
Payroll and employee-related costs | 2,086 | 3,844 | ||||||
Deferred government grants | 1,076 | 825 | ||||||
Deferred funding | 13,469 | - | ||||||
Other current liabilities | 444 | 357 | ||||||
Total other current liabilities | $ | 28,472 | $ | 12,415 |
Basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss applicable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each period. Diluted loss per share includes the effect, if any, from the potential exercise or conversion of securities, such as warrants, and stock options, which would result in the issuance of incremental shares of common shares unless such effect is anti-dilutive. In computing the basic and diluted net loss per share applicable to common stockholders, the weighted average number of shares remains the same for both calculations due to the fact that when a net loss exists, dilutive shares are not included in the calculation as their effect would be anti-dilutive. These potentially dilutive securities are more fully described in Note 10, Stockholders’ Equity and Additional Paid-in Capital.
September 30, 2021 | September 30, 2020 | |||||||
Warrants | 1,384,469 | 3,398,824 | ||||||
Stock options and restricted stock units | 18,409,572 | 12,580,297 | ||||||
K2 conversion feature | 1,369,863 | 2,739,726 | ||||||
21,163,904 | 18,718,847 |
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9. LONG-TERM DEBT
As of September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, the long-term debt is as follows:
September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | |||||||
Long-term debt, net of debt discount of $4,285 ($5,061 at December 31, 2020) | $ | 27,939 | $ | 16,329 | ||||
Less: current portion, net of debt discount of $0 ($0 at December 31, 2020) | - | - | ||||||
Long-term debt | $ | 27,939 | $ | 16,329 |
On May 22, 2020, the Company (along with its subsidiary VBI Cda) entered into the Loan and Guaranty Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with K2 HealthVentures LLC and any other lender from time to time party thereto (the “Lenders”) pursuant to which we received the first tranche secured term loan of $20,000 (the “First Tranche Term Loan”). The Lenders originally agreed to make available the following additional tranches subject to the following conditions and upon the submission of a loan request by the Company: (1) up to $10,000 available between January 1, 2021 and April 30, 2021 upon achievement of certain milestones (the “Second Tranche Term Loan”), (2) $10,000 available between the closing date and December 31, 2021, subject to achievement of a certain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval (the “Third Tranche Term Loan”), and (3) a final tranche of up to $10,000 that can be made available any time prior to June 30, 2022, subject to the advance of the Third Tranche Term Loan, satisfactory review by the administrative agent of our financial and operating plan, and approval by the Lenders’ investment committee (the “Fourth Tranche Term Loan”). Pursuant to the Loan Agreement, the Lenders originally had the ability to convert, at the Lenders’ option, up to $4,000 of the secured term loan into common shares of the Company at a conversion price of $1.46 per share (“K2 conversion feature”) until the maturity date of June 1, 2024. On February 3, 2021, pursuant to the Loan Agreement, the Lenders, converted $2,000 of the secured term loan into common shares at a conversion price of $1.46. The Lenders have the ability to convert an additional $2,000 at the Lenders’ option.
On May 17, 2021, the Company entered into the First Amendment with the Lenders to: (1) increase the Second Tranche Term Loan from $10,000 to $12,000; (2) extend the availability period of the Second Tranche Term Loan beyond April 30, 2021, subject to certain conditions; (3) amend the Second Tranche Term Loan interest rate equal to the greater of (a) 7.75% and (b) prime rate plus 4.50%; and (4) extend the date as of which amortization of the loans under the Loan Agreement shall begin from July 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023.
In connection with the Loan Agreement, on May 22, 2020, the Company issued the Lenders a warrant to purchase up to 625,000 common shares (the “Original K2 Warrant”) at an exercise price of $1.12 (the “Warrant Price”). On May 17, 2021, in connection with the First Amendment, the Company issued the Lenders an amended and restated warrant to purchase an additional 312,500 common shares for a total of 937,500 common shares (the “Restated K2 Warrant”) with the same Warrant Price of $1.12. The number of common shares issuable pursuant to the Restated K2 Warrant, at any given time, is determined by dividing the Warrant Coverage Amount by the Warrant Price, where the Warrant Coverage Amount is equal to the sum of $1,050 plus the aggregate original principal amount of the Third Tranche and Fourth Tranche Term Loan advanced at that time multiplied by 3.5%. If the full $52,000 available in all K2 tranches is advanced pursuant to the Loan Agreement amended by the First Amendment, up to 1,562,500 common shares will be issuable pursuant to the Restated K2 Warrant. The Restated K2 Warrant may be exercised either for cash or on a cashless “net exercise” basis and expires on May 22, 2030.
The total proceeds attributed to the Original K2 Warrant was $1,181 based on the relative fair value of the Original K2 Warrant as compared to the sum of the fair values of the Original K2 Warrant, K2 conversion feature and debt. The effective conversion price of the K2 conversion feature of $1.52 was determined to be less than the fair value of the underlying common stock at the date of commitment, resulting in a beneficial conversion feature (“BCF”) at that date. The intrinsic value of the BCF was $2,577 and recorded to additional paid-in capital. The Original K2 warrant and the K2 conversion feature resulted in the debt being issued at a discount. The Company also incurred $1,021 of debt issuance costs and is required to make a final payment equal to 6.95% of the aggregate original secured term loan principal on the maturity date of the term loan, or upon earlier prepayment of the term loans in accordance with the Loan Agreement, resulting in an additional discount of $1,390 related to the First Tranche Term Loan. The total initial debt discount was $6,169.
The Second Tranche Term Loan, issued pursuant to the Loan Agreement as amended by the First Amendment, resulted in the Company incurring an additional $22 of debt issuance costs, $150 of third-party costs and being required to make a final payment of $834, which is equal to 6.95% of the Second Tranche Term Loan.
The Company accounted for the First Amendment as a debt modification and as a result the debt discount was increased by $1,723. This amount represents: (1) the incremental fair value of the Restated K2 warrant of $867; (2) the increased final payment of $834 related to the Second Tranche Term Loan; and (3) debt issuance costs of $22. The third-party costs were expensed in general and administration in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.
Upon receipt of additional funds under the Loan Agreement as amended by the First Amendment, additional common shares will be issuable pursuant to the Restated K2 Warrant as determined by the principal amount of the Third Tranche and Fourth Tranche actually funded multiplied by 3.5% and divided by the Warrant Price, and the final payment will increase by 6.95% of the funds advanced.
The total principal amount of the loan under the Loan Agreement, as amended by the First Amendment, outstanding at September 30, 2021, including the $2,224 final payment discussed above, is $32,224. The principal amount of the loan made under the Loan Agreement prior to the First Amendment accrues interest at an annual rate equal to the greater of (a) 8.25% or (b) prime rate plus 5.00%. The principal amount of the Second Tranche Term Loan made under the Loan Agreement, as amended by the First Amendment, accrues interest at an annual rate equal to the greater of (a) 7.75% or (b) prime rate plus 4.50%. The interest rate as of September 30, 2021 was 8.25% for the First Tranche Term Loan and 7.75% for the Second Tranche Term Loan. The Company is required to pay only interest until January 1, 2023. The effective interest rate on the loan of $30,000, excluding the final payment, is 15.56%.
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Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default, and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the applicable rate of interest, described above, will be increased by 5.00% per annum. The secured term loan maturity date is June 1, 2024, and the Loan Agreement includes both financial and non-financial covenants. The Company was in compliance with these covenants as of September 30, 2021.
The obligations under the Loan Agreement, as amended by the First Amendment, are secured on a senior basis by a lien on substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries other than intellectual property. The subsidiaries of the Company, other than VBI Cda and SciVac HK, and VBI BV, are guarantors of the obligations of the Company and VBI Cda under the Loan Agreement. The Loan Agreement also contains customary events of default.
The total debt discount related to the Loan Agreement, as amended by the First Amendment, with K2 HealthVentures LLC is $7,892. As of September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, the unamortized debt discount was $4,285 and $5,061 respectively. The debt discount is being charged to interest expense, net of interest income in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss using the effective interest method over the term of the debt.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, as a result of the conversion of term loan to common shares, $0 and $1,161, respectively, of additional interest accretion was recognized in interest expense, net of interest income in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.
At September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the fair value of our outstanding debt, which is considered level 3 in the fair value hierarchy, is estimated to be $30,245 and $20,117, respectively.
Interest expense, net of interest income recorded in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 was as follows:
Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
Interest expense | $ | 618 | $ | 422 | $ | 1,488 | $ | 1,330 | ||||||||
Amortization of debt discount | 487 | 468 | 2,499 | 1,102 | ||||||||||||
Interest income | (79 | ) | (148 | ) | (304 | ) | (426 | ) | ||||||||
Total interest expense, net of interest income | $ | 1,026 | $ | 742 | $ | 3,683 | $ | 2,006 |
Interest expense and amortization of debt discount for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 does not include any amounts incurred to a related party.
Interest expense and amortization of debt discount for the three months ended September 30, 2020 does not include any amounts incurred to a related party.
Interest expense and amortization of debt discount for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 includes $723 and $461, respectively, incurred to a related party.
The following table summarizes the future principal payments due under long-term debt:
Principal payments on Loan Agreement and final payment | ||||
Remaining 2021 | $ | |||
2022 | - | |||
2023 | 19,573 | |||
2024 | 12,651 | |||
Total | $ | 32,224 |
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10. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND ADDITIONAL PAID-IN CAPITAL
Stock option plans
The Company’s stock option plans are approved by and administered by the Board and its Compensation Committee. The Board designates, in connection with recommendations from the Compensation Committee, eligible participants to be included under the plan, and designates the number of options, exercise price and vesting period of the new options.
2006 VBI US Stock Option Plan
The 2006 VBI US Stock Option Plan (the “2006 Plan”), was approved by and was previously administered by the VBI US board of directors which designated eligible participants to be included under the 2006 Plan, and designated the number of options, exercise price and vesting period of the new options. The 2006 Plan was not approved by the stockholders of VBI US. The 2006 Plan was superseded by the 2014 Plan (as defined below) following the PLCC Merger and no further options will be issued under the 2006 Plan. As of September 30, 2021, there were options outstanding under the 2006 Plan.
2014 Equity Incentive Plan
On May 1, 2014, the VBI DE board of directors adopted the VBI Vaccines Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”). The 2014 Plan was approved by the VBI DE’s shareholders on July 14, 2014. No further options will be issued under the 2014 Plan. As of September 30, 2021, there were options outstanding under the 2014 Plan.
2016 VBI Equity Incentive Plan
The 2016 Plan is a rolling incentive plan that sets the number of common shares issuable under the 2016 Plan, together with any other security-based compensation arrangement of the Company, at a maximum of % of the aggregate common shares issued and outstanding on a non-diluted basis at the time of any grant under the 2016 Plan. The 2016 Plan is an omnibus equity incentive plan pursuant to which the Company may grant equity and equity-linked awards to eligible participants in order to promote the success of the Company by providing a means to offer incentives and to attract, motivate, retain and reward persons eligible to participate in the 2016 Plan. Grants under the 2016 Plan include a grant or right consisting of one or more options, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted share units (“RSUs”), performance share units (“PSUs”), shares of restricted stock or other such award as may be permitted under the 2016 Plan. As of September 30, 2021, there were options outstanding and RSUs unvested under the 2016 Plan.
