amrx-20231231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
OR
For the transition period from _______________ to _______________
Commission file number 001-38485
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
400 Crossing Boulevard, Bridgewater, NJ
(Address of principal executive offices)
93-4225266
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
08807
(Zip Code)
(908) 947-3120
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share AMRX The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the registrant’s outstanding shares of common stock, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the price at which the registrant’s common stock was last sold on the New York Stock Exchange as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 30, 2023), was approximately $464 million.
As of February 29, 2024, there were 307,006,908 shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock outstanding, with a par value of $0.01.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Certain information required to be furnished pursuant to Part III of this Form 10-K will be set forth in, and is hereby incorporated by reference herein from, the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed by the registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A no later than 120 days after December 31, 2023 (the “2024 Proxy Statement”).
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Table of Contents
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 3
PART I.
Item 1. Business 5
Item 1A. Risk Factors 21
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 44
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 44
Item 2. Properties 46
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 47
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 47
PART II.
Item 6. [Reserved] 50
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 64
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 65
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 65
Item 9B. Other Information 68
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 68
PART III.
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 69
Item 11. Executive Compensation 69
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 70
PART IV.
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 71
EXHIBIT INDEX 71
SIGNATURES 76
2
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K and other publicly available documents of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States (“U.S.”) Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Management and representatives of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“the Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”) also may from time to time make forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and reflect management’s assumptions, views, plans, objectives and projections about the future. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “plans,” “expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “targets,” “estimates,” and other words of similar meaning in conjunction with, among other things: discussions of future operations; expected operating results and financial performance; impact of planned acquisitions and dispositions; our strategy for growth; product development; regulatory approvals; market position and expenditures.
Because forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding future events, they are subject to uncertainties, risks and changes that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Investors should realize that if underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, or other factors or circumstances change, our actual results and financial condition could vary materially from expectations and projections expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements. Investors are therefore cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.
Summary of Material Risks
Risks and uncertainties that make an investment in the Company speculative or risky or that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, include, but are not limited to:
•our ability to successfully develop, license, acquire and commercialize new products on a timely basis;
•the competition we face in the pharmaceutical industry from brand and generic drug product companies, and the impact of that competition on our ability to set prices;
•our ability to obtain exclusive marketing rights for our products;
•our revenues derived from the sales of a limited number of products, a substantial portion of which are through a limited number of customers;
•the impact of a prolonged business interruption within our supply chain;
•the continuing trend of consolidation of certain customer groups;
•our dependence on third-party suppliers and distributors for raw materials for our products and certain finished goods;
•legal, regulatory and legislative efforts by our brand competitors to deter competition from our generic alternatives;
•our dependence on information technology systems and infrastructure and the potential for cybersecurity incidents;
•our ability to attract, hire and retain highly skilled personnel;
•risks related to federal regulation of arrangements between manufacturers of branded and generic products;
•our reliance on certain licenses to proprietary technologies from time to time;
•the significant amount of resources we expend on research and development (“R&D”);
•the risk of claims brought against us by third parties such as those described in Note 21. Commitments and Contingencies - Other Litigation Related to the Company’s Business;
•risks related to changes in the regulatory environment, including U.S. federal and state laws related to healthcare fraud abuse and health information privacy and security and changes in such laws;
•changes to Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) product approval requirements;
•the impact of healthcare reform and changes in coverage and reimbursement levels by governmental authorities and other third-party payers;
•our dependence on third-party agreements for a portion of our product offerings;
•our substantial amount of indebtedness and our ability to generate sufficient cash to service our indebtedness in the future, and the impact of interest rate fluctuations on such indebtedness;
•our potential expansion into additional international markets subjecting us to increased regulatory, economic, social and political uncertainties;
•our ability to identify, make and integrate acquisitions or investments in complementary businesses and products on advantageous terms;
•the impact of global economic, political or other catastrophic events;
•our obligations under a tax receivable agreement may be significant;
•the high concentration of ownership of our Class A common stock and the fact that we are controlled by the Amneal Group (as defined below in Item 1. Business); and
3
•such other factors as may be set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in the section entitled 1A. Risk Factors and our public filings with the SEC.
Investors also should carefully read the Risk Factors described in Item 1A. Risk Factors for a description of certain risks that could, among other things, cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Investors should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and should not consider the risks described above and in Item 1A. Risk Factors to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. The Company does not undertake to publicly update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information or future events or developments.
4
PART I.
Item 1. Business
Overview
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”, “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a global pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes a diverse portfolio of essential medicines, including retail generics, injectables, biosimilars and specialty branded pharmaceuticals. We operate principally in the United States (“U.S.”), India, and Ireland, and sell to wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, governmental agencies, chain pharmacies and individual pharmacies, either directly or indirectly.
The Company is a holding company, whose principal assets are common units (the “Amneal Common Units”) of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Amneal”). Immediately prior to the Reorganization (as defined herein), we held 50.4% of the Amneal Common Units and the group, together with their affiliates and certain assignees, who owned Amneal when it was a private company (the “Members” or the “Amneal Group”) held the remaining 49.6%. On November 7, 2023, we implemented a plan pursuant to which the Company and Amneal reorganized and simplified our corporate structure by eliminating our umbrella partnership-C-corporation structure and converting to a more traditional C-corporation structure whereby all stockholders hold their voting and economic interests directly through the public company (the “Reorganization”). Effective with the Reorganization, the Company holds 100% of the Amneal Common Units and continues to consolidate the financial statements of Amneal and its subsidiaries. Refer to Note 1. Nature of Operations in our consolidated financial statements for additional information about the Reorganization.
Although the Company had a minority economic interest in Amneal prior to March 2023, it was Amneal’s sole managing member (and it continues to be the sole managing member), having the sole voting power to make all of Amneal’s business decisions and control its management. Therefore, the Company consolidated the financial statements of Amneal and its subsidiaries for all periods prior to the Reorganization. The Company recorded non-controlling interests for the portion of Amneal’s economic interests that it did not hold prior to the Reorganization.
Licenses
ONGENTYS® License and Supply Agreement
On December 5, 2023, we entered into a license agreement with BIAL-Portela & Ca., S.A. (“BIAL”) for the exclusive rights to market and distribute ONGENTYS® (opicapone) in the U.S. starting on December 18, 2023 and ending at such time when generic opicapone sales reach certain predetermined thresholds (the “BIAL Agreement”). ONGENTYS® is BIAL’s proprietary, once-daily, peripherally-acting, highly-selective catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor approved by the FDA in 2020 as an add-on treatment to carbidopa/levodopa in patients with Parkinson’s disease experiencing “Off” episodes. Under the BIAL Agreement, we are responsible for commercialization and marketing of ONGENTYS® in the U.S. and BIAL is responsible for manufacturing and supply. We commenced distribution of ONGENTYS® in early 2024.
Orion Corporation License Agreement
On December 28, 2022, we signed a long-term license agreement with Orion Corporation (“Orion”), a globally operating Finnish pharmaceutical company, to commercialize a number of our complex generic products in most parts of Europe, Australia and New Zealand (the “Orion Agreement”). The initial term of the Orion Agreement commences upon commercial launch of the products and will continue for eight years. The Orion Agreement will automatically renew for successive two-year terms unless either party declines such renewal in writing at least one year in advance.
For additional information about our license agreements, refer to Note 5. Alliance and Collaboration in our consolidated financial statements.
Acquisitions
Baclofen Franchise
On December 30, 2021, we entered into an asset purchase agreement with certain entities affiliated with Saol International Limited (collectively, “Saol”), a private specialty pharmaceutical company, pursuant to which we agreed to acquire Saol’s baclofen franchise, including Lioresal®, LYVISPAHTM, and a pipeline product under development (the “Saol Acquisition”). The Saol Acquisition expanded our commercial institutional and specialty portfolio in neurology and added commercial infrastructure in advance of our entry into the biosimilar institutional market during October 2022. Consideration for the Saol
5
Acquisition included approximately $84.7 million, paid at closing with cash on hand, and contingent royalty payments based on annual net sales for certain acquired assets, beginning in 2023. The transaction closed on February 9, 2022.
Puniska Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
On November 2, 2021, we entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Puniska Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. (“Puniska”), a privately held manufacturer of parenteral and injectable drugs in India. Upon execution of the agreement, we acquired a 74% controlling interest in the equity of Puniska and acquired the remaining 26% of the equity upon approval of the transaction by the government of India in March 2022.
Kashiv Specialty Pharmaceuticals, LLC
On April 2, 2021, the Company and Kashiv Biosciences, LLC (a related party, refer to Note 24. Related Party Transactions) (“Kashiv”) closed on a transaction for Amneal to acquire a 98% controlling interest in Kashiv Specialty Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“KSP”), a subsidiary of Kashiv focused on the development of innovative drug delivery platforms, novel 505(b)(2) drugs, and complex generics.
For additional information about our acquisitions, refer to Note 3. Acquisitions in our consolidated financial statements.
Segments of the Business
We have three reportable segments: Generics, Specialty, and AvKARE.
Generics
Prescription pharmaceutical products are sold either as branded or generic products. Generic pharmaceutical products have the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (“API”), dosage form, strength, route of administration, and conditions of use as patented branded pharmaceutical products, are bioequivalent to the brand it copies, and are usually marketed under their chemical (generic) names rather than brand names. Generic pharmaceutical products are intended to provide a cost-effective alternative for consumers while maintaining the safety, efficacy, quality and stability of the branded product, and as such are generally sold at prices below their branded equivalents. Typically, a generic pharmaceutical may not be marketed until the expiration of applicable patent(s) on the corresponding branded product, unless the resolution of patent litigation results in an earlier opportunity to enter the market. Generic manufacturers are required to file and receive approval for an Abbreviated New Drug Application (“ANDA”) to market a generic pharmaceutical product.
Our Generics segment includes over 260 product families covering an extensive range of dosage forms and delivery systems, including both immediate and extended-release oral solids, powders, liquids, sterile injectables, nasal sprays, inhalation and respiratory products, biosimilar products, ophthalmics, films, transdermal patches and topicals. We focus on developing products that have substantial barriers-to-entry due to complex drug formulations or manufacturing, or legal or regulatory challenges. Focusing on these products allows us the opportunity to offer first-to-file (“FTF”), first-to-market (“FTM”) and other high-value products to customers. A generic pharmaceutical product is considered an FTF product if the ANDA filed with respect to such product is the first to be filed for such product. Pursuant to the Hatch-Waxman Amendments, FTF products may receive a statutory 180-day exclusivity period, subject to certain conditions. A generic product that does not qualify as an FTF may still be an FTM product. A generic product is considered an FTM product if it is the first marketed generic version of a branded pharmaceutical. We define high-value products as products with the potential to generate over $10.0 million in annual revenues. FTF, FTM and high-value products tend to be more profitable and often have longer life cycles than other generic pharmaceuticals. As such, the timing of new product introductions can have a significant impact on our financial results. Market entry by additional competitors generally has a negative impact on the volume and pricing of the affected products. Additionally, pricing is often affected by factors outside of our control. Refer to “Pharmaceutical Approval Process in the United States,” below, for more information.
As of December 31, 2023, our Generics segment had 88 products with a pending ANDA and another 72 products in various stages of development in our pipeline, 64% of which are non-oral solid products. Over half of our generic pipeline consists of what we believe to be potential FTF, FTM and/or high-value products. We have an integrated, team-based approach to product development that combines our formulation, regulatory, legal, manufacturing and commercial capabilities.
Our Generics segment has a growing portfolio of institutional injectable products primarily for the U.S. hospital market. Our R&D pipeline has prioritized new product innovations in injectables, such as drug/device combinations, peptides, long-acting injectables and large volume parenteral bags. We have expanded our manufacturing capabilities and infrastructure to support
6
the needs of this expanding business with a focus on development, commercialization and scaling a differentiated injectables portfolio. In December 2022, the FDA approved our first ready-to-use large volume bag, an esmolol hydrochloride in sodium chloride injection, which is indicated for tachycardia. During 2023, we launched 39 new products, of which 14 were injectables. In May 2023, the FDA approved for manufacturing our fourth and largest injectable site.
