ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
You should read this discussion and analysis of our financial condition and consolidated results of operations together with the consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or this Annual Report. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report, including statements of our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Please also see the section titled “Forward-Looking Statements.”
For the discussion of the financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, refer to “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations” and “—Liquidity and Capital Resources” included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on February 28, 2023.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of medicines, which we refer to as Bicycle® molecules, for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics. Bicycle molecules are fully synthetic short peptides constrained to form two loops which stabilize their structural geometry. This constraint facilitates target binding with high affinity and selectivity, making Bicycle molecules attractive candidates for drug development. Bicycle molecules are a unique therapeutic modality combining the pharmacology usually associated with a biologic with the manufacturing and pharmacokinetic, or PK, properties of a small molecule. The relatively large surface area presented by Bicycle molecules allows targets to be drugged that have historically been intractable to non-biological approaches. Bicycle molecules are excreted by the kidney rather than the liver and have shown no signs of immunogenicity to date, qualities which we believe explain the molecules’ favorable toxicological profile.
We have a novel and proprietary phage display screening platform which we use to identify Bicycle molecules in an efficient manner. The platform initially displays linear peptides on the surface of engineered bacteriophages, or phages, before “on-phage” cyclization with a range of small molecule scaffolds which can confer differentiated physicochemical and structural properties. Our platform encodes quadrillions of potential Bicycle molecules which can be screened to identify molecules for optimization to potential product candidates. We have used this powerful screening technology to identify our current portfolio of candidates in oncology and intend to use it in conjunction with our collaborators to seek to develop additional future candidates across a range of other disease areas.
Our product candidates, BT8009, BT5528, and BT1718, are each a Bicycle Toxin Conjugate, or BTC® molecule. These Bicycle molecules are chemically attached to a toxin that when administered is cleaved from the Bicycle molecule and kills the tumor cells. We are evaluating BT8009, a BTC molecule targeting Nectin-4, in both an ongoing company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial and a Phase II/III registrational trial called Duravelo-2, and BT5528, a BTC molecule targeting Ephrin type A receptor 2, or EphA2, in a company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial. In addition, BT1718 is being developed to target tumors that express Membrane Type 1 matrix metalloproteinase, or MT1 MMP, and is being investigated for safety, tolerability and efficacy in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial sponsored and fully funded by the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development, or Cancer Research UK. In addition, our other product candidates, BT7480 and BT7455, are each a Bicycle Tumor-Targeted Immune Cell Agonist®, or Bicycle TICA® molecule. A Bicycle TICA molecule links immune cell receptor binding Bicycle molecules to tumor antigen binding Bicycle molecules. We are evaluating BT7480, a Bicycle TICA molecule targeting Nectin-4 and agonizing CD137, in a company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial, and we are conducting IND-enabling studies for BT7455, an EphA2/CD137 Bicycle TICA molecule. Our discovery pipeline in oncology includes next-generation BTC molecules, Bicycleradionuclide conjugates, or BRCTM molecules, Bicycle based systemic immune cell agonists and Bicycle TICA molecules.
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In January 2023, we announced that the FDA granted Fast Track Designation, or FTD, to our BT8009 monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer. FTD is intended to facilitate and expedite development and review of new drugs to address unmet medical need in the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition. In February 2023, we presented results from the completed dose escalation portion of the Phase I/II clinical trial of BT8009 and in December 2023, we provided clinical updates for various cohorts of the Phase I/II clinical trial. Enrollment in the Phase I/II clinical trial remains ongoing. Additionally, in September 2023, we announced our alignment with the FDA on the design of a Phase II/III registrational trial for BT8009, called Duravelo-2, allowing for potential accelerated approval in untreated and previously treated metastatic urothelial cancer. The Duravelo-2 clinical trial is now active and recruiting patients. In October 2023, we also announced that BT8009 has been selected to participate in the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) Development and Readiness Pilot Program recently launched by the FDA to facilitate CMC development for therapies with expedited clinical development timeframes based on the anticipated clinical benefits of earlier patient access to the therapy.
In September 2022, we announced Phase I dose escalation top-line results from our Phase I/II trial of BT5528 and that we were advancing in ongoing expansion cohorts in urothelial and ovarian cancers, as well as in a basket cohort that includes head and neck, non-small cell lung, gastroesophageal and triple negative breast cancers. In December 2023, we provided clinical updates for the ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial enrolling patients with various solid tumors.
In November 2021, we announced that we had dosed the first patient in the Phase I/II clinical trial of BT7480 and in December 2023 we provided clinical updates for the ongoing Phase I/II multi-center, open-label trial which will evaluate BT7480 administered once weekly.
Beyond our wholly owned oncology portfolio, we are collaborating with biopharmaceutical companies and organizations in therapeutic areas in which we believe our proprietary Bicycle screening platform can identify therapies to treat diseases with significant unmet medical need.