16 |
The aggregate number of common shares remaining available for issuance for awards under the 2016 Plan totaled at September 30, 2021.
Number of Stock Options | Weighted Average Exercise Price | |||||||
Balance outstanding at December 31, 2020 | 12,507,541 | $ | 2.38 | |||||
Granted | 5,990,000 | $ | 3.15 | |||||
Forfeited | (147,433 | ) | $ | 3.04 | ||||
Balance outstanding at September 30, 2021 | 18,350,108 | $ | 2.63 | |||||
Exercisable at September 30, 2021 | 9,090,514 | $ | 2.54 |
Information relating to RSUs is as follow:
Number of Stock Awards | Weighted Avg Fair Value at Grant Date | |||||||
Unvested shares outstanding at December 31, 2020 | 129,356 | $ | 1.62 | |||||
Vested | (62,806 | ) | $ | 1.74 | ||||
Forfeited | (7,086 | ) | 1.51 | |||||
Unvested shares outstanding at September 30, 2021 | 59,464 | $ | 1.50 |
2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Volatility | % | % | ||||||
Risk free interest rate | % | % | ||||||
Expected term in years | ||||||||
Expected dividend yield | % | % | ||||||
Weighted average fair value per option | $ | $ |
Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
Research and development | $ | 476 | $ | 309 | $ | 1,368 | $ | 770 | ||||||||
General and administrative | 2,029 | 1,170 | 5,656 | 2,947 | ||||||||||||
Cost of revenues | 24 | 14 | 67 | 37 | ||||||||||||
Total stock-based compensation expense | $ | 2,529 | $ | 1,493 | $ | 7,091 | $ | 3,754 |
17 |
Warrants
On May 17, 2021, in connection with the First Amendment, as described in Note 9, the Company issued the Lenders the Restated K2 Warrant to purchase an additional 312,500 common shares for a total of 937,500 common shares with the same Warrant Price of $1.12.
The value attributed to the Restated K2 Warrant was based on the Black-Scholes option pricing model by applying the following assumptions:
Restated K2 Warrant | ||||
Volatility | 95.00 | % | ||
Risk free interest rate | 1.53 | % | ||
Expected term in years | 9 | |||
Expected dividend yield | 0.00 | % | ||
Fair value per warrant | $ |
Activity related to the warrants is as follows:
Number of Warrants | Weighted Average Exercise Price | |||||||
Balance outstanding at December 31, 2020 | 3,197,666 | $ | 2.23 | |||||
Restated K2 Warrant | 312,500 | 1.12 | ||||||
Exercised | (2,125,697 | ) | $ | 2.72 | ||||
Balance outstanding at September 30, 2021 | 1,384,469 | $ | 1.24 |
11. REVENUES AND DEFERRED REVENUE
Revenue comprises the following:
Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
Product revenues | $ | 24 | $ | 15 | $ | 262 | $ | 213 | ||||||||
R&D service revenues | 83 | 283 | 288 | 684 | ||||||||||||
Total revenue | $ | 107 | $ | 298 | $ | 550 | $ | 897 |
The following table presents revenues expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations, based on current estimates, that are unsatisfied at September 30, 2021:
Total | Current portion to September 30, 2022 | Remaining portion thereafter | ||||||||||
Product revenues | $ | 469 | $ | $ | 469 | |||||||
R&D service revenues | 2,395 | 324 | 2,071 | |||||||||
Total | $ | 2,864 | $ | 324 | $ | 2,540 |
The following table presents changes in the deferred revenue balance for the nine months ended September 30, 2021:
Balance at December 31, 2020 | $ | 3,104 | ||
Recognition of deferred revenue | (246 | ) | ||
Currency translation | 6 | |||
Balance at September 30, 2021 | $ | 2,864 | ||
Short Term | $ | 324 | ||
Long Term | $ | 2,540 |
Collaboration and License Agreement – Brii Bio
On December 4, 2018, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Brii Biosciences Limited (“Brii Bio”) (the “Collaboration and License Agreement”), amended on April 8, 2021, whereby:
● | The Company and Brii Bio agreed to collaborate on the development of a hepatitis B recombinant protein-based immunotherapeutic in the licensed territory, which consists of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau (collectively, the “Licensed Territory”), and to conduct a Phase Ib/IIa collaboration clinical trial for the purpose of comparing VBI-2601 (BRII-179), which is a recombinant protein-based immunotherapeutic developed by VBI for use in treating chronic hepatitis B, with a novel composition developed jointly with Brii Bio (either being the “Licensed Product”); and, | |
● | The Company granted Brii Bio an exclusive royalty-bearing license to perform studies, regulatory and other activities, as may be required to obtain and maintain marketing approval of the Licensed Product in the Licensed Territory and to commercialize the Licensed Product for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B in the Licensed Territory. |
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Pursuant to the Collaboration and License Agreement, the Company is responsible for the R&D services and Brii Bio is responsible for costs relating to the clinical trials for the Licensed Territory.
The initial consideration of the Collaboration and License Agreement consisted of a $11,000 non-refundable upfront payment. As part of the Collaboration and License Agreement, the Company and Brii Bio entered into a stock purchase agreement. Under the terms of the stock purchase agreement, the Company issued to Brii Bio shares of its common stock valued at $3,626 (based on the Company’s common stock price on December 4, 2018). The remaining $7,374, deemed to be the initial transaction price, was allocated to two performance obligations: i) the VBI-2601 (BRII-179) license, and ii) R&D services. The R&D services were allocated $4,737 of the transaction price using an estimated selling price based on an expected cost plus a margin approach and the remaining transaction price of $2,637 was allocated to the VBI-2601 (BRII-179) license using the residual method.
In addition, the Company is also eligible to receive an additional $117,500 in potential regulatory and sales milestone payments, along with royalties on commercial sales in the Licensed Territory. Milestone payments that are not within the control of the Company or the licensee, such as regulatory approvals, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. Therefore, no variable consideration was included in the initial transaction price and no such amounts have been recognized to date.
The R&D Services will be satisfied over time as services are rendered using the “cost-to-cost” input method as this method represents the most accurate depiction of the transfer of services based on the types of costs expected to be incurred. As of September 30, 2021, R&D services related to Brii Bio that remain unsatisfied are $2,195, out of the $2,864 total deferred revenue.
Upon termination of the Collaboration and License Agreement prior to the end of the term, there is no obligation for refund and any amounts in deferred revenue related to unsatisfied performance obligations will be immediately recognized.
12. COLLABORATION ARRANGEMENTS
GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals S.A. (“GSK”)
On September 10, 2019, the Company entered into a Clinical Collaboration Agreement (“Collaboration Agreement”) pursuant to which we will investigate the use of GSK’s proprietary AS01B adjuvant system in our ongoing study of VBI-1901. As a result of the Collaboration Agreement, a second study arm was added to Part B of the ongoing Phase Ib/IIa clinical study to accommodate the AS01B adjuvant.
This relationship is considered a collaborative relationship and not a customer relationship and is therefore accounted for outside the scope of ASC Topic 606. Costs associated with the second study arm will be expensed as incurred in Research and Development expenses; three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 are $48 and $374, respectively. Costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 were $149 and $485, respectively.
National Research Council of Canada (“NRC”)
On March 31, 2020, the Company announced a collaboration with the NRC, Canada’s largest federal research and development organization, to develop a pan-coronavirus vaccine candidate, targeting COVID-19, SARS, and MERS. The NRC and the Company are collaborating to evaluate and select promising coronavirus vaccine candidates. The collaboration combines the Company’s viral vaccine expertise, eVLP technology platform, and modified coronavirus antigens with the NRC’s proprietary SARS-CoV-2 antigens and assay development capabilities to select the most immunogenic vaccine candidate for further development.
On December 21, 2020, we signed an amendment to the collaboration agreement with the NRC to broaden the scope of collaboration to include certain pre-clinical evaluations, bioprocess optimization, technology transfer, and the performance of additional scale up work.
On July 8, 2021, we signed a second amendment to the collaboration agreement with the NRC to broaden the scope of the collaboration to include developing a vaccine against the Beta variant of SARS-CoV-2.
On August 27, 2021, we signed a third amendment to the collaboration agreement with the NRC further broaden the scope to include certain stable cell line work for our vaccine candidate against the Beta variant of SARS-CoV-2.
The expiry date of the collaboration agreement is March 15, 2022.
This relationship is considered a collaborative relationship and not a customer relationship and is therefore accounted for outside the scope of ASC Topic 606. Costs associated with the collaboration will be expensed as incurred in Research and Development expenses; costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 are $712 and $942, respectively. Costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 were $131 and $395, respectively.
CEPI
On March 9, 2021, the Company and CEPI announced the CEPI Funding Agreement, to develop eVLP vaccine candidates against SARS-COV-2 variants, including the Beta variant, also known as the B.1.351 variant and as 501Y.V2, first identified in South Africa. CEPI agreed to provide up to $33,018 to support the advancement of VBI-2905, a monovalent eVLP candidate expressing the pre-fusion form of the spike protein from the Beta variant strain, through Phase I clinical development. This funding will also support preclinical expansion of additional multivalent vaccine candidates designed to evaluate the potential breadth of our eVLP technology. The preclinical expansion is intended to develop clinic-ready vaccine candidates capable of addressing emerging variants.
Under the terms of the CEPI Funding Agreement, among other things, the Company and CEPI agreed on the importance of global equitable access to any vaccines produced pursuant to the CEPI Funding Agreement. Any such vaccines, if approved, are expected to be procured and allocated through global mechanisms as part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, an international initiative launched by the World Health Organization (“WHO”), Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, CEPI, and other global non-governmental organizations and governmental leaders in 2021.
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This relationship is considered a collaborative relationship and not a customer relationship and is therefore accounted for outside the scope of ASC Topic 606.
Costs associated with the collaboration are expensed as incurred in Research and Development expenses; costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 are $2,711 and $4,918, respectively. Such expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 were reduced by the same amount. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company received $10,078 and $18,363, respectively, from CEPI and as of September 30, 2021, the Company had $13,469 recorded as deferred funding, recorded in other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.
Brii Biosciences Limited
On December 4, 2018, we entered into the Collaboration and License Agreement with Brii Bio, which was amended on April 8, 2021, as described in Note 11.
