美國
證券和交易委員會
華盛頓特區 20549
表格
(Mark One)
截至季度結束日期的財務報告
或者
過渡期從 至
委託文件編號:001-39866
(根據其章程規定的註冊人準確名稱)
(國家或其他司法管轄區) | (IRS僱主 |
,(主要行政辦公地址) | (郵政編碼) |
(
(註冊人電話號碼,包括區號)
不適用。
(如自上次報告以來發生更改,則包括更名、更改地址及更改財政年度)
根據證券法第12(b)條註冊的證券:
每一類的名稱 |
| 交易標的 |
| 在其上註冊的交易所的名稱 |
該 |
在過去的12個月內(或者在公司被要求提交這些報告的較短時間內),是否已提交交易所法規中第13或15(d)條陳述所要求的所有報告,並且在過去90天中是否一直遵守這些報告要求。
請在註冊表中標明,公司是否在過去12個月中通過電子方式提交了根據S-t法規第405條規定必須提交的每個互動式數據文件(或在公司被要求提交此類文件的更短期間內)。
請在標記上打√,以表明註冊人是大型加速備案人、加速備案人、非加速備案人、小型報表公司還是新興增長公司。有關「大型加速備案人」、「加速備案人」、「小型報表公司」和「新興增長公司」的定義,請參見1934年證券交易法的規則120億.2。
大型加速文件申報人 | ☐ | 加速文件申報人 | ☐ | ||
☒ | 更小的報告公司 | 成長型公司 |
如果是新興成長型企業,請勾選是否選擇不使用按照《證券交易法》第13(a)條規定的新或修訂財務會計準則的過渡期。
請在選項前打勾表示該註冊公司是外殼公司(定義在《證券交易法》規則120億.2條款中)。是
截至2023年7月31日,續借貸款協議下未償還的借款額爲
第一部分 - 財務信息
項目1:財務報表。
IMMUNOME,INC。
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(以千爲單位,除非另有說明)
(未經審計)
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| 2024年9月30日 |
| 2023年12月31日 | |||
資產 |
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流動資產: |
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現金及現金等價物 | $ | | $ | | ||
有價證券 | | | ||||
預付費用及其他流動資產 |
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總流動資產 |
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房地產和設備,淨額 |
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租賃權資產 | | | ||||
受限現金 |
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其他長期資產 | | | ||||
總資產 | $ | | $ | | ||
負債和股東權益 |
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流動負債: |
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應付賬款 | $ | | $ | | ||
應計費用及其他流動負債 |
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遞延收入,流動 | | | ||||
流動負債合計 |
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遞延收入,非流動 | — | | ||||
經營租賃負債,淨值超過流動資產 |
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總負債 |
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股東權益: |
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優先股,$0.0001 | ||||||
普通股,每股面值爲 $0.0001; | | | ||||
其他資本公積 |
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累計其他綜合收益 | | | ||||
累積赤字 |
| ( |
| ( | ||
股東權益總額 |
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負債和股東權益總額 | $ | | $ | |
隨附說明是這些未經審計的簡明合併財務報表的一部分.
3
IMMUNOME, INC.
濃縮 合併經營報表和綜合虧損表
(以千計,股票和每股數據除外)
(未經審計)
截至9月30日的三個月 | 截至9月30日的九個月 | |||||||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 |
| 2024 |
| 2023 | |||||
協作收入 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||
運營費用: |
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正在進行的研究和開發 | | — | | — | ||||||||
研究和開發 | | | | | ||||||||
一般和行政 |
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運營費用總額 |
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運營損失 |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | ||||
利息收入 |
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淨虧損 | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
基本和攤薄後的每股淨虧損 | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
加權平均已發行股票、基本股和攤薄後股票 |
| |
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綜合損失: | ||||||||||||
淨虧損 | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||||
有價證券的未實現收益 | | — | | — | ||||||||
綜合虧損 | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( | $ | ( |
隨附附註是這些未經審計的簡明合併財務報表不可分割的一部分。.
4
IMMUNOME,INC。
董事股東權益變動簡明合併財務報表
(單位:千美元,以股份數據爲單位)
(未經審計)
累積 | |||||||||||||||||
額外 | 其他 | 總共 | |||||||||||||||
普通股 | 實繳 | 綜合 | 累計 | 股東權益 | |||||||||||||
| 股份 |
| 金額 |
| Capital |
| 收入 |
| 赤字 |
| 股權 | ||||||
2023年12月31日的餘額 | | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | | ||||||
基於股份的薪酬支出 | — | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
根據Zentalis許可協議發行普通股 |
| | — | | — | — | | ||||||||||
根據阿亞拉資產購買協議發行普通股 |
| | — | | — | — | | ||||||||||
發行普通股進行公開募股,扣除佣金和發行成本$ | | | | — | — | | |||||||||||
行使股票期權 | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
行使普通股權證 | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
可供出售證券未實現減值損失 | — | — | — | ( | — | ( | |||||||||||
淨損失 |
| — | — | — | — | ( | ( | ||||||||||
2024年3月31日結存餘額 | | | | | ( | | |||||||||||
基於股票的補償費用 | — | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
行使股票期權 | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
行使普通股權證 | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
可供出售證券未實現減值損失 | — | — | — | ( | — | ( | |||||||||||
淨損失 | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||
2024年6月30日餘額 | | | | | ( | | |||||||||||
基於股份的薪酬支出 | — | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
與bms系統許可協議修訂相關的普通股發行 | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
行使股票期權 | | — | | — | — | | |||||||||||
市場證券未實現收益 | — | — | — | | — | | |||||||||||
淨虧損 | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||
2024年9月30日的餘額 |
| | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | |
5
IMMUNOME,INC。
董事股東權益變動簡明合併財務報表
(單位:千美元,以股份數據爲單位)
(未經審計)
額外 | 總共 | |||||||||||||
普通股 | 實繳 | 累積 | 股東權益 | |||||||||||
| 股份 |
| 金額 |
| Capital |
| 赤字 |
| 股權 | |||||
2022年12月31日餘額 |
| | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | | ||||
基於股份的薪酬支出 |
| — | — | | — | | ||||||||
根據以前的ATM方式發行普通股,淨額爲$ | | — | | — | | |||||||||
普通股發行 | | — | | — | | |||||||||
限制性股票獎勵的解禁 | | — | | — | | |||||||||
淨損失 |
| — | — | — | ( | ( | ||||||||
2023年3月31日的餘額 | | | | ( | | |||||||||
以股份爲基礎的報酬費用 | — | — | | — | | |||||||||
受限股票獎勵的解禁 | | — | | — | | |||||||||
淨損失 | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||
2023年6月30日的餘額 | | | | ( | | |||||||||
基於股份的薪酬支出 | — | — | | — | | |||||||||
限制性股票獎勵的解禁 | | — | | — | | |||||||||
淨損失 | — | — | — | ( | ( | |||||||||
2023年9月30日餘額 |
| | $ | | $ | | $ | ( | $ | |
隨附說明是這些未經審計的簡明合併財務報表的一部分.
6
IMMUNOME,INC。
簡明的綜合現金流量表
(單位爲千)
(未經審計)
截至9月30日的九個月 | ||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 | |||
經營活動現金流量: |
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淨損失 | $ | ( | $ | ( | ||
調整使淨虧損轉爲經營活動產生的現金流量: |
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折舊和攤銷 |
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租賃權資產攤銷 | | | ||||
Accretion of discounts on marketable securities | ( | | ||||
以股份爲基礎的報酬費用 |
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對正在進行的研究和開發資產的購買收取費用 | | — | ||||
運營資產和負債的變化: |
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預付款項和其他資產 |
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應付賬款 |
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應計費用及其他流動負債 |
| |
| ( | ||
遞延營收 | ( | | ||||
經營租賃負債 | ( | ( | ||||
經營活動中提供的淨現金流量(流出) |
| ( |
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投資活動現金流量: |
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在研開發資產的購買 | ( | — | ||||
購買有市場流通的證券 | ( | — | ||||
有價證券到期收益 | | — | ||||
購買固定資產 |
| ( |
| ( | ||
投資活動使用的淨現金 |
| ( |
| ( | ||
籌集資金的現金流量: |
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公開發行的收益 | | — | ||||
支付發行費用 | ( | ( | ||||
PIPE交易中的預付款被記錄爲存入資金負債 | — | | ||||
行使股票期權所得 |
| |
| — | ||
行使普通股認股權的收益 | | — | ||||
在之前的ATM下發行普通股的收益,淨額 | — | | ||||
籌資活動產生的現金淨額 |
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現金及現金等價物和限制性現金淨增加額 |
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期初的現金及現金等價物和受限制的現金 |
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期末現金及現金等價物和受限現金 | $ | | $ | | ||
現金及現金等價物和受限現金的調節: | ||||||
現金及現金等價物 | $ | | $ | | ||
受限現金 | | | ||||
總現金、現金等價物和受限制現金 | $ | | $ | |
7
IMMUNOME,INC。
簡明的綜合現金流量表
(單位爲千)
(未經審計)
截至9月30日的九個月 | ||||||
2024 |
| 2023 | ||||
非現金投資和籌資活動的補充披露: |
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以普通股發行作爲正在進行的研發資產的對價 | $ | | $ | — | ||
從購買在研研發 資產 中承擔的淨負債 | $ | | $ | — | ||
應付賬款中在研研發資產的購買 | $ | | $ | — | ||
在交換運營租賃負債獲得的使用權資產 | $ | | $ | — | ||
由於租賃延長對使用權資產和租賃負債的重新計量 | $ | — | $ | | ||
向部分董事會成員發行普通股以替代應計補償 | $ | — | $ | | ||
應付賬款和應計費用及其他流動負債的發行成本 | $ | — | $ | | ||
應付賬款和應計費用以及其他流動負債中的地產及設備採購 | $ | | $ | |
附註是這些未經審計的簡明綜合財務報表的組成部分。
8
IMMUNOME,INC。
壓縮合並財務報表附註
(未經審計)
1. 業務性質
組織形式
Immunome, Inc.,或簡稱爲公司或Immunome,是一家專注於開發靶向腫瘤療法的生物技術公司。公司認爲追求新穎或未充分開發的靶點將是新一代變革性療法的核心,並致力於開發具有一流和最佳潛力的靶向癌症療法。 公司的目標是建立廣泛的臨床前和臨床資產管道,並將這些資產開發爲已批准的產品以便商業化。爲了支持這一目標,公司在業務發展和內部創新項目上投入巨資。
Immunome正在推進包括臨床和臨床前資產在內的流水線。
於2023年10月2日,公司完成了與Morphimmune Inc.的合併,Morphimmune是一家專注於開發靶向腫瘤治療的臨床前生物技術公司,Morphimmune成爲了Immunome的全資子公司。
流動性
自成立以來,公司已招致重大營業虧損,並預計在可預見的將來繼續因推進治療候選藥物及其他項目的開發而出現營業虧損。截至2024年9月30日,公司累計赤字爲$
截至2024年9月30日,公司主要通過 銷售 證券和戰略合作伙伴關係以及交易,以及 費用報銷s 從於2022年結束的政府合同中獲得支持公司預計截至2024年9月30日的現金、現金等價物和可變現證券足以支持其當前和計劃的營業費用和資本支出,至少從本季度10-Q表格提交日起的12個月。在該日期之後,公司可能需要通過股本發行、債務融資、合作、戰略聯盟和許可安排的組合籌集額外資本,以實現 其長期業務目標。
9
2。重要會計政策摘要
列報依據
隨附的未經審計的中期財務報表是根據美國普遍接受的會計原則(GAAP)編制的,並遵循美國證券交易委員會(SEC)對中期報告的要求。根據公認會計原則編制的財務報表中通常包含的某些信息和披露已被壓縮或省略。因此,這些未經審計的簡明合併財務報表和附註應與公司於2024年3月28日向美國證券交易委員會提交的10-k表年度報告中包含的公司年度財務報表和相關附註一起閱讀,這些報告對公司的會計政策和某些其他信息進行了更完整的討論。2023年12月31日的簡明合併資產負債表來自公司的年度財務報表。這些未經審計的簡明合併財務報表是在與年度財務報表相同的基礎上編制的,其中包括管理層認爲公允列報公司財務信息所需的所有調整。中期業績不一定代表全年或任何未來中期的業績。
整合原則
簡明的合併財務報表包括公司及其全資子公司的賬目。在合併中,所有公司間帳戶和交易均已清除。
估計數的使用
根據公認會計原則編制財務報表要求管理層做出影響未經審計的簡明合併財務報表及附註中報告的金額的估計和假設。公司使用歷史經驗和其他因素持續評估其估計和假設,並在事實和情況需要時調整這些估計和假設。實際結果可能與這些估計有重大差異。公司的重要會計估計包括但不一定限於收入確認、股票獎勵的估計公允價值、應計研發費用以及收購的在建研發資產的公允價值。
區段和地理信息
運營部門被定義爲一個實體的組成部分,在決定如何分配資源和評估績效時,可獲得有關該實體的獨立信息,並由首席運營決策者即首席執行官定期進行審查。該公司已確定其運營方式爲
信用風險的集中
可能使公司面臨信用風險高度集中的金融工具主要包括現金和現金等價物以及有價證券。公司在金融機構的存款超過政府保險限額。管理層認爲,公司沒有面臨重大信用風險,因爲公司的存款存放在管理層認爲信貸質量很高的金融機構,而且公司的這些存款沒有遭受任何損失。管理層還認爲,該公司在有價證券方面不面臨重大信用風險,因爲該公司僅投資於美國政府證券。
受限制的現金
限制性現金是指爲與公司租賃設施之一相關的作爲按金簽發的信用證提供的抵押品。租約終止後,現金將解除限制。受限現金爲 $
10
資產收購
收購不符合業務定義的資產或一組資產被視爲資產收購,採用成本累積模型來判斷收購成本。在資產收購中作爲對價發行的普通股一般根據收購日期所發行的權益的公允價值進行計量。直接交易成本被確認爲資產收購成本的一部分。 在資產收購中獲得的用於研究和開發活動的無形資產如果具有替代未來使用,將作爲研發中的資本化項目,或稱爲IPR&D。獲得的IPR&D如果沒有替代未來使用,則會立即作爲研發費用的一部分,在壓縮合並的經營和綜合損失報表中列支。
除前期對價外,資產收購還可能包括爲未來里程碑事件或未來產品的淨銷售所支付的或有對價付款。公司評估此類或有對價是否應歸類爲負債及公允價值計量,或是否符合衍生品的定義。在資產收購中不需要按公允價值作爲負債覈算的或有對價付款在或有事項得到解決且對價支付或變得應付款時確認。在獲得監管批准之前支付的或有對價付款作爲產生的費用列支。
研發費用
研發費用包括在執行研究和開發活動中產生的費用,包括工資和獎金、基於股份的薪酬、員工福利、設施成本、實驗室用品、折舊和攤銷,以及前臨床和臨床開發費用,包括工藝開發、驗證、藥品供應制造、臨床試驗費用,以及根據許可協議、諮詢協議和其他合同服務所發生的費用。研發費用在發生時列支。用於未來研究和開發活動的商品或服務的不可退還預付款被遞延並資本化爲預付款,直到相關商品交付或服務完成。這種付款根據預計接受這些服務的時間評估爲當前或長期分類。
公司根據與研究機構、合同製造機構和第三方服務提供商簽訂的合同中所提供的服務,估計臨床前、臨床試驗和其他研發費用,這些第三方機構負責進行和管理臨床前研究和臨床試驗,並代表公司執行研究服務。公司根據估算的尚未開票的服務記錄這些研發活動的費用,並將這些費用包含在合併資產負債表中的應計費用和其他流動負債中,以及在合併損益表中的研發費用中。
公司根據多個因素累計這些費用,例如根據與第三方服務提供商簽訂的協議預估的工作完成情況、實際的患者入組水平和臨床試驗地點報告的活動。公司在判斷和估算應計費用餘額時會進行判斷和估算。隨着實際成本的明晰,公司會調整其應計費用。公司沒有發現應計費用與實際發生費用之間存在重大差異。然而,實際服務執行的狀態和時間可能與公司估算的不一致,從而導致未來期間費用的調整。這些估算的變化如果導致公司應計費用的重大變化,可能會對公司的經營業績產生重大影響。
每股淨虧損
基本每股淨虧損是通過將淨虧損除以期間流通的普通股加權平均股數計算的,不考慮可能會稀釋股份的證券。稀釋每股淨虧損是通過將淨虧損除以期間流通的普通股加權平均股數計算的,包括稀釋證券的影響。
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由於公司在截至2024年和2023年9月30日的三個季度和九個月中處於淨虧損地位,稀釋每股淨虧損與基本每股淨虧損相同,因爲潛在稀釋證券的影響造成反稀釋。
由於包括這些潛在稀釋證券將使其具有抗稀釋效果,故已從呈現週期的稀釋每股淨虧損計算中排除下列潛在稀釋證券(按換股基礎計算)。
九月三十日, | ||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 | |
未行權股票期權 | | | ||
普通股認股權證 | — | | ||
| |
最近還未採納的會計準則
2023年12月,財務會計準則委員會(Financial Accounting Standards Board, 或FASB)發佈了會計準則更新,即ASU 2023-09, 所得稅披露改進更新了與稅率調節及所支付所得稅信息相關的所得稅披露。此更新還包括某些其他修訂以提高所得稅披露的效果。本更新中的修訂適用於2024年12月15日後開始的年度期間。允許對尚未發佈或可提供的年度財務報表進行提前採納。公司仍在確定此ASU將對簡明綜合財務報表產生何種影響。
2023年11月,FASB發佈了ASU 2023-07,分部報告—改善可報告分部披露。 ASU 2023-07要求在中期和年度基礎上披露增量分部信息,併爲只有一個可報告分部的實體提供新的分部披露要求。ASU 2023-07適用於所有在2023年12月15日後開始的財政年度的上市公司,並適用於在2024年12月15日後開始的財政期間內的中期,並要求對財務報表中呈現的所有先前期間採用追溯性應用。 公司於2024年1月1日採納了ASU 2023-07的年度要求,並計劃於2025年1月1日採納ASU 2023-07的中期要求。公司將開始按照ASU 2023-07的規定在截至2024年12月31日的年度10-K表中包含財務報表披露。
3. 公允價值衡量
公司利用最大化使用可觀察輸入和最小化使用不可觀察輸入的估值技術,在可能的情況下根據主要或最有利市場的資產或負債的定價參與方所使用的假設來確定公允價值。在進行公允價值測量時,考慮市場參與方的假設時,以下公允價值層次結構區分可觀察輸入和不可觀察輸入,這些輸入分爲以下級別:
一級-在活躍市場上的、與相同資產或負債券配對的報價價格。
2級 – 除級別1價格外的可觀察輸入,例如類似資產或負債的報價價格,非活躍市場的報價價格,或其他可觀察到或可通過可觀察市場數據爲資產或負債的全部期限提供協作證據的輸入。
級別3 -由幾乎沒有市場活動支持的不可觀察輸入支持並對資產或負債的公允價值具有重大影響。
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以下表格總結了公司按照公允價值層次分類衡量的具有重複性的財務資產(以千爲單位):
2024年9月30日 | |||||||||||||
等級 |
| 攤銷成本 |
|
|
| 未實現損失 |
| 公平價值 | |||||
現金等價物: | |||||||||||||
貨幣市場基金 | 1 | $ | | $ | — | $ | — | $ | | ||||
美國國債證券 | 2 | | | — | | ||||||||
可轉換證券: | |||||||||||||
美國國債證券 | 2 | | | — | | ||||||||
所有財務資產 | $ | | $ | | $ | — | $ | | |||||
2023年12月31日 | |||||||||||||
級別 | 攤銷成本 |
| 未實現收益 |
| 未實現損失 |
| 公允價值 | ||||||
現金及現金等價物: | |||||||||||||
貨幣市場基金 | 1 | $ | | $ | — | $ | — | $ | | ||||
美國國債證券 | 2 | | — | — | | ||||||||
有市場的證券: | |||||||||||||
美國國債證券 | 2 | | | — | | ||||||||
所有財務資產 | $ | | $ | | $ | — | $ | |
公司的可變現證券包括最長期限爲美國國債到期日的債務證券
與艾伯維公司的合作協議
In , 公司與艾伯維全球企業有限公司簽訂了《合作與選擇協議》(Collaboration and Option Agreement,或稱爲合作協議),根據該協議,公司利用其發現平台發現和驗證來自患有三種特定腫瘤類型的患者的靶標以及與這些靶標結合的抗體,這些靶標和抗體可能成爲艾伯維進一步開發和商業化的對象。根據合作協議的條款,公司授予艾伯維獨家購買每個符合一定約定標準的新穎靶標-抗體對(Validated Target Pair 或 VTP)的全部權利的選擇權,總共最多爲10個,適用於全球所有人類和非人類的診斷、預防和治療用途,包括開發和商業化相關產品,或簡稱爲由指定VTP衍生的產品。
艾伯維公司向該公司支付了不可退款的預付款,金額爲 $
艾伯維公司支付版稅的義務將在產品和國家的基礎上終止,以先到者爲準(a)在該國首次商業銷售該產品之後的
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公司確定,《合作協議》代表與客戶的合同,幷包含一項履約義務,即向艾伯維公司提供研究和開發服務或研發服務。公司評估了繼續提供研發服務的期權以及購買每個VTP的許可證的期權,並得出結論,這些期權並不代表重要權利。
公司確定單一履約義務的初始交易價格爲 $
來自《合作協議》的營業收入將根據預計的研發服務的績效,通過成本對成本的投入法進行確認,公司認爲這種方法最能反映控制權的轉移給客戶。在成本對成本的投入法下,完成進度的程度是基於實際發生的成本與滿足履約義務時預期的總估計成本之間的比例來衡量的。公司確認的合作收入爲$
下表總結了遞延營業收入的變化(以千爲單位):
| 2024年9月30日止九個月 | ||
期初餘額 | $ | | |
收入遞延 | — | ||
營業收入的確認 |
| ( | |
期末餘額 | $ | |
截至2024年9月30日,公司預計將在大約的研發估計期間內確認與不可退還的預付款相關的遞延營業收入。
5. 資產負債表元件
應計費用及其他流動負債
應計費用和其他流動負債如下(以千爲單位):
| 2024年9月30日 |
| 2023年12月31日 | |||
研發費用 | $ | | $ | | ||
薪酬和相關福利 | | | ||||
遣散費的計提 | | | ||||
專業服務和諮詢 | | | ||||
經營租賃負債,當前部分 | | | ||||
其他 |
| |
| | ||
累計費用及其他流動負債總計 | $ | | $ | |
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6。員工福利計劃
公司根據《美國國稅法》第401(k)條維持固定繳款計劃或401(k)計劃。401(k)計劃涵蓋所有符合規定的最低年齡和服務要求的員工,並允許參與者在稅前基礎上推遲部分年度薪酬。公司承擔401(k)計劃的所有管理費用,並按照401(k)計劃文件的定義繳納相應的繳款。公司向401(k)計劃提供了相應的捐款,金額爲美元
7。資產收購
Atreca
2024年5月17日,公司與Atreca, Inc.(Atreca)完成了最初於2023年12月簽訂的資產購買協議或Atreca收購協議,根據該協議,公司收購了某些與抗體相關的資產和材料。
根據Atreca收購協議, 公司將被要求向Atreca支付最高$的款項
阿亞拉制藥
2024年3月25日,公司與阿亞拉制藥公司(Ayala)完成了2024年2月簽訂的資產購買協議或阿亞拉收購協議,根據該協議,公司收購了阿亞拉的 AL101 和 AL102 計劃,並承擔了與收購資產相關的某些負債。前期對價包括 (i) 支付約美元
該公司將此次交易視爲資產收購,因爲收購的總資產的公允價值幾乎都集中在兩個項目中,這兩個項目被歸類爲單一可識別的知識產權與開發資產。交易中收購的資產是根據支付的對價的估計公允價值計量的
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支付的對價以及所收購資產和承擔負債的相對公允價值如下(以千爲單位):
金額 | |||
向Ayala發行的普通股 | $ | | |
支付給Ayala的預付款 | | ||
交易成本 | | ||
支付對價 | $ | | |
獲得的資產: | |||
研發中的項目 | $ | | |
其他長期資產 | |||
獲取的總資產 | $ | | |
負債承擔: | |||
應計費用 | $ | | |
承擔的總負債 | $ | | |
已收購淨資產 | $ | |
與知識產權研發相關的費用在截至2024年9月30日的九個月內計入公司的簡明合併運營和綜合損失表中,因爲收購的知識產權研發沒有其他未來使用價值。
根據阿雅拉購置協議,公司將根據特定的發展、監管和商業里程碑事件的實現,向阿雅拉支付最高至$
Morphimmune
在2023年10月2日,公司完成了與Morphimmune的合併,或稱爲合併,並獲得了Morphimmune所有未償還的股權。
公司將對Morphimmune的收購視爲資產收購,因爲所收購資產的公允價值基本上集中在兩個被歸爲單一可識別的知識產權與研發資產的項目中。 交易中所收購的資產按支付對價總額的估計公允價值進行計量,金額爲$
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8. 許可安排
施貴寶
關於2024年3月艾亞拉購買協議的結案,公司承擔了施貴寶許可協議,即施貴寶公司或BMS的許可協議,根據該協議,公司獲得了全球範圍內的、不可轉讓的、帶有專利技術許可費用的、獨家的、可轉讓的許可,用於研究、發現、開發、製造、委託製造、使用、銷售、提供銷售、出口、進口和推廣AL101和AL102,即施貴寶授權化合物,以及含有AL101或AL102的產品,即施貴寶授權產品,用於包括針對任何人類或動物疾病、紊亂或控制的所有用途,包括預防、治療。
根據施貴寶許可協議,公司有義務盡商業上的努力開發至少一種施貴寶授權產品。公司還必須盡商業上的努力在某些主要市場國家獲得至少一種施貴寶授權產品的監管批准,以及在獲得此類監管批准後,實現第一項商業銷售和推廣每種施貴寶授權產品。
公司必須在實現對於AL101和AL102在多個適應症的某些臨床開發或監管里程碑時向施貴寶支付總額高達$
bms系統有權在公司未能在施貴寶發出書面通知後的一定時間內履行開發和商業化義務的情況下,終止施貴寶許可協議的全部內容。公司有權在提前書面通知施貴寶的情況下,因方便而終止施貴寶許可協議。在公司因方便或施貴寶終止施貴寶許可協議時,公司將向施貴寶授予一項專有的、不可轉讓的、可轉許可的、全球性的專利權,以便開發、製造或商業化施貴寶許可化合物或施貴寶許可產品。作爲這項許可的交換,施貴寶將有義務根據特定發展里程碑支付公司BMS 許可化合物和/或施貴寶授權產品的淨銷售額的低個位數百分比的專利權使用費,該終止發生在特定發展里程碑之後的BMS許可化合物和/或施貴寶許可產品。
在2024年8月7日Ayala Purchase Agreement結束後,公司和施貴寶簽署了對施貴寶許可協議的第2次修正,即施貴寶許可協議修正。作爲簽署施貴寶許可協議修正的考慮,公司向施貴寶發行了未經註冊的普通股,總公允價值爲$百萬。發行給施貴寶的普通股的公允價值是基於2024年8月7日公司普通股的收盤價,在每股$下降一個與未經註冊股份限制相關的折扣百分比。用於修正施貴寶許可協議支付給施貴寶的對價被立即列入了公司2024年9月30日結束的三個和九個月的損益表和綜合損益表的IPR&D開支之中。發行給施貴寶的股份隨後通過在2024年10月向SEC提交的S-3表格進行了註冊,以便轉售。