Financial Overview
Since our inception, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to developing our Bicycle platform and our product candidates BT8009, BT5528, BT1718, BT7480, BT7455 and BT7401, conducting research and development of our product candidates and preclinical programs, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for our operations. To date, we have financed our operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of our ordinary shares, American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, non-voting ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares; proceeds received from upfront payments, research and development payments, and development milestone payments from our collaboration agreements with Bayer Consumer Care AG, or Bayer, Novartis Pharma AG, or Novartis, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, or Ionis, Genentech Inc., or Genentech, the Dementia Discovery Fund, or DDF, AstraZeneca AB, or AstraZeneca and Oxurion NV, or Oxurion; and borrowings pursuant to our debt facility with Hercules Capital, Inc., or Hercules. From our inception in 2009 through December 31, 2023, we have received gross proceeds of $830.4 million from the sale of ADSs, ordinary shares, non-voting ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares; and $233.2 million of cash payments under our collaboration agreements, including $45.0 million from Bayer, $50.0 million from Novartis, $47.6 million from Ionis and $56.0 million from Genentech; and borrowings of $30.0 million pursuant to our Loan and Security Agreement, as amended, or the Loan Agreement, with Hercules. We do not have any products approved for sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales.
Since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. Our net losses were $180.7 million, $112.7 million and $66.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $511.8 million. These losses have resulted primarily from costs incurred in connection with research and development activities and general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future.
We anticipate that our expenses and capital requirements will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance our product candidates into later-stage clinical trials and continue
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preclinical activities and clinical trials for our pipeline programs and, if any product candidates are approved, pursue the commercialization of such product candidates by building internal sales and marketing capabilities. We expect that our expenses and capital requirements will increase substantially if and as we:
● progress the preclinical and clinical development of BT7455 and BT7401;
● seek to identify and develop additional product candidates;
● develop, maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio;
● acquire or in-license other products and technologies;
We do not expect to generate revenue from product sales unless and until we successfully complete development and obtain marketing approval for one or more of our product candidates, which we expect will take many years and is subject to significant uncertainty. We have no commercial-scale manufacturing facilities of our own, and all of our manufacturing activities have been and are planned to be contracted out to third parties. Additionally, we currently utilize third-party contract research organizations, or CROs, to carry out our clinical development activities. If we seek to obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates from which we obtain encouraging results in clinical development, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses as we prepare for product sales, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution.
As a result, we will need substantial additional funding to support our continuing operations and pursue our growth strategy. Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, charitable and governmental grants, monetization transactions or licensing arrangements. We may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements or arrangements when needed on favorable terms, or at all. If we fail to raise capital or enter into such agreements as, and when, needed, we may have to significantly delay, scale back, or discontinue the development and commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, we are unable to predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when or if we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability. Even if we are able to generate product sales, we may not become profitable. If we fail to become profitable or are unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, we may be unable to continue our operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce or terminate our operations.
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $526.4 million. We believe that our existing cash will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least 12 months from the
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date of filing of this Annual Report. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could deplete our available capital resources sooner than we expect. See “— Liquidity and Capital Resources” and “Capital Resources and Funding Requirements.”
Components of Our Results of Operations
Collaboration Revenues
To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and we do not expect to generate any revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future. Our revenue primarily consists of collaboration revenue under our arrangements with our collaboration partners, including amounts that are recognized related to upfront payments, milestone payments and option exercise payments, and amounts due to us for research and development services. In the future, revenue may include additional milestone payments and option exercise payments, and royalties on any net product sales under our collaborations. We expect that any revenue we generate will fluctuate from period to period as a result of the timing and amount of license, research and development services, milestone and other payments, as well as the exercise or expiration of options.
Expenses
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for our research and development activities, including our discovery efforts, and the development of our product candidates, which include:
● the cost of consultants;
● costs related to compliance with regulatory requirements; and
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Costs for certain activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and are reflected in our consolidated financial statements as a prepaid expense or accrued research and development expenses. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are capitalized. The capitalized amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed.
U.K. research and development tax credits and government grant funding are recorded as an offset to research and development expense. See “—Provision For (Benefit From) Income Taxes.”
Our direct external research and development expenses are tracked on a program-by-program basis and consist of costs, such as fees paid to consultants, contractors and contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, in connection with our preclinical and clinical development activities. Costs incurred after a product candidate has been designated and that are directly related to the product candidate are included in direct research and development expenses for that
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program. Costs incurred prior to designating a product candidate are included in discovery, platform and other expense. We do not allocate employee costs, costs associated with our discovery efforts, laboratory supplies, and facilities, including depreciation or other indirect costs, to specific product development programs because these costs are deployed across multiple product development programs and, as such, are not separately classified.