13. GOVERNMENT GRANTS
Grants recognized in research and development expenses in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss are as follows:
Industrial Research Assistance Program (“IRAP”)
On July 3, 2020, the Company and the NRC as represented by its IRAP signed a contribution agreement whereby the NRC agreed to contribute up to CAD $1,000 for the transfer and scale-up of the technical production process for our prophylactic coronavirus vaccine program.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 the Company recognized $68 and $68, respectively, as a reduction in expenses. As of September 30, 2021, the Company had $228 recorded as deferred government grants, recorded in other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recognized $214 and $214, respectively as a reduction in expenses. As of September 30, 2020, the Company did not have any deferred government grants, recorded in other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.
Strategic Innovation Fund (“SIF”)
On September 16, 2020, the Company and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry (“ISED”) signed a contribution agreement (the “Contribution Agreement”) for a contribution from SIF whereby ISED agreed to contribute up to CAD $55,976 to support the development of the Company’s coronavirus vaccine program, through Phase II clinical studies, for a period commencing on April 15, 2020 and ending on or before the last day of the first quarter of 2022.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company recognized $2,365 and $6,377, respectively, as a reduction in expenses. As of September 30, 2021, the Company had $848 recorded as deferred government grants, recorded in other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recognized $549 and $549, respectively as a reduction in expenses. As of September 30, 2020, the Company did not have any deferred government grants, recorded in other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.
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14. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, the Company may be involved in certain claims and litigation arising out of the ordinary course and conduct of business. Management assesses such claims and, if it considers that it is probable that an asset had been impaired or a liability had been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated, provisions for loss are made based on management’s assessment of the most likely outcome.
On September 13, 2018, two civil claims were brought in the District Court of the central district in Israel naming our subsidiary SciVac as a defendant. In one claim, two minors, through their parents, allege, among other things: defects in certain batches of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine discovered in July 2015; that our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine was approved for use in children and infants in Israel without sufficient evidence establishing its safety; that SciVac failed to provide accurate information about our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine to consumers; and that each child suffered side effects from the vaccine. The claim was filed together with a motion seeking approval of a class action on behalf of 428,000 children vaccinated with our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine in Israel from April 2011 and seeking damages in a total amount of NIS 1,879,500,000 (not in thousands) ($582,069). The second claim is a civil action brought by two minors and their parents against SciVac and the Israel Ministry of Health alleging, among other things, that SciVac marketed an experimental, defective, hazardous or harmful vaccine; that our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine was marketed in Israel without sufficient evidence establishing its safety; and that our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine was produced and marketed in Israel without approval of a western regulatory body. The claim seeks damages for past and future losses and expenses as well as punitive damages.
SciVac believes these matters to be without merit and intends to defend these claims vigorously.
The District Court has accepted SciVac’s motion to suspend reaching a decision on the approval of the class action pending the determination of liability under the civil action. Preliminary hearings for the trial of the civil action began on January 15, 2020, with subsequent preliminary hearings held on May 13, 2020, December 3, 2020 and September 30, 2021. The next preliminary hearing is scheduled to be held on June 9, 2022.
Operating leases
The Company has entered into various non-cancelable lease agreements for its office, lab, and manufacturing facilities, which are classified as operating leases. The office facility lease agreement in the United States expires on April 30, 2023, with no option to extend. Our manufacturing facility lease agreement in Israel expires on January 31, 2022, which includes one five-year option to extend until January 31, 2027. The lease agreement for our research facility in Canada, which comprises office and laboratory space, has a term ending on December 31, 2022 with an option to extend the term for one additional period of three years. A lease for additional office space at our research facility commenced on October 1, 2020 with a term ending April 30, 2023.
In October 2021, the Company terminated the office facility lease agreement in the United States. On September 23, 2021 the Company entered into a non-cancelable lease agreement for office space in the United States, the terms which will commence November 1, 2021 running through October 31, 2024. The Company will recognize a right of use assets and lease liability upon the rent commencement date.
During the three months ended September 2021, the Company entered into two non-cancelable lease agreements for additional office at our manufacturing facility in Israel, the rent terms which will commence January 1, 2022 running through November 30, 2027 and July 1, 2022 running through June 30, 2032. The Company will recognize a right of use asset and lease liability for each agreement upon the rent commencement date.
Options to extend are not recognized as part of the lease liabilities or recognized as right to use assets. There are no residual value guarantees, no variable lease payments, and no restrictions or covenants imposed by leases. The discount rate used in measuring the lease liabilities and right of use assets was determined by reviewing our incremental borrowing rate at the initial measurement date.
Lease cost: | ||||
Operating lease costs: | ||||
Three months ended September 30, 2021 | $ | 385 | ||
Nine months ended September 30, 2021 | 1,069 |
Other information: | ||||
Weighted average remaining lease term | 2.05 years | |||
Weighted average discount rate | 12 | % |
Operating lease costs are included G&A expenses in the statement of operations and comprehensive loss.
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The following table summarizes future undiscounted cash payments reconciled to the lease liabilities:
Year ending December 31: | 2021 | |||
Remaining 2021 | $ | 216 | ||
2022 | 242 | |||
2023 | 49 | |||
2024 | 11 | |||
Total | $ | 518 | ||
Effect of discounting | (3 | ) | ||
Total lease liability | $ | 515 | ||
Less: current portion | (408 | ) | ||
Lease liability, net of current portion | $ | 107 |
15. SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) has been identified as the chief operating decision maker. The CEO evaluates the performance of the Company and allocates resources based on the information provided by the Company’s internal management system at a consolidated level. The Company has determined that it has only one operating segment.
Revenues from external customers are attributed to geographic areas based on location of the contracting customers:
Three Months Ended September 30 | Nine Months Ended September 30 | |||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
Israel | $ | 44 | $ | 48 | $ | 300 | $ | 198 | ||||||||
China / Hong Kong | 63 | 250 | 246 | 646 | ||||||||||||
Europe | 4 | 53 | ||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 107 | $ | 298 | $ | 550 | $ | 897 |
There was no revenue attributed to our country of domicile, Canada, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020.
16. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
Subsequent to September 30, 2021, the Company granted a total of stock options to new employees pursuant to the 2016 Plan. Options granted automatically expire years from the date of issuance.
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-Q and with our audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2020 10-K as filed with the SEC.
Except for share and per share amounts or as otherwise specified to be in millions, amounts presented are stated in thousands.
Overview
VBI Vaccines Inc. (“VBI”) is a biopharmaceutical company driven by immunology in the pursuit of powerful prevention and treatment of disease. Through its innovative approach to virus-like particles (“VLPs”), including a proprietary enveloped VLP (“eVLP”) platform technology, VBI develops vaccine candidates that mimic the natural presentation of viruses, designed to elicit the innate power of the human immune system. VBI is committed to targeting and overcoming significant infectious diseases, including hepatitis B (“HBV”), COVID-19 and coronaviruses, and cytomegalovirus (“CMV”), as well as aggressive cancers including glioblastoma (“GBM”). VBI is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with research operations in Ottawa, Canada, and a research and manufacturing site in Rehovot, Israel.
Product Pipeline – Lead Program Candidates
VBI’s pipeline comprises vaccine and immunotherapeutic candidates developed by virus-like particle technologies to target two distinct, but often related, disease areas – infectious disease and oncology. We prioritize the development of candidates for disease targets that are challenging, underserved, and where the human immune system, when powered and stimulated appropriately, can be a formidable opponent.
VLP vaccines are a type of sub-unit vaccine, in which only the portions of viruses critical for eliciting an immune response are presented to the body. Because of their structural similarity to viruses presented in nature, including their particulate nature and repetitive structure, VLPs can stimulate potent immune responses. VLPs can be customized to present any protein antigen, including multiple antibody and T cell targets, making them, we believe, ideal technologies for the development of both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. Only a few antigens self-assemble into VLPs, however, which limit the number of potential targets. Notably, the HBV envelope antigens are among those that are able to spontaneously form orderly VLP structures. VBI’s proprietary eVLP platform technology expands the list of potentially-viable target indications for VLPs by providing a stable core (Gag Protein) and lipid bilayer (the “envelope”). It is a flexible platform that enables the synthetic manufacture of an “enveloped” VLP, or “eVLP”, which looks structurally and morphologically similar to the virus, with no infectious material.
Indication | Program | Technology | Current Status | |||
Prophylactic Candidates | ||||||
● Hepatitis B (“HBV”) | 3-antigen vaccine candidate (Israel brand name Sci-B-Vac®) |
VLP | BLA, MAA under review; Approved in Israel | |||
● Cytomegalovirus (“CMV”) | VBI-1501 | eVLP | Phase I Completed | |||
● COVID-19 | VBI-2902 | eVLP | Ongoing Phase Ia | |||
● COVID-19 (Beta variant) | VBI-2905 | eVLP | Ongoing Phase Ib | |||
● Pan-coronavirus | VBI-2901 | eVLP | Pre-Clinical | |||
Therapeutic Candidates | ||||||
● Hepatitis B (“HBV”) | VBI-2601 | VLP | Ongoing Phase II | |||
● Glioblastoma (“GBM”) | VBI-1901 | eVLP | Ongoing Phase I/IIa |
A summary of these programs and recent developments follows.
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Prophylactic Pipeline
3-antigen HBV Vaccine Candidate
Our 3-antigen HBV vaccine is a scientifically-differentiated approach to HBV vaccination. In contrast to other commercially-available HBV vaccines, which contain only one surface antigen (the S antigen) of HBV, our vaccine candidate contains all three of the HBV surface antigens: the S antigen, the pre-S1 antigen, and the pre-S2 antigen. Published data demonstrated that the pre-S1 antigens induce key neutralizing antibodies that block virus receptor binding, and T cell responses to pre-S1 and pre-S2 antigens can further boost responses to the S antigen. Our 3-antigen HBV vaccine candidate is further distinguished from other commercially available HBV vaccines by its production in mammalian cells (“CHO” cells) rather than in yeast; resulting in a glycosylation pattern that resembles the native virion antigen structure.
Our 3-antigen HBV vaccine candidate is approved for use and commercially available in Israel, under the brand name Sci-B-Vac®, and in January 2020 successfully completed its pivotal Phase III studies in the United States, Europe, and Canada, where it is still an investigational candidate and has not yet been approved for commercialization by the applicable regulatory authorities (e.g., FDA, EMA, MHRA, and Health Canada, each defined below). This Phase III program consisted of two Phase III studies – PROTECT and CONSTANT – designed to assess efficacy and safety of VBI’s 3-antigen HBV vaccine candidate compared with Engerix-B®, a single-antigen HBV vaccine, and lot-to-lot manufacturing consistency of three consecutive lots of VBI’s vaccine candidate. As announced in June 2019 and January 2020, results from these two studies showed VBI’s 3-antigen vaccine candidate achieved: (1) non-inferiority of seroprotection rate (SPR) in all adults age 18 and older (VBI: 91.4% vs. Engerix-B: 76.5%); (2) superiority (as defined in the clinical protocol) of SPR in adults age 45 and older (VBI: 89.4% vs. Engerix-B: 73.1%); (3) higher SPR and anti-HBs titers at all time points across all subgroup populations, regardless of age, diabetic status, and BMI; (4) a safety profile consistent with the known safety profile of the vaccine; and (5) manufacturing consistency.