Additionally, in 2022 we began to commercialize an initial portfolio of oncology biosimilars in the U.S. Alymsys®, a biosimilar referencing Avastin®, launched in October 2022, followed by Releuko®, a biosimilar referencing Neupogen®, in November 2022 and FlynetraTM, a biosimilar referencing Neulasta®, in May 2023. On October 12, 2023, we announced the addition of two denosumab biosimilars referencing both Prolia® and XGEVA® to our biosimilar pipeline. The two denosumab products are being developed by mAbxience S.L., a global biotech company with over a decade of experience in the development, manufacture, and commercialization of biopharmaceuticals. To further grow our oncology biosimilars sales, we are focused on serving oncology clinics, integrated health systems and specialty pharmacies. We are focused on expanding our oncology and biosimilar portfolio with additional molecules, and we seek to vertically integrate by expanding our biosimilar capabilities.
Our Generics segment had net revenue of $1.47 billion, $1.43 billion and $1.37 billion and operating income of $276.2 million, $224.2 million and $281.5 million, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Specialty
Our Specialty segment is engaged in the development, promotion, sale and distribution of proprietary branded pharmaceutical products, with a focus on products addressing central nervous system (“CNS”) disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, and endocrine disorders. Our portfolio of products includes RYTARY®, an extended-release oral capsule formulation of carbidopa-levodopa for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, post-encephalitic parkinsonism, and parkinsonism that may follow carbon monoxide intoxication or manganese intoxication. Our promoted Specialty portfolio also includes UNITHROID® (levothyroxine sodium), for the treatment of hypothyroidism, which is sold under a license and distribution agreement with Jerome Stevens Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and ONGENTYS® (opicapone), an add-on treatment to carbidopa/levodopa in patients with Parkinson’s disease experiencing “Off” episodes, which we commenced selling in early 2024 under a license agreement with BIAL.
On June 30, 2023, we received a complete response letter (“CRL”) from the FDA regarding our new drug application (“NDA”) for IPX203 for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The CRL indicated that although an adequate scientific bridge was established for the safety of one ingredient, levodopa, based on pharmacokinetic studies, it was not adequately established for the other ingredient, carbidopa, and the FDA requested additional information. The CRL did not identify any issues with respect to the efficacy or manufacturing of IPX203. During October 2023, we met with the FDA to align on the path to approval for IPX203. During the meeting, the FDA asked us to complete a QT study, a routine cardiac safety study that is required for new drugs. We completed the QT study and resubmitted our NDA for IPX203 on February 7, 2024.
For Specialty products, the majority of such products’ commercial value is usually realized during the period in which the product has market exclusivity. In the U.S., when market exclusivity expires and generic versions of a product are approved and marketed, there can often be substantial and rapid declines in the branded product’s sales.
Our Specialty segment had net revenue of $390.5 million, $374.1 million and $378.3 million and operating income of $65.3 million, $72.6 million and $56.4 million, for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
AvKARE
Our AvKARE segment provides pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical products, and services primarily to governmental agencies, predominantly focused on serving the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. AvKARE is also a re-packager of bottle and unit dose pharmaceuticals and vitamins under the registered names of AvKARE and AvPAK. AvKARE is also a wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals, OTC drugs and medical supplies to its retail and institutional customers that are located throughout the U.S. focused primarily on offering 340b-qualified entities products to provide consistency in care and pricing.
Our AvKARE segment had net revenue of $531.7 million, $406.1 million and $349.0 million and operating income of $31.5 million, $3.3 million and $6.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
7
Geographic Areas
We operate in the U.S., India, and Ireland. During December 2022, we signed a long-term license agreement with Orion Corporation to commercialize a number of our complex generic products to most parts of Europe as well as in Australia and New Zealand (see Note 5. Alliance and Collaboration to our consolidated financial statements for additional information). Investments and activities in some countries outside the U.S. are subject to higher risks than comparable U.S. activities because the investment and commercial climate may be influenced by financial instability in international economies, restrictive economic policies and political and legal system uncertainties. See further discussion of this risk in Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Sales & Marketing and Customers
In the U.S. and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, we market our Generics and Specialty products primarily through wholesalers and distributors, retail pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies and directly into hospitals and institutions. The majority of our generic pharmaceutical products are marketed to large group purchasing organizations (“GPOs”) and sold through wholesalers, directly to large chain retailers or to mail order customers. Our sterile injectable products and biosimilars utilize a dedicated field-based sales force and are generally marketed to GPOs and specialty distributors, and sold through wholesalers, and occasionally directly to large hospitals and institutions. All of our wholesalers purchase products and warehouse them for retail drug stores, independent pharmacies and managed care organizations, such as hospitals, nursing homes, health maintenance organizations (“HMOs”), clinics, pharmacy benefit management companies and mail-order customers. On December 28, 2022, we signed a long-term license agreement to commercialize a number of our complex generic products to most parts of Europe as well as in Australia and New Zealand (see Note 5. Alliance and Collaboration to our consolidated financial statements for additional information). As of December 31, 2023, we have not sold products under this license agreement. Our Specialty segment, which promotes branded pharmaceutical products, employs a team of dedicated field-based sales representatives to engage in the direct marketing and promotion of our branded products to physicians and healthcare providers.
In our AvKARE segment, we market our products primarily through wholesalers and distributors, retail pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies and directly into hospitals and institutions. The majority of our generic pharmaceutical products within the AvKARE segment are marketed to large GPOs and government entities (U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) and sold through wholesalers. Our AvKARE segment’s distribution channel primarily sells brand products to clinics, institutions and pharmacies generally marketed to GPOs.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, on a consolidated basis, our four largest customers, Cencora, Inc., McKesson Drug Co., Cardinal Health, Inc., and CVS Health Corporation, accounted for approximately 70% of our net revenue. In total, we currently have over 1,300 customers (including over 1,100 customers specific to our AvKARE segment), some of which are part of large purchasing groups.
We have no long-term agreements that guarantee future business with any of our major customers and the loss of or substantial reduction in orders from any one or more of these customers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, prospects and financial condition.
Competition
The pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive and is affected by new technologies, new developments, government regulations, health care legislation, availability of financing, and other factors. Many of our competitors have longer operating histories and substantially greater financial, R&D, marketing, and other resources than we do. Competing manufacturers of generic pharmaceutical products create value for our customers by offering substitutes for branded pharmaceutical products at significantly lower prices, and at times we may not be able to differentiate our product offerings from those of our competitors, successfully formulate and bring to market new products that are less expensive than those of our competitors or offer commercial terms as favorable as those of our competitors. We compete with numerous other companies that currently operate, or intend to operate, in the pharmaceutical industry, including companies that are engaged in the development of controlled-release drug delivery technologies and products, and other manufacturers that may decide to undertake development of such products. Our principal competitors in the generic/biosimilar pharmaceutical products market include Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Viatris Inc., Sandoz Group, Pfizer Inc., Fresenius Kabi KGaA, Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC, Endo International plc, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., and Aurobindo Pharma Limited. Our principal competitors in the specialty pharmaceutical products market include Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC, Coherus Biosciences, Inc., and Alkermes PLC.
8
Our AvKARE segment is also highly competitive, with new smaller competitors entering the space regularly. Our competitors are other wholesalers, including Cardinal Health, Inc., Cencora, Inc., McKesson Drug Co., and Golden State Medical Supply.
By focusing on our high-value products with complex dosage forms and high barriers-to-entry, as well as taking advantage of our vertically integrated supply chain and selective use of internal API, we aim to manufacture more profitable products relative to our competition. However, this or any future strategy may not enable us to compete successfully in the generic pharmaceutical industry.
The Hatch-Waxman Amendments amended the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and provided for a period of 180 days of generic marketing exclusivity for each applicant that is FTF an ANDA with a Paragraph IV certification, which signifies a challenge to at least one brand patent. The holder of an approved FTF ANDA that successfully challenges the relevant innovator drug patent(s) usually enjoys higher market share and sales during the 180-day period of exclusivity. When the exclusivity period concludes, other generic competitors may launch their versions of the product, which may cause significant price erosion and loss of market share. In cases where we are the holder of an ANDA for a FTF product, upon the expiration of the 180-day exclusivity period, we may adjust the price of such product and provide price adjustments to our customers for the difference between the lower price and the price at which we previously sold the product then held in inventory by our customers. These adjustments are commonly known as shelf stock adjustments. In certain circumstances, we may decide not to provide price adjustments to certain customers and, as a result, we may receive returns of unsold product from these customers and forego future sales volume as opposed to reducing pricing.
Authorized generic pharmaceutical products, which are generic labeled versions of pharmaceutical products introduced by brand companies (directly or through a third-party) under the brand’s NDA, have also increased competition in the generic pharmaceutical industry. Authorized generic pharmaceutical products may be sold prior to, during and subsequent to the 180-day exclusivity period and are a significant source of competition, because brand companies do not face any regulatory barriers to rapidly introducing generic versions of their pharmaceutical products.
Additionally, consolidation among wholesalers and retailers and the formation of GPOs has caused increased price competition in the generic pharmaceutical market. The downward price adjustments demanded by distributors of generic pharmaceutical products have reduced revenue and average product gross margin across the industry. Should these price reductions continue or even increase, it could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and gross margin. Further, even if we reduce the prices we charge our customers, that does not ensure that the prices consumers pay for those drugs will be similarly reduced.
The main competitive factors in the generic pharmaceutical market include:
•a generic pharmaceutical products manufacturer’s ability to rapidly develop and obtain regulatory approval for and supply commercial quantities of generic pharmaceutical products;
•the introduction of other generic pharmaceutical manufacturers’ products in direct competition with our products;
•the introduction of authorized generic pharmaceutical products in direct competition with our products;
•consolidation among our customers and the formation of buyer consortia;
•pricing pressures by competitors and customers, even if similar price savings are not passed on to consumers;
•product quality of our generic pharmaceutical competitors;
•our and our competitors’ breadth of product offerings across its portfolio;
•our ability and the ability of our generic pharmaceutical competitors to quickly enter the market after the expiration of patents or statutory exclusivity periods, limiting the extent and duration of profitability for our products;
•the willingness of our customers to switch their source of supply of products among various generic pharmaceutical competitors;
•the ability of our generic pharmaceutical competitors to identify and market niche products;
•our and our competitors’ level of service (including maintenance of inventories for timely delivery) and reputation as a reliable developer and manufacturer of generic pharmaceutical products; and
•product appearance and labeling for our products and those of our competitors.
In the brand-name pharmaceutical market, our principal competitors are pharmaceutical companies that are focused on Parkinson’s disease and other CNS disorders. In addition, with respect to products that we are developing internally and/or any additional products we may in-license from third parties, we expect that we will face increased competition from large pharmaceutical companies, drug delivery companies and other specialty pharmaceutical companies that have focused on the same disorders as our branded products.
9
Research and Development
R&D activities represent a significant part of our business. R&D expenditures relate to the processes of discovering, testing and developing new products, upfront payments and milestones, improving existing products, as well as demonstrating product efficacy, if applicable, and regulatory compliance prior to launch. We are committed to investing in R&D with the aim of delivering high quality and innovative products. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our R&D expense was $164.0 million, $195.7 million and $201.8 million, respectively.
Raw Materials
Raw materials, including APIs, essential to our business are generally readily available from various suppliers/sources. We purchase raw materials from manufacturers/distributors of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals and we also manufacture certain APIs at our facilities in India. In some cases, however, the raw materials used to manufacture our products are available only from a single supplier. Further, even if more than one supplier exists, we may choose, and have done so in the case of our API suppliers for a majority of our products, to list only one supplier in our product applications submitted to the FDA. Generally, we would need as long as 18 months to find and qualify a new sole-source supplier. If we receive less than one year’s termination notice from a sole-source supplier that it intends to cease supplying raw materials, it could result in disruption of our ability to produce the drug involved. Although to date we have only experienced occasional interruptions in supplies, no assurance can be given that we will continue to receive uninterrupted or adequate supplies of such raw materials. Any inability to obtain raw materials on a timely basis, or any significant price increases not passed on to customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Because legal and regulatory requirements mandate that our product marketing authorizations specify API and raw material suppliers, if a specified supplier were for any reason unable to continue to supply us, we would need to seek FDA approval of a new supplier. The resulting delay in the manufacture and marketing of the impacted pharmaceutical product during the FDA process to qualify and approve the new supplier could, depending on the product, have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We protect against the risk of such an event by generally providing for, where feasible, two or more suppliers of raw materials for the pharmaceutical products we manufacture, including those for which we manufacture API in-house. Additionally, we may enter into a contract with a raw material distributor in order to secure adequate supply for specific products.