In December 2016, we entered into a Clinical Trial and License Agreement with Cancer Research Technology Limited, or CRTL and Cancer Research UK, pursuant to which the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development is sponsoring and funding a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for our product candidate, BT1718, in patients with advanced solid tumors. Cancer Research UK has designed and prepared and is carrying out and sponsoring the clinical trial at its own cost. Upon the completion of the Phase I/IIa clinical trial, we have the right to obtain a license to the results of the clinical trial upon the payment of a milestone, in cash and ordinary shares, with a combined value in the mid six digit dollar amount. If such license is not acquired, or if it is acquired and the license is terminated and we decide to abandon development of all products that deliver cytotoxic payloads to the MT1 target antigen, CRTL may elect to receive an assignment and exclusive license to develop and commercialize the product on a revenue sharing basis (in which case we will receive tiered royalties of 70% to 90% of the net revenue depending on the stage of development when the license is granted is less certain costs, as defined in the agreement). The Cancer Research UK Agreement contains additional future milestone payments upon the achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones, payable in cash and shares, with an aggregate total value of $50.9 million, as well as royalty payments based on a single digit percentage on net sales of products developed. The Cancer Research UK Agreement can be terminated by either party upon an insolvency event, material breach of the terms of the contract, upon a change in control involving a tobacco related entity, and in certain other specified circumstances, and includes provisions that require the repayment of costs to Cancer Research UK upon certain termination events. The costs incurred by Cancer Research UK are recorded as a liability in accordance with ASC 730, Research and Development as the payments are not based solely on the results of the research and development having future economic benefit. The accrual of the liability is recorded as incremental research and development expense in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. We expect that our research and development expenses will continue to increase for the foreseeable future as a result of our expanded portfolio of product candidates and as we: (i) continue the clinical development and seek to obtain marketing approval for our product candidates, including BT8009, BT5528, BT7480 and BT1718; (ii) initiate clinical trials for our product candidates, including BT7455; and (iii) build our in-house process development and analytical capabilities and continue to discover and develop additional product candidates.
The successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. As such, at this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing and estimated costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the remainder of the development of these product candidates. We are also unable to predict when, if ever, material net cash inflows will commence from our product candidates. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing products, including the uncertainty of:
● progressing the preclinical and clinical development of BT7455 and BT7401;
● identifying new product candidates to add to our development pipeline;
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● continued acceptable safety profile of the drugs following approval; and
● attracting, hiring and retaining qualified personnel.
A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of a product candidate could mean a significant change in the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. For example, the FDA, EMA or another regulatory authority may require us to conduct clinical trials beyond those that we anticipate will be required for the completion of clinical development of a product candidate, or we may experience significant trial delays due to patient enrollment or other reasons in which case we would be required to expend significant additional financial resources and time on the completion of clinical development. In addition, we may obtain unexpected results from our clinical trials and we may elect to discontinue, delay or modify clinical trials of some product candidates or focus on others. Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical testing and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. In addition, on April 26, 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Directive and Regulation to revise the current EU pharmaceutical legislation. If adopted in the form proposed, the European Commission proposals may result in a decrease in data and market exclusivity opportunities for our product candidates in the EU and make them open to generic or biosimilar competition earlier than is currently the case with a related reduction in reimbursement status.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and other related costs, including share-based compensation, for personnel in our executive, finance, corporate and business development, commercial and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include professional fees for legal, patent, accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services, insurance, travel expenses and facility-related expenses, which include direct depreciation costs and allocated expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities and other operating costs.
Foreign currency transactions in currencies different from the applicable functional currency are translated into the functional currency using the exchange rates prevailing at the dates of the transactions. Foreign exchange differences resulting from the settlement of such transactions and from the remeasurement at period-end exchange rates in foreign currencies are recorded in general and administrative expense in the statement of operations and comprehensive loss. As such, our operating expenses may be impacted by future changes in exchange rates. See “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risks” for further discussion.
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We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we increase our general and administrative headcount to support our continued research and development and potential commercialization of our portfolio of product candidates. We also expect to continue to incur increased expenses associated with being a public company including costs of accounting, audit, information systems, legal, intellectual property, regulatory and tax compliance services, director and officer insurance and investor and public relations.
Other Income (Expense)
Interest Income
Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on our cash held in operating accounts and our cash equivalents.
Interest Expense
Interest expense consists primarily of interest expense for financing arrangements. As of December 31, 2023, we have borrowings of $30.0 million outstanding pursuant to our Loan Agreement with Hercules.
Provision For (Benefit From) Income Taxes
We are subject to corporate taxation in the United States and the United Kingdom. We have generated losses since inception and have therefore not paid U.K. corporation tax. The provision for (benefit from) income taxes included in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss represents the tax impact from operating activities in the United States, which has generated taxable income based on intercompany service arrangements.
Unsurrendered U.K. losses may be carried forward indefinitely to be offset against future taxable profits, subject to numerous utilization criteria and restrictions. The amount that can be offset each year is limited to £5.0 million plus an incremental 50% of U.K. taxable profits.
The research and development tax credit received in the United Kingdom is recorded as a reduction to research and development expenses. The U.K. research and development tax credit, as described below, is fully refundable to us after surrendering tax losses and is not dependent on current or future taxable income. As a result, we have recorded the entire benefit from the U.K. research and development tax credit as a reduction to research and development expenses and is not reflected as part of the income tax provision. If, in the future, any U.K. research and development tax credits generated are needed to offset a corporate income tax liability in the United Kingdom, that portion would be recorded as a benefit within the income tax provision and any refundable portion not dependent on taxable income would continue to be recorded as a reduction to research and development expenses.