zentalis pharmaceuticals
2024年1月5日,公司與zentalis pharmaceuticals, inc.簽訂了許可協議,即zentalis許可協議,根據該協議,公司收到了關於zentalis專有抗體藥物共軛物或adc平台技術、ror1抗體和adc以及利用包含或涵蓋許可知識產權的產品的排他性、全球範圍內的、可轉讓的、需支付專利費的許可。
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作爲許可的預付款,公司向Zentalis支付了$
2024年10月25日,與公司收購Zentalis授權資產同時,Immunome和Zentalis同意終止Zentalis許可協議的全部內容,包括終止公司的所有潛在里程碑和版稅支付義務。請參閱註釋12, 後續事件,以獲取更多信息。
普渡大學研究基金會
在併購完成後,公司承擔了Morphimmune在併購前就已簽訂的某些許可協議。2022年1月,Morphimmune與普渡大學研究基金會簽訂了一項主許可協議,即普渡許可協議,簡稱PRF。根據普渡許可協議,PRF向Morphimmune授予了一項軸承、可轉讓、全球獨家許可,可通過多層次轉許可,在PRF擁有的特定知識產權下進行研究、開發、製造和商業化許可產品,在受限制的例外情況下。
根據普渡許可協議,公司有義務根據銷售許可產品的總收入支付給PRF一位數較低的版稅,從首次銷售許可產品開始,從較低到中等六位數區間的階梯式最低年度版稅中扣除未來年度的單位版稅。此外,公司有義務根據特定的開發和商業化里程碑支付給PRF高達美元
普渡許可協議根據每個許可產品和每個國家的版稅期限終止。公司可以提前至少一個月書面通知PRF解除普渡許可協議。如果公司未能在PRF的書面通知後清除支付違約或其他重大違約普渡許可協議,或者公司破產,PRF可以終止普渡許可協議及其授予的許可。
其他許可協議
公司已經簽署了各種其他許可協議,以進一步發現、開發和商業化某些技術和治療方案。在截至2024年9月30日的三個月和九個月內,公司根據這些許可協議分別承擔了$百萬的預付費用,這些費用在公司的綜合損益簡明合併財務報表中被確認爲研發費用,因爲取得的研發項目沒有替代未來用途。截至2023年9月30日的三個月和九個月內,這些協議下沒有研發費用。
根據這些協議的條款,如果適用,公司可能需要支付某些發展、監管和商業里程碑付款以及產品銷售的專利費。任何潛在的未來里程碑支付金額將在相關不確定性解決並且里程碑考慮變得可付時計提。專利費將在相關收入產生的期間支出。
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9. 租賃
公司目前在華盛頓博塞爾租賃大約
有關租賃的附加資產負債表信息如下(以千美元爲單位):
2024年9月30日 | 2023年12月31日 | ||||
經營租賃: | |||||
經營租賃使用權資產 | $ | | $ | | |
經營租賃負債,當前部分 | $ | | $ | | |
經營租賃負債,淨值超過流動資產 | | | |||
總操作租賃負債 | $ | | $ | |
運營租賃負債的當前部分已包括在附帶的簡明合併資產負債表中的應計費用和其他流動負債中。
公司記錄的運營租賃費用爲$
與公司經營租賃相關的其他信息如下:
2024年9月30日 | 2023年12月31日 | ||||
加權平均剩餘租賃期限(年) | |||||
加權平均折扣率 |
與公司經營租賃相關的補充現金流信息如下(單位:千美元):
截至9月30日的九個月 | |||||
2024 |
| 2023 | |||
經營租賃負債的現金支付 | $ | | $ | |
截至2024年9月30日,公司未來的最低租賃付款如下(單位:千):
截至12月31日的年份, |
| 金額 | |
2024(代表2024年剩餘的三個月) | $ | | |
2025 |
| | |
2026 | | ||
2027 | | ||
2028年及以後 | | ||
總租賃支付 | | ||
少:推定利息 | ( | ||
減:尚未收到的租戶改善津貼 | ( | ||
營業租賃負債現值 | $ | |
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10. 普通股票
普通股
普通股持有人有權投票。每股普通股有一票,沒有累積投票權。
公司已保留以下股份用於發行,按折算基礎如下:
2024年9月30日 | 2023年12月31日 | ||
根據計劃發行和現有的股票期權 | | | |
未行使的普通股權證 | — | | |
計劃下尚未發行的剩餘股份 | | | |
員工股票購買計劃下尚未發行的剩餘股份 | | | |
總共預留的普通股 | | |
續發公開募股
2024年2月,公司完成了一項續發公開募股,發行
2024 ATm 協議
2024年5月14日,公司與TD證券(美國)有限責任公司,即TD Cowen簽訂了一項「市價」銷售協議,即2024 ATm 協議,根據該協議,公司可以不時提供並出售總額高達$的普通股股票
Warrants 以購買普通股股票的期權
公司
11. 基於股份的薪酬
2020年股權激勵計劃
2020年9月,公司實施了2020年股權激勵計劃,即2020計劃,取代了以往的所有股權激勵計劃。不會再在2018年股權激勵計劃(2018計劃)下授予額外獎勵。從上述計劃中被放棄、取消或回購的獎勵將返還到2020計劃下用於發行的普通股股份池中。截至2024年1月1日,根據2020計劃授權發行的普通股數增加了??股。截至2024年9月30日,有??股可用於根據2020計劃發行。
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在2023年10月2日,Morphimmune 2020年股權激勵計劃,或稱Morphimmune計劃,由公司在與合併相關聯的情況下承接(註釋7)。
授予首席執行官的股票期權
在2023年6月28日,Clay Siegall被授予
2020員工股票購買計劃
公司在2020年9月採用了2020員工股票購買計劃(ESPP)。到2024年1月1日,ESPP下授權發行的普通股增至
股票期權
截至2024年9月30日的九個月內,計劃下的期權活動總結如下:
| 加權 |
| ||||||||
加權 | 平均 | 合計 | ||||||||
平均 | 剩餘期限 | 截至2023年7月29日的餘額 | ||||||||
數量 | 行使價格 | contractual | 價值 | |||||||
| 股份 |
| 每股收益 |
| 期限(年) | (以千計) | ||||
2023年12月31日未行使的股票期權 |
| | $ | | $ | | ||||
已批准 | | | ||||||||
已行使 |
| ( | | |||||||
已註銷 | ( | | ||||||||
到期 |
| ( | | |||||||
2024年9月30日爲止未清償 |
| | $ | | $ | | ||||
可在2024年9月30日行使 |
| | $ | | $ | |
上述表格中,內在價值的總和是通過期權的執行價格與截至期末公司普通股的公允價值之間的差額計算得出的。
截至2024年和2023年9月30日的九個月內授予的股票期權的加權平均授予日期的公允價值爲$
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在授予的股票期權中使用的Black-Scholes期權定價模型的加權平均假設爲:
截至9月30日的九個月 |
| ||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 |
| |||
預期波動率 |
| | % | | % | ||
無風險利率 |
| | % | | % | ||
預期期限(年) |
|
| |||||
預期股息率 |
| — | % | — | % |
在綜合損益表中記錄的股份補償費用如下(以千計):
截至9月30日的三個月 | 截至九月三十日的九個月 | |||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 2023 | ||||||||
研發費用 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||
General and administrative |
| |
| |
| |
| | ||||
股份授予的全部補償費用 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | |
與期權相關的未認可的股份報酬爲$
12. 後續事項
Zentalis購買協議
2024年10月25日,公司與Zentalis簽署了資產購買協議,即Zentalis購買協議,根據該協議,公司購買了Zentalis已授權的資產,這些資產在當時存在的Zentalis許可協議下授權給公司,包括所有慣常的所有者的權利和義務,即Zentalis資產購買。在Zentalis資產購買的完成後,Zentalis許可協議將以其全部內容終止,包括終止公司的所有待決里程碑和版稅支付義務。各方的一定權利和義務將在Zentalis資產購買完成後繼續存在。作爲Zentalis資產購買的對價,公司向Zentalis發行了其普通股未經註冊股票。公司還有義務在實現Zentalis許可協議下先前的一個發展里程碑時向Zentalis支付一次性現金支付$
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項目2.財務狀況與經營結果的管理討論與分析
您應與我們在本季度報告10-Q表格中包含的精簡合併財務報表及相關附註一起閱讀以下關於我們財務狀況和經營成果的討論與分析,以及我們經審計的財務報表及其附註,以及在截至2023年12月31日的年度報告10-K表格中包含的管理層對財務狀況和經營成果的討論與分析。除非另有說明,本季度報告10-Q表格中對「immunome」、「公司」、「我們」、「我們的」、「我們」或類似術語的所有引用均指Immunome, Inc.及其子公司。
前瞻性聲明
除歷史財務信息外,本討論包含基於當前預期的前瞻性陳述,這些陳述涉及風險和不確定性。由於多種因素,我們的實際結果可能與這些前瞻性陳述中預期的結果存在重大差異,包括下文第II部分,項目1A標題爲「風險因素」的部分中列出的因素。在某些情況下,您可以通過術語如「預期」、「相信」、「繼續」、「可能」、「估計」、「期望」、「打算」、「可能」、「計劃」、「潛在」、「預測」、「應該」、「將」或這些術語的否定形式或其他類似表達來識別前瞻性陳述。
此外,「我們相信」等類似語句反映出我們對相關主題的信念和意見。這些語句是基於我們掌握的信息於本季度10-Q報告發布日期的基礎上做出的,我們認爲這些信息是這些語句的合理依據,但這些信息可能是有限或不完整的,我們的語句不應被視爲表明我們進行了對所有可能可用的相關信息進行詳盡的調查或審查。這些語句本質上是不確定的,投資者應當謹慎地依賴這些語句。
概述
我們是一家專注於開發靶向腫瘤治療的生物技術公司。我們認爲,追求新型或未被充分探索的靶點將是下一代變革性療法的核心,我們致力於開發具有首創和最佳潛力的靶向癌症療法。我們的目標是建立一個廣泛的臨床前和臨床資產管道,並將這些資產開發成可商業化的批准產品。爲了支持這一目標,我們將業務開發活動與對內部發現項目的大量投資相結合。
我們正在推進一個包括一個臨床和兩個臨床前資產的管道。臨床資產是AL102,一種正在開發的伽馬分泌酶抑制劑,或稱GSI,目前正在進行鍼對腱膜腫瘤的3期試驗。臨床前資產爲Im-1021,一種受體酪氨酸激酶樣孤兒受體1(ROR1)抗體-藥物偶聯物(ADC),和Im-3050,一種纖維母細胞激活蛋白(FAP)靶向放射性配體治療。
2023年10月2日,我們完成了與Morphimmune Inc.(或稱Morphimmune)的合併,Morphimmune是一家專注於開發靶向腫瘤治療的臨床前生物技術公司,Morphimmune成爲了immunome的全資子公司。
我們當前的項目
AL-102(伽馬分泌酶抑制劑)
我們的臨床資產是AL102,這是一種我們於2024年3月25日從Ayala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(或稱Ayala)處收購的正在開發的GSI,依據資產收購協議,或稱Ayala收購協議。AL102目前正在針對腱膜腫瘤進行3期試驗評估。
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AL102的臨床活動在之前兩項招募了成人腱膜腫瘤患者的臨床試驗中被觀察到。在施貴寶(Bristol-Myers Squibb,簡稱BMS)進行的一項第一階段劑量遞增臨床試驗中,招募了患有實體腫瘤的患者,然後Ayala從BMS手中獲得了該資產。在這項試驗中,一名患有腱膜纖維瘤的患者被招募。該患者在研究期間腫瘤縮小了16.5%。基於這些數據以及其他GSI顯示的反應,Ayala設計了一項稱爲RINGSIDE的無縫第二/第三階段研究,以特別評估AL102在需要治療的進展性腱膜腫瘤患者中的活動性。RINGSIDE A部分招募了42名患者,使用三種不同劑量方案的AL102:每週兩天每天2mg,或每週兩天每天4mg,或每日1.2mg。總的來說,獨立放射科醫師使用RECISt v1.1測量的可評估患者的ORR爲所有測試劑量的61%。1.2mg每日劑量組在可評估人群中的ORR爲75%。整體上,AL102耐受良好,其安全性特徵與其他GSI報告的一致。這些數據在2023年的ESMO會議上進行了報告。
基於在RINGSIDE A部分觀察到的1.2mg每日一次給藥的臨床活動,並在與美國食品和藥物管理局(FDA)諮詢後,Ayala於2022年11月啓動了第三階段隨機註冊試驗RINGSIDE B(NCT04871282)。招募於2024年2月完成。
RINGSIDE B部分是一項註冊性的第三階段,全球性,雙盲,隨機,安慰劑對照臨床試驗,在北美、歐洲、亞洲和澳大利亞的61個臨床地點進行。該研究正在評估AL102與安慰劑相比在進展性腱膜腫瘤患者中的療效、安全性和耐受性。招募了156名組織學確認的進展性腱膜腫瘤患者(定義爲最近12個月內腫瘤生長至少20%,以RECISt v1.1爲準)。患者要麼爲未接受過治療的腱膜腫瘤患者,無法手術,要麼爲在至少一條治療線後具有耐藥或複發性疾病的患者。研究中的患者隨機分配接受每日一次1.2mg的AL102或安慰劑,並使用RECISt v1.1評估腫瘤進展。研究期間若患者出現進展,有資格進入開放標籤擴展,屆時他們可以接收每日一次1.2mg的AL102,直至疾病進展或不可接受的毒性。RINGSIDE B的主要終點是無進展生存期,次要終點爲ORR、反應持續時間和特定患者自我報告結果。
我們預計將於2025年下半年發佈RINGSIDE Part b的頂線數據。同時,我們正在評估並進行額外的製造和藥理學工作,以支持新藥申請(NDA)的提交。
Im-1021 (ROR1 ADC)
我們正在開發Im-1021,這是一種針對ROR1的臨床前階段ADC,我們於2024年1月獨家從Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(Zentalis)獲得許可,並於2024年10月與Zentalis進行資產購買時收購。
在臨床前研究中,Im-1021在三陰性乳腺癌的小鼠模型中顯示出持續的腫瘤縮小。在該模型中,Im-1021以2.5 mg/kg或5.0 mg/kg的劑量每週給藥三週,與競爭對手vedotin載體的ROR1 ADC相比,腫瘤體積的縮減效果更爲顯著,並且沒有觀察到明顯的體重下降。
在獲得IND的前提下,我們的Im-1021臨床策略旨在有效評估固態腫瘤或淋巴瘤患者的劑量遞增,隨後可能將固態腫瘤臨床項目擴展到靶向適應症,這可能包括下列任何或所有病症:非小細胞肺癌、乳腺癌、前列腺癌、胰腺癌和胃癌,以及可能將淋巴瘤項目擴展到瀰漫性大B細胞淋巴瘤、mantle細胞淋巴瘤或其他適合的適應症。與劑量遞增和擴展研究同時進行,我們計劃進行非臨床研究,評估Im-1021與其他療法聯合使用,並評估和開發潛在的伴隨診斷,以幫助識別最有可能對Im-1021作出反應的患者。我們的策略是追求在早期試驗中已顯示出有說服力的臨床結果的適應症中進行關鍵臨床研究,這些適應症呈現出顯著的商業機會,有可能通過伴隨診斷改善結果,並有加速批准的潛力。我們預計將在2025年第一季度向FDA提交Im-1021項目的IND。
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Im-3050(FAP放射配體療法)
我們正在開發Im-3050,這是針對FAP的Lu-177放射性配體療法候選藥物,用於治療實體瘤。FAP在大約75%的實體瘤中表達。FAP主要由癌相關成纖維細胞表達,是最常見的腫瘤基質細胞。Im-3050旨在將放射性Lu-177直接傳遞給表達FAP的細胞,在那裏輻射的「旁觀者」效應可能損壞或殺死附近的腫瘤細胞。我們認爲這種RLt方法可以克服FAP作爲ADCs不適宜的目標的侷限性,比如在腫瘤細胞內的內化不良和低表達。
Im-3050具有四個功能域:一種小分子FAP特異性配體;一個調節爲驅動腫瘤特異性攝取的連接物;一個白蛋白結合結構域以提高腫瘤滯留;以及一個螯合劑用於釋放放射性核素。
我們預計將於2025年第一季度向FDA提交Im-3050項目的IND。
其他項目和平台
除了已描述的當前項目外,我們預計將繼續投資於旨在擴展我們的項目組合的發現工作。附加的ADC項目是這些努力的主要重點。我們相信,針對新穎或未充分開發的靶點的高質量抗體,無論是通過我們的專有平台生成,還是通過業務發展獲得,都是差異化療法的起點。通過將這些抗體與適合每個靶點生物學特性的連接劑和荷載劑配對,我們相信最終可以開發出爲患者帶來巨大益處的療法。我們預計未來將向我們的項目組合中添加幾個這樣的候選藥物。我們也可能選擇收購額外的臨床階段項目。
此外,我們計劃擴大我們的知識產權領域和發現以及推進我們的平台和項目所需的基礎設施。根據需要,我們可以繼續收取或收購補充的知識產權,並且可以繼續積累我們的專業技能和商業祕密。例如,我們可能設計和評估具有潛在用途於多個項目的專有ADC元件。我們認爲建立一個廣泛的ADC相關技術工具箱支持潛在頭號或最佳類癌症療法的開發。
我們的運營結果組件
合作收入
我們尚未從產品銷售中產生任何營業收入,並且不希望在可預見的未來通過產品銷售產生任何營業收入。迄今爲止,我們的營業收入主要是通過與艾伯維公司的合作和選擇協議,或合作協議,而產生的。截至目前,在這份協議下,我們所獲得的合作收入包括從艾伯維公司獲得的款項,我們在協議約定的預期履行期內確認爲收入。 我們預計可預見的未來收入將主要來源於這一協議,以及我們可能進入的任何額外合作關係。迄今爲止,根據與艾伯維公司的合作協議,我們尚未獲得任何專利權使用費。
進行中的研發費用
通過資產收購獲取用於研發活動的無替代未來用途的無形資產,在收購日期作爲進行中研發或IPR&D費用支出。截至2024年9月30日的九個月,IPR&D費用主要與根據Zentalis許可協議收購許可證和從Ayala和atreca收購某些資產有關。
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研發費用
研發費用包括進行研究和開發活動產生的成本,其中包括:
● | 人員相關費用,包括從事研發功能的員工的工資、獎金、福利和基於股票的補償。 |
● | 與推進我們的項目和開發候選者有關的費用,包括在與顧問、承包商、醫藥外包概念或CRO等機構以及其他第三方廠商和供應商簽訂的協議下產生的費用; |
● | 用於進行臨床試驗的費用,包括監管和質量保證; |
● | 工藝開發、驗證以及製造用於我們的臨床前研究和臨床試驗中使用的藥品供應的成本; |
● | 實驗室用品和研究材料以及其他與基礎設施相關的費用;以及 |
● | 設施、折舊和攤銷費用以及其他包括直接和分攤費用的費用。 |
我們在發生時記入研究和開發成本。我們爲未來接收用於研究和開發活動的貨物或服務進行的預付款項被記錄爲預付費用。隨着效益的消耗,預付金額被支出。
研究和開發活動是我們業務模式的核心。我們預計,隨着我們活動的繼續和新協議的簽訂,我們的研發費用將大幅增加。
一般和行政費用
一般和行政費用主要包括工資和其他相關成本,包括爲我們的高管、業務拓展和行政職能人員提供的股權補償。一般和行政費用還包括與知識產權和公司事務有關的法律費用,會計、審計、稅務和諮詢服務等專業費用,保險費用,差旅費,直接和分配的設施相關費用以及其他運營成本。
我們預計我們的一般和行政費用將在未來增加,以支持不斷增長和進展的研發活動,並作爲一家上市公司運營。
利息收入
利息收入包括我們在市場證券上獲得的利息收入,以及存放在金融機構的現金及現金等價物餘額所獲得的利息。
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運營結果
2024年9月30日和2023年同期三個月的比較
以下表格總結了我們 presented 時期的營業額(千元):
| 截至9月30日的三個月 | ||||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 |
| 變化 | ||||
合作收入 | $ | 2,910 | $ | 3,565 |
| $ | (655) | ||
營業費用: | |||||||||
研發中的項目 | 6,706 | — | 6,706 | ||||||
研發(1) | 37,200 | 3,823 | 33,377 | ||||||
一般和行政(1) |
| 9,526 |
| 4,375 |
| 5,151 | |||
總營業費用 |
| 53,432 |
| 8,198 |
| 45,234 | |||
營運虧損 |
| (50,522) |
| (4,633) |
| (45,889) | |||
利息收入 |
| 3,422 |
| 288 |
| 3,134 | |||
淨虧損 | $ | (47,100) | $ | (4,345) | $ | (42,755) |
(1) | 金額包括以下的非現金股份獎勵支出(以千爲單位): |
截至9月30日的三個月 | |||||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 |
| 變化 | ||||
研發 | $ | 1,820 | $ | 466 | $ | 1,354 | |||
一般和行政管理 | 3,072 | 617 | 2,455 | ||||||
股份授予的全部補償費用 | $ | 4,892 | $ | 1,083 | $ | 3,809 |
合作收入
合作收入從2023年9月30日結束的三個月的360萬美元減少了70萬美元,到2024年9月30日結束的三個月的290萬美元。主要是由於2024年9月30日結束的三個月內與2023年同期相比,分配給AbbVie的某些研究和開發活動減少而導致的減少。
進行中的研發費用
截至2024年9月30日三個月的IPR&D支出涉及26,000,000美元,用於攤銷已確定沒有替代未來用途的已收購IPR&D資產,以及27,000,000美元用於發行我們普通股的未註冊股票,以修訂BMS許可協議。截至2023年9月30日結束的三個月,沒有IPR&D支出。 與BMS許可協議修訂有關的截至2024年9月30日的三個月的IPR&D支出涉及4,000,000美元。
研發費用
研究與開發費用從2023年9月30日結束的三個月的380萬美元增加了3340萬美元,到2024年9月30日結束的三個月的3720萬美元。
我們記錄直接的研發費用主要包括製造業相關的外部成本,特定產品開發相關的成本,以及包括支付給研究人員、顧問、中心實驗室和CROs的臨床試驗費用,用於特定產品開發和臨床項目。我們不將與購買實驗室材料、與僱員相關的成本以及與設施費用(包括折舊或其他間接成本)相關的成本分配給特定產品候選者和臨床項目,因爲這些成本支持多個產品項目。
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下表顯示了我們在每個活躍項目上 incurred 的研發費用。
截至9月30日的三個月 | |||||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 |
| 變化 | ||||
AL102 (1) | $ | 9,621 | $ | — | $ | 9,621 | |||
臨床前項目 (2) | 8,581 | 42 | 8,539 | ||||||
其他研發活動 (3) | 10,872 | 727 | 10,145 | ||||||
間接研發 (4) | 8,126 | 3,054 | 5,072 | ||||||
Total | $ | 37,200 | $ | 3,823 | $ | 33,377 |
(1) | 截至2024年9月30日的三個月與截至2023年9月30日的三個月相比的增長,主要是由於與AL102相關的製造業-半導體活動和臨床試驗活動。 |
(2) | 截至2024年9月30日的三個月的增長相比於截至2023年9月30日的三個月,主要是由於與Im-1021和Im-3050相關的外包研究和製造業-半導體活動的增加。 |
(3) | 截至2024年9月30日的三個月與截至2023年9月30日的三個月相比的增長,主要是由於ADC發現活動的增加。 |
(4) | 截至2024年9月30日的三個月與截至2023年9月30日的三個月相比的增長,主要是由於與支持更大開發管道和進行更多發現工作相關的人力及人力相關成本的增加。 |
一般和行政費用
一般和管理費用增加了$520萬,從截至2023年9月30日的$440萬增加到截至2024年9月30日的$950萬。增加主要是由於與人員相關的成本增加$410萬,原因是人員增加,包括$250萬的股份激勵補償增加。
利息收入
截至2023年9月30日的三個月內,利息收入從30萬美元增加了310萬美元,至截至2024年9月30日的三個月內的340萬美元。增加的主要原因是現金及現金等價物和可出售證券餘額的增加。
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2024年9月30日和2023年結束的九個月的比較
以下表格總結了我們 presented 時期的營業額(千元):
截至九月三十日的九個月 | |||||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 |
| 變化 | ||||
合作收入 | $ | 6,303 |
| $ | 10,192 |
| $ | (3,889) | |
營業費用: | |||||||||
研發中的項目 | 124,972 | — | 124,972 | ||||||
研發(1) | 81,652 | 13,452 | 68,200 | ||||||
一般和行政(1) |
| 22,509 |
| 11,617 |
| 10,892 | |||
總營業費用 |
| 229,133 |
| 25,069 |
| 204,064 | |||
營運虧損 |
| (222,830) |
| (14,877) |
| (207,953) | |||
利息收入 |
| 10,116 |
| 705 |
| 9,411 | |||
淨虧損 | $ | (212,714) | $ | (14,172) | $ | (198,542) |
(1) | 金額包括以下非現金股份獎勵費用(以千爲單位): |
截至9月30日的九個月 | |||||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 |
| 變更 | ||||
研究與開發 | $ | 3,244 | $ | 1,323 | $ | 1,921 | |||
General and administrative | 7,034 | 2,017 | 5,017 | ||||||
股份授予的全部補償費用 | $ | 10,278 | $ | 3,340 | $ | 6,938 |
協作收入
在2023年9月30日至2024年9月30日的九個月中,協作收入減少了390萬美元,從1020萬美元降至630萬美元。這一減少主要是由於2024年9月30日結束的九個月中分配給艾伯維的某些研發活動減少,相比於2023年同期。
進行中的研發費用
截至2024年9月30日的九個月,與已確認沒有替代未來用途的收購IPR&D資產的沖銷相關的IPR&D費用爲主要費用。在2023年9月30日結束的九個月中沒有IPR&D費用。
研發費用
研發費用從2023年9月30日結束的九個月的1350萬美元增加了6820萬美元,至2024年9月30日結束的九個月的8170萬美元。
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下表顯示了我們針對每個活躍項目發生的研發費用。
截至九月三十日的九個月 | |||||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 |
| 變化 | ||||
AL102 (1) | $ | 14,397 | $ | — | $ | 14,397 | |||
臨床前項目 (2) | 24,743 | 1,618 | 23,125 | ||||||
其他研發活動 (3) | 24,774 | 3,891 | 20,883 | ||||||
間接研發 (4) | 17,738 | 7,943 | 9,795 | ||||||
Total | $ | 81,652 | $ | 13,452 | $ | 68,200 |
(1) | 2024年9月30日結束的九個月相比2023年9月30日結束的九個月增長主要是由於與AL102相關的製造業活動和臨床試驗活動,AL102在2024年3月從阿亞拉收購。 |
(2) | 2024年9月30日結束的九個月的增長與2023年9月30日結束的九個月主要是由於Im-1021和Im-3050的外包研究和製造活動增加。 |
(3) | 截至2024年9月30日的九個月,與截至2023年9月30日的九個月相比,主要是由於ADC發現活動增加導致的增加。 |
(4) | 截至2024年9月30日的九個月,與截至2023年9月30日的九個月相比,主要是由於人員增加以及與支持更大的研發流水線並進行更多發現工作相關的人員和人員相關成本增加。 |
一般和行政費用
管理和行政費用增加了1090萬美元,從2023年9月30日結束的九個月的1160萬美元增加到了2024年9月30日結束的九個月的2250萬美元。增加主要是由於人員成本增加了840萬美元,這是由於人員總數增加,其中包括500萬美元的股份補償增加。此外,與會計、法律和專利費以及其他間接費用相關的費用增加了250萬美元。
利息收入
截至2023年9月30日結束的九個月,利率期貨收入從70萬美元增加到截至2024年9月30日結束的九個月的1010萬美元。增長主要是由於利率期貨上升以及現金、現金等價物和可變現安防-半導體餘額增加。
償付能力和資本資源
流動性來源
自2006年創立以來,我們將幾乎所有資源投入到研發、籌集資本、建立管理團隊、建立知識產權組合,以及進行和執行合作和戰略交易。迄今爲止,我們主要通過出售股權證券、合作安排、戰略伙伴關係和交易來融資我們的業務,同時在較小程度上還通過政府合同結束後在2022年收到的費用補償來融資。
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截至目前,我們從產品的商業銷售中尚未產生任何營業收入,並且不指望在可預見的未來從商業銷售中產生營業收入。自成立以來,我們經歷了重大的營運虧損和經營性現金流出。我們的淨虧損分別爲2024年9月30日結束的三個月爲4710萬美元和430萬美元,2023年同期分別爲21270萬美元和1420萬美元,截至2024年9月30日結束的九個月爲43550萬美元。 截至2024年9月30日,我們的現金、現金等價物和有價證券共計24010萬美元,累計赤字爲43550萬美元。
2024年2月,我們完成了一項跟隨公開發行,並以每股20.00美元發行了1150萬股普通股,淨收益21540萬美元,扣除承銷折扣、佣金和我們支付的發行費用後,即2024年融資。
2024年5月,我們與TD證券(美國)有限責任公司即TD Cowen簽訂了一項「市場」銷售協議,即2024年ATM協議,TD Cowen作爲銷售代理人,根據該協議,我們可以不時提供和賣出總額高達20000萬美元的普通股,即ATM股。我們同意向TD Cowen支付多達從2024年ATM協議下出售的任何ATM股的總募集毛收入的3.0%的佣金。我們尚未根據2024年ATM協議出售任何ATM股。
現金流量
下表總結了我們截至2024年9月30日結束的九個月的現金來源和運用情況(以千元爲單位):
截至九月三十日的九個月 | ||||||
| 2024 |
| 2023 | |||
經營活動產生的現金流量淨額 | $ | (68,734) | $ | 9,891 | ||
投資活動使用的現金 |
| (94,821) |
| (482) | ||
融資活動提供的現金流量 |
| 220,444 |
| 60,909 | ||
現金及現金等價物和限制性現金淨增加額 | $ | 56,889 | $ | 70,318 |
經營活動
2024年9月30日止九個月的經營活動中使用的淨現金爲6870萬美元,主要包括我們2.127億美元的淨虧損,部分償還非現金費用13440萬美元以及運營資產和負債的淨變化960萬美元。非現金費用主要包括以12500萬美元收購未來沒有替代用途的正在進行的研究與開發資產,以及1030萬美元的股份補償。運營資產和負債的變動主要包括應計費用和其他流動負債增加1350萬美元,應付賬款增加30萬美元,預付費用和其他資產減少230萬美元,部分償還遞延收入減少630萬美元。
Net cash provided by operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $990萬, consisting primarily of our net loss of $1420萬, partially offset by noncash charges of $410萬 and a net change in operating assets and liabilities of $1990萬. The noncash charges primarily consisted of $330萬 of share-based compensation expense. The change in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisted of an increase in deferred revenue of $1980萬 and a decrease in prepaid expenses and other assets of $160萬, partially offset by a decrease in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of $150萬.