Manufacturing and Distribution
We have a network of manufacturing sites and co-located R&D centers within the U.S., India and Ireland, with broad dosage capabilities. We also have a distribution center for our Generics and Specialty products in Glasgow, Kentucky. We manufacture the majority of our Generics products internally; of these products, for the year ended December 31, 2023, those manufactured in our U.S. facilities contributed 45% of Generics product net revenue compared to 30% for those manufactured in India. We rely on third-party manufacturers to supply products in our Generics portfolio representing approximately 25% of our Generics net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. Most of our Specialty products are manufactured by third-party manufacturers. In addition, we selectively manufacture API for a subset of our products, which helps to reduce the cost of manufacturing for our products and gives us greater control over our supply chain.
Our AvKARE segment’s distribution centers are located in Fountain Run, Kentucky and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Government Regulation
The business of developing, manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing generic, biosimilar, and branded products is subject to significant health, safety, and environmental laws and regulations, including those governing the approval and pricing of products, clinical trials, laboratory procedures, privacy and security of health and other sensitive information and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. These regulatory regimes are overseen by governmental bodies, principally the FDA and, as applicable, the Drug Enforcement Administration (the “DEA”), the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) and several state and local government or other agencies, including individual data protection authorities, in the U.S. and abroad. Failure to comply with the laws and regulations of these governmental agencies may result in legal or other enforcement actions, including suspension of regulatory approval, delays in regulatory approval, clinical holds, orders to cease non-compliant activities and potential civil and criminal actions against us. The regulatory environment, particularly enforcement positions, statutes and legal interpretations applicable to the pharmaceutical industry are constantly in flux and not always clear. Significant changes in this environment could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
10
The FDCA, the Public Health Service Act (the “PHSA”), the Controlled Substances Act, the regulations that implement these laws and other statutes and regulations govern the development, testing, manufacture, packaging, use, distribution, safety, effectiveness, labeling, storage, record keeping, approval, marketing, sale, and promotion of our products, as well as post-marketing requirements for safety surveillance and reporting. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations can result in judicial and/or administrative sanctions, such as warning letters, recalls, product seizures, injunctions, fines, total or partial suspension of distribution or production, exclusion or debarment from government programs and contracts, restitution, disgorgement and criminal prosecutions. The FDA has the authority to withdraw its approval of pharmaceuticals at any time, in accordance with its regulatory due process procedures, and can enforce the recall of products.
Pharmaceutical Approval Process in the United States
In the U.S., the FDA regulates pharmaceuticals and biologics under the FDCA and the PHSA, and their implementing regulations. To market a new drug or biologic, considerable data must be submitted to the FDA for review and approval. In addition to approval, the FDA also regulates research, development, preclinical and clinical testing, manufacturing, packaging, storage, distribution, recordkeeping, labeling, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring and reporting, and import and export of drugs and biologics. If we fail to comply with the applicable U.S. regulatory requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, we may be subject to a variety of administrative or judicial sanctions, which could include, among other actions, the FDA’s refusal to approve pending applications, delays in approval, suspension or withdrawal of an approval, imposition of a clinical hold, orders to cease non-compliant activities, criminal charges, issuance of warning letters and other types of enforcement-related letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, exclusion from participation in government programs and contracts, restitution, disgorgement of profits, or civil or criminal investigations and penalties brought by the FDA, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) or other governmental entities.
Generally, the following types of applications are used to obtain FDA approval.
New Drug Application and Biologics License Application
For a drug product containing an active ingredient not previously approved by the FDA, a prospective manufacturer must submit a complete NDA containing the results of clinical studies supporting the drug product’s safety and efficacy in addition to data and information related to drug product quality and manufacturing. An NDA is also required for a drug with a previously approved active ingredient if the drug will be used to treat an indication for which the drug was not previously approved or if the dosage form, strength or method of delivery is changed and requires clinical studies to support the change. A Biologics License Application (“BLA”) is required to introduce, or deliver for introduction, a biologic product into interstate commerce and market the product for one or more indications. The process required by the FDA before a new pharmaceutical or biological product may be approved for marketing in the U.S. generally involves the steps listed below.
•Laboratory and clinical tests;
•Submission to the FDA of an Investigational New Drug (“IND”) application;
•Adequate and well-controlled human clinical studies conducted according to the FDA’s requirements for good clinical practice (“GCP”) and additional requirements for the protection of human research subjects and their health information, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed product for its proposed conditions of use;
•For pharmaceutical products, submission of an NDA containing the results of the preclinical tests and clinical studies establishing the safety and efficacy of the proposed product for its proposed conditions of use, proposed labeling and extensive data addressing such matters such as drug product quality and manufacturing;
•For biological products, submission of a BLA that includes substantive evidence of safety, purity, and potency from results of nonclinical testing and clinical studies, as well as information on the chemistry, manufacturing and controls to ensure product identity and quality, and proposed labeling;
•For certain products, development and implementation of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy;
•Scale-up to commercial manufacturing;
•Satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the product is produced to assess compliance with current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”), and, if applicable, the FDA’s current good tissue practice;
•Potential FDA inspection of the nonclinical and clinical study sites and the clinical study sponsor that generated the data in support of the NDA or BLA; and
•FDA review and approval or licensure of an NDA or of the BLA.
11
Prior to beginning the first clinical trial with a product candidate, the sponsor must submit an IND to the FDA and the IND must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA raises safety concerns or questions about the proposed clinical trial and places the IND on clinical hold within that 30-day time period. The FDA may also impose clinical holds on a product candidate at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance. If the FDA imposes a clinical hold, studies may not recommence without FDA authorization and then only under terms authorized by the FDA.
The FDA or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds. Similarly, an independent institutional review board (“IRB”) can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its site if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the product candidate has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.
Human clinical studies are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined. Phase 1 studies are designed to assess safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism and distribution of the investigational product in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness. If favorable, Phase 2 studies are initiated to evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases or conditions and to determine dosage tolerance, optimal dosage and dosing schedule, as well as identify any adverse effects that could limit the product’s usefulness. If data from the Phase 2 trials are favorable, large-scale Phase 3 trials are undertaken to confirm the product’s efficacy and safety.
During all phases of clinical development, FDA and others require extensive monitoring and auditing of all clinical activities, clinical data, and clinical study investigators, and certain progress and safety reports must be submitted to the FDA. Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical studies may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all.
Assuming successful completion of all required testing in accordance with regulatory requirements, the submission of an NDA or BLA requesting approval to market the product is subject to a substantial application user fee, which may be reduced or waived if the FDA finds that certain criteria are met, and there are certain exemptions for products designated for rare diseases or conditions. The submission of an NDA or BLA is not a guarantee that the FDA will find it complete and accept it for filing. After the application is deemed filed by the FDA, FDA staff will review an NDA or BLA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe and efficacious for its proposed conditions of use. There can be no assurance that a product will obtain the regulatory approvals necessary for it to be marketed.
If, after reviewing the NDA or BLA, the FDA determines that the application cannot be approved in its current form, the FDA sends the applicant a CRL identifying all outstanding deficiencies that preclude final approval. The FDA then halts its review until the applicant resubmits the NDA or BLA with new information designed to address the deficiencies. An applicant receiving a CRL may resubmit the application with data and information addressing the FDA’s concerns or requirements, withdraw the application without prejudice to a subsequent submission of a related application or request a hearing on whether there are grounds for denying approval of the application. If a product receives regulatory approval, the approval is limited to specific diseases and dosages or the indications for use for which approval had been sought. In addition, the FDA may require an applicant to conduct Phase 4 testing which involves clinical trials designed to further assess a drug’s safety and effectiveness after approval, and may require surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products which have been commercialized. Once issued, the FDA may withdraw product approval if ongoing regulatory requirements are not met or if safety or efficacy questions are raised after the product reaches the market. The agency may also impose requirements that the NDA or BLA holder conduct new studies, make labeling changes, implement Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies, and take other corrective measures.
The FDA has a number of programs, including fast track, breakthrough therapy, priority review and accelerated approval, intended to expedite the development or review of products that meet certain criteria, and applicants may explore some of these opportunities for their product candidates, if appropriate. These programs do not change the standards for approval, but may expedite the development or approval process. Even if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.
Additionally, in the context of public health emergencies, applicants may seek an Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) from the FDA, which if granted, allows for the distribution and use of products during the declared public health emergency, in accordance with the conditions set forth in the EUA, unless the EUA is otherwise terminated.
12
NDA User Fee Program
On September 30, 2022, the President signed into law the FDA User Fee Reauthorization Act of 2022, which includes the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (“PDUFA VII”) from fiscal year 2023 through 2027. The program provides for the continued timely review of new NDAs and BLAs. PDUFA VII enhancements include modernizing the user fee structure, a focus on human resource and financial management improvement including a significant increase in staff capacity and capabilities to support the review of cell and gene therapy products; the creation of capacity planning capability; enhancing use of regulatory tools via benefit-risk, patient-focused drug development, complex innovative trial designs, and model informed drug development; enhancing staffing for breakthrough therapy reviews; focusing on communication with industry; and exploring real world evidence in regulatory decision-making.
Biosimilar and Interchangeable Biologics License Application
A biosimilar is a biologic that is highly similar to an existing FDA-approved biologic (which is referred to as the “reference product”) and has no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency. The FDA approves biosimilars through an abbreviated review process, with the goal of demonstrating biosimilarity between the proposed biosimilar and its reference product. Ultimately, the process entails less expensive and fewer clinical trials.
Biosimilar license application submissions typically included analytical studies that provide comparative analytical data to demonstrate the structural and functional similarity of the proposed biosimilar product to the reference product and evaluate the impact of any differences identified. The application must also include an assessment of toxicity and a clinical study or studies sufficient to demonstrate safety, purity, and potency in one or more appropriate conditions of use for which the reference product is licensed and for which licensure is sought for the proposed biological product. Pharmacology studies may demonstrate that the proposed biosimilar is processed by the human body in the same way and with the same effects as the reference product. The application may also include an immunogenicity assessment, which evaluates a patient’s immune response to the proposed biosimilar. An applicant may need to conduct additional comparative clinical studies to demonstrate whether there are any clinically meaningful differences between the proposed biosimilar and the reference product.
An interchangeable biosimilar is a biosimilar that may be substituted for the reference product without the intervention of the prescribing health care provider that prescribed the reference product, depending on state pharmacy laws. In addition to establishing biosimilarity to the reference product per the process described above, a manufacturer of an interchangeable biosimilar must also submit information to the FDA to show that the proposed interchangeable product can be expected to produce the same clinical result as the reference product in any given patient. If the biological product is to be administered more than once to an individual, then the manufacturer must also submit information in the application that demonstrates the risk in terms of safety or diminished efficacy of alternating between the biological product and the reference product is not greater than the risk of using the reference product without switching. All biosimilars are approved only after they meet the FDA’s rigorous approval standards.
Biosimilar User Fee Program
The Biosimilar User Fee Act was reauthorized for the second time on September 30, 2022 (“BsUFA III”). In the reauthorization of BsUFA III, enhancements include new supplement types and expedited review timelines; enhancing communication and feedback during the biosimilar biological development process; enhancing pre-licensure inspection communication; introducing a new pilot program to enhance regulatory decision-making and facilitate science-based recommendation; and enhancing financial management, transparency, and strategic hiring.
Abbreviated New Drug Application
For a generic version of an approved drug, an ANDA relies on the FDA’s previous finding of safety and effectiveness for a reference listed drug (“RLD”) and, as a result, may be approved without submission of the same type and extent of information that is requested for a stand-alone new drug application to establish the safety and effectiveness of the proposed product. Instead, an ANDA must submit data and information demonstrating the proposed product has the same active ingredient, dosage form, route of administration, and strength, and is bioequivalent to the previously approved RLD indicating that the rate of absorption and levels of concentration of the generic drug in the body do not show a significant difference from those of the reference listed drug. For most orally administered pharmaceutical products, bioequivalence between brand and generic is established when there is no statistically significant difference in the rate and extent to which the API in the product is absorbed into the bloodstream. For certain pharmaceutical products, such as topical, locally acting pharmaceutical products, other means of establishing bioequivalence may be required by the FDA. The proposed product also must have the same labeling as the
13
RLD with certain limited exceptions, include certain information regarding patents for the RLD, and must meet the same legal and regulatory standards for drug product quality and manufacturing as NDA products.