As a company that carries out extensive research and development activities, we seek to benefit from one of two U.K. research and development tax credit cash rebate regimes: The Small and Medium-sized Enterprises R&D Tax Relief program, or SME Program, and the Research and Development Expenditure Credit program, or RDEC Program. Qualifying expenditures largely comprise employment costs for research staff, consumables, expenses incurred under agreements with third parties that conduct research and development, preclinical activities, clinical activities and manufacturing on our behalf and certain internal overhead costs incurred as part of research projects.
Based on criteria established by U.K. law, a portion of expenditures being carried out in relation to our pipeline research and development, clinical trials management and manufacturing development activities were eligible for the SME Program for the year ended December 31, 2023. Under the SME Program, the trading losses that arise from our qualifying R&D activities can be surrendered for a cash rebate of up to 33.35% of qualifying expenditure incurred prior to April 1, 2023, and up to 18.6% of qualifying expenditure incurred thereafter. Amendments to the U.K. R&D tax credit regime that are contained in the Finance Bill currently proceeding through the U.K. Parliament will (if enacted) increase the cash rebate that may be claimed from such date to 26.97% of qualifying expenditure, if we qualify as “R&D intensive” for an accounting period (broadly, a loss making SME whose qualifying R&D expenditure represents 40% (or, from April 1, 2024, 30%) or more of its total expenditure for that accounting period).
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Further amendments to the U.K. R&D tax credit regime have also recently been proposed that may (unless limited exceptions apply) introduce restrictions on the tax relief that can be claimed for expenditures incurred on sub-contracted R&D activities or externally provided workers, where such sub-contracted activities are not carried out in the U.K. or such workers are not subject to U.K. payroll taxes. These amendments are expected to take effect for accounting periods beginning after April 1, 2024. In addition, the U.K. government is currently considering a proposal to merge the SME Program and the RDEC Program into a single scheme with effect from April 2024; if such proposal is implemented, it may be the case that we are no longer able to make claims in respect of sub-contracted R&D activities, and that different (and potentially lower) caps are imposed on the amount of tax relief that we can claim. These and other potential future changes to the U.K. research and development tax relief programs may impact the extent to which we can make claims.
In addition, the payable credit claims under the SME Program in excess of £20,000 are subject to a cap, by reference to, broadly, of three times the total PAYE and NIC liability paid by the Company, unless an exception applies. That exception requires the Company to be creating, taking steps to create, or managing intellectual property, as well as having qualifying research and development expenditure in respect of connected parties which does not exceed 15% of the total amount claimed.
Value Added Tax, or VAT, is broadly charged on all taxable supplies of goods and services by VAT-registered businesses. Under current rates, an amount of 20% of the value, as determined for VAT purposes, of the goods or services supplied is added to all sales invoices and is payable to HMRC. Similarly, VAT paid on purchase invoices is generally reclaimable from HMRC and is included as a component of prepaid and other current assets in our consolidated balance sheets.
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Results of Operations
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Operating expenses:
Other income (expense):
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 1,457 (1,524) (1,663)
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Operating expenses:
Other income (expense):
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 1,457 (1,524) 2,981
Collaboration Revenues
Collaboration revenues increased by $12.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to increases of $8.4 million from our collaboration with Genentech which was primarily a result of the recognition of $6.0 million due to the expiration of a material right upon the termination of one of the initial collaboration programs, as well as an increase in revenue recognized associated with proportional performance, $1.9 million from our collaboration with Novartis entered into in March 2023, $1.4 million from our collaboration with Ionis resulting from an increase in revenue recognized associated with proportional performance, and $1.2 million from our collaboration with Bayer entered into in May 2023.
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Research and Development Expenses
The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the years presented:
December 31,
(in thousands)
Bicycle tumor-targeted immune cell agonists 18,878 11,268 7,610
Research and development expenses increased by $74.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an increase of $40.7 million in clinical program expenses for the ongoing Phase I/II clinical trials for BT8009 and Bicycle TICA molecules as well as start-up activities for the Phase II/III registrational trial for BT8009, increased discovery, platform and other expenses, including an increase of $4.7 million in allocated depreciation and other infrastructure costs and an increase of $10.8 million in other discovery-related costs, including the costs of our collaboration agreements, as well as increases of $15.2 million in employee and contractor-related expenses attributable to increased headcount, $5.2 million of incremental share-based compensation expense primarily associated with equity grants issued since the prior year, and $3.7 million in facilities-related expenses primarily associated with our U.S. lease entered into in January 2023. These increases were offset by decreased clinical program expenses for BT5528 of $1.5 million as well as $3.6 million of incremental research and development incentives, including U.K. research and development tax credit reimbursements due to the corresponding increase in research and development spending which is offset by a decrease in the U.K. research and development tax credit reimbursement rate for qualifying expenditures after April 1, 2023.