投資活動
Net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was $94.8 million, consisting primarily of $11270萬 of purchases of marketable securities, $4610萬 of purchases of IPR&D assets and $600萬 of purchases of property and equipment, partially offset by $7000萬 from maturities of marketable securities.
Net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $50萬, consisting of purchases of property and equipment.
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籌資活動
2024年9月30日結束的九個月期間,融資活動提供的淨現金爲22040萬元,其中包括來自2024年融資的23000萬元和來自期權和普通股權證的530萬元,部分償還來自我們2024年融資和2024年ATm協議的1480萬元的發行成本。
2023年9月30日結束的九個月期間,融資活動提供的淨現金爲6090萬元,主要包括2023年10月與合併交易結束相關的預付款所得6100萬元。 公司在合併完成前收到了這些資金,並在附表資產負債表中將此交易記錄爲存款負債。截至2023年9月30日。 融資活動還提供了3.4萬美元的淨收益。 通過我們在2013年11月終止的以前的ATm銷售協議出售普通股的淨收益,減去與PIPE交易相關的遞延發售成本的10萬美元支付。
資金要求
我們預計與我們正在進行和未來的活動相關的支出將大幅增加,特別是隨着我們推進和擴大AL102的臨床開發、尋求AL102的監管批准、繼續Im-1021和Im-3050的臨床前和潛在臨床開發以及任何其他未來產品候選者的開發,並繼續執行我們的業務發展策略。我們預計我們資本的主要使用將用於臨床開發服務、非臨床研究、戰略交易、製造業、法律和其他監管遵從支出、薪酬及相關支出、風險管理和總部費用。
我們預計截至2024年9月30日的現金、現金等價物和可市場出售證券將使我們能夠資助我們當前和計劃中的營業費用和資本支出,至少延續12個月,從此《第10-Q表格》的申報日期計算。我們將需要額外融資來支持我們的持續運營並推進我們的研發策略。我們基於可能被證明不精確的假設作出這些估計,並且我們可能會比目前預期的更早耗盡可用的資本資源。由於與我們項目開發相關的衆多風險和不確定性,我們無法估計與完成研究和發展項目以及開發候選者的研發相關的資本支出和營業支出金額。
我們未來的資金需求將取決於許多因素,包括:
● | 我們收購或授權內涵產品、知識產權和其他技術的程度以及我們收購或授權這些資產的條款; |
● | 我們目前擁有的項目和開發候選者的發現、臨床前開發、製造和臨床試驗的範圍、進展、結果和成本,以及我們未來可能獲得權利的項目和開發候選者的發現、臨床前開發、製造和臨床試驗的範圍、進展、結果和成本; |
● | 繼續運營和推進我們的發現和ADC平台的成本; |
● | 準備、提交和起訴專利申請,維護和執行我們的知識產權和專有權利,以及捍衛與知識產權相關的索賠的成本和我們知識產權組合的成功; |
● | 可能開發的項目和開發候選者的監管審查成本、時間和結果; |
● | 未來活動的費用,包括產品銷售、醫學事務、市場營銷、製造、分銷、覆蓋範圍和任何獲得監管批准的項目或開發候選者的報銷費用; |
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● | 我們現有和任何未來的許可協議、合作以及其他戰略交易的成功,以及達到觸發根據這些協議和交易向我們支付或從我們支付款項的里程碑或其他發展;和 |
● | 公開公司的經營成本。 |
在我們能夠產生實質性的產品營業收入之前,我們預計通過股本發行、債務融資、合作、戰略聯盟和許可安排的組合來滿足現金需求。由於俄羅斯和烏克蘭之間的戰爭、中東地區的衝突、銀行破產、通貨膨脹對經濟的壓力以及政府機構採取的貨幣政策應對措施以及其他宏觀經濟和政治因素,全球信貸和金融市場經歷了極端的波動,包括流動性減弱和信貸供應減少、消費者信心下降、經濟增長減速以及對經濟穩定性的不確定性。目前無法保證信貸和金融市場惡化以及對經濟狀況的信心不會發生。如果股本和信貸市場惡化,可能會使所需要的債務或股權融資更難獲得、更昂貴和/或更具稀釋性。如果我們通過股本發行(包括根據2024年ATm協議)或可轉換債務證券籌集額外資本,任何購買者的所有權利將會或可能會被稀釋,而這些證券的條款可能包括對我們普通股東權益造成不利影響的清償或其他優先權。債務融資和股權融資(如有)可能包括限制或限制我們採取特定行動的契約,如增加附加債務、進行併購或資本支出或宣佈分紅。如果我們通過與第三方的合作、戰略聯盟或市場、分銷或許可安排籌集額外資金,我們可能不得不放棄對我們技術、未來營業收入、研究項目或候選藥物的有價值權利,或者授予許可的條款可能對我們不利。如果我們無法通過股權或債務融資或其他安排在需要時籌集額外資金,我們可能需要延遲、限制、減少或終止我們的研究、產品開發或未來的商業化努力,或授予開發和營銷計劃和開發候選人的權利,而我們本來希望自己開發和營銷。如果我們不能以有利條件或根本無法獲得必要的資金支持這些活動,我們將需要延遲、削減或取消部分或全部的研發項目,包括我們的產品候選者的臨床和臨床前開發。
合同義務和應急情況
我們與服務提供商沒有重大的不可取消的購買承諾,因爲我們通常是根據可取消的採購訂單約定的。我們預計的重大現金需求不包括我們可能根據資產收購和許可協議的開發、監管或商業里程碑的實現而需要支付的潛在的有條件支付,也不包括我們可能需要根據我們已簽訂或可能與各種實體簽訂的許可協議之下的開發、監管和商業里程碑或專利權支付的有條件支付,在這些許可協議中,我們已經按照或將要按照獲取了某些知識產權。有關與資產收購和許可協議相關的潛在有條件支付的詳細信息,請參閱我們在本季度報告表10-Q的第I部分第1條所載的簡明結算財務報表的附註7和8。
重要會計政策和估計
我們對我們的財務狀況和運營結果的管理討論和分析基於我們按照美國通用會計準則編制的財務報表。編制這些財務報表需要我們做出影響資產和負債報告金額以及揭示負債和資產的有條件性的估計和假設,並且需要報告在報告期間發生的費用。我們的估計是基於我們的歷史經驗和我們認爲在情況下合理的各種其他因素,結果構成對不容易從其他來源明顯看出的資產和負債的賬面價值作出判斷的基礎。實際結果可能會在不同假設或條件下與這些估計不同,任何這種不同可能是重大的。
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雖然我們的顯著會計政策在本季度報告第10-Q表格第一部分的附註2中描述,但我們認爲下面討論的會計政策對於理解我們歷史和未來的業績至關重要,因爲這些政策涉及到涉及顯著估計不確定性的更重要領域,並且對我們的財務狀況或運營結果產生或可能合理地產生重大影響。
研究與開發費用及應計費用
研究與開發成本包括進行研究與開發活動中發生的費用,包括工資和獎金、基於股份的補償、員工福利、設施費用、實驗室耗材、折舊和攤銷,以及臨床前和臨床開發費用,包括工藝開發、驗證、藥物供應的製造、進行臨床試驗的費用,以及根據許可協議、諮詢協議和其他合同服務所發生的費用。研究與開發成本於發生時作爲費用處理。
作爲準備我們的基本報表的一部分,我們需要估算和應計費用。我們根據與研究機構、合同製造組織和第三方服務提供商簽訂的合同中執行的服務,估算臨床前、臨床試驗和其他研究與開發費用。我們根據估算的尚未開票但已提供的研究與開發活動費用進行記錄,並將這些費用計入我們合併資產負債表中應計費用及其他流動負債,並在我們的合併運營報表中列爲研究與開發費用。我們在確定每個報告期的應計餘額時需要做出重大判斷和估算。隨着實際費用的出現,我們會調整我們的應計估算。儘管我們不期望我們的估算與實際發生的金額有重大差異,但我們對所執行服務的狀態和時間的理解可能與我們的估算有所不同,可能導致我們在特定期間報告的金額過高或過低。我們的應計費用在一定程度上取決於外部第三方服務提供商的及時和準確的報告。在報告日期,這些服務的應計金額最終發生的費用可能大大高於或低於我們的估算。
我們所有的臨床試驗都在來自CRO和其他供應商的支持下進行,我們根據這些第三方在每個試驗中完成的工作量的估算來累積臨床試驗活動的成本。用於估算累積的主要因素包括註冊的患者數量、爲每位患者要進行的活動、活躍臨床地點的數量以及患者將在試驗中註冊的時間。我們通過內部審查、與CRO的通信以及對合同條款的審核,儘可能監控患者的註冊水平和相關活動。我們的估算基於當時可用的最佳信息。然而,可能會有額外信息提供給我們,這可能使我們能夠在未來的期間內做出更準確的估算。如果我們未能識別已開始產生的成本,或者低估或高估所提供的服務的水平或這些服務的成本,我們的實際支出可能與我們的估算有所不同。
除上述披露的研發費用和累積外,我們的關鍵會計政策和估算自2023年12月31日結束的財政年度的10-K表格中披露的內容沒有發生重大變化。有關我們關鍵會計政策和估算的討論,請參閱“管理層的財務狀況及經營成果的討論與分析—關鍵會計政策和重要判斷”在我們2023年12月31日結束的財政年度的10-K表格第二部分第7項中。
最近的會計準則解釋。
參見注釋2 顯著會計政策摘要有關最近發佈的會計公告的更多信息,請參閱本季度報告10-Q第一部分第1項中的我們濃縮合並基本報表。
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《JOBS法案》
根據2012年初創企業振興法案或JOBS法案的定義,我們符合「新興成長公司」的資格。作爲一個新興成長公司,我們可以利用特定的減少披露以及其他要求,這些要求通常適用於公共公司,包括有關我們的行政薪酬安排的減少披露、免除行政薪酬的非約束性諮詢表決要求以及黃金降落傘支付的要求,以及免除在評估我們的財務報告內部控制時的審計人士確認要求。
在我們首次公開募股的第五週年之後的財政年度最後一天之前或我們不再是新興成長公司的更早時間,我們可以利用這些豁免措施。如果我們在我們最近完成的財政年度中的年度營業收入超過12.35億美元,或者我們持有的股票市值由非關聯方在最近完成的第二個財政季度最後一個工作日超過70000萬美元,或者我們在三年期內發行的非可轉換債務證券超過10億美元,我們將較早地停止成爲新興成長公司。 只要我們仍然是一個新興成長公司,我們被允許並打算依賴於適用於其他不是新興成長公司的公共公司的某些披露要求的豁免。我們可能選擇利用某些但不是所有可用的豁免措施。此外,JOBS法案規定,新興成長公司可以利用延長的過渡期來符合新的或修訂後的會計準則。這使得新興成長公司可以推遲採納某些會計準則,直到這些準則適用於私營公司。我們已選擇不「選擇退出」這種延長的過渡期,這意味着當一個標準發佈或修訂並且對公共公司或私人公司有不同的適用日期時,我們將在私人公司採納新標準的時間採用新的或修訂後的標準,直到我們不再有資格作爲新興成長公司或不再選擇不可撤銷地放棄此類延長的過渡期。因此,我們財務報表中包含的經營業績結果可能無法直接與其他公共公司進行比較。
項目 3. 關於市場風險的定量和定性披露
此項下信息並不要求由較小的報告公司提供。
項目4. 控制與程序
披露控件和程序的評估
我們的管理層,在我們的首席執行官和首席財務官參與下,已經評估了我們的信息披露控制和程序的有效性(如《證券交易法》第13a-15(e)條和15d-15(e)條下所定義)至本季度報告期末。管理層認識到,無論控制和程序設計得多麼完善和運作良好,都只能提供合理的保證來實現其目標,並且管理層必然要在評估可能的控制和程序的成本效益關係中運用其判斷。根據這樣的評估,我們的首席執行官和首席財務官已經得出結論,截至2024年9月30日,我們的信息披露控制和程序是有效的,確保及時披露我們SEC報告所需的信息。
關於財務報告內控的變化
截至2024年9月30日季度結束,我們的內部財務報告控制沒有發生重大影響或有可能重大影響我們的內部財務報告的更改。
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第二部分——其他信息
項目1. 法律訴訟
我們目前並非涉及任何重大法律訴訟。我們可能會不時捲入業務常規過程中產生的法律訴訟。
項目1A :風險因素
風險因素概要
下面是使投資我們的普通股變得投機或風險的主要因素摘要. 此摘要不涉及我們面臨的所有風險. 關於此風險因素摘要中總結的風險以及我們面臨的其他風險的進一步討論,請參閱以下「風險因素」標題下的內容,並應仔細考慮我們的此份季度報告和我們提交給SEC的其他文件中的其他信息後,再決定投資我們的普通股。
● | 我們是一傢俱有虧損歷史的生物製藥公司。我們預計未來將繼續承擔重大虧損,並可能永遠無法實現或保持盈利能力。 |
● | 我們的經營歷史有限,這可能會使得評估我們的藥物研發能力和預測未來表現變得困難。 |
● | 我們尚未證明成功完成臨床開發,提交新藥申請,獲得FDA批准進行市場營銷,或成功商業化藥物產品,我們可能無法做到這一點。此外,我們最近收購的AL102目前處於第3階段開發階段,但這種收購和先前的臨床成功並不能表明我們實現新藥申請或NDA批准或成功商業化AL102的能力。 |
● | 我們可能無法成功利用並擴展我們的發現和ADC平台,以建立和推進管線。 |
● | 我們可能無法將任何開發候選藥物推進到臨床開發階段,獲得監管批准並最終實現商業化,或者我們可能會在這方面遇到重大延誤。 |
● | 我們可能選擇推進特定項目或開發候選者,而不是其他項目;這些決策可能被證明是錯誤的,可能對我們的業務產生不利影響。 |
● | 我們可能未能實現因已完成或待完成的戰略交易而預期的業務利益。 |
● | 臨床試驗昂貴、耗時且難以設計和實施。 |
● | 如果我們或其他人發現開發候選藥物在臨床試驗中產生不良副作用,我們營銷和從該項目或開發候選藥物中獲取營業收入的能力可能會受到影響。 |
● | 如果我們打算依賴的第三方未能按照合同要求進行我們目前和未來的臨床前和臨床研究,未能滿足監管或法律要求,或未能按預期時間完成,我們的項目可能會延遲,對我們的業務和財務狀況造成重大不利影響。 |
● | 由於我們可能依賴於第三方進行製造、供應和測試,其中一些可能是唯一的供應商,用於臨床前和臨床研發材料和商業供應,我們的供應可能會供應不足或中斷,或數量或質量不盡如人意。 |
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● | 保護我們的知識產權和專有技術是困難且成本高昂的,我們可能無法確保它們的保護。 |
● | 其他人可能會質疑發明權或聲稱對我們的知識產權擁有所有權,這可能使我們面臨訴訟,並對我們的前景產生重大不利影響。 |
● | 如果我們無法保護商業機密的機密性,我們的業務和競爭地位將會受到損害。 |
● | 我們的普通股市場價格預計會波動,購買我們普通股的投資者可能會遭受重大損失。 |
風險因素
正如本季度10-Q表格中的季度報告所述,我們面臨許多風險和不確定性。您應認真考慮並仔細閱讀以下描述的所有風險和不確定性,以及本季度報告中包括的其他信息,包括我們的簡明合併基本報表及相關附註,這些信息出現在本季度報告的其他地方,及我們的「管理層對財務狀況和運營結果的討論與分析」。以下描述的風險和不確定性並不是我們面臨的唯一風險。以下任何風險或當前我們認爲不重要的其他風險和不確定性的發生,可能會對我們的業務、財務狀況或運營結果產生重大和不利的影響。在這種情況下,我們普通股的交易價格可能會下跌,您可能會失去全部或部分投資。本季度報告還包含前瞻性陳述和估計。我們的實際結果可能與前瞻性陳述中預期的結果有重大差異,這可能是由於下面描述的特定因素,包括風險和不確定性。 我們已用星號 (*) 標記那些未作爲單獨風險因素包含的風險因素,或反映與我們於2024年3月28日提交給SEC的10-K年度報告的第1A項中包含的同類標題風險因素的變化。 本節中提到的「我們」、「我們」和「我們的」是指immunome及其子公司。
由於我們有很少的運營歷史來評估我們的公司,因此必須考慮早期階段公司經常遇到的問題、支出、困難、複雜性和延遲等問題。
我們是一家生物製藥公司,歷史上曾出現虧損。我們預計在可預見的未來將繼續遭受重大虧損,並可能永遠無法實現或維持盈利。*
我們是一家生物技術公司,歷史上曾出現虧損。自成立以來,我們幾乎將所有資源投入到研究和開發、融資、追求戰略交易、建設管理團隊和建立知識產權組合中,因此我們遭受了重大經營虧損。截至2024年9月30日,我們的累計虧損達到43550萬美元。到2023年12月31日止年度,我們的淨虧損爲10680萬,2024年9月30日止九個月的淨虧損爲21270萬。迄今爲止,我們尚未通過產品銷售產生任何營業收入,也沒有識別、尋求或獲得任何產品的市場營銷或銷售的監管批准。此外,在可預見的未來,我們可能無法通過產品銷售產生任何收入,並且由於研發活動和我們開發候選者的監管批准過程的成本,我們預計在可預見的未來將繼續遭受重大經營虧損。
我們預計隨着我們繼續運營,淨虧損將大幅增加;然而,我們未來虧損的程度尚不確定。我們實現或維持盈利的能力(如果可能的話)將取決於以下因素:成功識別和開發我們的開發候選者,獲得市場營銷和商業化的監管批准,以商業合理的條件進行製造,按照我們供應商的預期進行表現,進入額外的潛在未來戰略合作伙伴關係,並在戰略合作伙伴關係中達到關鍵里程碑,爲任何獲批產品建立銷售和營銷組織或合適的第三方替代方案,以及籌集足夠的資金以資助業務活動。如果我們或我們目前或潛在的未來合作伙伴無法將我們的一個或多個項目或開發候選者商業化,或者如果獲得批准的任何項目或開發候選者的銷售收入不足,我們將無法實現或維持盈利,這可能對我們的業務、財務狀況、經營成果和前景產生重大不利影響。
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我們的經營歷史有限,這可能會使得評估我們的藥物研發能力和預測未來表現變得困難。
除了我們最近收購的AL102,一個處於臨床試驗晚期的產品候選,我們尚未啓動任何藥物候選的臨床試驗。我們沒有獲得商業銷售批准的藥物,也沒有從藥物銷售中產生任何營業收入。我們能否產生藥物收入,這可能需要很長時間,甚至永遠不會發生,這將取決於我們的藥物候選成功的研發和最終的商業化,這也可能永遠不會實現。我們可能永遠無法開發或商業化一種有市場價值的藥物。
我們當前和未來的藥物候選需要額外的發現研究、臨床前開發、臨床開發、在多個司法管轄區獲得監管批准、製造驗證、獲取當前良好製造規範或GMP、製造供應、能力和專業知識、構建商業和分銷組織、大量投資和重要的市場營銷努力,才能在藥物銷售中產生任何營業收入。
我們有限的經營歷史可能會使得評估我們的藥物候選變得困難,無法預測未來表現。我們作爲一家運營公司的短歷史使得對我們未來成功或生存能力的任何評估都受到重大不確定性的影響。我們將經歷早期臨床階段公司在不斷髮展的領域中經常遇到的風險和困難。如果我們不能成功應對這些風險,我們的業務將受到影響。同樣,我們預計由於衆多不受我們控制的因素,我們的財務狀況和經營結果將因各種因素每季度和每年出現大幅波動。因此,我們的股東不應依賴於任何季度或年度期間的結果作爲未來經營績效的指標。
此外,我們可能會遇到意外費用、困難、複雜性、延遲和其他已知和未知的情況。隨着我們推進包括AL102在內的藥物候選,我們將需要從具有研究重點的公司轉變爲能夠支持臨床開發並如有成功則進行商業活動的公司。我們可能無法成功完成這種過渡。
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我們尚未證明成功完成臨床開發、提交新藥申請、獲得FDA批准用於營銷,或成功商業化藥物產品,我們可能無法做到這一點。此外,我們最近收購的AL102目前正處於第3階段的開發階段,但此類收購和之前的臨床成功並不表明我們能夠獲得新藥申請或NDA批准,或成功商業化AL102。
作爲一家組織,我們尚未證明成功完成臨床開發、獲得監管批准、製造商業規模產品、進行必要的銷售和營銷活動以成功商業化,或爲我們安排第三方代表我們進行任何前述活動的能力。在獲得在美國或其他地方商業化產品候選品的批准之前,我們或我們的合作伙伴必須通過有充分證據的良好控制的臨床試驗,向FDA或其他類似的外國監管機構證明這些產品候選者對其預期用途是安全和有效的,並得到滿意。2022年,我們將IMm-BCP-01推進至用於治療SARS-CoV-2的第1期臨床試驗,但後來決定停止進一步開發IMm-BCP-01。因此,AL102目前是我們唯一的臨床試驗候選品。我們收購了這項資產,並尚未對我們其他目前的研發候選品之一進行任何臨床試驗。我們作爲一家公司在準備和提交營銷申請方面經驗有限,並且以前從未針對任何產品候選品提交過NDA或其他類似的外國監管提交。此外,我們與FDA或其他類似的外國監管機構的互動有限,並且無法確定我們的研發候選品將需要多少額外的臨床試驗,也不確定這些額外的試驗應如何設計。因此,我們可能無法成功和有效地執行和完成必要的臨床試驗,推動提交申請並獲得任何研發候選品的監管批准。值得注意的是,AL102的先前開發不是由我們進行的。因此,我們對AL102的發展潛力的假設在很大程度上是基於由艾拉進行的臨床試驗生成的數據,我們可能觀察到進行中或將來的臨床試驗產生明顯和不利的不同結果。此外,來自非臨床研究和臨床試驗的結果可以有不同的解讀方式。即使我們認爲AL102的非臨床或臨床數據很有前景,合規性或數據完整性問題可能會在以後出現,即使沒有,數據也可能不足以支持FDA或其他類似的外國監管機構的批准。AL102或我們可能提交的任何其他申請的營銷批准可能會延遲數年,或者可能需要我們花費比我們有的資源更多。
此外,即使獲得營銷批准,監管機構可能會批准我們的任一產品候選品的適應症比我們要求的更少或更有限,可能會以狹窄適應症、警告或後市場風險管理策略的重大限制形式批准,如風險評估和減輕策略(Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy,REMS),或者在其他司法管轄區中等值得的。監管機構可能會根據昂貴的後市場臨床試驗的表現而授予批准,也可能會批准一個不包括對該產品候選品的成功商業化所必要或理想的標籤聲明的產品候選品。上述任何一種情況都可能對AL102或我們的早期產品候選品的商業前景造成實質性損害。
我們將需要籌集大量額外資金來推進我們的開發候選品和我們的發現和ADC平台的開發,我們無法保證我們將來會有足夠的資金可用來開發和商業化我們的任一開發候選品。
生物技術產品的研發資金密集。如果我們的開發候選品繼續通過臨床前研究和臨床試驗,我們將需要大量額外資金來擴展我們的開發、監管、製造、營銷和銷售能力。我們已經用了大量資金來開發和收購我們的開發候選品,將需要大量資金來繼續推進我們的發現和ADC平台,進行進一步的研究和開發,包括臨床前研究和臨床試驗,以尋求監管批准,並生產和銷售獲得商業銷售批准的任何產品。此外,我們還會承擔作爲一家公開公司運營所帶來的額外成本。
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根據我們目前的營運計劃,預計截至2024年9月30日,我們手頭現金、現金等價物和可市場出售證券將足以支持當前和計劃中的營運費用和資本支出,至少可以覆蓋本季度10-Q表格的提交日期起的12個月。我們未來的資本需求和我們現有資源支持我們業務的時間可能會與我們預期的大相徑庭。我們的月度支出水平會根據新的和持續的研發以及其他公司活動而有所波動。由於生物技術產品的研發所需時間和活動變化極不確定,我們無法準確估算開發和任何獲得批准的營銷和商業化活動所需的具體資金。
任何額外的籌資努力可能會使我們的管理層分散精力,影響我們開發、如果獲准,推廣當前和未來任何開發候選藥物的能力。額外資金可能無法以可接受的條款獲得,甚至完全無法獲得。由於俄烏之間的戰爭、中東衝突、銀行倒閉、通貨膨脹對經濟的壓力以及政府機構採取的貨幣政策措施和其他宏觀經濟和政治因素,全球信貸和金融市場已經經歷並可能在未來經歷極端波動和混亂,包括極度降低的流動性和信貸供應、消費者信心下降、經濟增長下滑以及對經濟穩定的不確定性。如果股權和信貸市場惡化,包括最近或未來銀行倒閉的結果,可能會導致任何必要的債務或股權融資難以及時以優惠條件獲得,或者乾脆無法獲得。
我們的營業費用的時間和金額將在很大程度上取決於我們控制之外的因素,其中包括本部分討論的一些因素,包括以下:
● | 範圍, 臨床前和臨床開發活動的範圍、數量、時間和進展; |
● | 我們能夠從第三方合同製造商處獲得的價格和定價結構,用於製造我們的臨床前研究和臨床試驗材料和供應品以及其他與推進項目相關的供應商; |
● | 我們能夠保持當前的許可證、開展研究和發展項目並建立新的戰略合作伙伴關係和合作的能力; |
● | 與獲得、維護、執行和捍衛專利和其他知識產權以及追求監管批准所需的資源相關的成本; |
● | 合併及與整合業務、運營、網絡、系統、技術、政策和程序相關的成本;和 |
● | 我們努力增強運營系統、確保足夠的實驗室空間、聘請額外人員,包括支持開發我們的項目和開發候選者並滿足作爲一家上市公司的義務所需的人員公司。 |
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To date, we have primarily financed our operations through the sale of equity securities and convertible debt, and through our collaborations. We may seek to raise any necessary additional capital through a combination of public or private equity offerings, including pursuant to the 2024 ATM Agreement, debt financings, additional collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements, government contracts and other arrangements. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in acquiring additional funding at levels sufficient to fund our operations on terms favorable to us or at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing when needed, we may have to delay, reduce the scope of or suspend one or more of our preclinical studies, clinical trials, research and development programs or commercialization efforts. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of our development candidates and the extent to which we may enter into collaborations with third parties to participate in their development and commercialization, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenditures associated with our current and anticipated preclinical studies and clinical trials. To the extent that we raise additional capital through additional collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights, future revenue streams or research programs or to grant licenses on terms that may not be as favorable to us. If we do raise additional capital through public or private equity, including pursuant to the 2024 ATM Agreement, or convertible debt offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of certain securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends.