ANDA User Fee Program
In July 2012, the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (“GDUFA”) were enacted into law. The GDUFA legislation implemented fees for new ANDA applications, drug master files, product and establishment fees and a one-time fee for back-logged ANDA applications pending approval as of October 1, 2012. In return, the program was intended to provide faster and more predictable ANDA reviews by the FDA and increased inspections of drug facilities. On September 30, 2022, it was reauthorized for a second time with provisions that are in effect through September 30, 2027 (“GDUFA III”). The FDA’s commitment letter for GDUFA III, which sets forth performance goals and program enhancements for the reauthorization of GDUFA for fiscal years 2023-2027, sets goals for FDA’s assessment and review of different ANDA submissions and includes enhancements designed to increase pre-submission assessment activities, reduce the number of assessment cycles for ANDAs and facilitate access to generic drugs, in particular for complex products such as those with complex active ingredients or dosage forms that generally are more difficult to genericize and have increased numbers of assessment cycles. The reauthorization also established capacity planning capability.
Current Good Manufacturing Practices
In order to obtain FDA approval for its products, a pharmaceutical manufacturer must demonstrate that its facilities comply with cGMP regulations. The manufacturer is required to comply with cGMP standards at all times during the production and processing of pharmaceuticals, and the FDA may inspect the manufacturer’s sites at any time to ensure compliance.
Patent Provisions
A branded pharmaceutical product is usually protected under patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that allow only the pharmaceutical company that developed the pharmaceutical product to market and sell such product. The sponsor of a branded product must “list” certain patents with the FDA, which in turns publishes that patent information publicly. For a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer to introduce a generic version of a referenced branded pharmaceutical product (its RLD), it must submit to the FDA an ANDA with a certification for each patent listed by the branded product sponsor stating one of the following:
•Paragraph I: That the required patent information relating to the patent for the referenced branded pharmaceutical product has not been filed;
•Paragraph II: That the patent for the referenced branded pharmaceutical product has expired;
•Paragraph III: That the patent for the referenced branded pharmaceutical product will expire on a particular date; or
•Paragraph IV: That the patent for the referenced branded pharmaceutical product is invalid, unenforceable and/or will not be infringed by the pharmaceutical product for which approval is being sought.
The FDCA describes only one circumstance in which an ANDA applicant need not certify to a listed patent. Specifically, when a patent is listed only for a method of use, an ANDA applicant seeking to omit that approved method of use from the generic drug’s labeling can submit a “section viii statement,” acknowledging that a given method-of-use patent has been listed, but stating that the patent at issue does not claim a use for which the applicant seeks approval. Filing an ANDA with certifications under Paragraph I or II, referenced above, permits the ANDA to be approved immediately, if it is otherwise eligible. Filing an ANDA with certifications under Paragraph III, referenced above, indicates that the applicant agrees to wait until the relevant patent has expired before seeking final approval of its ANDA. Under Paragraph IV, referenced above, a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer can challenge the patent of the branded referenced pharmaceutical product prior to ANDA approval.
If the ANDA for a generic pharmaceutical product has a Paragraph IV certification, the filer must also notify the NDA and patent holders upon acceptance of the ANDA filing by the FDA (the “PIV Notice”). If in response to notice of a Paragraph IV certification, the NDA holder or patent owner initiates a patent infringement action against the ANDA applicant within 45 days of receiving the required notice, approval of the ANDA generally will be stayed for 30 months following receipt of the notice or such shorter or longer time as the court might order.
Generic Pharmaceutical Pricing
The pricing of a generic pharmaceutical product generally correlates to the number of companies manufacturing generic versions of such pharmaceutical product. A generic pharmaceutical product is usually at its highest price immediately after the
14
first generic launch of the product, either because a single manufacturer has been granted 180-day exclusivity or because only a few manufacturers have entered the market due to other technical or operational obstacles to bringing such product to market, such as raw materials shortages or complex formulation. As additional generic manufacturers enter the market, the price of a generic pharmaceutical product typically falls as manufacturers compete on price to capture market share. Even if we reduce the prices we charge our customers, the prices consumers pay for those drugs may not be similarly reduced. Additionally, consolidation among wholesalers and retailers and the formation of GPOs has caused increased price competition in the generic pharmaceutical market.
Healthcare Reform
Pricing and reimbursement for our products depend in part on government regulation. In the U.S., there have recently been multiple federal and state proposals, laws and actions related to the pricing of pharmaceuticals and other changes to the healthcare system, including the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”). The IRA requires: (i) the government to negotiate prices for select high expenditure Medicare Part D drugs (prices effective beginning in 2026) and Part B drugs (prices effective beginning in 2028), (ii) manufacturers to pay a rebate for Medicare Part B and Part D drugs when prices for those drugs increase faster than inflation, and (iii) a Medicare Part D redesign replacing the current coverage gap provisions and establishing a $2,000 cap for out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries beginning in 2025, with manufacturers being responsible for 10% of costs up to the $2,000 cap and 20% after that cap is reached.
The IRA will permit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) to negotiate maximum fair prices on up to 60 drugs by 2029, starting with 10 drugs in 2026. The drugs must be approved by the FDA for at least seven years (small molecule drugs) or at least eleven years (biologics). The federal government must consider manufacturer-submitted data including R&D costs, production and distribution costs, market data, and revenue and sales volume data. The government must also consider evidence regarding alternative treatments, including whether a drug represents a therapeutic advance compared to existing therapies and the comparative effectiveness of the drug and therapeutic alternatives, including effects on specific populations (e.g., children, elderly, terminally ill). The IRA also requires Medicare Part D plans to limit beneficiaries’ cost-sharing for insulin products, but does not include an insulin cost-sharing cap for commercial plans.
Any significant efforts at the federal or state level to reform the healthcare system by changing the way healthcare is provided or funded or by more directly imposing controls on drug pricing, government reimbursement, and access to products could have a material impact on us. Efforts by states and the federal government to regulate prices or payment for pharmaceutical products, including proposed actions to facilitate drug importation, limit reimbursement to lower international reference prices, and require deep discounts, could adversely affect our business if implemented. States may also advance drug-pricing initiatives with a focus on affordability review boards, financial penalties related to pricing practices, manufacturer pricing and reporting requirements, as well as regulation of prescription drug assistance or copay accumulator programs in the commercial market. In addition, changes to the Medicaid program or the federal 340B drug pricing program, which imposes ceilings on prices that drug manufacturers can charge for medications sold to certain health care facilities, could have a material impact on our business. It is unclear what, if any, legislative proposals may be adopted or how governmental bodies and private payors will respond to such healthcare reform. As such, we cannot predict the impact of potential legislation on our business and cannot guarantee that such legislation will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Pharmaceutical Pedigree Laws
Various pharmaceutical pedigree laws, such as the Drug Supply Chain Security Act enacted in 2014, require the tracking of all transactions involving prescription pharmaceutical products from the manufacturer to the dispensary (e.g., pharmacy). Compliance with such laws requires extensive tracking systems and tight coordination with customers and manufacturers. While we believe that we comply with these laws and we intend to do so in the future, such legislation and government enforcement regarding these laws is constantly evolving. Failure to comply could result in fines, penalties or loss of business that could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
Sales and Marketing Regulations
Our marketing practices are subject to state laws, as well as federal laws, such as the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act, intended to prevent fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry. The Anti-Kickback Statute generally prohibits corruptly soliciting, offering, receiving, or paying anything of value to generate business. The False Claims Act generally prohibits anyone from knowingly and willingly presenting, or causing to be presented, any claims for payment for goods or services, including to government payers, such as Medicare and Medicaid, that are false or fraudulent and generally treat claims generated through kickbacks as false or fraudulent. For example, the DOJ has entered into settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers that allegedly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for drugs that were no longer eligible for
15
Medicare coverage because the FDA approved a prescription drug’s conversion to over-the-counter status and the drug was no longer considered a prescription-only product. The federal government and states also regulate sales and marketing activities and financial interactions between manufacturers and healthcare providers, requiring disclosure to government authorities and the public of such interactions, disclosure of transfers of value from pharmaceutical companies to healthcare providers and healthcare organizations, such as academic teaching hospitals, and the adoption of compliance standards or programs. State attorneys general have also taken action to regulate the marketing of prescription drugs under state consumer protection and false advertising laws.
Federal Regulation of Patent Litigation Settlements and Authorized Generic Arrangements
Pursuant to the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, generic and brand pharmaceutical companies must file with the DOJ and FTC certain agreements entered into between other brand and/or generic pharmaceutical companies in regards to the settlement of patent litigation and/or the manufacture and marketing of generic versions of branded pharmaceutical products. This requirement impacts the ways in which generic pharmaceutical companies resolve intellectual property (“IP”) litigation and may result in an increase in private-party litigation against pharmaceutical companies and/or additional investigations by the FTC or other governmental organizations.
Pursuant to the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act of 2018, the FTC also obtains and reviews patent settlement agreements between reference product and biosimilar manufacturers. This notification allows the FTC to evaluate whether these agreements include, among other things, anticompetitive reverse payments that slow or defeat the introduction of lower-priced medicines, including biosimilars. Such review occurs in the same manner that the FTC reviews patent settlement agreements between branded and generic drug manufacturers.
Other Regulatory Requirements
We are subject to the Maximum Allowable Cost Regulations, which limit reimbursements for certain generic prescription drugs under Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs to the lowest price at which these drugs are generally available. In many instances, only generic prescription drugs fall within the regulations’ limits. Generally, the pricing and promotion of, method of reimbursement and fixing of reimbursement levels for, and the reporting to federal and state agencies relating to drug products is under active review by federal, state and local governmental entities, as well as by private third-party reimbursors and individuals under whistleblower statutes. At present, the DOJ and U.S. Attorneys Offices and State Attorneys General have initiated investigations, reviews, and litigation into industry-wide pharmaceutical pricing and promotional practices, and whistleblowers have filed qui tam suits. We cannot predict the results of those reviews, investigations, and litigation, or their impact on our business. For further detail, see Note 21. Commitments and Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements.
Virtually every state, as well as the District of Columbia, has enacted legislation permitting the substitution of equivalent generic and certain biosimilar prescription drugs for brand-name drugs where authorized or not prohibited by the prescribing physician, and some states mandate generic substitution in Medicaid programs.
In addition, numerous state and federal requirements exist for a variety of controlled substances, such as narcotics, that may be part of our product formulations. We must meet the requirements of controlled substances laws, such as the Controlled Substances Act, as amended, DEA regulations for certain of our products and activities, and related state requirements. These laws and regulations relate to the manufacture, shipment, storage, security, inventory, recordkeeping, distribution, sale, dispensing, and use of controlled substances. The DEA and other regulatory agencies limit the availability of the controlled substances used in certain of our current products and products in development. We must annually, as well as quarterly, apply to the DEA and similar governmental and regulatory authorities for procurement quotas in order to obtain these substances. The DEA has authority similar to the FDA’s and may also pursue monetary penalties, administrative penalties such as revocation of a registration to manufacture controlled substances and criminal penalties for controlled substances violations.
Other federal and state regulatory agencies have far reaching authority. For example, the State of California requires that any manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer or other entity in California that sells, transfers, or otherwise furnishes certain so called precursor substances must have a permit issued by the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. The substances covered by this requirement include ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norpseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine, among others. The Bureau has authority to issue, suspend and revoke precursor permits, and a permit may be denied, revoked or suspended for various reasons, including (i) failure to maintain effective controls against diversion of precursors to unauthorized persons or entities; (ii) failure to comply with the Health and Safety Code provisions relating to precursor substances, or any regulations adopted thereunder; (iii) commission of any act which would demonstrate actual or potential unfitness to hold a permit in light of the public safety and welfare, which act is substantially related to the qualifications,
16
functions or duties of the permit holder; or (iv) if any individual owner, manager, agent, representative or employee of the permit applicant/permit holder willfully violates any federal, state or local criminal statute, rule, or ordinance relating to the manufacture, maintenance, disposal, sale, transfer or furnishing of any precursor substances.