We begin to separately track program expenses at candidate nomination, at which point we accumulate all direct external program costs incurred to support that program to date. Through December 31, 2023, we have incurred approximately $73.9 million, $39.6 million, and $15.5 million of direct external expenses for the development of BT8009, BT5528, and BT1718, respectively, since their candidate nominations, and an aggregate of $41.4 million of direct external expenses for the development of the two named BicycleTICA candidates since their nominations.
General and Administrative Expenses
The following table summarizes our general and administrative expenses for the years presented:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Other general and administration costs 9,137 8,783 354
Effect of foreign exchange rates 594 555 39
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General and administrative expenses increased by $10.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to a $5.0 million increase in personnel-related costs primarily associated with increased headcount as well as an increase in professional and consulting fees of $5.0 million primarily associated with increased legal and consulting fees.
Other Income (Expense), net
Other income (expense), net increased by $8.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an increase of $8.2 million in interest income related to higher interest rates as well as higher average interest-bearing cash and cash equivalents balances period over period.
Provision For (Benefit From) Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes of $1.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 is primarily associated with a change in estimate that certain research and development expenses incurred by our U.S. subsidiary pursuant to an intercompany service arrangement are not required to be capitalized under IRC Section 174 because our U.S. subsidiary does not retain any ownership or rights in the underlying intellectual property resulting from the research activities, which resulted in an impact to the income tax provision of $2.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, offset by the impact of deferred tax assets benefited in the United States that do not have a valuation allowance against them because of profits that will be generated by the intercompany service agreement. The benefit from income taxes of $1.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, is mainly the result of deferred tax assets benefited in the United States that do not have a valuation allowance against them because of profits that will be generated by an intercompany service agreement.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity
From our inception in 2009 through December 31, 2023, we have not generated any revenue from product sales and have incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from our operations. We do not expect to generate significant revenue from sales of any products for several years, if at all.
To date, we have financed our operations primarily with proceeds from the sale of our ADSs, ordinary shares, non-voting ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares; proceeds received from upfront payments, payments for research and development services and development milestone payments pursuant to our collaboration agreements, including Bayer, Novartis, Ionis, and Genentech; and borrowings pursuant to our Loan Agreement with Hercules.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Net cash used in operating activities $ (60,628) $ (86,111) $ (14,794)
Net cash used in investing activities (2,929) (18,987) (2,030)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash 1,346 (1,120) (1,211)
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Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $60.6 million as compared to $86.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in cash used in operations of $25.5 million is primarily due to a change in deferred revenue of $71.1 million which was primarily due to upfront payments received from our collaboration agreements with Novartis and Bayer during the year ended December 31, 2023, a net increase in non-cash expenses, including $5.7 million of share-based compensation expense, $2.9 million of depreciation expense, and a change of $8.3 million of deferred income tax provision (benefit), as well as the impact to cash used in operations due to changes in our other operating assets and liabilities of $4.9 million, which was driven by increases resulting from changes in research and development incentives receivable of $6.0 million, accounts payable of $5.4 million and accounts receivable of $4.1 million, offset by changes in accrued expenses and other liabilities of $10.0 million. These impacts were offset by an increase in net loss of $67.9 million as described in the Results of Operations above.
Investing Activities
During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we used $2.9 million and $19.0 million, respectively, of cash in investing activities. The decrease for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 is primarily associated with purchases of property and equipment, consisting primarily of leasehold improvements and laboratory equipment, related to our U.K. lease entered into in December 2021.
Financing Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities was $250.0 million, primarily consisting of net proceeds of $215.1 million from the underwritten public offering in July 2023, $34.2 million from our ATM program and $0.7 million from the exercise of share options.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities was $6.7 million, primarily consisting of net proceeds from the exercise of share options of $1.0 million and net proceeds from our ATM program of $5.7 million.
At-the-Market Program
On June 5, 2020, we entered into a Sales Agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., collectively, the Sales Agents, with respect to an at-the-market, or ATM, program pursuant to which we may offer and sell through the Sales Agents, from time to time at our sole discretion, ADSs. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we issued and sold 1,561,176 ADSs, representing the same number of ordinary shares for gross proceeds of $35.3 million, resulting in net proceeds of $34.2 million after deducting sales commissions and offering expenses of $1.1 million. There were no sales of ADSs through our ATM during the three months ended December 31, 2023.
Loan Agreement
Our Loan Agreement, as amended from time to time, with Hercules as agent, consisting of (i) outstanding term loans of $30.0 million and (ii) subject customary conditions, additional term loans of up to an aggregate of $45.0 million, which are available through December 31, 2024, but have not yet been drawn. Borrowings under the Loan Agreement bear interest at an annual rate equal to the prime rate as reported in the Wall Street Journal plus 4.55%, with a minimum annual rate of at least 8.05%, capped at a rate no greater than 9.05%. The interest-only period ends on April 1, 2025. We may prepay all or any portion greater than $5.0 million of the outstanding borrowings. The Loan Agreement also provides for an end of term charge, payable upon maturity or the repayment of obligations under the Loan Agreement, equal to 5.0% of the principal amount repaid. In connection with the Loan Agreement, we granted Hercules a security interest in substantially all of our personal property and other assets, other than our intellectual property. In addition, the Loan Agreement contains customary affirmative and restrictive covenants and representations and warranties, as well as customary events of default. For additional information on the Loan Agreement, see Note 6. “Long-term debt” of our consolidated financial statements.