We do not expect to realize revenue from product sales (either directly or through our collaborators) in the foreseeable future, if at all, unless and until our drug candidates complete clinical testing, are approved for commercialization and are successfully marketed.
Risks Related to Our Discovery, Development and Regulatory Approval of Development Candidates
We may not be successful in our efforts to use and expand our discovery and ADC platforms to build and progress a pipeline.
A key element of our strategy is to use and expand our discovery and ADC platforms to build a pipeline and progress the pipeline through preclinical and clinical development for the treatment of various diseases. Our scientific research that forms the basis of our discovery and ADC platforms is ongoing. Further, the scientific evidence to support the feasibility of discovering and developing products based on our technologies has not been established. In addition, our discovery and ADC platforms are not proven to be superior to competing technologies. Even if we are successful in building our pipeline, the development candidates that we identify may not be suitable for clinical development or generate acceptable clinical data, including as a result of being shown to have unacceptable effects or other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to be products that will receive marketing approval from regulatory authorities or achieve market acceptance. If we or our collaborators do not successfully develop and commercialize development candidates, we will not be able to generate product revenue.
We may be unable to advance any of our development candidates into and through clinical development, obtain regulatory approvals and ultimately commercialize them, or we could experience significant delays in doing so.*
Some of our candidates are in the early stages of development efforts and we will need to continue to progress our development candidates through preclinical studies and submit INDs to the FDA or appropriate regulatory documents to applicable foreign authorities prior to initiating their clinical development. Additionally, we acquired AL102, a Phase 3 clinical asset, which requires additional clinical data before we can submit an NDA to the FDA and other applicable foreign authorities before we can receive regulatory approval, if at all. We have no products on the market that have gained regulatory approval. Our ability to generate revenue and achieve and sustain profitability depends on our ability to continue to identify programs and nominate development candidates, advance them into preclinical and clinical development and obtain regulatory approvals for and successfully commercializing them, either alone or through a collaboration.
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Before obtaining regulatory approval for the commercial distribution of any programs or development candidates, we, either alone or with or through a collaborator, must conduct extensive preclinical studies, followed by clinical trials to demonstrate their safety and efficacy in humans. We cannot be certain of the timely completion or outcome of our research and development activities or our planned clinical studies and cannot predict if the FDA or other regulatory authorities will ultimately support the further advancement of our development candidates. Most of our development candidates are in the early stages of development, other than AL102, which is a Phase 3 clinical asset, and we are subject to the risks of failure inherent in the development of candidates based on novel approaches, targets and mechanisms of action.
We anticipate submitting INDs for IM-1021 and IM-3050 in the first quarter of 2025. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so as anticipated or that we will not face regulatory or other hurdles, including the requirement to provide additional data.
If we do not advance IM-1021 or IM-3050 to IND as anticipated, or if the FDA does not accept or delays our IND submission or puts a submission on hold, we may incur significant delays and expense identifying another development candidate, if any. Accordingly, you should consider our prospects in light of the costs, uncertainties, delays, and difficulties frequently encountered by biotechnology companies such as ours.
We may not have the financial resources to continue development of, or to enter into new collaborations for, our development candidates. This may be exacerbated by one or more of the following:
● | negative or inconclusive results from our preclinical studies or clinical trials or the preclinical studies or clinical trials of others for development candidates similar to ours, leading to a decision or requirement to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials or abandon a program; |
● | product-related side effects experienced by participants in our clinical trials or by individuals using drugs or therapeutic antibodies similar to ours; |
● | product-related side effects experienced by participants in our clinical trials or by individuals using drugs or therapeutic antibodies similar to ours; |
● | delays in IND submissions or comparable foreign applications, or delays or failure in obtaining the necessary approvals from regulators to commence a clinical trial, or a suspension or termination of a clinical trial once commenced; |
● | inadequate supply or quality of components or materials or other supplies necessary for the conduct of our preclinical studies or clinical trials; |
● | poor effectiveness of our development candidates during preclinical studies or clinical trials; |
● | capital expenditures used to expand our current pipeline; |
● | unfavorable FDA or other regulatory agency inspection and review of a clinical trial or manufacture site; failure of our third-party contractors or investigators to comply with regulatory requirements or otherwise meet their contractual obligations in a timely manner, or at all; or |
● | the FDA or other regulatory agencies interpreting our data differently than we do. |
Further, we and any existing or potential future partners may never receive necessary marketing and commercialization approvals from regulatory authorities. Even if we or a potential future partner obtains regulatory approval, the approval may be delayed, or may be for targets, disease indications or patient populations not as broad as we intended or desired or may require labeling that includes significant use or distribution restrictions or safety warnings. We or a potential future partner may be subject to post-marketing testing requirements to maintain regulatory approval.
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我們可能會優先考慮某些項目或開發候選者,而放棄其他項目;這些決定可能是錯誤的,並可能對我們的業務產生不利影響。*
在推進我們的開發候選者的自然過程中,我們可能會做出優先級決策,這些決策可能被證明是錯誤的。此外,由於我們財務和其他資源有限,我們在追求所有潛在的感興趣的開發候選者方面可能受到限制,包括Im-1021、Im-3050和AL102,即使在沒有這些限制的情況下我們會選擇這樣做。因此,我們可能會未能利用可行的機會。如果我們沒有準確評估一個項目或開發候選者的商業潛力或目標市場,我們可能會通過合作、許可或其他版稅安排放棄對其的寶貴權利,而在這種情況下,保留單獨的開發和商業化權利對我們來說更爲有利。
我們可能未能實現因已完成或待完成的戰略交易而預期的業務利益。
我們追求資產收購的商業策略的成功將部分依賴於我們成功整合、開發和推進所收購的資產的能力。如果我們在完成該交易後無法做到這些,預期的交易收益可能不會完全實現,甚至根本無法實現,或者可能需要比預期更長的時間才能實現。未能及時實現戰略交易的預期收益可能會對我們的業務、運營結果、財務狀況和股票價格產生重大不利影響。此外,關於該交易的完成,我們可能會承擔未知或或有的負債。這些負債可能包括意外的合規和監管違規及問題、臨床試驗設計或合同製造和供應問題或延誤,這些可能影響提交監管批准申請的時機,意外的對供應商和其他債權人的義務以及可能導致我們面臨重大成本和延誤的其他問題。
所有這些因素可能會減少或延遲交易預期的增值效果,負面影響我們的股價,或對我們的業務、財務控件和經營結果產生重大不利影響。
作爲一種靶向放射性配體治療,我們的Im-3050項目可能面臨額外且潛在不可預測的挑戰。*
銩-177(177Lu)或Lu-177的腫瘤治療相對較新;在美國或歐盟只批准了兩種Lu-177治療,且基於Lu-177治療的產品臨床試驗數量有限。因此,很難準確預測我們在推進Im-3050候選提名、臨床前研究和臨床試驗過程中可能會遇到的開發挑戰,尤其是如果有的話。Im-3050項目面臨上述風險以及其他可能包括的風險:
● | 中斷我們及時獲得和交付足夠的原材料、同位素和臨床試驗材料的能力,支持我們的臨床前需求和未來潛在的商業需求; 商業需求; |
● | 我們可能無法找到並保留合適的供應商,包括醫藥外包概念或CRO和臨床製造組織,由於合格處理放射性材料的供應商數量有限,或者我們可能與供應商建立單一來源關係,這可能帶來與單一來源關係固有的額外風險; |
● | 如果我們啓動臨床試驗,我們招募患者的能力可能會因能夠提供放射配體療法的地點數量有限而受到負面影響; |
● | 如果我們的產品成功批准用於商業銷售,我們的營業收入可能會因能夠提供放射配體療法的地點數量有限而受到負面影響;並且 |
● | 由於Lu-177的短半衰期,我們可能會在開發有效及時地將藥品分發到臨床地點所需的手段過程中產生重大費用,如果獲得批准,還會分發到供患者使用的地點。 |
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我們與艾伯維全球企業有限公司或艾伯維的合作並不能保證將會成功發現和驗證進一步開發和商業化的目標。
與艾伯維於2023年1月4日簽訂的艾伯維合作和選擇協議或合作協議有關,我們的發現平台並不能保證成功發現和驗證目標,或者這些目標可能成爲艾伯維進一步成功開發和商業化的對象。另外,如果在合作協議下,我們與艾伯維之間就我們在合作協議下的權利或義務出現任何衝突、糾紛、分歧或不履行問題時,艾伯維可能有權終止協議或減少應支付給我們的款項。
我們已獲得使用人體樣本以推進研究和發展的權利。然而,如果我們未能獲得適當的使用許可或超出所獲許可的範圍,我們的項目可能會受到不利影響。
關於我們某些開發候選藥物,我們的發現過程涉及從人類中獲取組織樣本。雖然我們努力確保我們及供應商已經獲得了這些樣本的所有必要許可,但存在這樣的風險,即被採集樣本的一個或多個個人,或其代表可能聲稱我們未能獲得適當的許可或超出獲得的許可範圍。在這種情況下,我們可能需要支付貨幣賠償,對通過分析這個人樣本而創造或發明的任何產品支付持續的版稅,甚至停止使用該樣本以及通過樣本分析衍生或創造出的所有材料,這些都可能導致我們的業務計劃發生變化,並嚴重損害我們的業務、財務狀況、經營業績和前景。此外,在某些情況下,這些處罰可能嚴重影響我們或代表我們進行的研究的表現、可用性或有效性。即使沒有造成處罰的違規行爲,監管部門和其他機構也可能因監管或倫理原因拒絕授權進行或接受研究結果,這可能影響我們推進計劃進入或通過臨床試驗的能力,同行評議期刊也可能拒絕發表科學發現,這可能限制我們傳播與該計劃相關信息的能力。
臨床試驗昂貴、耗時且難以設計和實施。
人體臨床試驗昂貴且難以設計和實施,部分原因是因爲它們受到嚴格的監管要求。例如,由於收購AL102並進行其第3階段臨床試驗,我們將產生額外費用。此外,由於我們的其他開發候選藥物基於新技術和發現方法,我們預計它們將需要大量的研究和開發,並具有重大的製造和加工成本。此外,爲研究參與者提供治療以及治療可能由我們的開發候選藥物引起的潛在副作用的成本可能很大。因此,我們的臨床試驗成本可能很高,並可能對我們的業務、財務狀況、經營業績和前景產生重大不利影響。
我們不時公佈或發佈的臨床前研究和臨床試驗的初步結果可能會隨着更多數據的可用性以及數據經過審計和驗證程序而發生變化。此外,臨床開發具有不確定的結果,早期研究和試驗的結果可能無法預測未來試驗的結果。
我們可能不時公佈臨床前研究和臨床試驗的初步結果。臨床試驗的中期結果可能存在一個或多個臨床結果在招募繼續和更多數據可用時發生重大變化的風險。初步或首要結果也仍需經過可能導致最終數據與我們先前公佈或發佈的數據有重大差異的審計和驗證程序。因此,初步和中期數據應謹慎對待,直到最終數據可用。初步或中期數據與最終數據之間的差異可能會顯着影響我們的業務前景。
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我們無法預測我們的任何計劃項目或開發候選藥物何時是否會在人體中證明有效和安全,或獲得監管批准。在從監管機構獲得上市批准之前,我們必須根據情況完成臨床前研究,然後進行廣泛的臨床試驗證明在人體中的安全性和有效性。臨床試驗可能需要多年才能完成,其結果本質上是不確定的。任何開發候選藥物的臨床前研究和早期臨床試驗的結果可能無法預測後期臨床試驗的結果。此外,處於後期臨床試驗階段的開發候選藥物可能會未能展現出期望的安全性和有效性特徵,儘管它們已通過臨床前研究和初期臨床試驗。許多藥品公司在愛文思控股的臨床試驗中遭受了重大挫折,原因是缺乏有效性或安全性概況,儘管在早期試驗中取得了有望的結果。此外,AL102的先前發展不是由我們進行的,我們也沒有爲最初從Zentalis收取許可的ROR1 ADC的臨床前研究進行任何工作,也沒有在2024年10月從Zentalis收購此項目。因此,我們對這些項目潛力的假設在很大程度上基於由這些第三方進行的臨床前研究和臨床試驗產生的數據。非臨床研究和臨床試驗的結果可能有不同的解釋。在任何正在進行或未來的臨床前研究或臨床試驗中,我們可能會觀察到實質性及嚴重不同的結果,或者後來發現這些第三方所產生數據的錯誤或其他問題。
我們不知道計劃中的臨床前研究和臨床試驗是否會按計劃完成,甚至是否會完成,或計劃中的臨床試驗是否會按時開始,需要重新設計,按時招募參與者或按計劃完成,甚至是否會完成。我們的開發計劃可能會因各種原因而延遲,包括與以下延遲相關的延遲:
● | 無法生成足夠的臨床前、毒理學或其他體內或體外數據,以支持臨床試驗的啓動; |
● | 在足夠開發、表徵或控制適用於臨床試驗的製造工藝方面存在延遲; |
● | 延誤開發適合用於篩選參與者是否符合某些開發候選藥物試驗資格的合適實驗; |
● | 與FDA、歐洲藥品管理局或其他監管機構就我們的臨床試驗設計或實施達成一致存在延遲; |
● | 與擬定CROs和臨床試驗地點達成可接受條件的協議,這些條件可能需要進行廣泛談判,並且在不同的CROs和臨床試驗地點之間可能存在顯著差異; |
● | 在每個臨床試驗地點獲得機構審查委員會(IRB)的批准; |
● | 招募合適的參與者參與臨床試驗,讓參與者完成臨床試驗或返回進行治療後的隨訪; |
● | 臨床試驗地點、CROs或其他第三方偏離試驗方案或退出試驗; |
● | 未按照FDA的良好臨床實踐規範(GCP)要求執行,或適用其他國家的監管指南; |
● | 在將患者納入臨床試驗而非開具已建立安全性和療效概況的現有治療方案之際,存在未解決的倫理問題; |
● | 在試驗過程中出現的參與者安全性問題,包括被視爲超過潛在益處的不良事件的處理; |
● | 外部因素,如防止研究的執行或招募研究對象參加試驗或多項試驗的流行病或大流行病; 或 |
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● | 組件或材料的供應或質量不足,或進行我們臨床前研究或臨床試驗所需的其他供應不足。 試驗。 |
此外,我們預計將依賴於CRO、臨床試驗地點和其他供應商,以確保我們的臨床試驗的適當和及時進行,儘管我們預計將簽訂協議來規範他們的承諾活動,但我們對他們的實際表現影響有限。
臨床試驗可能會因多種因素暫停或終止,包括我們、我們的合作伙伴、進行試驗的機構的倫理審查委員會(IRB)、該試驗的數據安全監測委員會或FDA或其他監管機構。原因包括未按監管要求或我們的臨床協議進行臨床試驗、FDA或其他監管機構對臨床試驗操作或試驗地點的檢查導致臨床持有、不可預見的安全問題或不良副作用、無法招募合適的受試者或足夠數量的受試者、未能證明使用藥物或治療性生物製品的益處、政府法規或管理措施的變化或缺乏足夠的資金來繼續臨床試驗。如果我們在完成或終止任何項目的臨床試驗方面遇到延誤,商業前景將受到損害,我們產生產品營業收入的能力將被延遲。此外,任何完成臨床試驗的延誤將增加我們的成本,減緩我們的產品開發和審批過程,並危及我們開始產品銷售和產生收入的能力。這些事件中的任何一個都可能對我們的業務、財務狀況、運營結果和前景產生重大和不利的影響。此外,導致臨床試驗開始或完成延誤的許多因素可能最終也會導致監管批准的拒絕。
如果我們在招募臨床試驗參與者時遇到困難,我們的臨床開發活動可能會受到延遲或以其他方式受到不利影響。*
如果我們無法找到並招募足夠數量的符合條件的參與者參加這些試驗,以滿足FDA或其他監管機構的要求,我們可能無法啓動或繼續我們項目或開發候選者的臨床試驗。參與者的招募取決於許多因素,包括:
● | 研究的疾病的嚴重程度; |
● | 臨床試驗方案中定義的資格標準和分析試驗主要終點所需的人群規模; |
● | 存在已批准的療法,或根據緊急使用授權提供的可用於治療類似人群的療法,可能會限制臨床試驗的招募; |
● | 合格個體參與我們臨床試驗的意願或可用性; |
● | 臨床試驗地點的接近性和可用性; |
● | 醫生的轉診實踐; |
● | 我們招募具有適當能力和經驗的臨床試驗研究人員的能力; |
● | 關於所研究候選者相對於其他可用治療方法(包括我們正在研究的適應症可能批准的任何新藥)潛在優勢的看法; |
● | 我們獲得和維持參與者同意的能力;以及 |
● | 已註冊臨床試驗的受試者在完成前退出試驗的風險。 |
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In addition, our future clinical trials will compete with other clinical trials for development candidates that are in the same therapeutic areas as those being pursued by us, and this competition will reduce the number and types of participants available to us, because some participants who might have opted to enroll in our trials may instead opt to enroll in a trial being conducted by one of our competitors. Since the number of qualified clinical investigators is limited, we expect to conduct some of our clinical trials at the same clinical trial sites that some of our competitors use, which will reduce the number of participants who are available for our clinical trials at such clinical trial sites. Additionally, because we anticipate that some of our oncology clinical trials will be in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas, the patients are typically in the late stages of the disease and may experience disease progression or adverse events independent from our development candidates, making them unevaluable for purposes of the trial and requiring additional enrollment. Delays in enrollment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of the planned clinical trials, which could prevent completion of these trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our pipeline.
We may experience delays in completion of our clinical trials based on study design.
The clinical trial for AL102, RINGSIDE Part B is an event-driven study, which means that the study can end only when a certain pre-specified number of events have occurred. It is not possible to predict accurately when the requisite events will occur and, given this inherent uncertainty, there can be no assurance that timing for completion of the study and reporting of data will be achieved as and when anticipated by the Company. Any delays in our clinical programs could significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects.
We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products more quickly or marketing them more successfully than us. If their product candidates are shown to be safer or more effective than ours, then our commercial opportunity will be reduced or eliminated.*
The development and commercialization of new product candidates is highly competitive. We compete in the segments of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that develop therapies for the treatment of cancer, which is highly competitive with rapidly changing standards of care. As such, our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient, or are less expensive than any products that we may develop or that would render any products that we may develop obsolete or non-competitive. Our competitors also may obtain marketing approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market.
We expect to compete with oncology companies advancing small molecules, ADCs, targeted radiotherapies, antibodies, and other therapeutic modalities. This may include large, multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Immunogen (acquired by AbbVie Inc.), AstraZeneca; Amgen; Bayer AG, BMS; Eli Lilly and Company; Genentech, Inc. (a member of Roche group); Merck & Co. Inc.; Novartis; Seagen (acquired by Pfizer) and Johnson & Johnson. If any of our current or future product candidates are eventually approved for sale, they will likely compete with a range of treatments that are either in development or currently marketed for use in those same disease indications.
With respect to AL102, we expect to compete with companies advancing treatments for desmoid tumors, including SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc. In November 2023, Springworks received FDA approval for its oral gamma secretase inhibitor, OGSIVEO® (nirogacestat), for the treatment of adult patients with progressing tumors who require systemic treatment. Desmoid tumors treatments also include surgery, hormonal therapy, cryotherapy, targeted therapy and chemotherapy.
There are several other companies developing FAP-targeted radioligand therapies which may represent the most direct competition to our IM-3050 program. Novartis is advancing a FAP-targeted radioligand therapy (177Lu-FAP-2286) that was acquired from Clovis Oncology and is currently in Phase 1/2. In December 2023, Eli Lilly and Company acquired POINT Biopharma, which is developing a FAP-targeted radioligand therapy (PNT2004) that is currently in Phase 1. Yantai LNC Biotechnology has also initiated a Phase 1 trial for another FAP-targeted radioligand therapy (LNC1004.) Perspective Therapeutics lead pre-clinical candidate is a FAP- targeted radiopharmaceutical (RPT), PSV 359, with a Phase I expected in 2025. Additionally, our IM-3050 program faces competition from competitors who may have superior access to a consistent supply of radioactive isotopes.
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In January 2023, we exclusively licensed a preclinical ROR1 ADC program from Zentalis with the potential to address hematologic and solid tumor indications, and acquired this program in October 2024. There are several other companies developing antibodies, ADCs, and CAR-T therapies targeting ROR1, and they may represent the most direct competition to our ROR1 ADC program. Merck has an ADC program (Zilovertamab vedotin) in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial for B-cell lymphoma. CStone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has an ADC program in a Phase I trial. Lyell Immunopharma has a pre-clinical CAR-T program (LYL119).
Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, performing preclinical studies, conducting clinical studies, integrating assets into their portfolio, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we have. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical study sites and patient registration for clinical studies, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. In addition, these larger companies may be able to use their greater market power to obtain more favorable supply, manufacturing, distribution and sales-related agreements with third parties, which could give them a competitive advantage over us.
Further, as more product candidates within a particular class of drugs proceed through clinical development to regulatory review and approval, the amount and type of clinical data that may be required by regulatory authorities may increase or change. Consequently, the results of our clinical trials for product candidates in that class will likely need to show a risk benefit profile that is competitive with or more favorable than those products and product candidates in order to obtain marketing approval or, if approved, a product label that is favorable for commercialization. If the risk benefit profile is not competitive with those products or product candidates, or if the approval of other agents for an indication or patient population significantly alters the standard of care with which we tested our product candidates, we may have developed a product that is not commercially viable, that we are not able to sell profitably or that is unable to achieve favorable pricing or reimbursement. In such circumstances, our future product revenue and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.
Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller and other early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical study sites and subject enrollment for clinical studies, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our current or future products or programs.
The market may not be receptive to our development candidates, and we may not generate any revenue from their sale, partnering or licensing.
Even if regulatory marketing approval is obtained, we may not generate or sustain revenue from sales of the corresponding product. Market acceptance will depend on, among other factors:
● | the timing of our receipt of any marketing and commercialization approvals and the terms of such approvals; |
● | safety and efficacy; |
● | limitations or warnings contained in any labeling approved by the FDA or other regulatory authority; |
● | relative convenience and ease of administration; |
● | the availability of coverage and adequate government and third-party payor reimbursement and the pricing of our products, particularly as compared to alternative treatments; and |
● | availability of alternative effective treatments for the disease indications that our programs or development candidates are intended to treat and the relative risks, benefits and costs of those treatments. |
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If any program or development candidate we commercialize fails to achieve market acceptance, it could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
If the market opportunities for our development candidates are smaller than we believe they are, our future product revenues may be adversely affected, and our business may suffer.
Our understanding of the number of people who suffer from certain types of medical conditions that may be able to be treated by our current and future potential development candidates is based on estimates. These estimates may prove to be incorrect, and new studies may reduce the estimated incidence or prevalence of these diseases. The number of patients in the United States or elsewhere may turn out to be lower than expected or may not be otherwise amenable to treatment. Additionally, patients may become increasingly difficult to identify and access, all of which would adversely affect our business prospects and financial condition. In particular, the treatable population for various oncology indications may further be reduced if our estimates of addressable populations are erroneous or sub-populations of patients do not derive benefit from our development candidates.
Further, there are several factors that could contribute to making the actual number of participants in clinical studies less than the potentially addressable market. These include the lack of widespread availability of, and limited reimbursement for, new therapies in many underdeveloped markets.
If we or others identify undesirable side effects caused by any of our current or future development candidates undergoing clinical trials, our ability to market and derive revenue from the program or development candidate could be compromised.
Undesirable side effects caused by any development candidates could cause regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other regulatory authorities. Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of these side effects. In such an event, our trials could be suspended or terminated, and the FDA or other regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development of or deny approval of a development candidate for any or all targeted indications. Such side effects could also affect recruitment or the ability of enrolled participants to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition and impair our ability to generate revenues.
Further, clinical trials by their nature utilize a sample of the potential population. With a limited number of participants and limited duration of exposure, rare and severe side effects of a program or development candidate may only be uncovered when a significantly larger number of participants are exposed to the development candidate or when participants are exposed for a longer period of time.
In the event that any of our development candidates receive regulatory approval and we or others identify undesirable side effects caused by one of these products, any of the following adverse events could occur, which could result in the loss of significant revenue to us and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and business:
● | regulatory authorities may withdraw their approval of the product, seize the product or impose additional restrictions on the marketing of the particular product or the manufacturing processes for the product or any component thereof; |
● | we may be required to recall the product, change the way the product is administered, conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials or change the labeling of the product; |
● | we may be sued, subject to fines, injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties; and |
● | regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, such as a “black box” warning or a contraindication or a limitation on the indications for use or impose restrictions on the distribution in the form of a REMS in connection with approval. |
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If any of our development candidates is approved for marketing and commercialization in the future and we are unable to develop sales, marketing and distribution capabilities on our own or enter into agreements with third parties to perform these functions on acceptable terms, we will be unable to successfully commercialize any such future products.
We currently have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities, which are necessary in order to commercialize each program and development candidate that gains FDA approval. It would be expensive and time-consuming to build these capabilities or enter into strategic partnerships with third parties to perform these services. If we decide to market any approved products directly, we will need to commit significant financial and managerial resources to develop a marketing and sales force with technical expertise and supporting distribution, administration and compliance capabilities. If we rely on third parties with such capabilities to market any approved products or decide to co-promote products with partners, we will need to establish and maintain marketing and distribution arrangements with third parties, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to enter into such arrangements on acceptable terms or at all. In entering into third-party marketing or distribution arrangements, any revenue we receive will depend upon the efforts of the third parties and we cannot assure you that such third parties will establish adequate sales and distribution capabilities or be successful in gaining market acceptance for any approved product. If we are not successful in commercializing any product approved in the future, either on our own or through third parties, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
A Fast Track Designation from the FDA, even if granted for any of our product candidates, may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process, and does not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive regulatory approval.