The completed Phase III studies support the regulatory submissions to the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”); the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”); the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products, Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”); and Health Canada. We submitted our Marketing Authorization Application (“MAA”) to the EMA on November 23, 2020, which was accepted for review on December 22, 2020, and the Biologics License Application (“BLA”) to the FDA on November 30, 2020, which was accepted for review on January 29, 2021. As part of the review process, the FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of November 30, 2021. However, there is no guarantee that FDA will be able to meet these deadlines or that our BLA will be approved in a timely manner, if at all. The submissions to UK and Health Canada are in process and we expect to complete those regulatory filings in 2022.
On December 7, 2020, we announced a partnership for the commercialization of our 3-antigen HBV vaccine candidate with Syneos Health (“Syneos”), who was selected for their robust and innovative commercialization experience and deep vaccine expertise, including successful partnerships with leading vaccine manufacturers.
VBI-2900: Coronavirus Vaccine Program (VBI-2901, VBI-2902, VBI-2905)
In response to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, VBI initiated development of a prophylactic coronavirus vaccine program. Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses by nature which we believe make them a prime target for VBI’s flexible enveloped virus-like particle (eVLP) platform technology.
On March 31, 2020, we announced a collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada (“NRC”), Canada’s largest federal research and development organization, to develop a coronavirus vaccine candidate. The collaboration combines VBI’s viral vaccine expertise, eVLP technology platform, and coronavirus antigens with the NRC’s uniquely designed SARS-CoV-2 antigens and assay development capabilities to select the most immunogenic vaccine candidate for further development. On December 21, 2020, we signed an amendment to the collaboration agreement with the NRC to broaden the scope of collaboration to include certain pre-clinical evaluations, bioprocess optimization, technology transfer, and the performance of additional scale up work. On July 8, 2021, we signed a second amendment to the collaboration agreement with the NRC to broaden the scope of the collaboration to include developing a vaccine against the Beta variant of SARS-CoV-2. On August 27, 2021, we signed a third amendment to the collaboration agreement with the NRC further broaden the scope to include certain stable cell line work for our vaccine candidate against the Beta variant of SARS-CoV-2. The amendment also extended the expiry date of the agreement to March 15, 2022.
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On July 3, 2020, we and the NRC as represented by its Industrial Research Assistance Program (“IRAP”) signed a contribution agreement whereby the NRC agreed to contribute up to CAD $1,000 for the transfer and scale-up of the technical production process for our prophylactic coronavirus vaccine program.
On August 5, 2020, we announced that our subsidiary, Variation Biotechnologies Inc (“VBI Cda”) had been awarded up to a CAD $55,976 contribution from the Strategic Innovation Fund (“SIF”), established by the Government of Canada, to support the Company’s coronavirus vaccine development program through Phase II clinical studies. This award is governed by the terms of a Contribution Agreement (the “Contribution Agreement”), dated September 16, 2020, with Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry, pursuant to which VBI Cda is obligated to develop a novel, broadly reactive coronavirus vaccine against COVID-19, SARS, and MERS, and/or a monovalent vaccine targeting only COVID-19 through Phase II studies. We agreed to complete such project on or before the end of the first quarter of 2022, which will be conducted exclusively in Canada, except as permitted otherwise under certain circumstances.
On August 26, 2020, we announced data from three pre-clinical studies conducted to enable selection of optimized clinical candidates for our coronavirus vaccine program. As a result of these studies, VBI selected two vaccine candidates, with the goal of bringing forward candidates that add meaningful clinical and medical benefit to those already approved: (1) VBI-2901, a multivalent pan-coronavirus vaccine candidate expressing the SARS-CoV-2, SARS, and MERS spike proteins; and (2) VBI-2902, a monovalent vaccine candidate expressing an optimized “prefusion” form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
In March 2021, a Phase I study of VBI-2902 was initiated and on June 29, 2021 we announced initial positive data from the Phase Ia portion of this study that evaluated one- and two-dose regimens of 5µg of VBI-2902 in 61 healthy adults age 18-54 years. After two doses, VBI-2902 induced neutralization titers in 100% of participants, with 4.3x higher geometric mean titer (“GMT”) than that of the convalescent serum panel (n=25), and peak antibody binding GMT of 1:4,047. The study supports the assessment of a one-dose booster regimen in seropositive individuals and two-dose regimens in seronegative individuals. VBI-2902 was also well tolerated with no safety signals observed.
Early in the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 variants started to emerge and certain of these variants have been identified as having a significant public health impact. In December 2020, South Africa reported to WHO a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 named Beta, also known as B.1.351 or 501Y.V2. The Beta variant is associated with a higher viral load and increased transmissibility, and may be less sensitive to neutralizing antibody responses elicited by currently available COVID-19 vaccines. On March 9, 2021, the Company and CEPI announced a partnership (the “CEPI Funding Agreement”) to develop eVLP vaccine candidates against SARS-COV-2 variants, including the Beta variant. CEPI agreed to provide up to $33,018 to support the advancement of VBI-2905, a monovalent eVLP candidate expressing the pre-fusion form of the spike protein from the Beta strain, through Phase I clinical development. This funding will also support preclinical expansion of additional multivalent vaccine candidates designed to evaluate the potential breadth of our eVLP technology. The preclinical expansion is intended to develop clinic-ready vaccine candidates capable of addressing emerging variants.
In response to the increased circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants, the Phase Ib portion of the ongoing Phase I study was initiated in September 2021 designed to assess VBI-2905, our eVLP vaccine candidate directed against the SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant, as both a 1-dose booster in individuals previously immunized with a mRNA vaccine and as a primary 2-dose series in unvaccinated adults. Initial data from the Phase Ib portion of the ongoing study is expected in Q1 2022, subject to the speed of enrollment. In addition, the first clinical study of VBI’s multivalent candidate, designed to increase breadth of protection against COVID-19 and related coronaviruses, is expected to begin mid-year 2022.
VBI-1501: Prophylactic CMV Vaccine Candidate
CMV may cause severe infections in newborn children (congenital CMV) and may also cause serious infections in people with weakened immune systems, such as solid organ or bone marrow transplant recipients. Our prophylactic CMV vaccine candidate uses the eVLP platform to express a modified form of the CMV glycoprotein B (“gB”) antigen and is adjuvanted with alum, an adjuvant used in FDA-approved products.
Following the successful completion of the Phase I study in May 2018, and positive discussions with Health Canada, we announced plans for a Phase II clinical study evaluating VBI-1501 on December 20, 2018. We received similarly positive guidance from the FDA in July 2019. The Phase II study is expected to assess the safety and immunogenicity of dosages of VBI-1501 up to 20µg with alum. We are currently evaluating the timing of the Phase II study.
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Therapeutic Pipeline
VBI-2601: HBV Immunotherapeutic Candidate
VBI-2601 (BRII-179) is our novel, recombinant, protein-based immunotherapeutic candidate in development for the treatment of chronic HBV infection, a disease that affects more than 250 million people worldwide. Chronic HBV infection can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, hepatocellular cancer, and other liver disease, making it a life-threatening global health problem. VBI-2601 (BRII-179) is formulated to induce broad immunity against HBV, including T-cell immunity, which plays an important role in controlling HBV infection.
VBI-2601 (BRII-179) is in an ongoing Phase Ib/IIa study in patients with chronic HBV infection, which initiated enrollment in November 2019, and is being conducted by our partner Brii Biosciences Limited (“Brii Bio”) pursuant to a Collaboration and License Agreement (“Collaboration and License Agreement”) announced on December 6, 2018, as amended on April 8, 2021. The Phase Ib/IIa study is a randomized, controlled study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, antiviral and immunological activity of VBI-2601 (BRII-179). The study is designed as a two-part dose-escalation study assessing different dose levels of VBI-2601 (BRII-179) with and without an immunomodulatory adjuvant and enrolled 46 patients. The study is being conducted at multiple study sites in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, and China.
On November 18, 2020, we announced interim data from the low-dose cohorts, which achieved human proof-of-concept, demonstrating restoration of both antibody and T cell responses in chronically-infected HBV patients. The data showed: (1) potent re-stimulation of T cell responses to HBV surface antigens in 67% (n=6/9) and 78% (n=7/9) of evaluable patients in the low-dose unadjuvanted and adjuvanted VBI-2601 study arms, respectively; and (2) antibody responses against HBV surface antigens in 60% of evaluable patients (n=6/10) in the unadjuvanted cohort and in 67% (n=6/9) in the adjuvanted cohort. The low-dose, with and without the adjuvant, was well-tolerated with no safety signals observed.
On April 12, 2021, we announced additional data from Phase Ib/IIa clinical study for 33 evaluable patients across all study arms that suggest: (1) VBI-2601 (BRII-179) is well tolerated at all dose levels with and without the adjuvant with no significant adverse events identified; (2) VBI-2601 (BRII-179) induced restimulation of T cell responses to HBV surface antigens, including S, Pre-S1 and Pre-S2, in greater than 50% of the evaluable patients compared to no detectable response in the control arm; (3) the T cell responses and antibody responses were comparable across the 20µg and 40µg unadjuvanted study arms; and (4) T cell response rates between the adjuvanted and unadjuvanted cohorts were also comparable.
Based on the acceptable safety profile and vaccine-induced adaptive immune responses observed to-date, the high dose (40 µg) of VBI-2601 (BRII-179), both with and without IFN-α, was selected to progress into a Phase II combination study of VBI-2601 (BRII-179) and BRII-835 (VIR-2218), a novel small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) therapeutic candidate designed to inhibit expression of HBV proteins. Patient dosing for the study initiated in April 2021. Brii Bio has led the design and implementation of this functional cure proof-of-concept study with the support of VBI and Vir Biotechnology (“VIR”), and is the sponsor of the Phase II study. This study is being conducted at sites in Australia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand. Top-line interim data from this Phase II combination study of VBI-2601 (BRII-179) and BRII-835 (VIR-2218) is expected in the second half of 2022.
VBI-1901: GBM
Our cancer vaccine immunotherapeutic program, VBI-1901, targets CMV proteins present in tumor cells. CMV is associated with a number of solid tumors including GBM, breast cancer, and pediatric medulloblastoma.
In January 2018, we initiated dosing in a two-part, multi-center, open-label Phase I/IIa clinical study of VBI-1901 in 38 patients with recurrent GBM. Phase I (Part A) of the study was a dose-escalation phase that defined the safety, tolerability, and optimal dose level of VBI-1901 adjuvanted with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (“GM-CSF”) in recurrent GBM patients with any number of prior recurrences. In December 2018, this phase completed enrollment of 18 patients across three dose cohorts, the highest of which (10 µg) was selected as the optimal dose level to test in the Phase IIa portion (Part B) of the study. Phase IIa of the study, which initiated enrollment in July 2019, is a subsequent extension of the 10µg dose level cohort. This phase is a two-arm study that enrolled 20 first-recurrent GBM patients to receive 10µg of VBI-1901 in combination with either GM-CSF or GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals S.A.’s (“GSK’s”) proprietary adjuvant system, AS01B, as immunomodulatory adjuvants. AS01B is provided pursuant to a Clinical Collaboration and Support Study Agreement (“Collaboration Agreement”) we entered into with GSK on September 10, 2019. Enrollment of the 10 patients in the VBI-1901 with GM-CSF arm was completed in March 2020 and enrollment of the 10 patients in the VBI-1901 with AS01 B was completed in October 2020.