Privacy, Security and Data Standards Regulations
Numerous federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations govern the creation, collection, dissemination, receipt, maintenance, protection, use, transmission, disclosure, privacy, confidentiality, security, availability, integrity, creation, processing, and disposal (collectively, “Processing”) of protected health information (“PHI”) and other personal, sensitive, regulated or confidential data, including personally identifiable information (“PII”). Some of our activities may involve the Processing of PHI and PII.
On the federal level we are subject to a number of sector specific regulations. The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, the 21st Century Cures Act, Public Law 116-321, and the regulations that implement these laws (collectively, “HIPAA Law”) impose requirements on covered entities and business associates that address the privacy and security of PHI. In the conduct of our business, we may be either a covered entity or business associate, and we may also be held liable for HIPAA Law violations by our vendors that are business associates. HIPAA Law imposes contracting requirements, requires breach notifications, and establishes rules that standardize the format and content of certain electronic transactions, including eligibility and claims. Violations of HIPAA Law may result in enforcement actions, civil and criminal penalties, and settlement, resolution, and monitoring agreements. Further, state attorneys general may bring civil actions seeking either injunctions or damages in response to violations of HIPAA Law that threaten the privacy of state residents and may negotiate settlements for related cases on behalf of their respective residents. There can be no assurance that we will not be the subject of an investigation, audit or compliance review regarding our compliance with HIPAA Law. While HIPAA Law does not create a private right of action, its standards have been used as a basis for the duty of care in state civil suits, such as those for negligence or recklessness in the handling, misuse or breach of PHI. HIPAA Law does not preempt more stringent state health privacy laws and regulations, which may protect the health information of certain individuals, such as minors, and certain types of sensitive health information, such as transgender care, HIV/AIDS status, reproductive health information, genetic information, and mental and behavioral health. Recently, several states have enacted broadly applicable laws to protect the privacy of personal health information. These laws generally require consent for the collection, use or sharing of any “consumer health data”, which is defined as personal information that is linked or reasonably linkable to a consumer and that identifies a consumer’s past, present, or future physical or mental health.
Additionally, under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTC Act”), the FTC has jurisdiction over certain privacy and security practices that are deemed unfair and deceptive acts and practices in or affecting commerce. The FTC has charged companies with violating this act based on failures to appropriately and transparently safeguard personal information, respect consumers’ privacy rights, based on disclosures of health and personal information to third parties, the failure to limit third-party use of health information, the failure to implement policies and procedures to prevent the improper or unauthorized disclosure of health information, and the failure to provide notice and obtain consent before the use and disclosure of health information for advertising. In addition to the FTC Act, the FTC also enforces other federal laws and regulations relating to consumers’ privacy and security. For information that is not subject to HIPAA and deemed to be “personal health records”, the FTC may also impose penalties for violations of the Health Breach Notification Rule to the extent we are considered a “personal health record-related entity” or “third party service provider.” Data privacy and security laws and regulations continue to evolve and, as a result, we expect scrutiny by federal and state regulators and others of our collection, use and disclosure of health information.
Over the past several years, the federal government has increasingly focused on the cybersecurity requirements applicable to government contractors, including enhanced guidance and regulation. These include compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement cybersecurity requirements, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (going into effect over the next several years and based on National Institutes of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity (“NIST”) standards), the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, and the White House’s 2021 Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.
State and local authorities are increasingly focused on protecting individuals from identity theft and a number of states have adopted comprehensive data security laws and regulations requiring, among other things, certain minimum data security standards and security breach notifications that may apply to us in certain circumstances, as well as certain limitations on access to and use of PII. These laws and regulations include state general data breach laws, which exist in all fifty states and protect PII generally. Many states also have their own sector-specific laws regarding the Processing of PII which may apply to us as well.
17
In the past few years, several states have adopted their own comprehensive consumer privacy statutes and many more states are considering doing so. Generally, these statutes exempt data and/or entities regulated by HIPAA Law but are, in varying respects, applicable to other data we collect, such as PII provided by website visitors, and in California, employees and business partners. Additionally, we anticipate federal and state legislators and regulators will continue to enact legislation related to privacy and cybersecurity, including with respect to ransomware incidents.
In addition, international laws, rules and regulations governing the use and disclosure of PII can be more stringent than those in the U.S., and they vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which became effective May 2018, enhanced or created obligations regarding the handling of PII relating to European residents (such as regarding notices, data protection impact assessments and individual rights) and provides for greater penalties for noncompliance than the previous European Directive or laws. Under GDPR, fines of up to €20 million or up to 4% of the annual global revenues, whichever is greater, can be imposed for violations. In addition, many countries outside of Europe where we conduct business have implemented or may implement data protection laws and regulations, some of which include requirements modeled after those in the GDPR. Some non-U.S. jurisdictions are also instituting data residency regulations requiring that data be maintained within the respective jurisdiction or otherwise restricting transfer of personal data across borders unless specified regulatory requirements are met.
Data privacy laws and regulations are constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change or interpretive application. Varying jurisdictional requirements could increase the costs and complexity of our compliance efforts and violations of applicable data privacy laws can result in significant penalties. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with applicable data protection laws could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others, subject us to significant fines, penalties, judgments and negative publicity, require us to change our business practices, increase the costs and complexity of compliance and adversely affect our business.
Environmental Laws
We are subject to comprehensive federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations that govern, among other things, air polluting emissions, waste water discharges, solid and hazardous waste disposal, and the remediation of contamination associated with current or past generation handling and disposal activities. We are subject periodically to environmental compliance reviews by various environmental regulatory agencies. While it is impossible to predict accurately the future costs associated with environmental compliance and potential remediation activities, compliance with environmental laws is not expected to require significant capital expenditures and has not had, and is not expected to have, a material adverse effect on our business, operations or financial condition.
Patents, Trademarks and Licenses
We own or license a number of patents in the U.S. and other countries covering certain products and product candidates and have also developed brand names and trademarks for other products and product candidates.
Generally, the branded pharmaceutical business relies upon patent protection to ensure market exclusivity for the life of the patent. We consider the overall protection of our patents, trademarks and license rights to be of material value and act to protect these rights from infringement. However, our business is not dependent upon any single patent, trademark or license.
In the branded pharmaceutical industry, the majority of an innovative product’s commercial value is usually realized during the period in which the product has market exclusivity. In the U.S. and some other countries, when market exclusivity expires and generic or biosimilar versions of a product are approved and marketed, there can often be very substantial and rapid declines in the branded product’s sales, more so for introduction of a generic product as compared to a biosimilar. The rate of this decline also varies by country and by therapeutic category; however, following patent expiration, branded products often continue to have market viability based upon the goodwill of the product name, which typically benefits from trademark protection.
An innovator product’s market exclusivity is generally determined by two forms of IP: patent rights held by the innovator company and any regulatory forms of exclusivity to which the innovator is entitled.
Patents are a key determinant of market exclusivity for most branded pharmaceuticals. Patents provide the innovator with the right to exclude others from practicing an invention related to the medicine. Patents may cover, among other things, the active ingredient(s), various uses of a drug product, pharmaceutical formulations, drug delivery mechanisms and processes for (or intermediates useful in) the manufacture of products. Protection for individual products extends for varying periods in accordance with the expiration dates of patents in the various countries. The protection afforded, which may also vary from
18
country to country, depends upon the type of patent, its scope of coverage and the availability of meaningful legal remedies in the country.
Market exclusivity is also sometimes influenced by regulatory exclusivity rights. Many developed countries provide certain non-patent incentives for the development of medicines. For example, the U.S., the European Union and Japan each provide for a minimum period of time after the approval of a new drug during which the regulatory agency may not rely upon the innovator’s data to approve a competitor’s generic copy or biosimilar. Regulatory exclusivity rights are also available in certain markets as incentives for research on new indications, on orphan drugs and on medicines useful in treating pediatric patients. Regulatory exclusivity rights are independent of any patent rights and can be particularly important when a drug lacks broad patent protection. However, most regulatory forms of exclusivity do not prevent a competitor from gaining regulatory approval prior to the expiration of regulatory data exclusivity on the basis of the competitor’s own safety and efficacy data on its drug, even when that drug is identical to that marketed by the innovator.
We estimate the likely market exclusivity period for each of our branded products on a case-by-case basis. It is not possible to predict the length of market exclusivity for any of our branded products with certainty because of the complex interaction between patent and regulatory forms of exclusivity, and inherent uncertainties concerning patent litigation. We cannot assure that a particular product will enjoy market exclusivity for the full period of time that we currently estimate or that the exclusivity will be limited to the estimate.
In addition to patents and regulatory forms of exclusivity, we also market products with trademarks. Trademarks have no effect on market exclusivity for a product, but are considered to have marketing value. Trademark protection continues in some countries as long as used; in other countries, as long as registered. Registration is for fixed terms and may be renewed indefinitely.
Seasonality
Consistent with the U.S. pharmaceutical industry trends, the first quarter of each year is typically our lowest revenue quarter in the year. Certain products within our portfolio are specifically affected by seasonality. For example, sales of oseltamivir correlate with flu seasonality and sales of Adrenaclick® (epinephrine injection, USP auto-injector) correlate with allergy seasonality. The seasonal impact of these particular products may affect a quarterly comparison within any fiscal year.
Human Capital
Workforce Demographics
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 7,700 employees (“Amneal Employees”), excluding approximately 150 employees in our AvKARE segment. Of the Amneal Employees, nearly 2,400 employees were in the U.S. and nearly 5,300 employees were located outside of the U.S., primarily in India and Ireland. Globally, we hired approximately 1,700 Amneal Employees in 2023, and turnover was approximately 20.6%. We monitor our turnover rate and continuously evolve our human capital management strategies to meet our needs while also navigating the dynamic labor market and increased competition for talent.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (“DEIB”)
Being one of the best companies in healthcare requires dynamic skill sets, different perspectives, and a continuous pipeline of new ideas and innovation. Championing DEIB can deliver these attributes and more, and we have advanced our commitment in 2023 in meaningful ways.
In partnership with a recognized external DEIB expert, we hosted DEIB leadership training sessions focused on reinforcing commitment. We also expanded our AmnealWomen employee resource group in the U.S. and in India, where the group is championing initiatives that have driven meaningful improvements in our India gender diversity metrics. To build on this momentum, we initiated work to expand our enterprise DEIB strategy and this work continues in 2024 to include policy updates, training, and programmatic planning.
This commitment is powering the growing diversity of our teams. As of December 31, 2023, six out of ten of our executives identified as diverse by race, ethnicity, or gender. More broadly, as of December 31, 2023, approximately 74% of our U.S. workforce of Amneal Employees identified as diverse by race or ethnicity and women represented 19% (9% in India, where we are strongly focused on elevating gender diversity) of our global workforce of Amneal Employees. In the U.S., women represented 41% of our workforce and held 32% of leadership roles at the level of Director and above as of December 31, 2023.
19
Employee Well-Being
We make healthy possible for employees via our AmWell program. This innovative program is powered by Virgin Pulse in the U.S. and offers a full suite of mental, physical, and financial resources, content and services. It also features team-wide step challenges that benefit local charities and generous financial incentives to inspire colleague wellness engagement. In 2023, we expanded AmWell to include free access to four digital apps offering enhanced financial wellness, nutrition, fitness, and mental well-being content. We also elevated engagement incentives and introduced robust onsite health screenings/check-ups at our India locations. Alongside personal wellness, we also care deeply about workplace safety and were very pleased to bolster our efforts in 2023 with the introduction of the IndustrySafe application, supporting enhanced incident reporting and analysis of safety metrics across all geographies. Colleagues also demonstrated our continuous safety focus by participating in the World Health and Safety Day across our global operations sites.
Culture
Our success is driven by an inclusive employee culture that encourages colleagues to bring their best selves to work and be actively engaged, offer new ideas, and deliver real results. Our “Rise, Lead, Succeed” behaviors unite our global teams and foster an environment of open communication (town halls, company updates, video storytelling, access to leaders, etc.), collaboration (digital and traditional), and ownership. They also serve as a dynamic framework for celebrating and rewarding individual and team performance. We also take great pride in doing the right thing. That steadfast commitment to ethics and compliance is guided by our Code of Conduct and championed by our executive management team and every colleague. We also foster a speak up culture where colleagues are encouraged to report potential misconduct or a violation of the Code of Conduct with their managers or via our Amtegrity ethics website/hotline, which is independently monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Total Rewards
We attract and retain talent and reward performance through our robust Total Rewards program, which includes industry competitive benefits, compensation and recognition offerings. Our compensation program includes competitive base salaries, annual cash performance-based incentives, equity-based long-term incentive awards and cash-based long-term incentive awards for eligible employees. We also offer a broad, flexible and competitive benefits program that enables employees to choose the plans and coverage that meet their personal needs. These robust programs, which vary by country, include basic and supplemental health and insurance benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, access to a personal health advocate, paid parental leave for birth, adoption or foster placement, family leave, employee assistance programs, travel assistance, tuition reimbursement assistance and retirement savings plans. In addition, we offer a remote work policy that enables eligible U.S.-based employees the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule of three days onsite and two days remote per week.