The FDA has granted Fast Track designation for AL102 for progressing desmoid tumors. We intend to seek such designation for some or all of our additional product candidates. The Fast Track program is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new product candidates that meet certain criteria. Specifically, drugs and biologic are eligible for Fast Track designation if they are intended, alone or in combination with one or more drugs or biologics, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the disease or condition. Fast Track designation applies to the combination of the product candidate and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a Fast Track product candidate has opportunities for more frequent interactions with the applicable FDA review team during product development and, once a biologics license application, or biologics license applications, or BLA, or NDA is submitted, the application may be eligible for priority review. An NDA or BLA submitted for a Fast Track product candidate may also be eligible for rolling review, where the FDA may consider for review sections of the NDA or BLA on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted. If the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the NDA or BLA, the FDA agrees to accept sections of the NDA or BLA, as applicable, and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the application.
The FDA has broad discretion whether or not to grant this designation. Even if we believe a particular product candidate is eligible for this designation, we cannot assure you that the FDA would decide to grant it. Even if we do receive Fast Track Designation for any of our product candidates, such product candidates may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. The FDA may also withdraw Fast Track Designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Furthermore, such a designation does not increase the likelihood that AL102 or any other product candidate that may be granted Fast Track designation will receive regulatory approval in the United States. Many product candidates that have received Fast Track Designation have ultimately failed to obtain regulatory approval.
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We may attempt to secure approval from the FDA through the use of the accelerated approval pathway. If we are unable to obtain such approval, we may be required to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials beyond those that we contemplate, which could increase the expense of obtaining, and delay the receipt of, necessary regulatory approvals. Even if we receive accelerated approval from the FDA, if our confirmatory trials do not verify clinical benefit, or if we do not comply with rigorous post-marketing requirements, the FDA may seek to withdraw any accelerated approval we have obtained.*
We may in the future seek accelerated approval for one or more of our product candidates. Under the accelerated approval program, the FDA may grant accelerated approval to a product candidate designed to treat a serious or life-threatening condition that provides meaningful therapeutic benefit over available therapies upon a determination that the product candidate has an effect on a surrogate endpoint or intermediate clinical endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. The FDA considers a clinical benefit to be a positive therapeutic effect that is clinically meaningful in the context of a given disease, such as irreversible morbidity or mortality. For the purposes of accelerated approval, a surrogate endpoint is a marker, such as a laboratory measurement, radiographic image, physical sign, or other measure that is thought to predict clinical benefit but is not itself a measure of clinical benefit. An intermediate clinical endpoint is a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit.
The accelerated approval pathway may be used in cases in which the advantage of a new drug over available therapy may not be a direct therapeutic advantage but is a clinically important improvement from a patient and public health perspective. If granted, accelerated approval is usually contingent on the sponsor’s agreement to conduct, in a diligent manner, additional confirmatory studies to verify and describe the drug’s clinical benefit. If such post-approval studies fail to confirm the drug’s clinical benefit or are not completed in a timely manner, the FDA may withdraw its approval of the drug on an expedited basis. In addition, the FDA may require a sponsor of a product seeking accelerated approval to have a confirmatory trial underway prior to such approval being granted.
Prior to seeking accelerated approval for any of our product candidates, we intend to seek feedback from the FDA and will otherwise evaluate our ability to seek and receive accelerated approval. There can be no assurance that after our evaluation of any feedback and other factors we will decide to pursue or submit an NDA for accelerated approval or any other form of expedited development, review or approval. Furthermore, if we decide to submit an application for accelerated approval for any of our product candidates, there can be no assurance that such application will be accepted or that any expedited development, review or approval will be granted on a timely basis, or at all. The FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities could also require us to conduct further studies prior to considering our application or granting approval of any type. A failure to obtain accelerated approval or any other form of expedited development, review or approval for any of our product candidates would result in a longer time period to commercialization of such product candidate, if any, could increase the cost of development of such product candidate and could harm our competitive position in the marketplace.
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We may fail to obtain orphan drug designations from the FDA for our product candidates, and even if we obtain such designations, we may be unable to maintain the benefits associated with orphan drug designation, including the potential for market exclusivity.
Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States, may designate biologics or drugs designed to address relatively small patient populations as “orphan drugs.” Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is defined as one occurring in a patient population of fewer than 200,000 in the United States, or a patient population greater than 200,000 in the United States, where there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing the drug or biologic will be recovered from sales in the United States. In the United States, orphan designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding for clinical trial costs, tax advantages and user-fee waivers. In addition, if a product candidate that has orphan designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease or condition for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including an NDA, to market the same drug for the same disease or condition for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or where the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient product quantity.
In November 2023, the FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation to AL102 for the treatment of desmoid tumors, and we may seek additional Orphan Drug Designations for our other product candidates. There can be no assurances that we will be able to obtain such designations. Even if we, or any future collaborators, obtain orphan drug designation for a product candidate, we, or they, may not be able to obtain or maintain orphan drug exclusivity for that product candidate. Further, even if we, or any future collaborators, obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs with different active ingredients may be approved for the same disease or condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve the same drug or biologic for the same disease or condition if the FDA concludes that the later drug is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care, or the manufacturer of the product with orphan exclusivity is unable to maintain sufficient product quantity. Orphan drug designation neither shortens the development or regulatory review time of a drug nor gives the drug or biologic any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process.
If we are required by the FDA to obtain approval of a companion diagnostic in connection with approval of any of our product candidates, and we do not obtain, or face delays in obtaining, FDA approval of such companion diagnostic, we will not be able to commercialize such product candidate and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.
According to FDA guidance, if the FDA determines that a companion diagnostic device is essential to the safe and effective use of a novel therapeutic product or indication, the FDA generally will not approve the therapeutic product or new therapeutic product indication if the companion diagnostic is not also approved or cleared for that indication. Depending on the data from our clinical trials, we may decide to collaborate with diagnostic companies during our clinical trial enrollment process to help identify patients with characteristics that we believe will be most likely to respond to our product candidates. If a satisfactory companion diagnostic is not commercially available in this situation, we may be required to develop or obtain such diagnostic, which would be subject to regulatory approval requirements. The process of obtaining or creating a diagnostic is time consuming and costly.
Companion diagnostics are developed in conjunction with clinical programs for the associated product and are subject to regulation as medical devices by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, and the FDA has generally required premarket approval of companion diagnostics for cancer therapies. The approval or clearance of a companion diagnostic as part of the therapeutic product’s further labeling limits the use of the therapeutic product to only those patients who express the specific characteristic that the companion diagnostic was developed to detect.
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If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority requires approval or clearance of a companion diagnostic for any of our product candidates, whether before or after the product candidate obtains regulatory approval, we and/or third-party collaborators may encounter difficulties in developing and obtaining approval or clearance for these companion diagnostics. Any delay or failure by us or third-party collaborators to develop or obtain regulatory approval or clearance of a companion diagnostic could delay or prevent approval or continued marketing of the relevant product. We or our collaborators may also experience delays in developing a sustainable, reproducible and scalable manufacturing process for the companion diagnostic or in transferring that process to commercial partners or negotiating insurance reimbursement plans, all of which may prevent us from completing our clinical trials or commercializing our product candidates, if approved, on a timely or profitable basis, if at all.
Additional regulatory burdens and other risks and uncertainties in foreign markets may limit our growth.
Our future growth may depend, in part, on our ability to engage in development and commercialization efforts in foreign markets for which we may rely on strategic partnership with third parties. We will not be permitted to market or promote any program or development candidate before we receive regulatory approval from the applicable regulatory authority in a foreign market, and we may never receive such regulatory approval. To obtain separate regulatory approval in foreign markets, we generally must comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of such countries regarding safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials and commercial sales, pricing and distribution of a program or development candidate, and we cannot predict success in these jurisdictions. If we obtain approval of any of our programs or development candidates and ultimately commercialize any such program or development candidate in foreign markets, we would be subject to risks and uncertainties, including the burden of complying with complex and changing foreign regulatory, tax, accounting and legal requirements and the reduced protection of intellectual property rights in some foreign countries. Pricing flexibility may be limited in foreign markets which may further limit revenue.
Our business entails a significant risk of product liability, which may not be sufficiently covered by our insurance.
As we continue to engage in preclinical studies and clinical trials, we will be exposed to significant product liability risks inherent in the development, testing, manufacturing and marketing of antibody treatments. Product liability claims could delay or prevent completion of our development programs. If we succeed in marketing products, such claims could result in an FDA investigation of the safety and effectiveness of our products, our manufacturing processes and facilities or our marketing programs and potentially a recall of our products or more serious enforcement action, limitations on the approved indications for which they may be used or suspension or withdrawal of approvals. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may also result in decreased demand for our products, injury to our reputation, costs to defend the related litigation, a diversion of management’s time and our resources, substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients and a decline in our stock price. Any insurance we have or may obtain may not provide sufficient coverage against potential liabilities. Furthermore, clinical trial and product liability insurance is becoming increasingly expensive. As a result, our partners or we may be unable to obtain sufficient insurance at a reasonable cost to protect us against losses caused by product liability claims that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
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Risks Related to Government Regulation
We and the third parties with whom we work are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, and rules, contractual obligations, industry standards, policies and other obligations related to data privacy and security. Our (or the third parties with whom we work) actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or government enforcement actions; private litigation (including class claims) and mass arbitration demands; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; adverse publicity; and other consequences that could negatively affect our operating results and business.*
In the ordinary course of business, we collect, receive, store, process, generate, use, transfer, disclose, make accessible, protect, secure, dispose of, transmit, and share (collectively, process) personal information and other sensitive information, including proprietary and confidential business data, trade secrets, intellectual property, data we collect about trial participants in connection with clinical trials, and sensitive third-party data. Due to these data processing activities, we and the third parties with whom we work, including our current and potential collaborators are or may become subject to numerous data privacy and security obligations, such as federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations, guidance, industry standards, external and internal privacy and security policies, contractual requirements, and other obligations related to data privacy and security.
In the United States, numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations, including federal health information privacy laws (e.g., the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, state data breach notification laws, state health information privacy laws, federal and state consumer protection laws (e.g., Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act), and other similar laws (e.g., wiretapping laws), that govern the collection, use, disclosure and protection of health-related and other personal information could apply to our operations or the operations of the third parties with whom we work. For example, HIPAA imposes specific requirements relating to the privacy, security, and transmission of individually identifiable protected health information. We may obtain health information from third parties (including research institutions from which we obtain clinical trial data) that are subject to privacy and security requirements under HIPAA, or other data privacy and security laws. Depending on the facts and circumstances, we could be subject to criminal penalties if we knowingly obtain, use, or disclose protected health information maintained by a HIPAA-covered entity in a manner that is not authorized or permitted by HIPAA. However, determining whether protected health information has been handled in compliance with applicable privacy standards and our contractual obligations can be complex and may be subject to changing interpretation. Many state laws govern the data privacy and security of personal information and data in specified circumstances, are often not pre-empted by HIPAA, and may have a more prohibitive effect than HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts. In the past few years, numerous U.S. states—including California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah—have enacted comprehensive privacy laws that impose certain obligations on covered businesses, including providing specific disclosures in privacy notices and affording residents with certain rights concerning their personal information. As applicable, such rights may include the right to access, correct, or delete certain personal information, and to opt-out of certain data processing activities, such as targeted advertising, profiling, and automated decision-making. The exercise of these rights may impact our business and ability to provide our products and services. Certain states also impose stricter requirements for processing certain personal information, including sensitive information, such as conducting data privacy impact assessments. These state laws allow for statutory fines for noncompliance. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, or CPRA (collectively, CCPA) applies to personal information of consumers, business representatives, and employees who are California residents. The CCPA provides for fines of up to $7,500 per intentional violation and allows private litigants affected by certain data breaches to recover significant statutory damages. While there is currently an exception for protected health information that is subject to HIPAA and clinical trial regulations in the CCPA and certain other U.S. state privacy laws, these laws increase compliance costs and potential liability with respect to other personal information we maintain. Similar laws are being considered in several other states, as well as at the federal and local levels, and we expect more states to pass similar laws in the future.
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Outside the United States, an increasing number of laws, regulations, and industry standards govern data privacy and security. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, or EU GDPR, and the United Kingdom’s GDPR, or UK GDPR, (collectively, GDPR) impose strict requirements for processing personal information. For example, under the GDPR, companies subject to these laws and in the event of non-compliance may experience temporary or definitive bans on data processing and other corrective actions; fines of up to 20 million Euros under the EU GDPR, 17.5 million pounds sterling under the UK GDPR or, in each case, 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is greater; or private litigation related to processing of personal information brought by classes of data subjects or consumer protection organizations authorized at law to represent their interests. In Canada, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, or PIPEDA, and various related provincial laws, as well as Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, or CASL, may apply to our operations. Compliance with foreign data privacy and security laws and regulations could require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, restrict our ability to collect, use and disclose data, or in some cases, impact our ability to operate in certain jurisdictions.
In the ordinary course of business, we may transfer personal data from Europe and other jurisdictions to the United States or other countries. Europe and certain other jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring data to be localized or limiting the transfer of personal data to other countries. In particular, the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK) have significantly restricted the transfer of personal data to the United States and other countries whose privacy laws it generally believes are inadequate. Other jurisdictions may adopt similarly stringent interpretations of their data localization and cross-border data transfer laws.
Although there are currently various mechanisms that may be used to transfer personal data from the EEA and UK to the United States in compliance with law, such as the EEA standard contractual clauses, these mechanisms are subject to legal challenges, and there is no assurance that we can satisfy or rely on these mechanisms to lawfully transfer personal data to the United States.
If there were no lawful manner for us to transfer personal data from the EEA, the UK or other jurisdictions to the United States, or if the requirements for a legally-compliant transfer are too onerous, we could face significant adverse consequences, including the interruption or degradation of our operations, the need to relocate part of or all of our business or data processing activities to other jurisdictions (such as Europe) at significant expense, increased exposure to regulatory actions, substantial fines and penalties, the inability to transfer data and work with partners, vendors and other third parties, and injunctions against our processing or transferring of personal data necessary to operate our business. Additionally, companies that transfer personal data out of the EEA and UK to other jurisdictions, particularly to the United States, are subject to increased scrutiny from regulators, individual litigants, and activist groups. Some European regulators have ordered certain companies to suspend or permanently cease certain transfers out of Europe for allegedly violating the GDPR’s cross-border data transfer limitations. Regulators in the United States are also increasingly scrutinizing certain personal data transfers and have and may further impose personal data localization requirements or restrictions on cross-border personal data transfers.
Our employees and personnel have used, and may in the future use, generative artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies to perform their work, and the disclosure and use of personal information in generative AI technologies is subject to various privacy laws and other privacy obligations. Governments have passed and are likely to pass additional laws regulating generative AI. Our use of this technology could result in additional compliance costs, regulatory investigations and actions, and lawsuits. If we are unable to use generative AI, it could make our business less efficient and result in competitive disadvantages.
We also have used, and may in the future use, AI and machine learning, or ML, technologies to assist us in making certain decisions, which is regulated by certain data privacy and security laws. Due to inaccuracies or flaws in the inputs, outputs, or logic of the AI/ML, the model could be biased and could lead us to make decisions that could bias certain individuals (or classes of individuals), and adversely impact their rights, employment, and ability to obtain certain pricing, products, services, or benefits.
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In addition to data privacy and security laws, we are contractually subject to industry standards adopted by industry groups, and we may become subject to such obligations in the future. We are also bound by contractual obligations related to data privacy and security, and our efforts to comply with such obligations may not be successful. For example, clinical trial sites who share data about clinical trial participants may contractually limit our ability to use and disclose personal information.
We publish privacy policies, marketing materials and other statements, such as compliance with certain certifications or self-regulatory principles, regarding data privacy and security. If these policies, materials or statements are found to be deficient, lacking in transparency, deceptive, unfair, or misrepresentative of our practices, we may be subject to investigation, enforcement actions by regulators or other adverse consequences.
Obligations related to data privacy and security (and consumers’ data privacy expectations) are quickly changing, becoming increasingly stringent, and creating uncertainty. Additionally, these obligations may be subject to differing applications and interpretations, which may be inconsistent or conflict among jurisdictions. Preparing for and complying with these obligations requires us to devote significant resources, which may necessitate changes to our services, information technologies, systems, and practices and to those of any third parties with whom we work.
We may at times fail (or be perceived to have failed) in our efforts to comply with our data privacy and security obligations. Moreover, despite our efforts, our personnel or third parties with whom we work may fail to comply with such obligations, which could negatively impact our business operations. If we or the third parties with whom we work fail, or are perceived to have failed, to address or comply with applicable U.S. and foreign data privacy and security laws and regulations, we could face government enforcement actions (e.g., investigations, fines, penalties, audits, inspections, and similar); litigation (including class claims) or mass arbitration demands; additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; bans on processing personal information; orders to destroy or not use personal information; and imprisonment of company officials. Claims that we or the third parties with whom we work have violated individuals’ privacy rights, failed to comply with data privacy and security laws, or breached our contractual obligations, even if we are not found liable, could be expensive and time consuming to defend and could result in adverse publicity that could harm our business. Plaintiffs have become increasingly more active in bringing privacy-related claims against companies, including class claims and mass arbitration demands. Some of these claims allow for the recovery of statutory damages on a per violation basis, and, if viable, carry the potential for monumental statutory damages, depending on the volume of data and the number of violations.
Any of the aforementioned events could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, or financial condition, including: interruptions or stoppages in our business operations (including, as relevant, clinical trials); inability to process personal information or to operate in certain jurisdictions; limited ability to develop or commercialize our products; expenditure of time and resources to defend any claim or inquiry; adverse publicity; or substantial changes to our business model or operations.
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Health care legislative reform measures may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.*
In the United States, there have been and continue to be a number of legislative initiatives to contain health care costs. For example, in March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, was signed into law. This legislation changed the system of health care insurance and benefits and was intended to broaden access to health care coverage, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add transparency requirements for the health care and health insurance industries, impose taxes and fees on the health care industry, impose health policy reforms, and control costs. This law also contains provisions that would affect companies in the pharmaceutical industry and other health care related industries by imposing additional costs and changes to business practices. Since its enactment, there have been judicial and congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. For example, on June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds that argued the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the individual mandate was repealed by the U.S. Congress. In addition, on August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or the IRA, into law, which among other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA also eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D program beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary maximum out-of-pocket cost and creating a new manufacturer discount program. The uncertainty around the future of the ACA and other health reform measures, and in particular the impact to reimbursement levels, may lead to uncertainty or delay in the purchasing decisions of our customers, which may in turn negatively impact our product sales. We continue to evaluate the effect that the ACA and any other health reform measures could have on our business. Additional federal and state legislative and regulatory developments are likely, and we expect ongoing initiatives in the United States to increase pressure on drug and biologic pricing and reimbursement. Such reforms could have an adverse effect on anticipated revenues from development candidates that we may successfully develop and for which we may obtain regulatory approval and may affect our overall financial condition and ability to develop development candidates.
Further, among other things, the IRA has multiple provisions that may impact the prices of drug products that are both sold into the Medicare program and throughout the United States. Starting in 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, began to implement the program in which a manufacturer of a drug or biological product covered by Medicare Parts B or D must pay a rebate to the federal government if the drug product’s price increases faster than the rate of inflation. This calculation is made on a drug product by drug product basis and the amount of the rebate owed to the federal government is directly dependent on the volume of a drug product that is paid for by Medicare Parts B or D. Additionally, starting in payment year 2026, CMS will begin to reimburse negotiated drug prices annually for a select number of single source Part D drugs without generic or biosimilar competition. On August 15, 2024, CMS announced the agreed-upon reimbursement prices of the first ten drugs that were subject to price negotiations, although the Medicare drug price negotiation program is currently subject to legal challenges. CMS will select up to fifteen additional drugs covered under Part D for price negotiation in 2025. CMS will also negotiate drug prices for a select number of Part B drugs starting for payment year 2028. If a drug product is selected by CMS for negotiation, it is expected that the revenue generated from such drug will decrease. CMS has and will continue to issue and update guidance as these programs are implemented. The IRA permits the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. HHS has and will continue to issue and update guidance as these programs are implemented. It is unclear how the IRA will be implemented but is likely to have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry.
Further, on February 14, 2023, HHS released a report outlining three new models for testing by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center which will be evaluated on their ability to lower the cost of drugs, promote accessibility, and improve quality of care. It is unclear whether the models will be utilized in any health reform measures in the future. Additionally, on December 7, 2023, the Biden administration announced an initiative to control the price of prescription drugs through the use of march-in rights under the Bayh-Dole Act. On December 8, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology published for comment a Draft Interagency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights which for the first time includes the price of a product as one factor an agency can use when deciding to exercise march-in rights. While march-in rights have not previously been exercised, it is uncertain if that will continue under the new framework.
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Individual states in the United States have also increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. For example, on January 5, 2024, the FDA approved Florida’s Section 804 Importation Program, or SIP, proposal to import certain drugs from Canada for specific state healthcare programs. It is unclear how this program will be implemented, including which drugs will be chosen, and whether it will be subject to legal challenges in the United States or Canada. Other states have also submitted SIP proposals that are pending review by the FDA. Any such approved importation plans, when implemented, may result in lower drug prices for products covered by those programs.
Those new laws and initiatives may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other health care funding, which could have a material adverse effect on our future customers and accordingly, our financial operations. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we otherwise may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the United States or abroad. We expect that additional state and federal health care reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for health care products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our development candidates or additional pricing pressures, or otherwise adversely impact our operations.
If we or our existing or potential future partners, manufacturers or other service providers fail to comply with health care laws and regulations, we or they could be subject to enforcement actions, which could affect our ability to develop, market and sell our products and may harm our reputation.
Health care providers and third-party payors, among others, will play a primary role in the prescription and recommendation of any programs or development candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with third-party payors, providers and customers, among others, may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other health care laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we market, sell and distribute our development candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. These laws and regulations, include:
● | the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce, or in return for, purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for the purchase, lease or order of any healthcare item or service reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid or other federally financed healthcare programs. This statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand and prescribers, purchasers and formulary managers on the other. Although there are several statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting certain common activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly, and practices that involve remuneration intended to induce prescribing, purchasing or recommending may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Further, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation; |
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● | federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including the federal False Claims Act, which prohibit any person from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to the federal government or knowingly making, or causing to be made, a false statement to get a false claim paid. Over the past few years, several pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for a variety of alleged promotional and marketing activities, including: allegedly providing free items and services, sham consulting fees and grants and other monetary benefits to prescribers; reporting to pricing services inflated average wholesale prices that were then used by federal programs to set reimbursement rates; engaging in off-label promotion that caused claims to be submitted to government healthcare programs for non-covered, off-label uses; and submitting inflated best price information to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to reduce liability for Medicaid rebates. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal False Claims Act; |
● | HIPAA, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, of any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any healthcare benefit program, regardless or the payor (e.g., public or private), willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense, and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services; like the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation; |
● | HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, including the Final Omnibus Rule which impose requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information on certain health care providers, health care clearinghouses, and health plans, known as covered entities, as well as independent contractors, or agents of covered entities that create, receive or obtain individually identifiable health information in connection with providing a service on behalf of a covered entity, known as a business associates, and their covered subcontractors; |
● | the federal transparency requirements known as the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, created as part of the ACA, which requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) to report annually to the government information related to payments or other “transfers of value” made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), other healthcare professionals (such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members; and |
● | analogous local, state and foreign laws and regulations such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, that may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers; some state laws that require biotechnology companies to comply with the industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government and may require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures; some state laws that require biotechnology companies to report information on the pricing of certain drug products; and some state and local laws require the registration or pharmaceutical sales representatives. |
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Ensuring that our future business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable health care laws and regulations could involve substantial costs. The shifting compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance or reporting requirements increases the possibility that a health care company may run afoul of one or more of the requirements. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices, including certain advisory agreements we have entered into with physicians who are paid, in part, in the form of stock or stock options, do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations, agency guidance or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any such requirements, we may be subject to significant penalties, including criminal and civil monetary penalties, damages, fines, individual imprisonment, disgorgement, contractual damages, reputational harm, exclusion from participation in government health care programs, integrity obligations, injunctions, recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, denial or withdrawal of pre-marketing product approvals, private qui tam actions brought by individual whistleblowers in the name of the government, refusal to allow us to enter into supply contracts, including government contracts, additional reporting requirements and oversight if subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
We intend to develop and implement a comprehensive corporate compliance program prior to the commercialization of our development candidates. Although effective compliance programs can mitigate the risk of investigation and prosecution for violations of these laws, these risks cannot be entirely eliminated. Any action against us for an alleged or suspected violation could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and could divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business, even if our defense is successful. In addition, achieving and sustaining compliance with applicable laws and regulations may be costly to us in terms of money, time and resources. Moreover, federal, state or foreign laws or regulations are subject to change, and while we, our collaborators, manufacturers and/or service providers currently may be compliant, that could change due to changes in interpretation, prevailing industry standards or for other reasons.
Any programs or development candidates for which we intend to seek approval as biologic products may face competition sooner than anticipated.*
Even if we are successful in achieving regulatory approval to commercialize a program or development candidate ahead of our competitors, our development candidates may face competition from biosimilar or generic products. In the United States, our antibody-based programs and development candidates are expected to be regulated by the FDA as biological products, and we intend to seek approval for these development candidates pursuant to the BLA pathway. The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, created an abbreviated pathway for FDA approval of biosimilar and interchangeable biological products based on a previously licensed reference product. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar biological product cannot be approved by the FDA until 12 years after the original reference biological product was approved under a BLA.
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We believe that any of our development candidates approved as a biological product under a BLA should qualify for the 12-year period of exclusivity available to reference biological products. However, there is a risk that this exclusivity could be shortened due to congressional action or otherwise, or that the FDA will not consider our development candidates to be reference biological products pursuant to its interpretation of the exclusivity provisions of the BPCIA for competing products, potentially creating the opportunity for generic follow-on biosimilar competition sooner than anticipated. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar product, once approved, will be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products is not yet clear, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing including whether a future competitor seeks an interchangeability designation for a biosimilar of one of our products. Under the BPCIA as well as state pharmacy laws, only interchangeable biosimilar products are considered substitutable for the reference biological product without the intervention of the health care provider who prescribed the original biological product. However, as with all prescribing decisions made in the context of a patient-provider relationship and a patient’s specific medical needs, health care providers are not restricted from prescribing biosimilar products in an off-label manner. In addition, a competitor could decide to forego the abbreviated approval pathway available for biosimilar products and to submit a full BLA for product licensure after completing its own preclinical studies and clinical trials. In such a situation, any exclusivity for which our development candidates may be eligible under the BPCIA would not prevent the competitor from marketing its biological product as soon as it is approved.
In Europe, the European Commission has granted marketing authorizations for several biosimilar products pursuant to a set of general and product class-specific guidelines for biosimilar approvals issued over the past few years. In addition, companies may be developing biosimilar products in other countries that could compete with our products, if approved. If competitors are able to obtain marketing approval for biosimilars referencing our development candidates, if approved, our future products may become subject to competition from such biosimilars, whether or not they are designated as interchangeable, with the attendant competitive pressure and potential adverse consequences. Such competitive products may be able to immediately compete with us in each indication for which our development candidates may have received approval.