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Data from the ongoing Phase IIa portion of the study was announced throughout 2020, with the latest data presented in June 2021 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. The data demonstrates: (1) 12-month overall survival (“OS”) of 60% (n=6/10) in the VBI-1901 formulated with GM-CSF study arm compared to historical controls of ~30%, with the 12-month OS not yet reached with the VBI-1901 + AS01B arm; (2) 2 partial tumor responses and 7 stable disease observations across both study arms; and (3) VBI-1901 continues to be safe and well tolerated at all doses tested, with no safety signals observed.
On June 8, 2021, we announced that the FDA granted Fast-Track Designation for VBI-1901 formulated with GM-CSF for the treatment of recurrent GBM patients with first tumor recurrence. The designation was granted based on data from the Phase I/II study.
Based on the data seen to-date, as part of the next phase of development, we anticipate assessing VBI-1901 in randomized, controlled studies in both primary and recurrent GBM patients. In the recurrent setting, we aim to expand the number of patients in the current trial and add a control arm, with the potential for accelerated approval based on tumor response rates and improvement in overall survival. Subject to discussion with the FDA, the amended protocol is expected to initiate enrollment of additional patients in Q1 2022. In the primary setting, we are exploring a randomized, controlled, clinical study with registration potential in patients diagnosed with primary GBM for the next phase of development, which, subject to approval from regulatory bodies, is expected to begin mid-year 2022.
In addition to the lead program candidates described above, we may also seek to in-license clinical-stage vaccines or vaccine-related technologies that we believe complement our product and pipeline portfolio, in addition to technologies that may supplement our therapeutic and preventative vaccination efforts in both immuno-oncology and infectious disease.
At present, our operations are focused on:
● | preparing for commercialization of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate in the United States, Europe, and Canada, where we may obtain regulatory approval; |
● | conducting the Phase I/IIa clinical study of our GBM vaccine immunotherapeutic candidate, VBI-1901; |
● | preparing for the next phase of development for our GBM vaccine immunotherapeutic candidate, VBI-1901; |
● | conducting the Phase I clinical study of our prophylactic COVID-19 vaccine candidates, VBI-2902 and VBI-2905 (Beta variant); |
● | continuing our development and scaling-up production processes for our prophylactic coronavirus vaccine candidates using a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (“CDMO”) located in Canada; |
● | developing VBI-2601 (BRII-179), our protein-based immunotherapeutic candidate for treatment of chronic HBV, in collaboration with Brii Bio; |
● | ensuring our recently modernized manufacturing facility in Rehovot, Israel obtains all required regulatory approvals; |
● | preparing marketing authorization applications for our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate in the United Kingdom and Canada; |
● | preparation for further development of VBI-1501, our preventative CMV vaccine candidate; |
● | continuing the research and development (“R&D”) of our pipeline candidates, including the exploration and development of new pipeline candidates; |
● | implementing operational, financial, and management information systems, including through third party partners, to support our commercialization activities; |
● | maintaining, expanding, and protecting our intellectual property portfolio; and |
● | developing our internal systems and processes for regulatory affairs and compliance. |
VBI’s revenue generating activities have been the sale of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate in markets where it is approved or available on a named patient basis where it is not approved, though those markets have generated a limited number of sales to-date, various business development transactions, and R&D services generating fees. VBI has incurred significant net losses and negative operating cash flows since inception and expects to continue incurring losses and negative cash flows from operations as we carry out planned clinical, regulatory, R&D, sales, and manufacturing activities with respect to the advancement of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine and new pipeline candidates. As of September 30, 2021, VBI had an accumulated deficit of approximately $359.6 million and stockholders’ equity of approximately $160.1 million. Our ability to maintain our status as an operating company and to realize our investment in our In Process Research & Development (“IPR&D”) assets, which consist of our CMV and GBM programs, is dependent upon obtaining adequate cash and cash equivalents to finance our clinical development, manufacturing, our administrative overhead and our research and development activities, and ultimately to profitably monetize our IPR&D. We plan to finance near term future operations with existing cash and cash equivalents reserves. We expect that we will need to secure additional financing to finance our business plans, which may be a combination of proceeds from the issuance of equity securities, the issuance of additional debt, government or non-governmental organization grants or subsidies, and revenues from potential business development transactions, if any. There is no assurance we will manage to obtain these sources of financing, if required. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classifications of liabilities that may result should we be unable to continue as a going concern.
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We have incurred operating losses since inception, have not generated significant product sales revenue and have not achieved profitable operations. We incurred net losses of $51.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, and we expect to continue to incur substantial losses in future periods. We anticipate that we will continue to incur substantial operating expenses as we continue our research and development, clinical studies, and as we take steps to commercialize our products. These include expenses related to the focus of our operations highlighted above.
In addition, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses as a public company, which subjects us to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the rules and regulations of the NASDAQ Capital Market, and the Canadian securities regulators.
Long Term Debt
On May 22, 2020, the Company (along with its subsidiary VBI Cda) entered into the Loan and Guaranty Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with K2 HealthVentures LLC and any other lender from time to time party thereto (the “Lenders”) pursuant to which we received the first tranche secured term loan of $20 million (the “First Tranche Term Loan”). The Lenders originally agreed to make available the following additional tranches subject to the following conditions and upon the submission of a loan request by the Company: (1) up to $10 million available between January 1, 2021 and April 30, 2021 upon achievement of certain milestones (the “Second Tranche Term Loan”), (2) $10 million available between the closing date and December 31, 2021, subject to achievement of a certain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval (the “Third Tranche Term Loan”), and (3) a final tranche of up to $10 million that can be made available any time prior to June 30, 2022, subject to the advance of the Third Tranche Term Loan, satisfactory review by the administrative agent of our financial and operating plan, and approval by the Lenders’ investment committee (the “Fourth Tranche Term Loan”). Pursuant to the Loan Agreement, the Lenders originally had the ability to convert, at the Lenders’ option, up to $4 million of the secured term loan into common shares of the Company at a conversion price of $1.46 per share (“K2 conversion feature”) until the maturity date of June 1, 2024. On February 3, 2021, pursuant to the Loan Agreement, the Lenders, converted $2 million of the secured term loan into 1,369,863 common shares at a conversion price of $1.46. The Lenders have the ability to convert an additional $2 million at the Lenders’ option.
On May 17, 2021, the Company entered into the First Amendment with the Lenders to: (1) increase the Second Tranche Term Loan from $10 million to $12 million; (2) extend the availability period of the Second Tranche Term Loan beyond April 30, 2021, subject to certain conditions; (3) amend the Second Tranche Term Loan interest rate equal to the greater of (a) 7.75% and (b) prime rate plus 4.50%; and (4) extend the date as of which amortization of the loans under the Loan Agreement shall begin from July 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023.
In connection with the Loan Agreement, on May 22, 2020, the Company issued the Lenders a warrant to purchase up to 625,000 common shares (the “Original K2 Warrant”) at an exercise price of $1.12 (the “Warrant Price”). On May 17, 2021, in connection with the First Amendment, the Company issued the Lenders an amended and restated warrant to purchase an additional 312,500 common shares for a total of 937,500 common shares (the “Restated K2 Warrant”) with the same Warrant Price of $1.12. The number of common shares issuable pursuant to the Restated K2 Warrant, at any given time, is determined by dividing the Warrant Coverage Amount by the Warrant Price, where the Warrant Coverage Amount is equal to the sum of $1.1 million plus the aggregate original principal amount of the Third Tranche and Fourth Tranche Term Loan advanced at that time multiplied by 3.5%. If the full $52 million available in all K2 tranches is advanced pursuant to the Loan Agreement amended by the First Amendment, up to 1,562,500 common shares will be issuable pursuant to the Restated K2 Warrant. The Restated K2 Warrant may be exercised either for cash or on a cashless “net exercise” basis and expires on May 22, 2030.
As a result of the Original K2 Warrant and K2 conversion feature, the debt was issued at a discount of $3.8 million. We also incurred $1.0 million of debt issuance costs and are required to make a final payment equal to 6.95% of the aggregate original secured term loan principal on the maturity date of the term loan, or upon earlier prepayment of the term loans in accordance with the Loan Agreement, resulting in an additional discount of $1.4 million related to the First Tranche Term Loan. The total initial debt discount was $6.2 million.
The Second Tranche Term Loan, issued pursuant to the Loan Agreement as amended by the First Amendment, resulted in the Company incurring an additional $0.02 million of debt issuance costs, $0.2 million of third-party costs and being required to make a final payment of $0.8 million, which is equal to 6.95% of the Second Tranche Term Loan.
The total principal amount of the loan under the Loan Agreement, as amended by the First Amendment, outstanding at September 30, 2021, including the $2.2 million final payment discussed above, is $32.2 million. The principal amount of the loan made under the Loan Agreement prior to the First Amendment accrues interest at an annual rate equal to the greater of (a) 8.25% or (b) prime rate plus 5.00%. The principal amount of the Second Tranche Term Loan made under the Loan Agreement, as amended by the First Amendment, accrues interest at an annual rate equal to the greater of (a) 7.75% or (b) prime rate plus 4.50%. The interest rate as of September 30, 2021 was 8.25% for the First Tranche Term Loan and 7.75% for the Second Tranche Term Loan. The Company is required to pay only interest until January 1, 2023.
Upon receipt of additional funds under the Loan Agreement as amended by the First Amendment, additional common shares will be issuable pursuant to the Restated K2 Warrant as determined by the principal amount of the Third Tranche and Fourth Tranche actually funded multiplied by 3.5% and divided by the Warrant Price, and the final payment will increase by 6.95% of the funds advanced.
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Research and Development Services
Pursuant to an agreement with the Israel Innovation Authority (formerly the Office of the Chief Scientist of Israel), we are required to make services available for the biotechnology industry in Israel. These services include relevant activities for development and manufacturing of therapeutic proteins according to international standards and Good Manufacturing Practice (“GMP”) quality level suitable for toxicological studies in animals. Service activities include analytics/bio analytics methods for development and process development of therapeutic proteins starting with a candidate clone through manufacturing.
These R&D services are primarily marketed to the Israeli research community in academia and Israeli biotechnology companies in the life sciences industry lacking the infrastructure or experience in the development and production of therapeutic proteins to the standards and quality required for clinical trials for human use. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we provided services to biotechnology companies including analytical development.