Recognition is a core element of our culture and is pivotal to helping colleagues feel valued. In 2023, more than 2,700 colleagues were recognized by their peers via Amneal Applause, our digital and on-the-spot rewards and recognition program. We also continued our global CEO Awards program, which recognized select employees for exceptional performance beyond their regular job duties. In 2023, 78 CEO Award nominations were submitted, and 12 winners were selected by the executive leadership team and selection committee.
Talent Development and Engagement
We develop next-level individual and organizational capability through our annual performance management process as well as a continuously evolving learning culture. In 2023, we continued the rollout and expansion of the Amneal Leadership Lab program by introducing more than 200 senior and mid-level leaders to the following topics: growth mindset, psychological safety, building trust, effective decisions, winning collaborations, communicating with presence, direct conversation and feedback, and leading and embracing change. We expanded the curriculum in 2023 by adding modules on employee engagement and accountability taught by renowned external experts. To help cascade Amneal Leadership Lab principles, strengthen a learning culture, and accelerate development across the organization, we also offer access to LinkedIn Learning which also hosts Amneal’s growing library of custom-curated learning paths supporting individual and organizational leadership growth. Managers leverage these and other resources in hosting performance conversations and creating development plans for colleagues.
Employee Engagement
Listening and engagement are important aspects of our culture and colleagues are encouraged to share their opinions, insights, and ideas. We collect and measure that feedback through various channels including town halls, leadership retreats, company email boxes and our Amneal Listens program. In 2023, we leveraged Amneal Listens, powered by a reputable third-party tool,
20
to measure employee engagement and satisfaction with company benefits as well as to probe deeper into factors supporting a sense of feeling valued. We were pleased to report a 77% overall employee engagement index (4% above the manufacturing/pharmaceutical benchmark) as well as a best-in-class score for “employees understand how their work contributes to goals.” Even with these impressive results, the organization is taking additional actions to further strengthen engagement, including expanding our Amneal Leadership Lab curriculum with an engagement component and launching a new world-class rewards and recognition platform (early 2024). We will continue to expand our Amneal Listens strategy via an annual employee engagement survey as well as various strategically focused ad hoc surveys throughout the year.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) Initiatives
We are a purpose-driven company, and we continue strengthening our longstanding commitment to corporate responsibility. In 2023, we made several enhancements to our ESG efforts to keep pace with our desire to be a socially responsible company while also meeting the rapidly evolving global regulatory requirements.
We boosted our sustainability commitment with the launch of a new carbon accounting software to track and report our global greenhouse gas emissions data. We also began our first materiality assessment, with a sustainability strategy anticipated in 2024. In governance, we strengthened our commitment to action with the launch of a cross-functional ESG task force, including members from finance, internal audit, legal, information technology (“IT”), and ESG. In social responsibility, we deepened our 2023 philanthropic partnerships with non-profit organizations including: Dispensary of Hope, Parkinson's Unity Walk, The Assistance Fund, Americares, Heart to Heart, Toys for Tots, The Trust for Public Land, and Indo-American Pharmaceuticals Society. We also hosted a global employee volunteer effort where our employees helped package 6,300 basic hygiene products that were donated to underserved local communities.
These are just some of our many human capital and ESG initiatives. Every year, we aim to review and enhance these and other programs to ensure that we are improving, staying competitive and putting our people at the center of our success.
Further information on our Responsibility program is available at https://www.amneal.com/about/responsibility. The information on our website is not, and will not be deemed, a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC.
For discussion of the risks relating to the attraction and retention of management and executive management employees, refer to Part 1. Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Available Information
Our main corporate website address is www.amneal.com. Copies of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and any amendments to such reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after having been filed with or furnished to the SEC. All SEC filings are also available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, the written charters of our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee, and Conflicts Committee of the Board of Directors and our Code of Business Conduct, Corporate Governance Guidelines and other corporate governance materials are available on our website. We may use our website as a distribution channel of material company information. Financial and other important information is routinely posted on and accessible through our website at https://investors.amneal.com. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information when you enroll your email address by visiting https://investors.amneal.com/investor-resources/email-alerts/default.aspx. The information on our website is not, and will not be deemed, a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. In deciding whether to invest in our common stock, you should consider carefully the following risk factors, as well as the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The materialization of any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
21
Operational and Competitive Risks
If we are unable to successfully develop or commercialize new products, our operating results will suffer.
Developing and commercializing a new product is time consuming, costly and subject to numerous factors that may delay or prevent such development and commercialization. Our future results of operations will depend to a significant extent upon our ability to successfully commercialize new products in a timely manner. We face several challenges when developing and commercializing new products, including:
•our ability to develop products in a timely and cost-efficient manner and in compliance with regulatory requirements, including delays associated with the FDA listing and approval process and our ability to obtain required regulatory approvals in a timely manner, or at all, and maintain such approvals if obtained;
•the success of our clinical testing process to ensure that new products are safe and effective or bioequivalent to the reference listed drug;
•the risk that legal action may be brought against our generic drug products by our branded drug product competitors, including patent infringement claims among others;
•the availability, on commercially reasonable terms, of raw materials, including APIs and other key ingredients necessary to the development of our drug products; and
•Our ability to scale-up manufacturing methods to successfully manufacture commercial quantities of drug product in compliance with regulatory requirements.
As a result of these and other difficulties, our products in development may or may not receive necessary regulatory approvals on a timely basis or at all, which may result in unsuccessful development or commercialization of new products. For example, on June 30, 2023, we received a CRL from the FDA regarding our NDA for IPX203 for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. We resubmitted our NDA for IPX203 on February 7, 2024 (refer to Note 13. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets for additional information on the CRL for IPX203). However, we can provide no assurance that the FDA will approve our NDA for IPX203 timely or at all.
Separately, product licensing involves inherent risks including uncertainties due to matters that may affect the achievement of milestones, as well as the possibility of contractual disagreements with regard to terms such as license scope or termination rights. If any of our products, when acquired or developed and approved, cannot be successfully or timely commercialized, our operating results could be adversely affected. We cannot guarantee that any investment we make in developing, marketing or licensing products will be recouped, even if we are successful in commercializing those products.
We face intense competition in the pharmaceutical industry from both brand and generic drug product companies, which could significantly limit our growth and materially adversely affect our financial results.
The pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive. The principal competitive factors in the pharmaceutical market include:
•introduction of other generic drug manufacturers’ products in direct competition with our generic drug products;
•introduction of authorized generic drug products in direct competition with our products, particularly during exclusivity periods;
•the ability of generic drug product competitors to quickly enter the market after the expiration of patents or exclusivity periods, diminishing the amount and duration of significant profits;
•consolidation among distribution outlets through mergers and acquisitions and the formation of buying groups;
•the willingness of generic drug customers, including wholesale and retail customers, to switch among products of different pharmaceutical manufacturers;
•pricing pressures by competitors and customers, even if similar price savings are not passed on to consumers;
•a company’s reputation as a manufacturer and distributor of quality products;
•a company’s level of service (including maintaining sufficient inventory levels for timely deliveries);
•a company’s ability to use and integrate artificial intelligence (“AI”);
•product appearance and labeling; and
•a company’s breadth of product offerings.
22
Many of our competitors have longer operating histories and greater financial, R&D, marketing and other resources than we do. Consequently, some of our competitors may be able to develop products and/or processes competitive with, or superior to, our products and/or processes. Furthermore, we may not be able to (i) differentiate our products from those of our competitors, (ii) successfully develop or introduce new products, on a timely basis or at all, that are less costly than those of our competitors, (iii) integrate new systems or technology, such as AI, as quickly or successfully as our competitors, or (iv) offer customers payment and other commercial terms as favorable as those offered by our competitors. The markets in which we compete and intend to compete are undergoing, and are expected to continue to undergo, rapid and significant change. We expect competition to intensify as technology advances and consolidation continues. New developments by other manufacturers and distributors could render our products uncompetitive or obsolete.
Our principal competitors in the U.S. generic/biosimilar pharmaceutical products market, where we primarily compete, are Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Viatris Inc., Sandoz Group, Pfizer Inc., Fresenius Kabi KGaA, Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC, Endo International plc, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., and Aurobindo Pharma Limited. Our principal competitors in the specialty pharmaceutical products market include Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC, Coherus Biosciences, Inc. and Alkermes PLC. Our competitors in the AvKARE segment are other wholesalers, including Cardinal Health, Inc., Cencora, Inc., McKesson Drug Co., and Golden State Medical Supply.
The products produced by these companies, among others, collectively compete with the majority of our products. We also face price competition generally as other generic manufacturers enter the market. Any such price competition may be especially pronounced where our competitors source their products from jurisdictions where production costs may be lower (sometimes significantly) than our production costs. Any of these factors could result in reductions in our sales prices and gross margin. This price competition has led to an increase in demands for downward price adjustments by generic pharmaceutical distributors. Our principal strategy in addressing our competition is to offer customers a consistent supply of our generic drug products, as well as to pursue product opportunities with the potential for limited competition, such as high-barrier-to-entry FTF or FTM products. We cannot provide assurance, however, that this strategy will enable us to compete successfully in the generic drug product industry or that we will be able to develop and implement any new or additional viable strategies.
Competition in the generic drug industry has also increased due to the proliferation of authorized generic pharmaceutical products. Authorized generic drug products are generic drug products that are introduced by brand companies, either directly or through third parties, under the brand’s NDA approval. Authorized generics do not face any regulatory barriers to introduction and are not prohibited from sale during the 180-day marketing exclusivity period granted to the FTF ANDA applicant. The sale of authorized generics adversely impacts the market share of a generic drug product that has been granted 180 days of marketing exclusivity. This is a significant source of competition for us, because an authorized generic drug product can materially decrease the profits that we could receive as an otherwise exclusive marketer of a generic drug product. Such actions have the effect of reducing the potential market share and profitability of our generic drug products and may inhibit us from developing and introducing generic pharmaceutical drug products corresponding to certain branded drugs.
If we fail to obtain exclusive marketing rights for our products or fail to introduce our products to the market on a timely basis, our revenues, gross margin and operating results may decline significantly.
The Hatch-Waxman amendments to the FDCA provide for a period of 180 days of generic marketing exclusivity for any applicant that is first to file an ANDA containing a certification of invalidity, non-infringement or unenforceability related to a patent listed with respect to the corresponding branded drug (commonly referred to as a “Paragraph IV certification”). “First filers” are often able to price the applicable generic drug to yield relatively high gross margins during this 180-day marketing exclusivity period.
With respect to our generic products, ANDAs containing Paragraph IV certifications generally become the subject of patent litigation that can be both lengthy and costly. There is no certainty that we will prevail in any such litigation, that we will be the first to file and thus granted the 180-day marketing exclusivity period, or, if we are granted the 180-day marketing exclusivity period, that we will not forfeit such period. Even where we are awarded marketing exclusivity, we may be required to share our exclusivity period with other first filers. In addition, branded drug product companies often authorize a generic version of the corresponding branded drug product to be sold during any period of marketing exclusivity that is awarded, which reduces gross margins during the marketing exclusivity period. Branded drug product companies may also reduce the price of their branded drug product to compete directly with generic drug products entering the market, which would similarly have the effect of reducing gross margins. Furthermore, timely commencement of the litigation by the patent owner imposes an automatic stay of ANDA approval by the FDA for 30 months, unless the case is decided in the ANDA applicant’s favor during that period. Finally, if the court decision is adverse to the ANDA applicant, the ANDA approval will be delayed until the challenged patent expires, and the applicant forfeits the 180-day marketing exclusivity.