If the FDA, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities approve generic versions of any of our small molecule drug candidates that receive marketing approval, or such authorities do not grant our products appropriate periods of exclusivity before approving generic versions of those products, the sales of our products, if approved, could be adversely affected.
Once an NDA is approved, the product covered thereby becomes a “reference listed drug” in the FDA’s publication, “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations,” commonly known as the Orange Book. Manufacturers may seek approval of generic versions of reference listed drugs through submission of abbreviated new drug applications, or ANDAs, in the United States. In support of an ANDA, a generic manufacturer need not conduct clinical trials to assess safety and efficacy. Rather, the sponsor generally must show that its product has the same active ingredient(s), dosage form, strength, route of administration and conditions of use or labelling as the reference listed drug and that the generic version is bioequivalent to the reference listed drug, meaning it is absorbed in the body at the same rate and to the same extent. Generic products may be significantly less costly to bring to market than the reference listed drug and companies that produce generic products are generally able to offer them at lower prices. Thus, following the introduction of a generic drug, a significant percentage of the sales of any branded product or reference listed drug is typically lost to the generic product.
The FDA may not approve an ANDA for a generic product until any applicable period of non-patent exclusivity for the reference listed drug has expired. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act provides a period of five years of non-patent exclusivity for a new drug containing a new chemical entity. Specifically, in cases where such exclusivity has been granted, an ANDA may not be submitted to the FDA until the expiration of five years unless the submission is accompanied by a Paragraph IV certification that a patent covering the reference listed drug is either invalid or will not be infringed by the generic product, in which case the sponsor may submit its application four years following approval of the reference listed drug.
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Generic drug manufacturers may seek to launch generic products following the expiration of any applicable exclusivity period we obtain if our small molecule product candidates are approved, even if we still have patent protection for such products. Competition that our products could face from generic versions of our products could materially and adversely affect our future revenue, profitability, and cash flows and substantially limit our ability to obtain a return on the investments we have made in those product candidates.
Disruptions at the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies caused by funding shortages or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, or otherwise prevent new or modified products from being developed, approved or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.
The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, and other events that may otherwise affect the FDA’s ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of the SEC and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.
Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, in recent years, including beginning on December 22, 2018, the U.S. government shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and the SEC, had to furlough critical employees and stop critical activities.
If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, or if global health concerns prevent the FDA or other regulatory authorities from conducting their regular inspections, reviews, or other regulatory activities, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, in our operations as a public company, future government shutdowns or delays could impact our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations.
Even if we receive regulatory approval of our development candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense, and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements.
If our development candidates are approved, they will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements for manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling, record-keeping, conduct of post- marketing studies, and submission of safety, efficacy, and other post-market information, including both federal and state requirements in the United States and requirements of comparable foreign regulatory authorities.
Manufacturers and manufacturers’ facilities must comply with extensive FDA, and comparable foreign regulatory authority, requirements, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMP regulations. As such, we and our contract manufacturers will be subject to continual review and inspections to assess compliance with cGMP and adherence to commitments made in any BLA, other marketing applications, and previous responses to inspection observations. Accordingly, we and others with whom we work must continue to expend time, money, and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production, and quality control.
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Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our development candidates may be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the program and development candidate. The FDA may also require a REMS program as a condition of approval of our development candidates, which could entail requirements for long-term patient follow-up, a medication guide, physician communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. In addition, if the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority approves our development candidates, we will have to comply with requirements, including submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, and registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMP and GCP for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval.
The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising, and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Drugs may be promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability.
Failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical studies to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution restrictions or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:
● | restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls; |
● | fines, warning letters or other enforcement-related letters or clinical holds on post-approval clinical trials; |
● | refusal of the FDA to approve pending BLAs or supplements to approved BLAs, or suspension or revocation of product approvals; |
● | product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products; |
● | injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties; and |
● | consent decrees, corporate integrity agreements, debarment, or exclusion from federal health care programs; or mandated modification of promotional materials and labeling and the issuance of corrective information. |
The policies of the FDA and of other regulatory authorities may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our development candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.
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Even if we are able to commercialize any program or development candidate, the program and development candidate may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations or third-party coverage and reimbursement policies, which would harm our business.
We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for, or accurately estimate the potential revenue from, our development candidates or assure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any product that we may develop. The regulations that govern marketing approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new drug and biological products vary widely from country to country. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug or biologic before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or product approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. We are monitoring these regulations as several of our programs move into later stages of development, including AL102 which is in Phase 3 clinical development; however, a majority of our programs are currently in the earlier stages of development and we will not be able to assess the impact of price regulations for a number of years. As a result, we might obtain regulatory approval for a product in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that could delay our commercial launch of the product and negatively impact any potential revenues we may be able to generate from the sale of the product in that country and potentially in other countries due to reference pricing.
Our ability to commercialize any products successfully will also depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement/payment for these products and related treatments will be available from government health administration authorities, private payors and other organizations. Even if we succeed in bringing one or more products to the market, these products may not be considered medically necessary and/or cost-effective, and the amount reimbursed for any products may be insufficient to allow us to sell our products on a competitive basis. At this time, we are unable to determine their cost effectiveness or the likely level or method of reimbursement for our development candidates. Increasingly, third-party payors, such as government and private insurance plans, are requiring that biotechnology companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are seeking to reduce the prices charged or the amounts paid for biotechnology products. If the price we are able to charge for any products we develop, or the payments provided for such products, is inadequate in light of our development and other costs, our return on investment could be adversely affected.
We currently expect that any drugs we develop may need to be administered under the supervision of a physician on an outpatient basis. Under currently applicable U.S. law, certain therapeutic products that are not usually self-administered (such as most injectable drugs and biologics) may be eligible for coverage under the Medicare Part B program if:
● | they are incident to a physician’s services; |
● | they are reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of the illness or injury for which they are administered according to accepted standards of medical practice; and |
● | they have been approved by the FDA and meet other requirements of the statute. |
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There may be significant delays in obtaining coverage for newly approved biologics, and coverage may be more limited than the indications for which the biologic is approved by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Patients who are prescribed medications for the treatment of their conditions, and their prescribing physicians, generally rely on third-party payors to pay all or part of the costs associated with their prescription medications. Patients are unlikely to use our products unless coverage is provided, and payment is adequate to cover all or a significant portion of the cost of our products. Therefore, coverage and adequate payment is critical to new product acceptance. Coverage decisions may depend upon clinical and economic standards that disfavor new products when more established or lower cost therapeutic alternatives are already available or subsequently become available. Moreover, eligibility for coverage does not imply that any of our products, if approved, will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim payments for new drugs or biologics, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Reimbursement may be based on payments allowed for lower-cost products that are already reimbursed, may be incorporated into existing payments for other services and may reflect budgetary constraints or imperfections in Medicare data. Net prices for drugs or biologics may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government health care programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of medicines from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates. However, no uniform policy requirement for coverage and reimbursement for drug or biologic products exists among third-party payors in the United States. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for drug and biologic products can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Additionally, we or our collaborators may develop companion diagnostic tests for use with our current and future potential development candidates. We or our collaborators will be required to obtain coverage and reimbursement for these tests separately and apart from the coverage and reimbursement we may seek for our current and future potential development candidates. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement rates from both government-funded and private payors for new products we develop and for which we obtain regulatory approval could adversely affect our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products, and our overall financial condition.
A number of legislative and regulatory changes in the health care system in the United States and other major health care markets have been proposed and/or adopted in recent years, and such efforts have expanded substantially in recent years. We believe that the efforts of governments and third-party payors to contain or reduce the cost of health care and legislative and regulatory proposals to broaden the availability of health care will continue to affect the business and financial condition of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
We are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws with respect to our operations and non-compliance with such laws can subject us to criminal or civil liability and harm our business.
We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, and possibly other state and national anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, agents, third-party intermediaries, joint venture partners and collaborators from authorizing, promising, offering or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or benefits to recipients in the public or private sector. We interact with officials and employees of government agencies and government-affiliated hospitals, universities and other organizations. In addition, we may engage third-party intermediaries to promote our clinical research activities abroad or to obtain necessary permits, licenses and other regulatory approvals. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of these third-party intermediaries, our employees, representatives, contractors, partners and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities.
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We adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and implemented training programs, policies and procedures to ensure compliance with such code. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics mandates compliance with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws applicable to our business throughout the world. However, we cannot assure you that our employees and third-party intermediaries will comply with this code or such anti-corruption laws. Noncompliance with anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws could subject us to whistleblower complaints, investigations, sanctions, settlements, prosecution, other enforcement actions, disgorgement of profits, significant fines, damages, other civil and criminal penalties or injunctions, suspension or debarment from contracting with certain persons, the loss of export privileges, reputational harm, adverse media coverage and other collateral consequences. If any subpoenas, investigations or other enforcement actions are launched, or governmental or other sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially harmed. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a materially significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and significant defense and compliance costs and other professional fees. In certain cases, enforcement authorities may even cause us to appoint an independent compliance monitor which can result in added costs and administrative burdens.
Risks Related to Manufacturing, Commercialization and Reliance on Third Parties
If we choose to continue to pursue collaborations and other strategic transactions, we may not be able to enter into such transactions on acceptable terms, if at all, which could adversely affect our development and commercialization activities, impact our cash position, increase our expenses, and present significant distractions to our management.*
We have, and may continue to consider and engage in strategic transactions, asset purchases, collaborations, joint ventures and out- or in-licensing. The competition for partners is intense, and the negotiation process is time-consuming and complex. If we desire to enter into strategic transactions but are not able to do so, we may not have access to the required liquidity or expertise to further develop our development candidates and our discovery and ADC platforms. Any such collaboration, or other strategic transaction, may require us to incur non-recurring or other charges, increase our near- and long-term expenditures and pose significant integration or implementation challenges or disrupt our management or business. We may acquire additional technologies and assets, form strategic alliances or create joint ventures with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our existing business, but we may not be able to realize the benefit of acquiring such assets. Conversely, any new collaboration that we do enter into may be on terms that are not optimal for us. These transactions would entail numerous operational and financial risks, including:
● | exposure to unknown liabilities and higher-than-expected collaboration, acquisition or integration costs, write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges, increased amortization expenses; and |
● | disruption of our business and diversion of our management’s time and attention in order to manage a collaboration or develop acquired products, programs or technologies, including impairment of relationships with key suppliers, manufacturers or customers of any acquired business due to changes in management and ownership. |
Accordingly, although there can be no assurance that we will undertake or successfully complete any transactions of the nature described above, any transactions that we do complete may be subject to the foregoing or other risks and our business could be materially harmed by such transactions. Conversely, any failure to enter into any collaboration or other strategic transaction that would be beneficial to us could delay the development and potential commercialization of our development candidates and have a negative impact on the competitiveness of any program or development candidate that reaches market.
In addition, to the extent that any of our current or potential future partners were to terminate a collaboration agreement, we may be forced to independently develop our development candidates, including funding preclinical studies or clinical trials, assuming marketing and distribution costs and maintaining, enforcing and defending intellectual property rights, or, in certain instances, abandoning any program or development candidate altogether, any of which could result in a change to our business plan and materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
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If third parties on which we intend to rely to conduct our current and future preclinical studies and clinical trials do not perform as contractually required, fail to satisfy regulatory or legal requirements or miss expected deadlines, our programs could be delayed with material and adverse impacts on our business and financial condition.
We intend to rely on third-party clinical investigators, CROs, clinical data management organizations and consultants to design, conduct, supervise and monitor certain preclinical studies and any clinical trials, including the Phase 3 clinical trial of AL102. Because we intend to rely on these third parties and will not have the ability to conduct certain preclinical studies or clinical trials independently, we will have less control over the timing, quality and other aspects of such preclinical studies and clinical trials than we would have had we conducted them on our own. These investigators, CROs and consultants will not be our employees and we will have limited control over the amount of time and resources that they dedicate to our programs. These third parties may have contractual relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors, which may draw time and resources from our programs. The third parties with which we may contract might not be diligent, careful or timely in conducting our preclinical studies or clinical trials, resulting in the preclinical studies or clinical trials being delayed or unsuccessful.
The FDA requires certain preclinical studies to be conducted in accordance with good laboratory practices and clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with GCPs, including for designing, conducting, recording and reporting the results of preclinical studies and clinical trials to ensure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of clinical trial participants are protected. Our reliance on third parties that we do not control will not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. Any adverse development or delay in our clinical trials could have a material and adverse impact on our commercial prospects and may impair our ability to generate revenue.
Because we may rely on third parties for manufacturing, supply and testing, some of which may be sole source vendors, for preclinical and clinical development materials and commercial supplies, our supply may become limited or interrupted or may not be of satisfactory quantity or quality.
We may rely on third-party contract manufacturers for our preclinical and future clinical trial product materials and commercial supplies, including our Phase 3 clinical trial of AL102. We do not intend to produce any meaningful quantity of materials needed for preclinical and clinical development through our internal resources, and we do not currently own manufacturing facilities for producing such supplies. While we intend to try to avoid sole-source arrangements with any of our manufacturing, supply and testing vendors, it may not always be possible to do so. We cannot assure you that our preclinical or future clinical development product supplies and commercial supplies will not be limited or interrupted, especially with respect to any sole source third-party manufacturing and supply partners or will be of satisfactory quality or continue to be available at acceptable prices. In particular, any replacement of our manufacturers could require significant effort and expertise because there may be a limited number of qualified replacements.
The manufacturing process for a program or development candidate is subject to FDA and other regulatory authority review. Suppliers and manufacturers must meet applicable manufacturing requirements and undergo rigorous facility and process validation tests required by regulatory authorities in order to comply with regulatory standards, such as cGMP. In the event that any of our future manufacturers fails to comply with such requirements or to perform its obligations to us in relation to quality, timing or otherwise, or if our supply of components or other materials becomes limited or interrupted for other reasons, we may be forced to manufacture the materials ourselves, for which we currently do not have the capabilities or resources, or enter into an agreement with another third party, which we may not be able to do on reasonable terms, or at all. In some cases, the technical skills or technology required for manufacture may be unique or proprietary to the original manufacturer and we may have difficulty transferring such skills or technology to another third party and a feasible alternative may not exist. These factors would increase our reliance on such manufacturer or require us to obtain a license from such manufacturer in order to have another third party manufacture our materials. If we are required to change manufacturers for any reason, we will be required to verify that the new manufacturer maintains facilities and procedures that comply with quality standards and with all applicable regulations and guidelines. The delays associated with the verification of a new manufacturer could negatively affect our ability to develop in a timely manner or within budget.
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Certain Chinese biotechnology companies, CROs and contract development and manufacturing organizations may become subject to trade restrictions, sanctions, other regulatory requirements, or proposed legislation by the U.S. government, which could potentially impact services available for our research and development or our ability to secure the materials we need for our development candidates. For example, the BIOSECURE Act recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as a substantially similar bill in the U.S. Senate, target U.S. government contracts, grants, and loans for entities that use equipment and services from certain named Chinese biotech companies, and would authorize the U.S. government to name additional Chinese biotechnology companies of concern. The current version of the BIOSECURE Act includes a grandfathering provision allowing biotechnology equipment and services provided or produced by named biotechnology companies of concern under a contract or agreement entered into before the effective date until January 1, 2032. Depending on whether the BIOSECURE Act becomes law, what the final language of the BIOSECURE Act includes, and how the law is interpreted by U.S. federal agencies, we could be potentially restricted from pursuing U.S. federal government business or funding if we use suppliers or partners identified as “biotechnology companies of concern” beyond the grandfathering period. Such disruption could have adverse effects on our research and development activities. In addition to the BIOSECURE Act, any additional U.S. executive action, legislative action, or potential sanctions with China could materially impact our business and activities. U.S. executive agencies have the ability to designate entities and individuals on various governmental prohibited and restricted parties lists. Depending on the designation, potential consequences can range from a comprehensive prohibition on all transactions or dealings with designated parties, or a limited prohibition on certain types of activities, such as exports and financing activities, with designated parties.
If we are unable to obtain or maintain third-party manufacturing for any program or development candidate, or to do so on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to complete our development and commercialization efforts successfully. Our or a third party’s failure to execute on our manufacturing requirements and comply with cGMP could adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including:
● | an inability to initiate or continue clinical trials; |
● | delay in submitting regulatory applications, or receiving regulatory approvals; |
● | loss of the cooperation of a potential future partner; |
● | subjecting third-party manufacturing facilities or our potential future manufacturing facilities to additional inspections by regulatory authorities; |
● | requirements to cease distribution or to recall batches; and |
● | in the event of approval to market and commercialize a product, an inability to meet commercial demands. |
We may be unable to successfully scale manufacturing in sufficient quality and quantity, which would delay or prevent us from completing our development and commercialization efforts, if any.
In order to conduct our research and development efforts, including clinical trials, for our development candidates, we will need to manufacture large quantities. If any programs or development candidates are commercialized, we will need to scale up manufacturing efforts even further. We currently expect to continue to use third parties for our manufacturing needs, as we do not currently have, nor do we currently intend to establish, our own manufacturing capacity. Our manufacturing partners may be unable to successfully increase the manufacturing capacity for any program or development candidate in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. In addition, quality issues may arise during scale-up activities and our manufacturers may fail to perform under their contracts with us, which could result in an unexpected need to change manufacturers. If we or our manufacturing partners are unable to successfully scale the manufacture at any stage, in sufficient quality and quantity, the development, testing and clinical trials of that program or development candidate may be delayed or infeasible, and regulatory approval or commercial launch of any potential resulting product may be delayed or not obtained, which could significantly harm our business.
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Our significant reliance on third-party vendors could impair our ability to implement our business plan.
We rely on, and expect to continue to rely on, third-party vendors for many aspects of our business. We depend on these third parties, and likely will continue to depend on them, to perform their obligations in a timely manner consistent with contractual and regulatory requirements. We also at times need to rely, and may continue to need to rely, on certain vendors as our sole source for research, development, manufacturing or other services. Establishing additional or replacement sole source vendors, if required, may not be accomplished quickly. In addition, these vendors may now or in the future partner with and conduct services for third parties developing in enabling technologies that are competitive with our discovery and ADC platforms and/or current or future development candidates. If we are unable to make arrangements with a vendor for a particular need, or maintain our relationship with that vendor, on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to develop and commercialize our programs or development candidates successfully or operate our business as we intend, which could harm our business, result of operations, financial condition and prospects.
A cyber-attack or breach of our information technology systems, or those of the third parties with whom we work, could cause adverse consequences, including regulatory investigations or actions; litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; and other adverse consequences.*
In the ordinary course of business, we, our collaborators, and our vendors may collect, receive, store, process, generate, use, transfer, disclose, make accessible, protect, secure, dispose of, transmit, and share, or collectively, process, proprietary, confidential, and sensitive data, including our clinical trial data or personal information, or collectively, sensitive data.
Cyber-attacks, malicious internet-based activity, online and offline fraud, and other similar activities threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our sensitive data and information technology systems, and those of the third parties with whom we work. Such threats are prevalent and continue to rise, are increasingly difficult to detect, and come from a variety of sources, including traditional computer “hackers,” threat actors, “hacktivists,” organized criminal threat actors, personnel (such as through theft or misuse), sophisticated nation states, and nation-state-supported actors.
Some actors now engage and are expected to continue to engage in cyber-attacks, including without limitation nation-state actors for geopolitical reasons and in conjunction with military conflicts and defense activities. During times of war and other major conflicts, we and the third parties with whom we work may be vulnerable to a heightened risk of these attacks, including retaliatory cyber-attacks, that could materially disrupt our systems and operations, supply chain, and ability to conduct our business as presently conducted.
We and the third parties with whom we work are subject to a variety of evolving threats, including social-engineering attacks (including through deep fakes, which may be increasingly more difficult to identify as fake, and phishing attacks), malicious code (such as viruses and worms), malware (including as a result of advanced persistent threat intrusions), denial-of-service attacks, credential stuffing, credential harvesting, personnel misconduct or error, ransomware attacks, supply-chain attacks, software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failures, loss of data or other information technology assets, adware, telecommunications failures, earthquakes, fires, floods, attacks enhanced or facilitated by AI, and other similar threats.
In particular, severe ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly prevalent and can lead to significant interruptions in our operations, ability to provide our products or services, loss of sensitive data and income, reputational harm, and diversion of funds. Extortion payments may alleviate the negative impact of a ransomware attack, but we may be unwilling or unable to make such payments due to, for example, applicable laws or regulations prohibiting such payments.
Remote work has become more common and has increased risks to our information technology systems and data, as more of our employees utilize network connections, computers and devices outside our premises or network, including working at home, while in transit and in public locations.
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Future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could expose us to additional cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated entities’ systems and technologies. Furthermore, we may discover security issues that were not found during due diligence of such acquired or integrated entities, and it may be difficult to integrate companies into our information technology environment and security program.
We rely on third parties and technologies to operate critical business systems to process sensitive data in a variety of contexts, including cloud-based infrastructure, data center facilities, encryption and authentication technology, employee email, and other functions. Our ability to monitor these third parties’ information security practices is limited, and these third parties may not have adequate information security measures in place. If the third parties with whom we work experience a security incident or other interruption, we could experience adverse consequences. While we may be entitled to damages if the third parties with whom we work fail to satisfy their privacy or security-related obligations to us, any award may be insufficient to cover our damages, or we may be unable to recover such award. In addition, supply-chain attacks have increased in frequency and severity, and we cannot guarantee that third parties’ infrastructure in our supply chain or third-parties’ with whom we work supply chains have not been compromised.
While we have implemented security measures designed to protect against and recover from security incidents, there can be no assurance that these measures will be effective. We take steps designed to detect, mitigate and remediate vulnerabilities in our information security systems (such as our hardware and/or software, including that of third parties with whom we work), but we may not be able to detect, mitigate, and remediate all such vulnerabilities including on a timely basis. Further, we may experience delays in developing and deploying remedial measures and patches designed to address identified vulnerabilities.
Any of the previously identified or similar threats could cause a security incident or other interruption that could result in unauthorized, unlawful, or accidental acquisition, modification, destruction, loss, alteration, encryption, disclosure of, or access to our sensitive data or our information technology systems, or those of the third parties upon whom we rely. A security incident or other interruption could disrupt our ability (and that of third parties upon whom we rely) to conduct our business as presently conducted. We may expend significant resources or modify our business activities (including our clinical trial activities) to try to protect against security incidents. Certain data privacy and security obligations may require us to implement and maintain specific security measures or industry-standard or reasonable security measures to protect our information technology systems and sensitive data.
Applicable data privacy and security obligations may require us, or we may voluntarily choose, to notify relevant stakeholders, including affected individuals, customers, regulators, and investors, of security incidents, or to take other actions, such as providing credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. Such disclosures and related actions can be costly, and the disclosure or the failure to comply with such requirements could lead to adverse consequences. If we (or a third party with whom we work) experience a security incident or are perceived to have experienced a security incident, we may experience adverse consequences, such as government enforcement actions (for example, investigations, fines, penalties, audits, and inspections); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; restrictions on processing sensitive data (including personal information); litigation (including class claims) and mass arbitration demands; indemnification obligations; negative publicity; reputational harm; monetary fund diversions; diversion of management attention; interruptions in our operations (including availability of data); disputes with physicians and other healthcare providers, clinical trial participants and our partners; increases in operating expenses; expenses or lost revenues or other adverse consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, prospects and cash flows.
Further, our contracts may not contain limitations of liability, and even where they do, there can be no assurance that limitations of liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and security obligations.
Although we have insurance coverage, including cybersecurity insurance, in place, we cannot be sure that our insurance coverage will be adequate or sufficient to protect us from or to mitigate liabilities arising out of our privacy and security practices, that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that such coverage will pay future claims by third parties or losses that we directly incur.
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In addition to experiencing a security incident, third parties may gather, collect, or infer sensitive data about us from public sources, data brokers, or other means that reveal competitively sensitive details about our organization and could be used to undermine our competitive advantage or market position. Additionally, sensitive data of the Company could be leaked, disclosed, or revealed as a result of or in connection with the use of generative AI technologies by our employees, our personnel, or third parties with whom we work.
Our current laboratory operations are concentrated in one location, and we or the third parties upon whom we depend may be adversely affected by natural or other disasters and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.*
Our current business operations are concentrated in the greater Seattle area. Any unplanned event, such as flood, fire, explosion, extreme weather condition, medical epidemics, including any potential effects from a pandemic, such as power shortage, telecommunication failure or other natural or manmade accidents or incidents that result in us being unable to fully utilize our facilities or the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers, or lose our repository of blood-based and other valuable laboratory samples, may have a material and adverse effect on our ability to operate our business, particularly on a daily basis, and have significant negative consequences on our financial and operating conditions. Loss of access to these facilities may result in increased costs, delays in the development efforts or interruption of our business operations. If a natural disaster, power outage or other event occurred that prevented us from using all or a significant portion of our locations, that damaged critical infrastructure, such as our research facilities or the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers, or that otherwise disrupted operations, it may be difficult or, in certain cases, impossible, for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. In addition, terrorist acts or acts of war targeted at the United States, and specifically the greater Seattle area, could cause damage or disruption to us, our employees, facilities, partners and suppliers. The disaster recovery and business continuity plan we have in place may prove inadequate in the event of a serious disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. As part of our risk management policy, we maintain insurance coverage at levels that we believe are appropriate for our business. However, in the event of an accident or incident at these facilities, we cannot assure you that the amounts of insurance will be sufficient to satisfy any damages and losses. If our facilities, or the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers, are unable to operate because of an accident or incident or for any other reason, even for a short period of time, any or all of our research and development programs may be harmed. Any business interruption may have a material and adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
It is difficult and costly to protect our intellectual property and our proprietary technologies, and we may not be able to ensure their protection.*
Our success will depend in part on obtaining and maintaining patent protection and trade secret protection for our discovery and ADC platforms and/or targeted therapeutics, as well as on successfully defending these patents against potential third-party challenges. Our ability to protect our technologies from unauthorized making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing by third parties is dependent on the extent to which we have rights under valid and enforceable patents that cover these activities.
The patent positions of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life sciences companies can be highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions for which important legal principles remain unresolved and have in recent years been the subject of much litigation. Changes in either the patent laws or in interpretations of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property. Over the past decade, U.S. federal courts have increasingly invalidated pharmaceutical and biotechnology patents during litigation often based on changing interpretations of patent law. Further, the determination that a patent application or patent claim meets all the requirements for patentability is a subjective determination based on the application of law and jurisprudence. The ultimate determination by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, or USPTO, or by a court or other trier of fact in the United States, or corresponding foreign national patent offices or courts, on whether a claim meets all requirements of patentability cannot be assured. We cannot be certain that all relevant information has been identified. Accordingly, we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our own patent portfolio.
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We cannot provide assurances that any of our patent applications will be found to be patentable, including over our own prior art publications or patent literature, or will issue as patents. Neither can we make assurances as to the scope of any claims that may issue from our pending and future patent applications nor to the outcome of any proceedings by any potential third parties that could challenge the patentability, validity or enforceability of our patent portfolio in the United States or foreign jurisdictions. Any such challenge, if successful, could limit patent protection for our targeted therapeutics and/or materially harm our business.