In addition, pursuant to the Collaboration and License Agreement with Brii Bio we provide R&D services to Brii Bio as part of the development of VBI-2601 (BRII-179).
Modernization and Capacity Increases of Our Manufacturing Facility
In 2018, we temporarily closed our manufacturing facility in Rehovot, Israel, for modernization and capacity increase. We re-commenced operations in May 2019 and the review of the modernization and the capacity increase by the Israeli Ministry of Health (“IMoH”) occurred in December of 2019. We received our certificate of GMP compliance from the IMoH on January 27, 2020. In addition to the GMP compliance certification, the IMoH will also need to review and approve the process validation submission, and provide approval for us to sell our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine manufactured at the modernized facility. We increased the capacity of our manufacturing facility to be able to supply commercial quantities of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate upon FDA, and/or EMA, and/or MHRA, and/or Health Canada approval, and to supply clinical supplies of VBI-2601 (BRII-179).
Third Party License and Assignment Agreements
We currently are dependent on licenses from third parties for certain of our key technologies, including the license granted pursuant to an agreement between Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc. and SciGen Ltd dated June 2004, as subsequently amended (the “Ferring License Agreement”) and a license from L’Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, now Sorbonne Université (“UPMC”), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (“INSERM”) and L’école Normale Supérieure de Lyon. Under the Ferring License Agreement, we are committed to pay Ferring royalties equal to 7% of net sales (as defined therein) of HBsAg “Product” (as defined therein). Under an Assignment Agreement between FDS Pharm LLP and SciGen Ltd., dated February 14, 2012 (the “SciGen Assignment Agreement”), we are required to pay royalties to SciGen Ltd. equal to 5% of net sales (as defined in the Ferring License Agreement) of Product. Under the Ferring License Agreement and the SciGen Assignment Agreement, we originally were to pay royalties on a country-by-country basis until the date 10 years after the date of commencement of the first royalty year in respect of such country. In April 2019, we exercised our option to extend the Ferring License Agreement in respect of all the countries that still make up the territory for an additional 7 years by making a one-time payment to Ferring of $0.1 million. Royalties under the Ferring License Agreement and SciGen Assignment Agreement will continue to be payable for the duration of the extended license periods. Under our license agreement with UPMC and other licensors relating to eVLP technology, we have an exclusive license to a family of patents that is expected to expire in the United States in 2022 and 2021 in other countries. Under this agreement, we are required to pay UPMC between 0.75% to 1.75% of net sales and certain lump-sum milestone payments. UPMC is also a co-owner of the patent family covering our VBI-1501 CMV vaccine and we are currently negotiating extension of our existing license to cover this patent family. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we made a milestone payment of €0.2 million; related to our prophylactic coronavirus vaccine program.
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Financial Overview
Overall Performance
The Company had net losses of $15,847 and $12,997 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $50,970 and $30,868 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 respectively. We had an accumulated deficit of $359,588 at September 30, 2021. We had $137,470 of cash and cash equivalents and net working capital of $114,854 as of September 30, 2021.
Revenues
Revenues consist of R&D services revenue recognized as part of the Collaboration and License Agreement with Brii Bio and revenues related to the sale of products and other R&D services.
Cost of revenues
Cost of revenues consist primarily of costs incurred for manufacturing our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine, which includes cost of materials, consumables, supplies, contractors, and manufacturing salaries.
Research and Development (“R&D”) Expenses
R&D expenses, net of government grants and funding arrangements, consist primarily of costs incurred for the development of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine; VBI-1901, our GBM vaccine immunotherapeutic candidate; VBI-1501, our CMV vaccine candidate; VBI-2601 (BRII-179), our hepatitis B immunotherapeutic candidate; and VBI-2900, our coronavirus vaccine program, which include:
● | the cost of acquiring, developing, and manufacturing clinical study materials, and other consumables and lab supplies used in our pre-clinical studies; | |
● | expenses incurred under agreements with contractors or CDMOs or Contract Research Organizations to advance the vaccines into and through completion of clinical studies; and | |
● | employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, travel, and stock-based compensation expense. |
We expense R&D costs when we incur them.
General and Administrative (“G&A”) Expenses
G&A expenses consist principally of salaries and related costs for executive and other administrative personnel and consultants, including stock-based compensation, impairment charges, and travel expenses. Other general and administrative expenses include professional fees for legal, patent protection, consulting and accounting services, commercialization costs, travel and conference fees, board of directors meeting costs, scientific and commercial advisory board meeting costs, rent, maintenance of facilities, depreciation, office supplies, information technology costs and expenses, insurance, and other general expenses. G&A expenses are expensed when incurred.
We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as a result of adding employees and scaling our operations commensurate with advancing clinical candidates, commercializing products, and continuing to support a public company infrastructure. These increases will likely include increased costs for insurance, hiring of additional personnel, board committees, outside consultants, investor relations, lawyers and accountants, among other expenses.
Interest Expense, net of interest income
Interest expense is associated with our long-term debt as discussed in Note 9 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Results of Operations
Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 Compared to the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020
All dollar amounts stated below are in thousands, unless otherwise indicated.
Three months ending September 30 | ||||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | Change $ | Change % | |||||||||||||
Revenues | $ | 107 | $ | 298 | $ | (191 | ) | (64 | )% | |||||||
Expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues | 2,466 | 2,111 | 355 | 17 | % | |||||||||||
Research and development | 2,972 | 4,478 | (1,506 | ) | (34 | )% | ||||||||||
General and administrative | 9,693 | 5,562 | 4,131 | 74 | % | |||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 15,131 | 12,151 | 2,980 | 25 | % | |||||||||||
Loss from operations | (15,024 | ) | (11,853 | ) | (3,171 | ) | 27 | % | ||||||||
Interest expense, net of interest income | (1,026 | ) | (742 | ) | (284 | ) | 38 | % | ||||||||
Foreign exchange gain (loss) | 203 | (402 | ) | 605 | (150 | )% | ||||||||||
Loss before income taxes | (15,847 | ) | (12,997 | ) | (2,850 | ) | 22 | % | ||||||||
Income tax expense | - | - | - | 0 | % | |||||||||||
NET LOSS | $ | (15,847 | ) | $ | (12,997 | ) | $ | (2,850 | ) | 22 | % |
Nine months ending September 30 | ||||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | Change $ | Change % | |||||||||||||
Revenues | $ | 550 | $ | 897 | $ | (347 | ) | (39 | )% | |||||||
Expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenues | 7,511 | 6,747 | 764 | 11 | % | |||||||||||
Research and development | 14,392 | 10,035 | 4,357 | 43 | % | |||||||||||
General and administrative | 25,807 | 13,520 | 12,287 | 91 | % | |||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 47,710 | 30,302 | 17,408 | 57 | % | |||||||||||
Loss from operations | (47,160 | ) | (29,405 | ) | (17,755 | ) | 60 | % | ||||||||
Interest expense, net of interest income | (3,683 | ) | (2,006 | ) | (1,677 | ) | 84 | % | ||||||||
Foreign exchange (loss) gain | (127 | ) | 543 | (670 | ) | (123 | )% | |||||||||
Loss before income taxes | (50,970 | ) | (30,868 | ) | (20,102 | ) | 65 | % | ||||||||
Income tax expense | - | - | - | 0 | % | |||||||||||
NET LOSS | $ | (50,970 | ) | $ | (30,868 | ) | $ | (20,102 | ) | 65 | % |
Revenues
Revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2021 decreased by $191 or 64% due to a decrease in R&D services revenue for VBI-2601, our hepatitis B immunotherapeutic candidate, being developed in collaboration with Brii Bio, as fewer manufacturing and non-clinical research services were required in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020.
Revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 decreased by $347 or 39% due to a decrease in R&D services revenue for VBI-2601, our hepatitis B immunotherapeutic candidate, as discussed above; partially offset by increased product sales in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2020.
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Revenues by Geographic Region
Three months ending September 30 | ||||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
Revenue in Israel | $ | 44 | $ | 48 | $ | (4 | ) | (8 | )% | |||||||
Revenues in China / Hong Kong | 63 | 250 | (187 | ) | (75 | )% | ||||||||||
Total Revenues | $ | 107 | $ | 298 | $ | (191 | ) | (64 | )% |
Nine months ending September 30 | ||||||||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
Revenue in Israel | $ | 300 | $ | 198 | $ | 102 | 52 | % | ||||||||
Revenues in China / Hong Kong | 246 | 646 | (400 | ) | (62 | )% | ||||||||||
Revenue in Europe | 4 | 53 | (49 | ) | (92 | )% | ||||||||||
Total Revenues | $ | 550 | $ | 897 | $ | (347 | ) | (39 | )% |
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2021 was $2,466 as compared to $2,111 for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The increase in the cost of revenues of $355 or 17% is due to increased outsourced testing costs, direct labor costs and inventory related costs incurred in the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2020.
Cost of revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was $7,511 as compared to $6,747 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase in the cost of revenues of $764 or 11% is due to the increases discussed above.
Research and Development Expenses
R&D expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2021 were $2,972 as compared to $4,478 for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The decrease in R&D expenses of $1,506 or 34% is mainly a result of the government grants and funding arrangements of $5,144 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to $763 for the three months ended September 30, 2020. Excluding the effect of the government grants and funding arrangements, R&D expenses increased by $2,845 or 54% due to (1) the increase in the costs related to our coronavirus vaccine program, including the Phase Ia portion and Phase Ib portion of the ongoing Phase I clinical study, and development and manufacturing of VBI-2905; and (2) an increase in R&D expenses related to continued development of our other vaccine candidates.
R&D expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 were $14,392 as compared to $10,035 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Included in the R&D expenses were government grants and funding arrangements of $11,363 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to $763 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. Excluding the effect of government grants and fundings arrangements, R&D expenses increased by $14,957 or 139% as a result of an increases in R&D expenses discussed above and an increase in regulatory costs related to our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate.
General and Administrative Expenses
G&A expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2021 were $9,693 as compared to $5,562 for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The G&A expense increase of $4,131 or 74%, is a result of the increase in pre-commercial activities, such as marketing costs and the development of our sales and distribution infrastructure, as potential regulatory approvals approach, increased insurance costs, increased professional costs and increased labor costs.
G&A expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 were $25,807 as compared to $13,520 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The G&A expense increase of $12,287 or 91% is a result of the increase discussed above.
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Loss from Operations
The net loss from operations for the three months ended September 30, 2021 was $15,024 as compared to $11,853 for the three months ended September 30, 2020. The $3,171 increase in the net loss from operations resulted from the items discussed above.
The net loss from operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was $47,160 as compared to $29,405 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The $17,755 increase in the net loss from operations resulted from the items discussed above.
Interest Expense, net of interest income
The interest expense, net of interest income increased by $284 and $1,677 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, compared to three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, is due to the following: (1) the conversion of $2,000 of the secured term loan to common shares, which resulted in $1,161 of additional interest accretion being recognized in interest expense, net of interest income in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss; and (2) an increase in long-term debt of $12,000.