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Capital Resources and Funding Requirements
Our material cash requirements include expenses associated with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance the preclinical activities and clinical trials of our product candidates and as we:
● progress the preclinical and clinical development of BT7455 and BT7401;
● seek to identify and develop additional product candidates;
● develop, maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio;
● acquire or in-license other products and technologies;
If we obtain marketing approval for any product candidate that we identify and develop, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to product sales, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution to the extent that such sales, marketing, and distribution are not the responsibility of our collaboration partners.
In addition, the following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023 and the effects that such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods. For additional information, see Note 6. “Long-term debt” and Note 11. “Commitments and contingencies” of our consolidated financial statements.
Payments due by period
Less than
Total 1 year 1 to 3 years 3 years to 5 years
(in thousands)
In the ordinary course of business, we enter into various agreements with contract research organizations to provide clinical trial services, with contract manufacturing organizations to provide clinical trial materials, and with vendors for preclinical research studies, synthetic chemistry and other services for operating purposes. These payments are not included in the table above since the contracts are generally cancelable with advanced written notice, generally
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with a notice period of 90 days or less. From the time of notice until termination, we are contractually obligated to make certain minimum payments to the vendors, based on the timing of the notification and the exact terms of the agreement.
Our arrangements with Cancer Research UK provide for additional future milestone payments upon the achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones, payable in cash and shares, with an aggregate total value of $111.2 million, as well as royalty payments based on a single digit percentage on net sales of products developed. In addition, we have entered into separate agreements with third parties which provide for various future milestone payments by us upon the achievement of specified development, regulatory, commercial and sales-based milestones with an aggregate total value of $105.1 million. We have not included future payments under these agreements in the table of contractual obligations above since these obligations are contingent upon future events. As of December 31, 2023, we were unable to estimate the timing or likelihood of achieving these milestones.
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $526.4 million. We expect that our existing cash will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least 12 months from the date of filing of this Annual Report.
We have based our estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we may use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development of product candidates and programs, and because the extent to which we may enter into collaborations with third parties for development of our product candidates is unknown, we are unable to estimate the timing and amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenses associated with completing the research and development of our product candidates. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
● the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;
● the success of our ongoing or future collaborations;
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● the costs of operating as a public company.
Until such time, if ever, that we can generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, monetization transactions, government contracts or other strategic transactions. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity, ownership interests of existing holders of our ADSs and ordinary shares will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares. If we raise additional funds through collaboration agreements, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements, monetization transactions, or marketing and distribution arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us or grant rights to develop and market products or product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves. Future debt financing, if available, may involve covenants restricting our operations or our ability to incur additional debt. Any debt or equity financing that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our shareholders.
There have been significant disruptions to global financial markets that have contributed to a general global economic slowdown. The resulting high inflation rates may materially affect our business and corresponding financial position and cash flows. Inflationary factors, such as increases in the cost of our clinical trial materials and supplies, interest rates and overhead costs may adversely affect our operating results. Rising interest rates also present a recent challenge impacting the U.S. economy and could make it more difficult for us to obtain traditional financing on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future. Additionally, the general consensus among economists suggests that we should expect a higher recession risk to continue over the next year, which, together with the foregoing, could result in further economic uncertainty and volatility in the capital markets in the near term, and could negatively affect our operations. Furthermore, such economic conditions have produced downward pressure on share prices. Although we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date, we may experience increases in the near future (especially if inflation rates remain high or begin to rise again) on our operating costs, including our labor costs and research and development costs, due to supply chain constraints, consequences associated with geopolitical conflicts such as the ongoing wars involving Ukraine and Israel, worsening global macroeconomic conditions, and employee availability and wage increases, which may result in additional stress on our working capital resources. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce, or eliminate our research and development programs or future commercialization efforts.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, costs and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While our significant accounting policies are described in greater detail in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Collaboration Revenues
Our revenues are generated primarily through collaborative arrangements and license agreements with pharmaceutical companies. The terms of these arrangements may include (i) performing research and development services using our bicyclic peptide screening platform with the goal of identifying and/or optimizing compounds for further development and commercialization, (ii) the transfer of intellectual property rights (licenses), or (iii) options to
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obtain additional research and development services or licenses for additional targets, or to optimize product candidates, upon the payment of option fees.
The terms of these arrangements typically include payment to us of one or more of the following: non-refundable upfront license fees; payments for research and development services; fees upon the exercise of options to obtain additional services or licenses; payments based upon the achievement of defined collaboration objectives; future regulatory and sales-based milestone payments; and royalties on net sales of future products.
We recognize revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, or ASC 606. This standard applies to all contracts with customers, except for contracts that are within the scope of other standards, such as leases, insurance, and financial instruments.