23
Our future profitability depends, to a significant extent, upon our ability to introduce, on a timely basis, new generic drug products that are either the first-to-market (or among the first-to-market) or that otherwise can gain significant market share. The timeliness of our product introductions is dependent upon, among other things, the timing of regulatory approval of our products, which to a large extent is outside of our control, as well as the timing of the introduction of competing products. As additional distributors introduce comparable generic pharmaceutical products, price competition intensifies, market access narrows, and product sales prices and gross margins decline, often significantly and rapidly, regardless of whether consumers ultimately pay less for the drug. Accordingly, our revenues and future profitability are dependent, in large part, upon our ability or the ability of our development partners to file ANDAs with the FDA in a timely and effective manner or, alternatively, to enter into contractual relationships with other parties that have obtained marketing exclusivity. We cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to develop and introduce successful products in the future within the time constraints necessary to be successful. If we or our development partners are unable to continue to timely and effectively file ANDAs with the FDA or to partner with other parties that have obtained marketing exclusivity, our revenues, gross margin and operating results may decline significantly, and our prospects and business may be materially adversely affected.
With respect to our branded products, generic equivalents for branded pharmaceutical products are typically sold at lower prices than the branded products. The regulatory approval process in the U.S. and European Union exempts generic products from costly and time-consuming clinical trials to demonstrate their safety and efficacy and relies instead on the safety and efficacy of prior products. After the introduction of a competing generic product, a significant percentage of the prescriptions previously written for the branded product are often written for the generic version. In addition, legislation enacted in most U.S. states allows, or in some instances mandates, a pharmacist to dispense an available generic equivalent when filling a prescription for a branded product, in the absence of specific instructions from the prescribing physician. Pursuant to the provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Act, manufacturers of branded products often bring lawsuits to enforce their patent rights against generic products released prior to the expiration of branded products’ patents, but it is possible for generic manufacturers to offer generic products while such litigation is pending. As a result, branded products typically experience a significant loss in revenues following the introduction of a competing generic product, even if subject to an existing patent. Our branded pharmaceutical products are or may become subject to competition from generic equivalents because there is no proprietary protection for some of the branded pharmaceutical products we sell, because our patent protection expired or because our patent protection is not sufficiently broad or enforceable.
If we are unable to execute acquisitions or other strategic transactions, or successfully integrate such acquisitions or manage our growth therefrom, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We may seek to expand our business through complementary or strategic acquisitions of other businesses, products or assets, or through joint ventures, strategic agreements or other arrangements. Any such acquisitions, joint ventures or other business combinations may involve significant integration challenges, operational complexities and time consumption, adversely affect liquidity and require substantial resources and effort. It may also disrupt our ongoing businesses, which may adversely affect our relationships with customers, employees, regulators and others with whom we conduct business. Further, if we are unable to realize synergies or other benefits expected to result from any acquisitions, joint ventures or other business combinations, or to generate additional revenue to offset any unanticipated inability to realize these expected synergies or benefits, our growth and ability to compete may be impaired, which would require us to focus additional resources on the integration of operations rather than other profitable areas of our business, and may otherwise cause a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Acquisitions may also have hidden costs, including unforeseen pre-acquisition liabilities or the impairment of customer relationships or certain acquired assets such as goodwill. We may also incur costs and inefficiencies to the extent an acquisition expands the industries, markets or geographies in which we operate due to our limited exposure to and experience in a given industry, market or region. Finally, acquisitions can also involve litigation and/or post-transaction disputes, including with the counterparty regarding purchase price or other working capital adjustment or liabilities for which we believe we were indemnified under the relevant transaction agreements, among other matters.
As our competitors introduce their own generic equivalents of our generic drug products, our revenues and gross margin from such products generally decline, often rapidly.
Revenues and gross margin derived from generic pharmaceutical products often follow a pattern based on regulatory and competitive factors that we believe are unique to the generic pharmaceutical industry. As the patent(s) for a brand name product or the statutory marketing exclusivity period (if any) expires, the first generic manufacturer to receive regulatory approval for a generic equivalent of the product is often able to capture a substantial share of the market. However, as other generic manufacturers receive regulatory approvals for their own generic versions, that market share, and the price of that product, will typically decline depending on several factors, including the number of competitors, the price of the branded product and the
24
pricing strategy of the new competitors. We often experience significant competition for many of our generic products, which from time to time, has resulted in a significant decline in our revenue and gross margin. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to continue to develop such products or that the number of our competitors for any given product will not increase to such an extent that we may stop marketing a generic drug product for which we previously obtained approval, which may have a material adverse impact on our revenues and gross margin.
The illegal distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit versions of our products or of stolen products could have a negative impact on our reputation and a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Third parties could illegally distribute and sell counterfeit versions of our products, which do not meet the rigorous manufacturing and testing standards that our products undergo. Counterfeit products are frequently unsafe or ineffective and can be life-threatening. Counterfeit medicines may contain harmful substances, the wrong dose of the API or no API at all. However, to distributors and users, counterfeit products may be visually indistinguishable from the authentic version.
Reports of adverse reactions to counterfeit drugs or increased levels of counterfeiting could materially affect patient confidence in the authentic product. It is possible that adverse events caused by unsafe counterfeit products will mistakenly be attributed to the authentic product. In addition, thefts of inventory at warehouses, plants or while in-transit, which are not properly stored and which are sold through unauthorized channels, could adversely impact patient safety, our reputation and our business.
Public loss of confidence in the integrity of pharmaceutical products as a result of counterfeiting or theft could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our business is highly dependent on market perceptions of us and the safety and quality of our products. Our business, products or product pricing could be subject to negative publicity, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Market perceptions of our business are very important to us, especially market perceptions of the safety and quality of our products. If any of our products or similar products that other companies distribute are subject to market withdrawal or recall or are proven to be, or are claimed to be, harmful to consumers, then this could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Also, because our business is dependent on market perceptions, negative publicity associated with product quality, illness or other adverse effects resulting from, or perceived to be resulting from, our products could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The generic pharmaceutical industry has also in recent years been the subject of significant publicity regarding the pricing of pharmaceutical products more generally, including publicity and pressure resulting from prices charged by competitors and peer companies for new products as well as price increases by competitors and peer companies on older products that the public has deemed excessive. This publicity has in the past become more pronounced during U.S. presidential election years, and there may be a heightened risk as the U.S. presidential election progresses in 2024. Even if we may have reduced the prices we charge our customers for certain products, often consumers do not see similar reductions in the prices they paid. Any downward pricing pressure on the price of certain of our products arising from social or political pressure to lower the cost of pharmaceutical products could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Accompanying the press and media coverage of pharmaceutical pricing practices and public complaints about the same, has been increasing U.S. federal and state legislative and enforcement interest with respect to drug pricing. For instance, the DOJ issued subpoenas to pharmaceutical companies, including us, seeking information about the sales, marketing and pricing of certain generic drugs. See Note 21. Commitments and Contingencies for additional information on the DOJ investigation. In addition to the effects of any investigations or claims brought against us, our business, results of operations and financial condition could also be adversely affected if any such inquiries, of us or of other pharmaceutical companies or the industry more generally, were to result in legislative or regulatory proposals that limit our ability to increase the prices of our products.
A substantial portion of our total revenues is expected to be derived from sales of a limited number of products.
We expect that we will continue to derive a substantial portion of our revenue from sales of a limited number of products. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our significant product families (defined as our top five products by annual revenue including both our Generics and Specialty segments) accounted for 24% of our consolidated net revenue. The sale of our products may be significantly influenced by market conditions, as well as regulatory actions. We may experience decreases in the sale of our products in the future as a result of actions taken by our competitors, such as price reductions, or as a result of
25
regulatory actions related to our products or to competing products, which could have a material impact on our results of operations. Actions which could be taken by our competitors, which may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, may include, without limitation, pricing changes and entering or exiting the market for specific products.
Our approved products may not achieve expected levels of market acceptance.
Even if we are able to obtain regulatory approvals for our new products, the success of those products is dependent upon market acceptance. Levels of market acceptance for our new products could be affected by several factors, including:
•the availability of alternative products from our competitors;
•the prices of our products relative to those of our competitors;
•the timing of our market entry;
•the ability to market our products effectively at the retail level;
•the perception of patients and the healthcare community, including third-party payers, regarding the safety, efficacy and benefits of our drug products compared to those of competing products; and
•the acceptance of our products by government and private formularies.
Some of these factors will not be in our control, and our products may not achieve expected levels of market acceptance. Additionally, continuing and increasingly sophisticated studies of the proper utilization, safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products are being conducted by the industry, government agencies and others which can call into question the utilization, safety and efficacy of products currently or previously marketed by us. In some cases, studies have resulted, and may in the future result, in the discontinuance of product marketing or other risk management programs such as the need for a patient registry.
We may discontinue the manufacture and distribution of certain existing products, which may adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We continually evaluate the performance of our products and may determine that it is in our best interest to discontinue the manufacture and distribution of certain of our products. For example, in 2023, there was a reduction in the promotional focus on LYVISPAHTM, which resulted in an impairment charge of $34.1 million recorded to cost of goods sold. We cannot guarantee that we have correctly forecasted, or will correctly forecast in the future, the appropriate products to discontinue or that our decision to discontinue various products is prudent if market conditions change. In addition, we cannot assure you that the discontinuance of products will reduce our operating expenses or will not cause us to incur material charges associated with such a decision. Furthermore, the discontinuance of existing products entails various risks, including, in the event that we decide to sell the discontinued product, the risk that we will not be able to find a purchaser for such products or that the purchase price obtained will not be equal to at least the book value of the net assets for such products. Other risks include managing the expectations of, and maintaining good relations with, our customers who previously purchased products from among our discontinued products, which could prevent us from selling other products to them in the future. Moreover, we may incur other significant liabilities and costs associated with our discontinuance of products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Manufacturing or quality control problems may damage our reputation for quality production, demand costly remedial activities and negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
As a pharmaceutical company, we are subject to substantial regulation by various governmental authorities. For instance, we must comply with requirements of the FDA, DEA and other healthcare regulators with respect to the manufacture, labeling, sale, distribution, marketing, advertising, promotion and development of pharmaceutical products. We must register our facilities, whether located in the U.S. or elsewhere, with the FDA as well as regulators outside the U.S., and our products must be made in a manner consistent with cGMP, or similar standards in each territory in which we manufacture. The failure of one of our facilities, or a facility of one of our third-party suppliers, to comply with applicable laws and regulations may lead to breach of representations made to our customers or to regulatory or government action against us related to products made in that facility.
In addition, the FDA, DEA and other agencies periodically inspect our manufacturing facilities. Following an inspection, agencies have in the past issued, and may in the future issue, a notice listing conditions that are believed to violate cGMP or other regulations, or a warning letter for violations of “regulatory significance” that may result in enforcement action if not
26
promptly and adequately corrected. We remain committed to continuing to improve our quality control and manufacturing practices; however, we cannot be assured that the FDA will continue to be satisfied with our corrective actions and with our quality control and manufacturing systems and standards. Failure to comply strictly with these regulations and requirements, or our failure to remedy any deficiencies, may damage our reputation and lead to financial penalties, compliance expenditures, the recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production and/or distribution, withdrawal or suspension of the applicable regulator’s review of our submissions, enforcement actions, injunctions and criminal prosecution. Further, other federal agencies, our customers and partners in our alliance, development, collaboration and other partnership agreements with respect to our products and services may take any such FDA observations or warning letters into account when considering the award of contracts or the continuation or extension of such partnership agreements. Because regulatory approval to manufacture a drug is site-specific, the delay and cost of remedial actions, or obtaining approval to manufacture at a different facility, could negatively impact our business. Any failure by us to comply with applicable laws and regulations and/or any actions by the FDA and other agencies as described above could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
The majority of our products are produced at a few locations, and a business interruption at one or more of these locations or within our supply chain could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
We produce the majority of the products that we manufacture at our manufacturing facilities in New York, New Jersey and India, as well as at certain third-party suppliers, one of which is located in Taiwan. Disruptions at these facilities or within our supply chain can occur for many reasons, including events unrelated to us or beyond our control, such as fires and other industrial accidents, floods and other severe weather events, natural disasters, environmental incidents or other catastrophes, utility and transportation infrastructure disruptions, shortages of raw materials, pandemic diseases or viral contagions, and acts of war or terrorism. For example, in November 2023, the Houthi movement, which controls parts of Yemen, began attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea disrupting global supply chains. This disruption has resulted in a significant increase in our shipping costs, and a prolonged disruption to the global supply chain could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. Natural disasters and adverse weather conditions can be caused or exacerbated by climate change, and the spate of extreme weather events experienced over the past several years presents an alarming trend. As previously disclosed, extreme weather events have compromised our facilities in the past and may do so in the future. Furthermore, work stoppages, whether union-organized or not, can also disrupt operations. Business interruption could also be caused by compliance failures. A significant disruption at any of these facilities or otherwise within our supply chain, even on a short-term basis, could impair our ability to produce and ship products to the market on a timely basis or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
Our profitability depends on our major customers. If these relationships do not continue as expected, our business, condition (financial and otherwise), prospects and results of operations could materially suffer.