Foreign Exchange Gain (Loss)
The foreign exchange gain of $203 and loss $127 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 respectively, and the foreign exchange loss of $402 and gain of $543 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, are a result of the changes in the foreign currency exchange rates (NIS and CAD) in which the foreign currency transactions were denominated for each of those periods.
Net Loss
Net loss of $15,847 and $50,970 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to $12,997 and $30,868 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 respectively is a result of the items discussed above.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
September 30, 2021 | December 31, 2020 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 137,470 | $ | 93,825 | $ | 43,645 | 47 | % | ||||||||
Current Assets | 147,803 | 132,041 | 15,762 | 12 | % | |||||||||||
Current Liabilities | 32,949 | 17,348 | 15,601 | 90 | % | |||||||||||
Working Capital | 114,854 | 114,693 | 161 | 0 | % | |||||||||||
Accumulated Deficit | $ | (359,588 | ) | $ | (308,618 | ) | $ | (50,970 | ) | 17 | % |
As of September 30, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $137,470 as compared to $93,825 as of December 31, 2020. As of September 30, 2021, we had working capital of $114,854 as compared to working capital of $114,693 at December 31, 2020. Working capital is calculated by subtracting current liabilities from current assets.
The report of our independent registered public accounting firm on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 contains an explanatory paragraph regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. VBI has incurred significant net losses and negative operating cash flows since inception and expects to continue incurring losses and negative cash flows from operations as we carry out our planned clinical, regulatory, R&D, sales, and manufacturing activities with respect to the advancement of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate and new pipeline candidates. As of September 30, 2021, VBI had an accumulated deficit of $359,588 and stockholders’ equity of $160,144.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company issued 8,192,765 common shares under the ATM Program, for total gross proceeds of $30,275 at an average price of $3.70. The Company incurred $1,015 of share issuance costs related to the common shares issued resulting in net proceeds of $29,260.
On February 3, 2021, pursuant to the Loan Agreement, the Lenders converted $2,000 of the secured term loan into 1,369,863 common shares at a conversion price of $1.46.
On March 9, 2021, the Company and CEPI announced a partnership, the CEPI Funding Agreement, to develop eVLP vaccine candidates against SARS-COV-2 variants, including the Beta variant, also known as the B.1.351 variant and 501Y.V2, first identified in South Africa. CEPI agreed to provide up to $33,018 to support the advancement of VBI-2905, a monovalent eVLP candidate expressing the pre-fusion form of the spike protein from the Beta variant, through Phase I clinical development. This funding will also support preclinical expansion of additional multivalent vaccine candidates designed to evaluate the potential breadth of our eVLP technology. The preclinical expansion is intended to develop clinic-ready vaccine candidates capable of addressing emerging variants. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we received $18,363, of which there is a balance remaining of $13,469 in other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.
On May 17, 2021 the Company entered into the First Amendment to the Loan Agreement with the Lenders, see Long Term Debt above for more details.
On September 3, 2021, the Company entered into a second Open Market Sale AgreementSM with Jefferies to act as the Company’s sales agent and/or principal, for the issuance and sale of up to an additional $125,000,000 of the Company’s common shares from time to time in an at-the-market public offering, which the Company could choose to use when no shares remain available for issuance under the ATM Program.
Our ability to maintain our status as an operating company and to realize our investment in our IPR&D assets is dependent upon obtaining adequate cash and cash equivalents to finance our clinical development, manufacturing, our administrative overhead and our research and development activities. We plan to finance near term future operations with existing cash and cash equivalents reserves. We expect that we will need to secure additional financing to finance our business plans, which may be a combination of proceeds from the issuance of equity securities, the issuance of additional debt, structured asset financings, government grants or subsidies, and revenues from potential business development transactions, if any. There is no assurance we will manage to obtain these sources of financing. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern; however, the above conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to do so. The financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classifications of liabilities that may result should we be unable to continue as a going concern. Our long-term success and ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon obtaining sufficient capital to fund the research and development of our products, to bring about their successful commercial release, to generate revenue, and, ultimately, to attain profitable operations, or, alternatively, to advance our products and technology to such a point that they would be attractive candidates for acquisition by others in the industry.
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We will require additional funds to conduct clinical and non-clinical trials, achieve regulatory approvals, and, subject to such approvals, commercially launch our products, and will need to secure additional financing in the future to support our operations and to realize our investment in our IPR&D assets. We base this belief on assumptions that are subject to change, and we may be required to use our available cash and cash equivalent resources sooner than we currently expect. Our actual future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the progress and results of our ongoing clinical trials, the duration and cost of discovery and preclinical development, laboratory testing and clinical trials for our pipeline candidates, the timing and outcome of regulatory review of our products, obtaining regulatory approvals for our recently modernized manufacturing facility in Rehovot, Israel, product sales outside of Israel, the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending, and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights, the number and development requirements of other pipeline candidates that we pursue, and the costs of commercialization activities, including product marketing, sales, and distribution.
We expect to finance our future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, potential additional proceeds from the long-term debt from the Lenders pursuant to the Loan Agreement, debt financings, government grants or non-government funding, structured asset financings, or business development transactions. In addition to the First Tranche Term Loan and the Second Tranche Term Loan, the Lenders agreed to make available subject to the conditions discussed above and upon the submission of a loan request by the Company, the Third Tranche Term Loan and the Fourth Tranche Term Loan. Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, we will receive up to CAD $55,976 as a government grant to support the development of the Company’s coronavirus vaccine program, though Phase II clinical studies, and pursuant to the CEPI Funding Agreement, we will receive up to $33,018 in funding to support the development of the Company’s coronavirus vaccine program, specifically SARS-COV-2 variants. We may need to raise additional funds more quickly if one or more of our assumptions prove to be incorrect or if we choose to expand our product development efforts more rapidly than we presently anticipate. We may also decide to raise additional funds even before we need them if the conditions for raising capital are favorable. Additional equity, debt, structured asset financing, government grants or non-government funding, or business development transactions may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate our R&D programs, reduce our planned commercialization efforts or obtain funds through arrangements with collaborators or others that may require us to relinquish rights to certain pipeline candidates that we might otherwise seek to develop or commercialize independently.
To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities or obtaining borrowings convertible into equity, ownership dilution to existing stockholders will result and future investors may be granted rights superior to those of existing stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness or debt financing would result in increased fixed obligations and could also result in covenants that would restrict our operations. Our ability to obtain additional capital may depend on prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, and other factors beyond our control. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unstable economic environment globally. Disruptions in the global financial markets may adversely impact the availability and cost of credit, as well as our ability to raise money in the capital markets. Current economic conditions have been, and continue to be, volatile. Continued instability in these market conditions may limit our ability to access the capital necessary to fund and grow our business.
The Company’s long-term success and ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon obtaining sufficient capital to fund the research and development of its products, to bring about their successful commercial release, to generate revenue and, ultimately, to attain profitable operations or, alternatively, to advance its products and technology to such a point that they would be attractive candidates for acquisition by others in the industry.
To date, the Company has been able to obtain financing as and when it was needed; however, there is no assurance that financing will be available in the future, or if it is, that it will be available at acceptable terms.
Net cash used in Operating Activities
The Company incurred net losses of $50,970 and $30,868 in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company used $21,392 and $30,555 in cash for operating activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The decrease in cash outflows is largely a result of an increase in net loss, offset by the change in operating working capital, notably the cash received in advance from the CEPI Funding Agreement.
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Net cash used in Investing Activities
Net cash flows provided by investing activities was $23,766 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to cash used in investing activities of $25,468 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 we purchased short term investments, and during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 the short-term investments were redeemed.
Net cash provided by Financing Activities
Net cash flows provided by financing activities was $41,401 for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 compared to cash flows provided by financing activities of $106,867 during the nine months ended September 30, 2020. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we issued common shares for net proceeds of $103,187 and completed debt financing for net proceeds of $3,679. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we issued common shares for net proceeds of $29,423 and completed additional debt financing for proceeds of $12,000.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of September 30, 2021, we have no off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), or other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons that have, or may have, a material effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, or capital resources.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
There have been no changes to our critical accounting policies during the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Critical accounting policies and the significant accounting estimates made in accordance with such policies are regularly discussed with the Audit Committee of the Company’s board of directors. Those policies are discussed under “Critical Accounting Policies” in our “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of the Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as well as in our consolidated financial statements and the footnotes thereto, included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Trends, Events and Uncertainties
As with other companies that are in the process of commercializing novel pharmaceutical products, we will need to successfully manage normal business and scientific risks. Research and development of new technologies is, by its nature, unpredictable. We cannot assure you that our technology will be adopted, that we will ever earn revenues sufficient to support our operations, or that we will ever be profitable. In addition, the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the Delta variant of COVID-19, which appears to be the most transmissible variant to-date, is currently indeterminable and rapidly evolving, and has adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect our operations and the global economy. Furthermore, other than as discussed in this report, we have no committed source of financing and may not be able to raise money as and when we need it to continue our operations. If we cannot raise funds as and when we need them, we may be required to severely curtail, or even to cease, our operations.
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Other than as discussed above and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q, we are not aware of any trends, events or uncertainties that are likely to have a material effect on our financial condition.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 3 of Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not applicable.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management has evaluated, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (our principal executive officer) and our Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development (our principal financial and accounting officer), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or Rule 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported in a timely manner, and (2) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021, that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II—OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may be involved in certain claims and litigation arising out of the ordinary course and conduct of business. Management assesses such claims and, if it considers that it is probable that an asset had been impaired or a liability had been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated, provisions for loss are made based on management’s assessment of the most likely outcome.
On September 13, 2018, two actions were brought in the District Court of the central district in Israel naming our subsidiary SciVac as a defendant. In one claim, two minors, through their parents, allege among other things, defects in certain batches of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine discovered in July 2015; that our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine was approved for use in children and infants in Israel without sufficient evidence establishing its safety; that SciVac failed to provide accurate information about our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine to consumers and that each child suffered side effects from the vaccine. The claim was filed together with a motion seeking approval of a class action on behalf of 428,000 children vaccinated with our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine in Israel from April 2011 and seeking damages in a total amount of NIS 1,879,500,000 (not in thousands) ($582,069). The second claim is a civil action brought by two minors and their parents against SciVac and the Israel Ministry of Health alleging, among other things, that SciVac marketed an experimental, defective, hazardous or harmful vaccine; that our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine was marketed in Israel without sufficient evidence establishing its safety; and that our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine was produced and marketed in Israel without approval of a western regulatory body. The claim seeks damages for past and future losses and expenses as well as punitive damages.
SciVac believes these matters to be without merit and intends to defend these claims vigorously.