Under ASC 606, an entity recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.
To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that we determine are within the scope of ASC 606, we perform the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when, or as, we satisfy the performance obligations. We only apply the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that we will collect substantially all of the consideration we are entitled to in exchange for the goods or services we transfer to the customer. As part of the accounting for these arrangements, we must make significant judgments, including identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each performance obligation based on estimated relative standalone selling prices.
Once a contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, we assess the goods or services promised within the contract and determine those that are performance obligations. Arrangements that include rights to additional goods or services that are exercisable at a customer’s discretion are generally considered options. We assess if these options provide a material right to the customer and if so, they are considered performance obligations.
Performance obligations are promised goods or services in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer. The promised goods or services in our contracts with customers primarily consist of license rights to our intellectual property for research and development, research and development services, and options to acquire additional research and development services or options to obtain additional licenses, such as a commercialization license for a potential product candidate. Promised goods or services are considered distinct when: (i) the customer can benefit from the good or service on its own or together with other readily available resources, and (ii) the promised good or service is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. In assessing whether promised goods or services are distinct, we consider factors such as the stage of development of the underlying intellectual property, the capabilities of the customer to develop the intellectual property on their own and whether the required expertise is readily available. In addition, we consider whether the collaboration partner can benefit from a promise for its intended purpose without the receipt of the remaining promises, whether the value of the promise is dependent on the unsatisfied promises, whether there are other vendors that could provide the remaining promises, and whether it is separately identifiable from the remaining promises.
We estimate the transaction price based on the amount of consideration we expect to receive for transferring the promised goods or services in the contract. The consideration may include both fixed consideration and variable consideration. At the inception of each arrangement that includes variable consideration, we evaluate the amount of the potential payments and the likelihood that the payments will be received. We utilize either the most likely amount method or expected value method to estimate variable consideration to include in the transaction price based on which method better predicts the amount of consideration expected to be received. The amount included in the transaction price is constrained to the amount for which it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur. At the end of each subsequent reporting period, we re-evaluate the estimated variable consideration included in the transaction price and any related constraint, and if necessary, adjust our estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis in the period of adjustment.
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After determining the transaction price, we allocate it to the identified performance obligations based on the estimated standalone selling prices. We must develop assumptions that require judgment to determine the standalone selling price for each performance obligation identified in the contract. We utilize key assumptions to determine the standalone selling price, which may include other comparable transactions, pricing considered in negotiating the transaction, probabilities of technical and regulatory success and the estimated costs. Certain variable consideration is allocated specifically to one or more performance obligations in a contract when the terms of the variable consideration relate to the satisfaction of the performance obligation and the resulting amounts allocated to each performance obligation are consistent with the amounts we would expect to receive for each performance obligation.
We then recognize as revenue in the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) each performance obligation is satisfied at a point in time or over time, and if over time, based on the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue. We evaluate the measure of progress each reporting period and, if necessary, adjusts the measure of performance and related revenue recognition. The measure of progress, and thereby periods over which revenue should be recognized, are subject to estimates by management and may change over the course of an arrangement.
Licenses of Intellectual Property: If a license to our intellectual property is determined to be distinct from the other promises or performance obligations identified in the arrangement, we recognize revenue from the portion of the transaction price that is allocated to the license when the license is transferred to the customer and the customer is able to use and benefit from the license. For licenses that are combined with other promises, such as research and development services and a research license, we utilize judgment to assess the nature of the combined performance obligation to determine whether the combined performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue.
Research and Development Services: The promises under our collaboration agreements may include research and development services to be performed by us on behalf of the partner. Payments or reimbursements resulting from our research and development efforts are recognized as the services are performed and presented on a gross basis because we are the principal for such efforts.
Customer Options: A customer’s rights to choose, at its discretion, to make a payment for additional goods or services is generally considered an option. If we are not presently obligated to provide, and do not have a right to consideration for delivering additional goods or services, the item is considered an option. We evaluate customer options to obtain additional items (i.e., additional license rights) for material rights, or options to acquire additional goods or services for free or at a discount. Optional future goods and services that reflect their standalone selling prices do not provide the customer with a material right and, therefore, are not considered performance obligations and are accounted for as separate contracts. If optional future goods and services reflect a significant or incremental discount, they are material rights, and are accounted for as performance obligations. We allocate the transaction price to material rights based on the relative standalone selling price, which is determined based on the identified discount and the probability that the customer will exercise the option. Amounts allocated to a material right are not recognized as revenue until, at the earliest, the option is exercised or expires.
Milestone Payments: Our collaboration agreements may include development and regulatory milestones. We evaluate whether the milestones are considered probable of being reached and estimate the amounts to be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method. We evaluate factors such as the scientific, clinical, regulatory, commercial, and other risks that must be overcome to achieve the particular milestone in making this assessment. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur, the associated milestone value is included in the transaction price. Milestone payments that are not within our control or the licensee’s control, such as marketing approvals, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. At the end of each reporting period, we re-evaluate the probability of achievement of such milestones and any related constraint, and if necessary, adjusts the estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect collaboration revenue and net loss in the period of adjustment. Milestone payments that may only be achieved after the exercise of a customer option are excluded from the initial determination of the transaction price.