Our four largest customers, Cencora, Inc., McKesson Drug Co., Cardinal Health, Inc. and CVS Health Corporation, accounted for approximately 70%, 71% and 75% of total net sales of products for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The loss of any one or more of these or any other major customer or the substantial reduction in orders from any one or more of our major customers could have a material impact on our future operating results and financial condition. In total, we currently have over 1,300 customers (including over 1,100 customers specific to our AvKARE segment), some of which are part of large purchasing groups.
We may experience declines in the sales volume and prices of our products as a result of the continuing trend of consolidation of certain customer groups, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
Our ability to successfully commercialize any generic or branded pharmaceutical product depends in large part upon the acceptance of the product by third parties, including pharmacies, government formularies, other retailers, physicians and patients. Therefore, our success will depend in large part on market acceptance of our products. We make a significant amount of our sales to a relatively small number of drug wholesalers and retail drug chains. These customers represent an essential part of the distribution chain of our pharmaceutical products. Drug wholesalers and retail drug chains have undergone, and are continuing to undergo, significant consolidation. This consolidation may result in these groups gaining additional purchasing leverage and, consequently, increasing the product pricing pressures facing our business. Additionally, the emergence of large buying groups representing independent retail pharmacies and other drug distributors, and the prevalence and influence of managed care organizations and similar institutions, potentially enable such groups to demand larger price discounts on our products. For example, there has been a recent trend of large wholesalers and retailer customers forming partnerships, such as the alliance between Walgreens and Cencora, Inc., the alliance between Rite Aid and McKesson Drug Company, and the
27
alliance between CVS Caremark and Cardinal Health. The result of these developments may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
We depend to a large extent on third-party suppliers and distributors for the raw materials for our products, particularly the chemical compounds comprising the APIs that we use to manufacture our products, as well as for certain finished goods. A prolonged interruption in the supply of such products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
We purchase the bulk of the raw materials essential to our manufacturing business from third parties. If we experience supply interruptions or delays, or if a supplier discontinues the sale of certain products, we may have to obtain substitute materials or products, which in turn would require us to obtain amended or additional regulatory approvals, subjecting us to additional expenditures of significant time and resources. In addition, changes in our raw material suppliers could result in significant delays in production, higher raw material costs and loss of sales and customers, because regulatory authorities must generally approve raw material sources for pharmaceutical products, which may be time consuming. For example, we may need as long as 18 months to find and qualify a new sole-source supplier. If we receive less than one year’s termination notice from a sole-source supplier that intends to cease supplying raw materials, it could result in disruption of our ability to produce the drug involved. Any significant supply interruption could have a material adverse effect on our business, condition (financial and otherwise), prospects and results of operations. To date, although we have experienced occasional interruptions in supplies, we have experienced no significant difficulties in obtaining raw materials. However, because the federal drug application process requires specification of raw material suppliers, if raw materials from a specified supplier were to become unavailable, FDA approval of a new supplier would be required. The amount of time required for the FDA to qualify a new supplier and confirm that our manufacturing processes meet the necessary standards could cause delays in the manufacturing and marketing of one or more of our products and could, depending on the particular product, have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
The time necessary to develop generic drugs may adversely affect whether, and the extent to which, we receive a return on our capital.
We generally begin our development activities for a new generic drug product several years in advance of the patent expiration date of the brand-name drug equivalent. The development process, including drug formulation, testing, and FDA review and approval, often takes three or more years. This process requires that we expend considerable capital to pursue activities that do not yield an immediate or near-term return. Also, because of the significant time necessary to develop a product, the actual market for a product at the time it is available for sale may be significantly less than the originally projected market for the product. If this were to occur, our potential return on our investment in developing the product, if approved for marketing by the FDA, would be adversely affected and we may never receive a return on our investment in the product. It is also possible for the manufacturer of the brand-name product for which we are developing a generic drug to obtain approvals from the FDA to switch the brand-name drug from the prescription market to the over-the counter (“OTC”) market. If this were to occur, we would be prohibited from marketing our product other than as an OTC drug, in which case revenues could be substantially less than we anticipated.
The use of legal, regulatory and legislative strategies by brand competitors, including authorized generics and citizen’s petitions, as well as the potential impact of proposed legislation, may have an adverse effect on our business.
Brand drug companies often pursue strategies that may serve to prevent or delay competition from our generic alternatives to their branded products. These strategies may include, but are not limited to, using certain tactics with our regulators that could delay our product approvals, restricting our access to samples needed for our testing or using the legal system or other IP-related or regulatory mechanisms to severely delay or disrupt our process. These and other strategies by brand competitors, as well as the potential impact of proposed legislation, may increase our costs associated with the introduction or marketing of our generic products, delay or prevent such introduction and/or significantly reduce the profit potential of our products.
28
The risks and uncertainties inherent in conducting clinical trials could delay or prevent the development and commercialization of our own branded products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
With respect to our branded products which do not qualify for the FDA’s abbreviated application procedures, we must demonstrate through clinical trials that these products are safe and effective for use. We have only limited experience in conducting and supervising clinical trials. The process of completing clinical trials and preparing an NDA may take several years and requires substantial resources. Our studies and filings may not result in FDA approval to market our new drug products and, if the FDA grants approval, we cannot predict the timing of any approval. There are substantial filing fees for NDAs that are not refundable if FDA approval is not obtained.
There are a number of risks and uncertainties associated with clinical trials. The results of clinical trials may not be indicative of results that would be obtained from large scale testing. Clinical trials are often conducted with patients having advanced stages of disease and, as a result, during the course of treatment these patients can die or suffer adverse medical effects for reasons that may not be related to the pharmaceutical agents being tested, but which nevertheless affect the clinical trial results. In addition, side effects experienced by the patients may cause delay of approval or limit the profile of an approved product. Moreover, our clinical trials may not demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy to obtain approval from the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities. The FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may not agree with our assessment of the clinical data or they may interpret it differently. Such regulatory authorities may require additional or expanded clinical trials. Even if the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities approve certain products developed by us, we cannot provide assurance that such regulatory authorities will not subject marketing of such products to certain limits on indicated use.
Developing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical products is generally more costly than developing and commercializing generic products. To grow and achieve success in our branded product business, we must continually identify, develop, acquire and license new products that we can ultimately market. There are many difficulties and uncertainties inherent in pharmaceutical R&D, and there is a high rate of failure inherent in new drug discovery and development. Failure can occur at any point in the process, including late in the process after substantial investment. New product candidates that appear promising in development may fail to reach the market or may have only limited commercial success because of efficacy or safety concerns, inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and payer reimbursement, limited scope of approved uses, difficulty or excessive costs to manufacture, or infringement of the patents or IP rights of others. Products that do reach the market may ultimately be subject to recalls or other suspensions in sales. Delays and uncertainties in the FDA approval process and the approval processes in other countries can result in delays in product launches and lost market opportunity. Because there is a high rate of failure inherent in the R&D process of new products, there is a significant risk that funds invested in R&D will not generate financial returns. We cannot be certain when or whether any of our products currently under development will be approved or launched or whether, once launched, such products will be commercially successful. We may be required to spend several years and incur substantial expense in completing certain clinical trials. The length of time, number of trial sites and patients required for clinical trials vary substantially, and we may have difficulty finding a sufficient number of sites and subjects to participate in our trials. Delays in planned clinical trials can result in increased development costs, delays in regulatory approvals and delays in product candidates reaching the market. We rely on independent third-party clinical investigators to recruit subjects and conduct clinical trials in accordance with applicable study protocols and laws and regulations. If regulatory authorities determine that we have not complied with regulations in the development of a product candidate, they may refuse to accept trial data from the site and/or not approve the product candidate, and we would not be able to market and sell that product. If we are not able to market and sell our products after significant expenditures to develop and test them, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
The results from early clinical trials may not be predictive of results obtained in later and larger clinical trials, and product candidates in later clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety or efficacy despite having progressed successfully through earlier clinical testing. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including us, have suffered significant setbacks in clinical trials, even in advanced clinical trials after showing positive results in earlier clinical trials. The completion of clinical trials for our product candidates may be delayed or halted for a variety of reasons in addition to the reasons noted above.
In addition, our product candidates could be subject to competition for clinical study sites and patients from other therapies under development which may delay the enrollment in or initiation of our clinical trials.
The FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may require us to conduct unanticipated additional clinical trials, which could result in additional expense and delays in bringing our product candidates to market. Any failure or delay in completing clinical trials for our product candidates would prevent or delay the commercialization of our product candidates. We cannot assure you that
29
our expenses related to clinical trials will lead to the development of brand-name drugs that will generate revenues in the near future. Delays or failure in the development and commercialization of our own branded products could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are increasingly dependent on information technology, and our systems and infrastructure face certain risks, including cybersecurity and data leakage risks.
Significant disruptions to our IT systems or breaches of information security could adversely affect our business. In the ordinary course of business, we collect, store and transmit large amounts of confidential information, and it is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such information. Additionally, our IT systems are critical to our ability to store electronic and financial information and to manage a variety of business processes and activities, including manufacturing, financial, logistics, sales, marketing and administrative functions. We depend on our IT infrastructure to communicate internally and externally with employees, customers, suppliers and others. We also use IT networks and systems to comply with regulatory, legal and tax requirements. We have outsourced significant elements of our IT infrastructure; as a result we manage independent vendor relationships with third-parties who are responsible for maintaining significant elements of our IT systems and infrastructure and who may or could have access to our confidential information. The size and complexity of our IT systems, and those of our third-party vendors, make such systems potentially vulnerable to service interruptions and security breaches from inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees, partners or vendors. These systems are also vulnerable to attacks by malicious third parties, such as phishing or ransomware attacks, and may be susceptible to intentional or accidental physical damage to the infrastructure maintained by us or by third parties, including as a result of extreme weather events, such as fires, floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes or as the result of the use of AI or other new technologies. For example, in 2023, certain third-party file transfer services were attacked and compromised, which impacted certain of our vendors and ultimately certain of our information including personally identifiable information of enrolled employees and dependents in certain cases.
Maintaining the secrecy of confidential, proprietary, and/or trade secret information is important to our competitive business position. We continually assess these threats and make investments to increase internal protection, detection, and response capabilities, as well as ensure our third-party providers have required capabilities and controls, to address these risks. Like other public companies, our computer systems and those of our third-party vendors and service providers are regularly subject to, and will continue to be the target of, computer viruses, malware or other malicious code (including ransomware), unauthorized access, cyber-attacks or other computer-related penetrations, which have caused, and may continue to cause, disruptions to our operations.For example, we have been the victim of phishing attempts, some of which have been successful in evading detection and blocking.While we have experienced threats to our data and systems, to date, we are not aware that we have experienced a material cyber-security breach. Over time, however, the sophistication of these threats continues to increase.Our reliance on unsupported and vulnerable operating systems and other software in certain cases may increase both the likelihood and potential severity of cyber incidents. The preventative actions we take to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and protect our information may be insufficient.Our efforts may not prevent service interruptions or security breaches in our systems or the unauthorized or inadvertent wrongful use or disclosure of confidential information that could adversely affect our business operations or result in the loss, dissemination, or misuse of critical or sensitive information. A breach of our security measures or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure, unapproved dissemination, misappropriation or misuse of trade secrets, proprietary information, or other confidential information, whether as a result of theft, hacking, fraud, trickery or other forms of deception, or for any other cause, could enable others to produce competing products, use our proprietary technology or information, and/or adversely affect our business position. Further, any such interruption, security breach, loss or disclosure of confidential information could result in financial, legal, business, and reputational harm to us and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cash flow.
Artificial intelligence-based platforms may present new risks and challenges to our business.