The District Court has accepted SciVac’s motion to suspend reaching a decision on the approval of the class action pending the determination of liability under the civil action. Preliminary hearings for the trial of the civil action began on January 15, 2020, with subsequent preliminary hearings held on May 13, 2020, December 3, 2020 and September 30, 2021. The next preliminary hearing is scheduled to be held on June 9, 2022.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following description of risk factors includes any material changes to risk factors associated with our business, financial condition and results of operations previously disclosed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, as filed with the SEC on March 2, 2021. Our business, financial condition and operating results can be affected by a number of factors, whether currently known or unknown, including but not limited to those described below, any one or more of which could, directly or indirectly, cause our actual financial condition and operating results to vary materially from past, or from anticipated future, financial condition and operating results. Any of these factors, in whole or in part, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, and stock price.
The following discussion of risk factors contains forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be important to understanding other statements in this Form 10-Q. The following information should be read in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes in Part I, Item 1, “Financial Statements” and Part I, Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Form 10- Q.
Risks Related to Our Product Development
Our pursuit of coronavirus vaccine candidates is ongoing, and we may be unable to produce a vaccine that successfully provides protection against the virus in a relevant manner, if at all.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in collaboration with the NRC, ISED, and CEPI, we have worked to advance the development of our VBI-2900 program coronavirus candidates including VBI-2901, VBI-2902, and VBI-2905. Our development of the monovalent vaccine candidates VBI-2902 and VBI-2905 is in the early clinical stage and our development of the trivalent pan-coronavirus vaccines VBI-2901 is in the pre-clinical stage, and we may be unable to develop a vaccine that successfully and safely protects against the viruses in a timely manner, if at all. In addition, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has mutated as it has spread leading to several variants, including the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants, and it is expected that new variants will continue to emerge. Given the evolution of the virus and the current and potential emergence of new dominant variants, the vaccine candidates that we are developing could become irrelevant if they do not work as effectively as other vaccines against then dominant variants. Furthermore, even if we successfully develop a vaccine, we may encounter difficulties developing and scaling up manufacturing processes suitable for production of sufficient supply for our clinical trials or for commercialization in a cost-effective manner. Due to the number of COVID-19 vaccine candidates in clinical trials, we may also encounter difficulty locating clinical sites with capacity to conduct clinical trials, and therefore, we may experience delays in initiating or enrolling clinical trials of our vaccine candidate. We are also committing financial resources and personnel to the development of a coronavirus vaccine which may cause delays in or otherwise negatively impact our other development programs, despite uncertainties surrounding the longevity and extent of coronavirus as a global health concern. Our business could be negatively impacted by our allocation of significant resources to a global health threat that is unpredictable and could rapidly dissipate or against which our vaccine, if developed, may not be partially or fully effective.
Given the global footprint and the widespread media attention on the COVID-19 pandemic, there are efforts by public and private entities to develop vaccines against COVID-19, including large, multinational pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Inc., Pfizer, and Sanofi, with vaccine candidates that are currently approved, authorized for emergency use, or at more advanced stage of development than our coronavirus vaccine candidates. In December 2020, the FDA and other similar regulatory agencies began to issue emergency use authorizations for vaccines developed by certain of these large, multinational pharmaceutical companies, and in August 2020 the FDA approved the first coronavirus vaccine. It is possible that additional vaccines developed by such large, multinational pharmaceutical companies may receive further approvals and authorizations in the near term. Those other entities may develop COVID-19 vaccines that are more effective than any vaccine we may develop, may develop a COVID-19 vaccine that becomes the standard of care, may develop a COVID-19 vaccine at a lower cost or earlier than we are able to develop any COVID-19 vaccine, or may be more successful at commercializing a COVID-19 vaccine. Many of these other organizations are much larger than we are and have access to larger pools of capital, and as such, are able to fund and carry-on larger research and development initiatives. Such other entities may have greater development capabilities than we do and have substantially greater experience in undertaking nonclinical and clinical testing of vaccine candidates, obtaining regulatory approvals and manufacturing and marketing pharmaceutical products. Our competitors may also have greater name recognition and better access to customers. In addition, based on the competitive landscape, additional COVID-19 vaccines or therapeutics will likely be approved to be marketed. These products could reduce the commercial opportunity for our coronavirus vaccine candidates and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects. Moreover, if we experience delayed regulatory approvals or disputed clinical claims, we may not have a commercial or clinical advantage over competitors’ products. The success or failure of other entities, or perceived success or failure, may adversely impact our ability to obtain any future funding for our vaccine development efforts or for us to ultimately commercialize and market any vaccine candidate, if approved. In addition, we may not be able to compete effectively if our product candidates do not satisfy government procurement requirements with respect to biodefense products.
We rely on government and non-government organization grants or subsidies to contribute to our coronavirus vaccine development program. If we are unable to satisfy our contractual obligations or meet expected deadlines, the development of the coronavirus vaccine candidates may be extended, delayed, modified, or terminated and we may be required to repay all or part of the grants or subsidies.
On September 16, 2020, we signed the Contribution Agreement with Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by ISED whereby ISED agreed to contribute up to CAD $56 million from the SIF to support the development of our coronavirus vaccine program, VBI-2900, though Phase II clinical studies (the “Project”). We agreed to complete the Project in or before the first quarter of 2022, which will be conducted exclusively in Canada, except as permitted otherwise under certain circumstances. In an event of default, subject to a rectification period available in certain circumstances, among other things, the Minister may (i) suspend or terminate its contribution to the Project, or (ii) require repayment of all or part of the contribution paid by the Minster, together with interest from the day of demand at the interest rate set forth in the Contribution Agreement. As a result, if we default on our obligations under the Contribution Agreement, we may not have sufficient funds available to continue the development of our coronavirus vaccine program, and we cannot be certain that we will be able to obtain additional capital to fund the program. In addition, we may be required to repay the grants made under the Contribution Agreement, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Furthermore, in connection with execution of the Contribution Agreement, we obtained a consent of K2 HealthVentures LLC, as administrative agent for the lenders and a lender, pursuant to the Loan Agreement, dated May 22, 2020. Pursuant to such consent, certain events of default that result in contributions made under the Contribution Agreement in excess of $500 becoming due and payable could result in an event of default under the Loan Agreement.
On March 9, 2021, we signed the CEPI Funding Agreement with the CEPI whereby CEPI agreed to contribute up to $33 million to support the advancement of our eVLP vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 including the advancement of VBI-2905 through Phase I clinical development. We agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to fulfill our obligations, including achieving certain objectives and timelines within the agreed timeframe laid out in the CEPI Funding Agreement. If we are unable to achieve such objectives or timelines, or if CEPI determines that we are unable to meet our obligations under the CEPI Funding Agreement, subject to certain conditions, CEPI may choose not to provide additional tranches of funding, to provide less funding, or to terminate the CEPI Funding Agreement. If CEPI terminates the CEPI Funding Agreement, CEPI will not be required to make any further payments to us and we will be required to return any CEPI funds that are unspent, subject to certain limitations. If CEPI terminates the CEPI Funding Agreement or chooses not to provide additional tranches of funding, or to provide less funding than expected, this could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects; in addition, our ability to advance VBI-2905 would require alternative funding, which could significantly slow down the product development and approval process, and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenue.
If we are unable to manufacture our pipeline candidates and products in sufficient quantities, at sufficient yields or are unable to obtain regulatory approvals for a manufacturing facility for our vaccines, we may experience delays in product development, clinical trials, regulatory approval, commercial distribution, and the In Process Research & Development (“IPR&D”) assets may become impaired and be written off at some time in the future.
Completion of our clinical trials and commercialization of our pipeline candidates and products require access to, or development of, facilities to manufacture our pipeline candidates and products at sufficient yields and at commercial-scale. We have limited experience manufacturing any of our pipeline candidates and products in the volumes that will be necessary to support large-scale clinical trials or commercial sales. Efforts to establish these capabilities may not meet initial expectations as to scheduling, scale-up, reproducibility, yield, purity, cost, potency, or quality.
If we are unable to manufacture our pipeline candidates and products in clinical or commercial quantities, as the case may be, in sufficient yields, with sufficient purity, potency, quality, and identity, then we must find, qualify, and rely on third parties. Any new third-party manufacturers must also receive FDA approval and/or approval from similar regulatory agencies before we may use product manufactured by them as our commercial products and pipeline candidates. Our products may be in competition with other products for access to these facilities and may be subject to delays in manufacture if our third-party manufacturers give other products greater priority. Any delays experienced by third-party manufacturers, whether directly or by its raw material suppliers in relation to our project, may result in delays in clinical development of our pipeline candidates.
As a result, any delay or interruption, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, the IPR&D assets may become impaired and be written off at some time in the future, which could also have a material adverse effect on the financial statements.
The FDA, EMA and similar foreign regulatory agencies may require additional information, clinical trial data, or manufacturing changes, for our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate before granting regulatory approval, if regulatory approval is granted at all.
We submitted the BLA to the FDA and the MAA to the EMA in the fourth quarter of 2020 for our 3-antigen HBV vaccine candidate, which have subsequently been accepted for review by the regulatory authorities. Our registration and commercial timelines for such vaccine candidate depend on further discussions with the FDA, the EMA and similar foreign regulatory agencies. They could have requirements and requests for additional data, beyond what is included in the submissions, completion of additional clinical trials, including a request to increase the size of the safety data set, or changes to the manufacturing process or our manufacturing facility. Any such requirements or requests could:
● | adversely affect our ability to timely and successfully commercialize or market our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate in the United States, Europe, Canada, and other jurisdictions where our vaccine is not currently approved; | |
● | result in significant additional costs; | |
● | potentially diminish any competitive advantages for our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate; | |
● | potentially limit the markets for our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate; | |
● | adversely affect our ability to enter into collaborations or receive milestone payments or royalties from potential collaborators; | |
● | cause us to abandon the further development of our 3-antigen prophylactic HBV vaccine candidate or certain of our pipeline candidates to comply with requests by the FDA, the EMA or similar foreign regulatory agencies in jurisdictions where it is not currently approved; or | |
● | limit our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all. |
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Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
a) Sales of Unregistered Securities
There have been no unregistered sales of securities during the period covered by this Form 10-Q that have not been previously reported in a current report on Form 8-K. We have not made any purchases of our own securities during the time period covered by this Form 10-Q.
c) Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosure
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information
None.
Item 6. Exhibits
See the Exhibit Index following the signature page to this Form 10-Q for a list of exhibits filed or furnished with this Form 10-Q, which Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.
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EXHIBIT INDEX
+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan.
* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
# Certain portions of this exhibit have been redacted pursuant to Item 601(b)(10)(iv) of Regulation S-K. The omitted information is (i) not material and (ii) would likely cause competitive harm to the Company if publicly disclosed. The Company agrees to furnish supplementally an unredacted copy of the exhibit to the SEC upon its request.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
Date: November 8, 2021 | VBI VACCINES INC. | |
By: | /s/ Jeffrey Baxter | |
Jeffrey Baxter President & Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) | ||
By: | /s/ Christopher McNulty | |
Christopher McNulty | ||
Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development | ||
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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