In addition to challenges during litigation, third parties can challenge the validity of our patents in the United States using post-grant review and inter partes review proceedings, which some third parties have been using to cause the cancellation of selected or all claims of issued patents of competitors. For a patent filed March 16, 2013 or later, a petition for post-grant review can be filed by a third party in a nine-month window from issuance of the patent. For a patent filed before March 16, 2013, a petition for inter partes review can be filed immediately following the issuance of the patent. A petition for inter partes review can be filed after the nine-month period for filing a post-grant review petition has expired for a patent with an effective filing date of March 16, 2013 or later. Post-grant review proceedings can be brought on any ground of invalidity, whereas inter partes review proceedings can only raise an invalidity challenge based on published prior art and patents. These adversarial actions at the USPTO review patent claims without the presumption of validity afforded to U.S. patents in lawsuits in U.S. federal courts and use a lower burden of proof than used in litigation in U.S. federal courts. Therefore, it is generally considered easier for a competitor or third party to have a U.S. patent invalidated in a USPTO post-grant review or inter partes review proceeding than invalidated in a litigation in a U.S. federal court. If any of our patents are challenged by a third party in such a USPTO proceeding, there is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending the patent, which may result in a loss of the challenged patent right to us.
The degree of future protection for our proprietary rights is uncertain because legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep our competitive advantage. For example:
● | we may not be able to generate sufficient data to support full patent applications that protect the entire breadth of developments in one or more of our targeted therapeutics programs; |
● | it is possible that one or more of our pending patent applications will not become an issued patent or, if issued, that the patent(s) claims will have sufficient scope to protect any one of our targeted therapeutics, provide us with commercially viable patent protection or provide us with any competitive advantages; |
● | if our pending applications issue as patents, they may be challenged by third parties as invalid or unenforceable under United States or foreign laws; |
● | we may not successfully commercialize our targeted therapeutics, if approved, before our relevant patents expire; |
● | we may not be the first to make the inventions covered by our patent portfolio; or |
● | we may not develop additional proprietary technologies or targeted therapeutics that are separately patentable. |
In addition, to the extent that we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our targeted therapeutics, or in the event that such patent protection expires, it may no longer be cost-effective to extend our portfolio by pursuing additional development of any of our targeted therapeutics for follow-on indications.
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Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by government patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
In order to obtain and maintain our patents, we are required to pay application fees, periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other government fees on patents or applications to the USPTO and various government patent agencies outside of the United States over the lifetime of our owned and in-licensed patents or applications and any patent rights we may own or in-license in the future. The USPTO and various non-U.S. government patent agencies require compliance with several procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. We employ reputable law firms and other professionals to help us comply with these requirements, and we are also dependent on our licensors to take the necessary action to comply with these requirements with respect to our in-licensed intellectual property. In many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. There are situations, however, in which non-compliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, potential competitors might be able to enter the market with similar or identical products or platforms, which could have a material adverse effect on our business prospects and financial condition.
Patent terms may not be able to protect our competitive position for an adequate period of time with respect to our current or future targeted therapeutics.
Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional or international Patent Corporation Treaty filing date. The patent term of a U.S. patent may be lengthened by patent term adjustment, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the USPTO in granting a patent, or may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over an earlier-filed patent.
Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new commercial products arising from our discovery and ADC platforms, patents protecting such products might expire before or shortly after such products are commercialized.
In the United States, the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 permits a Patent Term Extension, or PTE, of up to five years beyond the normal expiration of the patent to compensate patent owners for loss of an enforceable patent term due to the lengthy regulatory approval process. A PTE grant cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of the product approval. Further, PTE may only be applied once per product, and only with respect to an approved indication - in other words, only one patent (for example, covering the product itself, an approved use of said product, or a method of manufacturing said product) can be extended by PTE. We anticipate applying for PTE in the United States. Similar extensions may be available in other countries where we are prosecuting patents, and we likewise anticipate applying for such extensions.
The granting of a PTE is not guaranteed and is subject to numerous requirements. We might not be granted an extension because of, for example, failure to apply within applicable periods, failure to apply prior to the expiration of relevant patents or otherwise failure to satisfy any of the numerous applicable requirements. In addition, to the extent we wish to pursue a PTE based on a patent that we in-license from a third party, we would need the cooperation of that third party. Moreover, the applicable authorities, including the FDA and the USPTO in the United States, and any equivalent regulatory authority in other countries, may not agree with our assessment of whether such extensions are available, and may refuse to grant extensions to our patents, or may grant more limited extensions than we request. If this occurs, our competitors may be able to obtain approval of competing products following our patent expiration by referencing our clinical and preclinical data and launch their product earlier than might otherwise be the case. If this were to occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue.
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Changes in U.S. patent law or the patent law of other countries or jurisdictions could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our current or any future targeted therapeutics.
The U.S. Congress is responsible for passing laws establishing patentability standards. As with any laws, implementation is left to federal agencies and the federal courts based on their interpretations of the laws. Interpretation of patent standards can vary significantly within the USPTO and across the various federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases, generally limiting the types of inventions that can be patented. Further, there are open questions regarding interpretation of patentability standards that the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to decisively address. Absent clear guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court, the USPTO has become increasingly conservative in its interpretation of patent laws and standards.
In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, the legal landscape in the United States has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents. Depending on any actions by the U.S. Congress, and future decisions by the lower federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, along with interpretations by the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways and could weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years; these cases often narrow the scope of patent protection available to inventions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical spaces. For example, in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., or Myriad, the Supreme Court ruled that a “naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated,” and invalidated Myriad Genetics’ claims on the isolated BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. To the extent that any of our patent application claims are deemed to be directed to natural products, or to lack an inventive concept above and beyond an isolated natural product, a court may decide the claims are directed to patent-ineligible subject matter and are invalid. The application of Myriad to biotechnology inventions has continued to develop and may continue to change over time. Subsequent rulings in cases or guidance or procedures issued by the USPTO relating to patent eligibility may have a negative impact on our business.
In Amgen Inc. v. Sanofi, or Amgen, the U.S. Supreme Court held that certain of Amgen’s patent claims defined a class of antibodies by their function of binding to a particular antigen. The Court further wrote that because the patent claims defined the claimed class of antibodies only by their function of binding to a particular antigen, a skilled artisan would have to use significant trial and error to identify and make all of the molecules in that class. The Court ultimately held that Amgen failed to properly enable its patent claims. Certain claims of our patent portfolio relate to broad classes of therapeutic agents, antibodies or antigen binding fragments. To the extent that a court finds that the skilled artisan would need significant trial and error to identify all the species in that class, the court may find the claims invalid under Amgen. Depending on future actions by the U.S. Congress, the U.S. courts, the USPTO and the relevant law-making bodies in other countries, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future.
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Further, a new court system recently became operational in the European Union. The Unified Patent Court, or UPC, began accepting patent cases on June 1, 2023. The UPC is a common patent court with jurisdiction over patent infringement and revocation proceedings effective for multiple member states of the European Union. The broad geographic reach of the UPC could enable third parties to seek revocation of any of our European patents in a single proceeding at the UPC rather than through multiple proceedings in each of the individual European Union member states in which the European patent is validated. Under the UPC, a successful revocation proceeding for a European Patent under the UPC would result in loss of patent protection in those European Union countries. Accordingly, a single proceeding under the UPC could result in the partial or complete loss of patent protection in numerous European Union countries. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business and our ability to commercialize our technology and product candidates and, resultantly, on our business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. Moreover, the controlling laws and regulations of the UPC will develop over time and we cannot predict what the outcomes of cases tried before the UPC will be. The case law of the UPC may adversely affect our ability to enforce or defend the validity of our European patents. Patent owners have the option to opt-out their European patents from the jurisdiction of the UPC, defaulting to pre-UPC enforcement mechanisms. We have decided to opt out certain European patents and patent applications from the UPC. However, if certain formalities and requirements are not met, our European patents and patent applications could be subject to the jurisdiction of the UPC. We cannot be certain that our European patents and patent applications will avoid falling under the jurisdiction of the UPC, if we decide to opt out of the UPC.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world, which could negatively impact our business.
Filing, prosecuting, enforcing and defending patents protecting our current or future targeted therapeutics in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. The requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly in developing countries; thus, even in countries where we do pursue patent protection, there can be no assurance that any patents will issue with claims that cover our targeted therapeutics.
Moreover, our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights may be adversely affected by unforeseen changes in foreign intellectual property laws. Additionally, the laws of some foreign jurisdictions do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws in the United States and Europe. Many companies have encountered significant difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in such jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, including certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our owned and in-licensed patents or the marketing of competing products in violation of our intellectual property and proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our owned or in-licensed intellectual property and proprietary rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and could divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business. Such proceedings could also put our owned or in-licensed patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly, could put our owned or in-licensed patent applications at risk of not issuing, and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us or our licensors. We or our licensors may not prevail in any lawsuits or other adversarial proceedings that we or our licensors initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our and our licensors’ efforts to enforce such intellectual property and proprietary rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or in-license.
Further, many countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of its patents. If we or any of our licensors are forced to grant a license to third parties with respect to any patents relevant to our business, our competitive position in the relevant jurisdiction may be impaired and our business prospects may be materially adversely affected.
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Proceedings to enforce our patent rights, whether successful or not, could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and resources from other aspects of our business. Further, such proceedings could put our patents at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable or interpreted narrowly; put our pending patent applications at risk of not issuing; and provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Furthermore, while we intend to protect our intellectual property rights in major markets for our targeted therapeutics, we cannot ensure that we will be able to initiate or maintain similar efforts in all jurisdictions in which we may wish to market our products, if approved. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate.
In order to protect our competitive position around our future products, we may become involved in lawsuits to enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful and which may result in our patents being found invalid or unenforceable.
Competitors may seek to commercialize competitive products to our current or future targeted therapeutics. In order to protect our competitive position, we may become involved in lawsuits asserting infringement of our patents, or misappropriation or other violations of our intellectual property rights. Litigation is expensive and time-consuming and would likely divert the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel. There can be no assurance that we will have sufficient financial or other resources to file and pursue such infringement claims, which typically last for years before they are concluded. Even if we ultimately prevail in such claims, the monetary cost of such litigation and the diversion of the attention of our management and scientific personnel could outweigh any benefit we receive as a result of the proceedings.
If we or our licensors file a patent infringement lawsuit against a perceived infringer, such a lawsuit could provoke the defendant to counterclaim that we infringe their patents and/or that our patents are invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, it is commonplace for a defendant to counterclaim alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability. In any patent litigation there is a risk that a court will decide that the asserted patents are invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and that we do not have the right to stop the defendant from using the invention at issue. With respect to a counterclaim of invalidity, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. There is also a risk that, even if the validity of such patent is upheld, the court will construe the patent claims narrowly or decide that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue on the grounds that our patent claims do not cover the invention. If any of our patents are found invalid or unenforceable, or construed narrowly, our ability to stop the other party from launching a competitive product would be materially impaired. Further, such adverse outcomes could limit our ability to assert those patents against future competitors. Loss of patent protection would have a material adverse impact on our business.
Even if we establish infringement of any of our patents by a competitive product, a court may decide not to grant an injunction against further infringing activity, thus allowing the competitive product to continue to be marketed by the competitor. It is difficult to obtain an injunction in U.S. litigation and a court could decide that the competitor should instead pay us a “reasonable royalty” as determined by the court, and/or other monetary damages. A reasonable royalty or other monetary damages may or may not be an adequate remedy. Loss of exclusivity and/or competition from a related product would have a material adverse impact on our business.
Litigation often involves significant amounts of public disclosures. Such disclosures could have a materially adverse impact on our competitive position or our stock prices. During any litigation we would be required to produce voluminous records related to our patents and our research and development activities in a process called discovery. The discovery process may result in the disclosure of some of our confidential information. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could adversely affect the price of our common stock.
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Litigation is inherently expensive, and the outcome is often uncertain. Any litigation likely would substantially increase our operating losses and reduce our resources available for development activities. Further, we may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct such litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. As a result, we may conclude that even if a competitor is infringing any of our patents, the risk-adjusted cost of bringing and enforcing such a claim or action may be too high or not in the best interest of our company or our stockholders. In such cases, we may decide that the more prudent course of action is to simply monitor the situation or initiate or seek some other non-litigious action or solution.
If in the future, we in-license any patent rights, we may not have the right to file a lawsuit for infringement and may have to rely on a licensor to enforce these rights for us. If we are not able to directly assert our licensed patent rights against infringers or if a licensor does not vigorously prosecute any infringement claims on our behalf, we may have difficulty competing in certain markets where such potential infringers conduct their business, and our commercialization efforts may suffer as a result.
Concurrently with an infringement litigation, third parties may also be able to challenge the validity of our patents before administrative bodies in the United States or abroad. Such mechanisms include re-examination, post grant review and equivalent proceedings in foreign jurisdictions, e.g., opposition proceedings. Such proceedings could result in revocation or amendment of our patents in such a way that they no longer cover our products, potentially negatively impacting any concurrent litigation.
We may need to acquire or license additional intellectual property from third parties, and such licenses may not be available or may not be available on commercially reasonable terms.
A third party may hold intellectual property, including patent rights, that are important or necessary to the development of our targeted therapeutics. It may be necessary for us to use the patented or proprietary technology of one or more third parties to commercialize our current and future targeted therapeutics.
The licensing and acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and a number of more established companies may pursue strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, cash resources and greater clinical development. If we are unable to acquire such intellectual property outright, or obtain licenses to such intellectual property from such third parties when needed or on commercially reasonable terms, our ability to commercialize any of our targeted therapeutics, if approved, would likely be delayed or we may have to abandon development of that targeted therapeutic and our business and financial condition could suffer. Further, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to redesign our targeted therapeutics or the methods for manufacturing them, or to develop or license replacement technology, all of which may not be commercially or technically feasible. In such events, there could be a material adverse effect on our ability to commercialize and on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
If we in-license additional targeted therapeutics in the future, we might become dependent on proprietary rights from third parties with respect to those targeted therapeutics. Any termination of such licenses could result in the loss of significant rights and would cause material adverse harm to our ability to develop and commercialize any targeted therapeutics subject to such licenses. Even if we are able to in-license any such necessary intellectual property, it could be on nonexclusive terms, including with respect to the use, field or territory of the licensed intellectual property, thereby giving our competitors and other third parties access to the same intellectual property licensed to us. In-licensing intellectual property rights could require us to make substantial licensing and royalty payments. Patents licensed to us could be put at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly in litigation filed by or against our licensors or another licensee or in administrative proceedings. If any in-licensed patents are invalidated or held unenforceable, we may not be able to prevent competitors or other third parties from developing and commercializing competitive products.
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We may not have the right to control the prosecution, maintenance, enforcement or defense of patents and patent applications that we license from third parties. In such cases, we would be reliant on the licensor to take any necessary actions. We cannot be certain that such licensor would act with our best interests in mind, or in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, or that their actions would result in valid and enforceable patents. For example, it is possible that a licensor’s actions in enforcing and/or defending a patent licensed by us may be less vigorous than had we conducted them ourselves. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Disputes may also arise between us and our licensors regarding intellectual property subject to a license agreement, including:
● | the scope of rights granted under the license agreement and other interpretation-related issues; |
● | our financial or other obligations under the license agreement; |
● | whether and the extent to which our technology and processes infringe intellectual property of the licensor that is not subject to the licensing agreement; |
● | our right to sublicense patent and other rights to third parties under collaborative development relationships; |
● | our diligence obligations with respect to the use of licensed technology in relation to our development and commercialization of our targeted therapeutics and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations; |
● | the ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our licensors and us and our partners; and |
● | the priority of invention of patented technology. |
If disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected targeted therapeutics.
The risks described elsewhere pertaining to our intellectual property rights also apply to the intellectual property rights that we may own or in-license now or in the future, and any failure by us or our licensors to obtain, maintain, defend and enforce these rights could have an adverse effect on our business. In some cases we may not have control over the prosecution, maintenance, defense or enforcement of the patents that we license, and may not have sufficient ability to provide input into the patent prosecution, maintenance and defense process with respect to such patents, and potential future licensors may fail to take the steps that we believe are necessary or desirable in order to obtain, maintain, defend and enforce the licensed patents.
If we fail to comply with our obligations under any license, collaboration or other intellectual property-related agreements, we may be required to pay damages and could lose intellectual property rights that may be necessary for developing, commercializing and protecting our current or future targeted therapeutics, or we could lose certain rights to grant sublicenses.*
We are reliant upon in-licenses to certain patent rights and proprietary technologies from third parties that are or may become important or necessary to our discovery and ADC platforms and/or targeted therapeutics pipeline.
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Our current license agreements impose, and any future license agreements we enter into are likely to impose, various development, commercialization, funding, milestone, royalty, diligence, sublicensing, insurance, patent prosecution, and enforcement or other obligations on us. In addition, certain of our license agreements require us to bear the costs of filing and maintaining patent applications. If we are in breach of our license agreements, we may be required to pay damages and the licensor may have the right to terminate the license. Termination of any of our license agreements could result in a material adverse effect on our ability to use our discovery and ADC platforms and/or targeted therapeutics and our ability to develop, manufacture, and sell products that are discovered using or are otherwise covered by technology licensed under those agreements, or could enable a competitor to gain access to the licensed technology.
Under our current and future license agreements, we may not have all intellectual property rights necessary for developing, commercializing, and protecting our current or future targeted therapeutics.*
We may not have the right to control the preparation, filing, prosecution, maintenance, enforcement and defense of patents and patent applications that we license from third parties. For example, pursuant to certain of our license agreements, while we may comment on patent applications and may lead enforcement of the patents and patent applications, the licensing institution is responsible for the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance and defense of the patents and patent applications. While we may provide input on patent strategy, including strategy relating to patent drafting and prosecution, we cannot be certain that the in-licensed patents and patent applications will be prepared, filed, prosecuted, maintained, and defended in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. If our licensors and future licensors lose rights to licensed patents or patent applications, our right to develop and commercialize any of our targeted therapeutics that is the subject of such licensed rights could be materially adversely affected.
Moreover, our licensors may own or control intellectual property that has not been licensed to us and, as a result, we may be subject to claims, regardless of their merit, that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the licensor’s intellectual property rights. In addition, while we cannot currently determine the amount of the royalty obligations we would be required to pay on sales of future products if infringement or misappropriation were found, those amounts could be significant. The amount of our future royalty obligations will depend on the technology and intellectual property we use in products that we successfully develop and commercialize, if any. Therefore, even if we successfully develop and commercialize products, we may be unable to achieve or maintain profitability.
In addition, the agreements under which we currently license intellectual property or technology from third parties are complex, and certain provisions in such agreements may be susceptible to disagreement regarding interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could have a material adverse impact on our business and ability to achieve profitability. Moreover, if disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on commercially acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize any affected targeted therapeutics, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial conditions.
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Intellectual property rights of third parties could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our targeted therapeutics, and we might be required to obtain licenses from third parties to engage in development or marketing efforts, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
Our commercial success depends, in part, on our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our targeted therapeutics without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property and other proprietary rights of third parties. However, our research, development and commercialization activities may be subject to claims that we infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate patents or other intellectual property rights owned or controlled by third parties. Third parties may have U.S. and non-U.S. issued patents and pending patent applications relating to targeted therapeutics or components thereof, methods of manufacturing our targeted therapeutics or components thereof, and/or methods of use for the treatment of the disease indications for which we are developing our targeted therapeutics. If any third-party patents or patent applications are found to cover any of our targeted therapeutics, or their methods of use or manufacture, we may not be free to manufacture or market such targeted therapeutics as planned without obtaining a license, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. We or our licensors, or any future strategic partners, may be party to, or be threatened with, adversarial proceedings or litigation regarding intellectual property rights. In some instances, we may be required to indemnify our licensors for the costs associated with any such adversarial proceedings or litigation.
There is a substantial amount of intellectual property litigation in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we may become party to, or threatened with, litigation or other adversarial proceedings regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our targeted therapeutics, including patent infringement lawsuits in the U.S. or abroad. There may be third-party patents or patent applications with claims to materials, formulations, methods of manufacture or methods for treatment related to the composition, use or manufacture of our targeted therapeutics. Our competitive position may materially suffer if patents issued to third parties or other third-party intellectual property rights cover our targeted therapeutics or elements thereof or our manufacture or uses relevant to our development plans. In such cases, we may not be in a position to develop or commercialize current or future targeted therapeutics unless we successfully pursue litigation to nullify or invalidate the third-party intellectual property right concerned or enter into a license agreement with the intellectual property right holder, if available on commercially reasonable terms. There may be issued patents of which we are not aware, held by third parties that, if found to be valid and enforceable, could be alleged to be infringed by our current or future targeted therapeutics. There also may be pending patent applications of which we are not aware that may result in issued patents, which could be alleged to be infringed by our current or future targeted therapeutics. Additionally, claims in pending patent applications, subject to certain limitations, can be amended in a manner that could cover our targeted therapeutics. If a third-party infringement claim should successfully be brought, we may be required to pay substantial damages or be forced to abandon our current or future targeted therapeutics or to seek a license from any patent holders. No assurances can be given that a license will be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on patents that exist now or may arise in the future, regardless of the merit of such patents or infringement claims. The outcome of intellectual property litigation is subject to uncertainties that cannot be adequately quantified in advance. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have produced a significant number of patents, and it may not always be clear to industry participants, including us, which patents cover various types of products or methods of use or manufacture. The scope of protection afforded by a patent is subject to interpretation by the courts, and the interpretation is not always uniform. If we were sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that the relevant product or methods of using the product either do not infringe the patent claims of the relevant patent or that the patent claims are invalid or unenforceable, and we may not be able to do this. Proving invalidity is difficult. For example, in the United States, proving invalidity requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents. Even if we are successful in these proceedings, we may incur substantial costs and the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel could be diverted in pursuing these proceedings, which could significantly harm our business and operating results. In addition, parties making claims against us may be able to sustain the costs of complex patent litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources, and we may not have sufficient resources to bring these actions to a successful conclusion.
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While we perform periodic searches for relevant patents and patent applications with respect to our programs and development candidates, and uses thereof, we cannot guarantee the completeness or thoroughness of any of our patent searches or analyses including, but not limited to, the identification of relevant patents, the scope of patent claims or the expiration of relevant patents, nor can we be certain that we have identified each and every patent and pending application in the United States and abroad that is relevant to or necessary for the commercialization of any of our targeted therapeutics in any jurisdiction. Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending patent applications which may later result in issued patents that any of our targeted therapeutics may be accused of infringing. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents. Accordingly, third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on intellectual property rights that exist now or arise in the future.
Numerous third-party U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications exist which are related to our targeted therapeutics or components of our targeted therapeutics. For example, we are aware of patent portfolios related to compounds containing FAP targeting ligands that are owned by 3B Pharmaceuticals, Cornell University, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and Johns Hopkins University. There may also be third-party patents or patent applications with claims to materials, formulations, methods of manufacture or methods for treatment related to the use or manufacture of our targeted therapeutics.
If our defenses to such assertions of infringement were unsuccessful, we could be liable for a court-determined reasonable royalty on our existing sales and further damages to the patent owner (or licensee), such as lost profits. Such royalties and damages could be significant. If we are found to have willfully infringed the claims of a third party's patent, the third party could be awarded treble damages and attorney's fees. Further, if we are found to infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate a third party’s intellectual property rights, we could be forced, including by court order, to cease developing, manufacturing or commercializing the infringing product. We might, if possible, also be forced to redesign current or future targeted therapeutics so that we no longer infringe, misappropriate or violate the third-party intellectual property rights. Alternatively, we may be required to obtain a license from such third party in order to use the infringing technology and continue developing, manufacturing or marketing the infringing product. If we were required to obtain a license to continue to manufacture or market the affected product, we may be required to pay substantial royalties or grant cross-licenses to our patents. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be nonexclusive, thereby giving our competitors and other third parties access to the same technologies licensed to us. We cannot assure you that any such license will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. Ultimately, we could be prevented from commercializing a product, or be forced to cease some aspect of our business operations as a result of claims of patent infringement or violation of other intellectual property rights, Further, the outcome of intellectual property litigation is subject to uncertainties that cannot be adequately quantified in advance, including the demeanor and credibility of witnesses and the identity of any adverse party. This is especially true in intellectual property cases that may turn on the testimony of experts as to technical facts upon which experts may reasonably disagree. Furthermore, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us; alternatively or additionally, it could include terms that impede or destroy our ability to compete successfully in the commercial marketplace. In addition, we could be found liable for significant monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing a product or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could harm our business. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation or administrative proceedings, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure. In addition, any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could have material adverse effects on our ability to raise additional funds or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
Any of these events, even if we were ultimately to prevail, could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
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其他人可能會質疑發明權或聲稱對我們的知識產權擁有所有權,這可能使我們面臨訴訟,並對我們的前景產生重大不利影響。*
關於發明權的判斷可能是主觀的。儘管我們努力準確識別由我們的員工、顧問和承包商代表我們所做的發明的正確發明權,但員工、顧問或承包商可能不同意我們對發明權的判斷並主張發明權。任何關於發明權的分歧都可能導致我們被迫在法律訴訟中捍衛我們的發明權判斷,這可能導致巨大的費用並分散我們高級管理人員和科學人員的注意力。
雖然我們通常要求可能代表我們開發知識產權的員工、顧問和承包商簽署協議,將此類知識產權轉讓給我們,但我們可能無法成功獲得與每個實際上開發被我們視爲自己知識產權的各方簽署轉讓協議。此外,即使我們獲得了將知識產權轉讓給我們的協議,知識產權的轉讓可能並非自動生效,或者轉讓協議可能被違反。在這兩種情況下,我們可能被迫對第三方提起索賠,或捍衛他們可能對我們提起的索賠,以確定我們認爲的知識產權的所有權。此外,與我們簽署協議的個人可能對第三方(例如學術機構)有預先存在或競爭的義務,因此與我們的協議可能在完善該個人開發的發明的所有權方面無效。如果我們未能從代表我們開發知識產權的員工、顧問或承包商那裏獲得轉讓協議,該員工、顧問或承包商可能會隨後聲稱對該發明擁有所有權。任何對知識產權所有權的分歧都可能導致我們失去對爭議知識產權的所有權或獨佔所有權,支付經濟賠償和/或被禁止進行臨床測試、製造和營銷受到影響的產品候選。即使我們在起訴或辯護此類索賠方面成功,訴訟也可能導致巨大的費用,並分散我們高級管理人員和科學人員的注意力。
如果我們無法保護商業機密的保密性,我們的業務和競爭地位將會受到損害。
我們認爲商業祕密,包括機密和未專利的專有技術,對維護我們的競爭地位至關重要。我們可能依賴商業祕密或機密的專有技術來保護我們科技的某些方面,特別是在我們認爲專利保護價值有限的情況下。我們預計將依賴第三方進行我們目標治療藥物以及未來任何目標治療藥物的製造。我們還預計將在我們的目標治療藥物以及未來任何目標治療藥物的開發中與第三方合作。由於上述合作關係,我們有時必須與我們的合作伙伴分享商業祕密。我們還進行聯合研究和開發項目,這可能需要我們根據研究和開發合作伙伴關係或類似協議的條款分享商業祕密。
商業祕密或機密的科技可能難以保持機密。我們部分通過簽訂保密協議以及在開始研究或向我們的員工、企業合作伙伴、外部科學合作者、CROs、代工廠商、顧問、顧問及其他第三方披露專有信息之前,如適用,簽訂物料轉讓協議、顧問協議或其他類似協議來保護和計劃保護商業祕密和機密的專有技術。我們還與我們的員工和顧問簽訂保密及發明或專利轉讓協議,其中他們有義務保持機密並將其發明轉讓給我們。這些協議通常限制第三方使用或披露我們的機密信息,包括我們的商業祕密的權利。然而,當前或前任的員工、顧問、承包商和顧問可能會無意或故意將我們的機密信息披露給競爭對手,而保密協議在未經授權披露機密信息的情況下可能無法提供足夠的補救措施。分享商業祕密和其他機密信息的需要增加了這些商業祕密被我們的競爭對手所知、被不經意地納入他人科技中,或在違反這些協議的情況下被披露或使用的風險。鑑於我們的專有地位部分基於我們的專有知識和商業祕密,競爭對手發現我們的商業祕密或其他未經授權的使用或披露將削弱我們的競爭地位,並可能對我們的業務和運營結果產生不利影響。如果發生爭議,強制主張一方非法披露或侵佔商業祕密或確保僱員或顧問開發的發明的所有權是困難的、昂貴的且耗時的,結果是不可預測的。
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保密協議的可執行性可能因管轄區而異。此外,這些協議通常限制我們的顧問、員工、第三方承包商和諮詢師公開可能與我們的商業祕密有關的數據,儘管我們的協議可能包含某些有限的出版權。儘管我們努力保護我們的商業祕密,但我們的競爭對手可能會通過違反與第三方的協議、獨立開發或任何我們的第三方合作者公開信息來發現我們的商業祕密。競爭對手發現我們的商業祕密將損害我們的競爭地位,並對我們的業務產生不利影響。
我們可能會面臨第三方的索賠,稱我們或我們的員工或顧問錯誤使用或披露了他們的所謂商業祕密或其他專有信息。*
我們當前或之前的許多員工或顧問以及我們許可方的當前或之前的員工或顧問,包括我們的高級管理人員,之前在高校、生物技術或生物製藥公司工作過,其中一些可能是競爭對手或潛在競爭對手。儘管我們採取了商業上合理的措施以確保我們的員工和顧問在爲我們工作時不使用他人的專有信息、知識或商業祕密,包括將這些知識產權納入我們的平台和項目中,但我們可能會面臨索賠,稱我們或這些員工或顧問挪用了第三方的知識產權或違反了其他義務。可能需要進行訴訟或仲裁以對抗這些索賠。
如果我們未能成功應對這些索賠,除了支付金錢賠償外,我們還可能遭受聲譽損害,失去有價值的知識產權或關鍵人員,或可能被禁止使用這些知識產權。此外,我們可能需要從第三方獲取許可證以商業化我們的任何產品。這樣的許可證可能不會在商業上合理的條件下提供,或者根本無法獲得。任何此類訴訟和可能的後果都可能會顯著分散我們核心業務的資源,包括分散我們的技術和管理人員從事正常職責。關鍵人員的流失或他們的工作成果可能限制我們商業化的能力,或阻止我們商業化當前或未來的靶向治療藥物,這可能會嚴重損害我們的業務。即使我們在對抗這些索賠時取得成功,訴訟或仲裁也可能導致巨大的費用,並可能成爲我們管理層的干擾。
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如果我們的商標和商業名稱沒有得到充分保護,那麼我們可能無法在我們感興趣的市場上建立良好的知名度,我們的業務可能受到不利影響。
我們的商標或商業名稱可能會受到挑戰,侵權,被規避,被宣佈爲通用名稱,或被判定侵犯他人商標。我們依靠註冊和普通法來保護我們的商標。爲了執行我們的商標權利並防止侵權,我們可能需要對第三方提起商標訴訟或發起商標反對程序。這可能會耗費大量資金和時間,尤其對於我們這樣規模的公司。我們可能無法保護這些商標和商業名稱的權利,或被迫停止使用這些我們需要用於潛在合作伙伴或客戶認知的名稱。有時,競爭對手可能採用類似於我們的商業名稱或商標,從而妨礙我們建立品牌識別,可能導致市場混亂。此外,其他已註冊商標的所有人或商標包含我們已註冊或未註冊商標或商業名稱變體的商標可能提出潛在的商業名稱或商標侵權索賠。從長遠來看,如果我們不能建立基於商標和商業名稱的知名度,我們可能無法有效競爭,我們的業務可能受到不利影響。在商標註冊過程中,我們可能會收到拒絕通知。儘管我們將有機會回應這些拒絕通知,但我們可能無法克服這些拒絕。此外,在美國專利商標局和許多外國司法管轄區的類似機構中,第三方有機會反對待定商標申請和尋求取消註冊商標。我們的商標可能會受到反對或取消訴訟的影響,並且我們的商標可能無法在此類程序中維持下去。此外,我們在美國提出的任何產品名稱必須經FDA批准,無論是否已經將其註冊或申請註冊爲商標。FDA通常會審查擬議的產品名稱,包括與其他產品名稱混淆的潛在性的評估。如果FDA反對我們提出的任何產品名稱,我們可能需要耗費大量額外資源來確定符合適用商標法,不侵犯第三方現有權利且FDA可接受的可用替代名稱。如果我們不能建立基於商標和商業名稱的知名度,我們可能無法有效競爭,我們的業務可能受到不利影響。
知識產權並不一定能解決我們業務面臨的所有潛在威脅。
未來知識產權所提供的保護程度存在不確定性,因爲知識產權是有限的,可能無法充分保護我們的業務,或無法使我們保持競爭優勢。以下例子是說明性的:
● | 其他公司可能會生產類似或具有競爭性的產品或配方,但這些產品不在我們擁有、許可或控制的任何專利權範圍之內; |
● | 我們或我們的許可人或戰略合作伙伴可能並非首次創造所擁有、許可或控制的已授予專利或待批專利申請所覆蓋的發明; |
● | 我們或我們的許可人或戰略合作伙伴可能並非首次爲我們擁有的和在許可中獲得的某些發明提交專利申請; |
● | 其他人可能會在不侵犯、侵佔或違反我們擁有或獲得許可的知識產權的情況下獨立開發相同、相似或替代性技術; |
● | 我們擁有或獲得許可的待批專利申請有可能不會轉化爲已頒發專利; |
● | 其他人可能將來也能夠以非排他性基礎訪問授權給我們的同樣知識產權; |
● | 我們擁有、獲得許可或控制的已頒發專利可能不會給予我們任何競爭優勢,也有可能因法律訴訟等原因被縮小範圍或被認定爲無效或不可執行; |
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● | our competitors might conduct research and development activities in the United States and other countries that provide a safe harbor from patent infringement claims for certain research and development activities, as well as in countries where we do not have patent rights, and may then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive products for sale in our major commercial markets; |
● | we may choose not to file a patent in order to maintain certain trade secrets or know-how, and a third party may subsequently file a patent covering such trade secrets or know-how; |
● | ownership of our patent portfolio may be challenged by third parties; |
● | patent enforcement is expensive and time-consuming and difficult to predict; thus, we may not be able to enforce any of our patents against a competitor; and |
● | the patents of third parties or pending or future patent applications of third parties, if issued, may have an adverse effect on our business. |
Should any of these events occur, they could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial condition.
Risks Related to Our Business Operations and Industry
Any inability to attract and retain qualified key management, technical personnel and employees would impair our ability to implement our business plan.*
Our success largely depends on the continued service of key management, advisors, consultants and other specialized personnel. While we have written employment agreements with our management team and each of our key employees, those employment arrangements are at-will and could be terminated at any time. The loss of one or more members of our management team or other key employees, advisors or consultants could delay our research and development programs and have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We do not currently maintain “key man” insurance on any of our executive officers.
The relationships that our key management team members have cultivated within our industry make us particularly dependent upon their continued employment with us. We are dependent on the continued service of our technical personnel because of the highly technical nature of our programs, development candidates and technologies and the specialized nature of the regulatory approval process. Our future success will depend in large part on our continued ability to attract and retain other highly qualified scientific, technical and management personnel, as well as personnel with expertise in clinical testing, manufacturing, governmental regulation and commercialization. Our future success is also dependent on our ability to retain qualified advisors and consultants. We face competition for personnel from other companies, universities, public and private research institutions, government entities and other organizations.
As of September 30, 2024, we had 105 full-time employees. The continued operation of our business and execution of our plans will require material additional staffing within the next twelve months. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to hire or retain adequate staffing levels to advance our discovery and ADC platforms, develop our programs or development candidates or run our operations or to accomplish our objectives.
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We may experience difficulties in managing our growth and expanding our operations.
As our development candidates enter and advance through preclinical studies and any clinical trials, including our Phase 3 clinical trial of AL102, we will need to expand our development, regulatory and manufacturing capabilities or contract with other organizations to provide these capabilities for us. We may also experience difficulties in the discovery and development of new development candidates using our discovery and ADC platforms if we are unable to meet demand as we grow our operations. In the future, we also expect to have to manage additional relationships with collaborators, suppliers and other organizations. Our ability to manage our operations and future growth will require us to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures and secure adequate facilities for our operational needs. We may not be able to implement improvements to our management information and control systems in an efficient or timely manner and may discover deficiencies in existing systems and controls.
Our employees, principal investigators, vendors and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements.
We are exposed to the risk of fraud or other misconduct by our employees, principal investigators, vendors and commercial partners. Misconduct by employees could include intentional failures to comply with FDA regulations, provide accurate information to the FDA, comply with manufacturing standards we may establish, comply with federal and state health care fraud and abuse laws and regulations, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the health care industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Such misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. For example, individuals conducting the non-interventional clinical studies that we sponsor through which we obtain antibodies for development into potential antibody-based therapeutics may violate applicable laws and regulations regarding personal information. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a material and adverse effect on our business and financial condition, including the imposition of significant criminal, civil, and administrative fines or other sanctions, such as monetary penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government-funded health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, integrity obligations, reputational harm and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained, which may make it difficult for you to sell your shares.
The trading market for our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market has been limited and an active trading market for our shares may not be sustained. If an active market for our common stock is not sustained, it may be difficult for you to sell your shares at a price that is attractive to you, or at all.
The market price of our common stock is expected to be volatile, and purchasers of our common stock could incur substantial losses.*
The market price of our common stock could be subject to significant fluctuations. Market prices for securities of biotechnology, early-stage pharmaceutical and other life sciences companies have historically been particularly volatile. Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate include:
● | our ability to successfully develop and obtain regulatory approvals for our development candidates, and delays or failures to obtain such approvals; |
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● | failure of any of our development candidates, if approved, to achieve commercial success; |
● | failure by us to maintain our existing third-party license and supply agreements; |
● | failure by us or our licensors to prosecute, maintain, or enforce our intellectual property rights; |
● | changes in laws or regulations applicable to our development candidates; |
● | any inability to obtain adequate supply of our development candidates or the inability to do so at acceptable prices; |
● | adverse regulatory authority decisions; |
● | introduction of new products, services or technologies by our competitors; |
● | failure to meet or exceed any projections we may provide to the public; |
● | failure to meet or exceed the financial and development projections of the investment community; |
● | the perception of the pharmaceutical industry by the public, legislatures, regulators and the investment community; |
● | the effects of the Merger and our financing transactions, which materially increase our public float; |
● | announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic collaborations, joint ventures or capital commitments by us or our competitors; |
● | disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters, and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies; |
● | additions or departures of key personnel; |
● | significant lawsuits, including patent or stockholder litigation; |
● | if securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our business and stock; |
● | changes in the market valuations of similar companies; |
● | general market or macroeconomic conditions; |
● | sales of our common stock by us, including pursuant to the 2024 ATM Agreement, or our stockholders in the future; |
● | trading volume of our common stock; |
● | failure to maintain compliance with the listing requirements of The Nasdaq Capital Market; |
● | announcements by commercial partners or competitors of new commercial products, clinical progress or the lack thereof, significant contracts, commercial relationships or capital commitments; |
● | adverse publicity generally, including with respect to other products and potential products in such markets; |
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● | the introduction of technological innovations or new therapies that compete with our potential products; |
● | changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems; and |
● | period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results. |
Moreover, the stock markets in general have experienced substantial volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of individual companies. These broad market fluctuations may also adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, stockholders have often instituted class action securities litigation against those companies. Such litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management attention and resources, which could significantly harm our profitability and reputation.
Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.
Certain of our executive officers, directors and large stockholders own a significant percentage of our outstanding capital stock. As a result of their share ownership, these stockholders will have the ability to influence us through their ownership positions. These stockholders may be able to determine all matters requiring stockholder approval. For example, these stockholders, acting together, may be able to control elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, or approval of any merger, sale of assets, or other major corporate transaction. These stockholders’ interests may not always coincide with our corporate interests or the interests of other stockholders, and these stockholders may exercise their voting and other rights in a manner with which you may not agree or that may not be in the best interests of our other stockholders. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may believe are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.
Future sales and issuances of our common stock or rights to purchase common stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall.*
We expect that significant additional capital may be needed in the future to continue our planned operations, including further development of our programs and development candidates, preparing IND filings, conducting clinical trials, commercialization efforts, expanded research and development activities and costs associated with operating a public company. To raise capital, we may sell common stock, preferred stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. In this regard, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, which was declared effective by the SEC on October 14, 2021, pursuant to which we may issue from time to time securities with an aggregate value of up to $200.0 million in one or more offerings at prices and terms to be determined at the time of sale. In October 2023, we completed our Merger and concurrent PIPE transaction for gross proceeds of approximately $125.0 million before deducting fees and offering expenses. An aggregate of 21,690,871 shares of our common stock at $5.75 per share were issued pursuant to the subscription agreements and have been registered for resale pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the SEC and made effective on November 27, 2023. In February 2024, we raised $230.0 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, through a public offering of our common stock. In connection with the closing of the public offering, we issued and sold 11,500,000 shares of our common stock.
We issued 2,298,586 shares to Zentalis in connection with the Zentalis License Agreement, 2,175,489 shares to Ayala in connection with the Ayala Asset Purchase Agreement and 230,415 shares to BMS in connection with the BMS License Agreement Amendment, all of which are registered for resale on Forms S-3 filed with the SEC in April 2024 and October 2024. In October 2024, we also issued 1,805,502 shares to Zentalis as consideration for the Zentalis Asset Purchase, and we agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the shares for resale within 30 days of the closing of the Zentalis Asset Purchase, The shares issued to Zentalis and Ayala are subject a to (i) a six-month lock-up with respect to half of the shares and (ii) an orderly market disposition. Notwithstanding these contractual protections, any sales of these shares may cause our stock price to fall.
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Additionally, on February 13, 2024, we filed an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3, pursuant to which we may issue from time-to-time securities in one or more offerings at prices and terms to be determined at the time of sale. For example, in May 2024, we entered into the 2024 ATM Agreement with TD Cowen, pursuant to which we may offer and sell, from time to time through TD Cowen, at our option, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $200.0 million. If we sell shares of common stock, preferred stock, convertible securities or other equity securities, including pursuant to sales under the 2024 ATM Agreement, investors may be materially diluted. Such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to the holders of our common stock.
Pursuant to our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, or 2020 Plan, our board of directors or committee thereof or, in accordance with applicable law, designated members of management are authorized to grant stock options to our employees, directors and consultants. In addition, pursuant to our 2024 Inducement Plan, our board of directors, or a committee thereof, is authorized to grant inducement awards to new hires as a material inducement to their employment with us. The aggregate number of shares of our common stock that may be issued pursuant to stock awards under our 2020 Plan shall not exceed 8,080,286 shares, and the aggregate number of shares of our common stock that may be issued pursuant to stock awards under our 2024 Inducement Plan shall not exceed 2,000,000 shares.
Additionally, the number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under our 2020 Plan will automatically increase on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2021 and continuing through and including January 1, 2030, by 4% of the total number of shares of our capital stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, or a lesser number of shares determined by our board of directors. Unless our board of directors elects not to increase the number of shares available for future grant each year, our stockholders may experience additional dilution, which could cause our stock price to fall. Additionally, pursuant to Morphimmune Inc.’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, or the Morphimmune Plan, the aggregate number of shares that may be issued pursuant to stock awards under the Morphimmune Plan is 2,429,630 shares. Although we did not initially anticipate issuing awards under the Morphimmune Plan, depending on our needs, we may in the future issue awards under the Morphimmune Plan.
We are an “emerging growth company” and our election of reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Quarterly Report and our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, as an emerging growth company, we are only required to provide two years of audited financial statements and two years of selected financial data in this Quarterly Report. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years following the completion of our initial public offering, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer,” which occurs when the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, or if we have total annual gross revenue of $1.235 billion or more during any fiscal year before that time, in which cases we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31, or if we issue more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during any three-year period before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company immediately. Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we could still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Quarterly Report and our other periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our share price may be more volatile.
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Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of an exemption that allows us to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. As a result, we will not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that comply with the public company effective dates, including but not limited to the new lease accounting standard. We have also elected to take advantage of certain of the reduced disclosure obligations in this Quarterly Report and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in future filings. As a result of these elections, the information that we provide to our stockholders may be different than you might receive from other public reporting companies. However, if we later decide to opt out of the extended period for adopting new accounting standards, we would need to disclose such decision and it would be irrevocable.
Our ability to use net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes may be limited.*
We have incurred losses during our history, and we do not expect to become profitable in the near future and may never achieve profitability. To the extent that we continue to generate taxable losses, unused losses will carry forward to offset future taxable income, if any, until such unused losses expire, if at all. Under current law, U.S. federal net operating loss, or NOL, carryforwards generated in taxable periods beginning after December 31, 2017, may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such NOL carryforwards is limited to 80% of taxable income. In addition, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, federal NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes may become subject to an annual limitation in the event of certain cumulative changes in ownership. An “ownership change” pursuant to Section 382 of the Code generally occurs if one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who own at least 5% of a company’s stock increase their ownership by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period. Our ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes to offset future taxable income or tax liabilities may be limited as a result of ownership changes, including changes in connection with the Merger and potential changes due to other transactions. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. In addition, there may be other limitations under state law on our ability to utilize NOLs, including temporary suspensions or other limitations on the use of NOLs to offset taxable income. If we earn taxable income, such limitations could result in increased future income tax liability to us, and our future cash flows could be adversely affected.
Capital appreciation, if any, will be a stockholder’s sole source of gain.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be our stockholder’s sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may delay or prevent an acquisition of our company or a change in our management. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors. Because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. These provisions include:
● | a prohibition on actions by our stockholders by written consent; |
● | a requirement that special meetings of stockholders, which our company is not obligated to call more than once per calendar year, be called only by the chairman of our board of directors, our chief executive officer, or our board of directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors; |
● | advance notice requirements for election to our board of directors and for proposing matters that can be acted upon at stockholder meetings; |
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● | division of our board of directors into three classes, serving staggered terms of three years each; and |
● | the authority of the board of directors to issue preferred stock with such terms as the board of directors may determine. |
Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended, or the DGCL, which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner. These provisions would apply even if the proposed merger or acquisition could be considered beneficial by some stockholders.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under Delaware statutory or common law: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty; (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim against us or any of our current or former directors, officers or other employees, arising out of or pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws; and (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees, governed by the internal affairs doctrine; provided, that, this provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation further provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act.
These exclusive-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees and may discourage these types of lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and other employees. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, and several state trial courts have enforced such provisions and required that suits asserting Securities Act claims be filed in federal court, there is no guarantee that courts of appeal will affirm the enforceability of such provisions and a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions. In such instances, we would expect to vigorously assert the validity and enforceability of the exclusive forum provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. This may require significant additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions and there can be no assurance that the provisions will be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions. If a court were to find either exclusive forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur further significant additional costs associated with litigating Securities Act claims in state court, both state and federal court, or other jurisdictions which could seriously harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
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We could be subject to securities class action litigation or stockholder derivative litigation.
Securities litigation or stockholder derivative litigation frequently follows the announcement of certain significant business transactions, such as the sale of a business division or announcement of a business combination transaction. Additionally, in the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for us because pharmaceutical companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. If we face any litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.
General Risk Factors
Unfavorable global economic and political conditions could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.*
The results of our operations could be adversely affected by general conditions in the global economy, the global financial markets and the global political conditions. The United States and global economies are facing growing inflation, higher interest rates and potential recession. Furthermore, uncertainties associated with a severe or prolonged economic downturn, recessions or depressions, or political disruption such as the war between Ukraine and Russia and the conflicts in the Middle East, and other macroeconomic developments could result in a variety of risks to our business, including weakened demand for our development candidates, if approved, relationships with any vendors or business partners located in affected geographies and our ability to raise additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all. A weak or declining economy or political disruption, including any international trade disputes, could also strain our manufacturers or suppliers, possibly resulting in supply disruption, or cause our customers to delay making payments for our potential products. Any of the foregoing could seriously harm our business, and we cannot anticipate all of the ways in which the political or economic climate and financial market conditions could seriously harm our business.
In addition, actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. Furthermore, concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to cash and liquidity resources could, among other risks, adversely impact our and our vendors’, collaborators’ and other business relations’ ability to meet operating expenses, financial obligations or fulfill other obligations, potentially resulting in breaches of financial and/or contractual obligations and/or result in violations of federal or state wage and hour laws. Any of these impacts could have material adverse impacts on our business operations, financial condition and results of operations.
Future changes in financial accounting standards or practices may cause adverse and unexpected revenue fluctuations and adversely affect our reported results of operations.
Future changes in financial accounting standards may cause adverse, unexpected revenue fluctuations and affect our reported financial position or results of operations. Financial accounting standards in the United States are constantly under review and new pronouncements and varying interpretations of pronouncements have occurred with frequency in the past and are expected to occur again in the future. As a result, we may be required to make changes in our accounting policies. Those changes could affect our financial condition and results of operations or the way in which such financial condition and results of operations are reported. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from business activities to compliance activities. See the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II of this Quarterly Report.
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Changes in tax laws or regulations that are applied adversely to us or our customers may have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow, financial condition or results of operations.
New income, sales, use or other tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be enacted at any time, which could adversely affect our business operations and financial performance. Further, existing tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be interpreted, changed, modified or applied adversely to us. For example, legislation informally titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; and the Inflation Reduction Act enacted many significant changes to the U.S. tax laws. Future guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities with respect to such legislation may affect us, and certain aspects of such legislation could be repealed or modified in future legislation. The Biden administration and the U.S. Congress could also enact other tax law changes that could have an adverse effect on our operations, cash flows and results from operations and contribute to overall market volatility. In addition, it is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to federal tax legislation. Changes in corporate tax rates, the realization of net deferred tax assets relating to our operations, the taxation of foreign earnings, and the deductibility of expenses could have a material impact on the value of our deferred tax assets, could result in significant one-time charges, and could increase our future U.S. tax expense.
If we unable to maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable regulations could be impaired.
As a public company, we are subject to requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the regulations of The Nasdaq Capital Market, the rules and regulations of the SEC, expanded disclosure requirements, accelerated reporting requirements and more complex accounting rules. Company responsibilities required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act include, among other things, that we maintain corporate oversight and adequate internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. This will require that we incur substantial professional fees and internal costs to expand our accounting and finance functions and that we expend significant management efforts. We may experience difficulty in meeting these reporting requirements in a timely manner.
Our current controls and any new controls that we develop may become inadequate because of changes in conditions in our business. Further, weaknesses in our disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting may be discovered in the future. Any failure to develop or maintain effective controls or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement could harm our results of operations or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and may result in a restatement of our consolidated financial statements for prior periods. Any failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could also adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations and annual independent registered public accounting firm attestation reports regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting that we will eventually be required to include in our periodic reports that will be filed with the SEC. Ineffective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial and other information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock. In addition, if we are unable to continue to meet these requirements, we may not be able to remain listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market.
If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and results of operations could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and could cause a decline in the trading price of our common stock.
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Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.
We are subject to certain reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to reasonably assure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements or insufficient disclosures due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
We incur significant costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to public company reporting and compliance initiatives.
As a public company listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, we incur significant expenses for director and officer insurance, legal services, accounting services and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC, and The Nasdaq Capital Market have imposed various requirements on public companies. In July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, was enacted. There are significant corporate governance and executive compensation related provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act that required the SEC to adopt rules and regulations in these areas such as “say on pay” and proxy access. Recent legislation permits smaller “emerging growth companies” to implement many of these requirements over a longer period and up to five years from the pricing of our initial public offering. We intend to continue to take advantage of this legislation but cannot guarantee that we will not be required to implement these requirements sooner than budgeted or planned and thereby incur unexpected expenses. Stockholder activism, the current political environment and the current high level of government intervention and regulatory reform may lead to substantial new regulations and disclosure obligations, which may lead to additional compliance costs and impact the manner in which we operate our business in ways we cannot currently anticipate. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costlier. For example, these rules and regulations make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we are required to incur substantial costs to maintain our current levels of such coverage.
If securities or industry analysts publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If only very few securities analysts commence coverage of us, or if industry analysts cease coverage of us, the trading price for our common stock would be negatively affected. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our common stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which might cause our common stock price and trading volume to decline.
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If we do not comply with laws regulating the protection of the environment and health and human safety, our business could be adversely affected.
Our research, development and manufacturing involve the use of hazardous and radioactive materials and various flammable and toxic chemicals. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of these hazardous and radioactive materials and waste products. Although we believe our procedures for storing, handling and disposing of these materials in our facilities comply with the relevant guidelines of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the State of Washington and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be eliminated. If an accident occurs, we could be held liable for substantial resulting damages. We are also subject to numerous environmental, health and workplace safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures, exposure to blood-borne pathogens and the handling of animals and biohazardous materials. Our workers’ compensation insurance may not provide adequate coverage against costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of these materials. Our current environmental liability insurance covering certain of our facilities could be inadequate for all environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage or disposal of biological, hazardous or radioactive materials and waste products. Additional federal, state and local laws and regulations affecting our operations may be adopted in the future. We may incur substantial costs to comply with, and substantial fines or penalties if we violate, any of these laws or regulations.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
On August 7, 2024, in connection with entering into the BMS License Agreement Amendment, we entered into a stock issuance agreement, or the BMS Stock Issuance Agreement, pursuant to which we issued BMS 230,415 shares of our common stock as consideration for entering into the BMS License Agreement Amendment. The BMS License Agreement Amendment amends the BMS License Agreement.
Pursuant to the BMS Stock Issuance Agreement, we filed a resale registration statement with the SEC on October 8, 2024, registering the shares issued to BMS for resale. Subject to complying with applicable securities laws, BMS is not subject to any restrictions with respect to the disposition of the shares. Additionally, BMS is not subject to any standstill restrictions.
The securities issued to BMS were sold in reliance on the exemption from registration requirements of the Securities Act provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder as a transaction by an issuer not involving a public offering.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine and Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information
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Item 6. Exhibits
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. |
| Description of Exhibit | |
---|---|---|---|
2.1 | |||
2.2+† | |||
3.1 | |||
3.2 | |||
3.3 | |||
3.4 | |||
4.1 | |||
4.2 | |||
4.3 | |||
4.4 | |||
4.5 | |||
10.1# | |||
10.2†* | |||
31.1* | Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | ||
31.2* | Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | ||
32.1* | |||
32.2* | |||
101 | Interactive Data File (Form 10-Q for the Quarterly Period ended September 30, 2024 filed in XBRL). The financial information contained in the XBRL-related documents is “unaudited” and “unreviewed.” The instance document does not appear in the interactive file because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. | ||
104 | Cover Page Interactive File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). |
* | Filed or furnished herewith. |
# Management contracts or compensatory plans or arrangements
+ | Schedules and exhibits to the agreement have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. A copy of any omitted schedule and/or exhibit will be furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request. |
† | Certain portions of this exhibit (indicated by asterisks) have been omitted because they are not material and would likely cause competitive harm to Immunome, Inc. if publicly disclosed. |
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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.
IMMUNOME, INC. | ||
(Registrant) | ||
Date: November 13, 2024 | By: | /s/ Clay B. Siegall, Ph. D. |
Name: | Clay B. Siegall, Ph. D. | |
Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer | |
(Principal Executive Officer) | ||
Date: November 13, 2024 | By: | /s/ Max Rosett |
Name: | Max Rosett | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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