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Royalties: For sales-based royalties, including milestone payments based on the level of sales, we determine whether the sole or predominant item to which the royalties relate is a license. When the license is the sole or predominant item to which the sales-based royalty relates, we recognize revenue at the later of: (i) when the related sales occur, or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). To date, we have not recognized any sales-based royalty revenue resulting from our collaboration agreements.
Accrued Research and Development Expenses
As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued research and development expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs. The majority of our service providers invoice us in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advanced payments. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include costs associated with:
We base our expenses related to preclinical studies and clinical trials on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to quotes and contracts with multiple CMOs, research institutions and vendors that supply, conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical trials on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, we adjust the accrual or the amount of prepaid expenses accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and actual results could differ from our estimates. As of December 31, 2023, there have not been any material adjustments to our prior estimates of accrued research and development expenses.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
Interest Rate Sensitivity
As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $526.4 million. Our exposure to interest rate sensitivity is impacted by changes in the underlying U.K. and U.S. bank interest rates. Our surplus cash has been invested in interest-bearing savings accounts and money market funds. We have not entered into investments for trading or speculative purposes. Due to the conservative nature of our investment portfolio, which is predicated on capital preservation of investments with short-term maturities, we do not believe an immediate one percentage point change in interest rates would have a material effect on the fair market value of our portfolio, and therefore we do not expect our operating results or cash flows to be significantly affected by changes in market interest rates.
We are subject to interest rate risk in connection with our borrowings under our credit facility with Hercules, which were $30.0 million as of December 31, 2023. Our outstanding indebtedness with Hercules bears interest at an
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annual rate equal to the Wall Street Journal prime rate plus 4.55%, with a minimum annual rate of at least 8.05%, capped at a rate no greater than 9.05%. As of December 31, 2023, our outstanding indebtedness with Hercules bears interest at 9.05%. We currently do not engage in any interest rate hedging activity, and we have no intention to do so in the foreseeable future. Based on the current interest rate of the term loan and the scheduled payments thereunder, we do not believe a 1.0% increase in interest rates would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
The functional currency is the currency of the primary economic environment in which an entity’s operations are conducted. The functional currency of Bicycle Therapeutics plc and Bicycle Therapeutics Inc. is the United States Dollar, or USD. The functional currency of Bicycle Therapeutics plc’s wholly owned non-U.S. subsidiaries, BicycleTx Limited and BicycleRD Limited, is the British Pound Sterling, and the consolidated financial statements are presented in USD. The functional currency of our subsidiaries is the same as the local currency.
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are remeasured into the functional currency at rates of exchange prevailing at the balance sheet dates. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are remeasured into the functional currency at the exchange rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. Exchange gains or losses arising from foreign currency transactions are included in the determination of net loss for the respective periods. Adjustments that arise from exchange rate changes on transactions denominated in a currency other than the local currency are included in general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as incurred. We recorded foreign exchange losses of $0.6 million and $0.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and a foreign exchange gain of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
For financial reporting purposes, our consolidated financial statements have been translated into U.S. dollars. We translate the assets and liabilities of BicycleTx Limited and BicycleRD Limited into USD at the exchange rate in effect on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate in effect during the period and shareholders’ equity amounts are translated based on historical exchange rates as of the date of each transaction. Translation adjustments are not included in determining net loss but are included in our foreign exchange adjustment included in the consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
We do not currently engage in currency hedging activities in order to reduce our currency exposure, but we may begin to do so in the future.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
The financial statements required by this item are set forth beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (2) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive
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officer and principal financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Our management conducted an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework established in 2013 by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on the assessment, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2023.
Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their attestation report, which is included herein.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.
Insider Trading Arrangements
During our last fiscal quarter, our directors and officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) adopted or terminated the contracts, instructions or written plans for the purchase or sale of our securities set forth in the table below.
Type of Trading Arrangement
* Contract, instruction or written plan intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Exchange Act.
** “Non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” as defined in Item 408(c) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act.
We adopted insider trading policies and procedures governing the purchase, sale, and/or other dispositions of our ordinary shares by directors, officers, employees and consultants that are reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations, and the Nasdaq listing standards.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS.
Not Applicable.
PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
Information About Our Directors and Executive Officers
The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement under the captions “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Board of Directors” and “Executive Officers of the Company” and is incorporated herein by reference.
Identification of Audit Committee and Financial Experts
Information regarding our Audit Committee required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement under the caption “Information Regarding the Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee,” and is hereby incorporated by reference.
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Material Changes to Procedures for Recommending Directors
Information regarding procedures for recommending directors required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement under the caption “Information Regarding the Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee—Shareholder Recommendations and Nominees,” and is hereby incorporated by reference.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Information regarding our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement under the caption “Information Regarding the Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Code of Business Conduct and Ethics,” and is hereby incorporated by reference. The full text of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available at the investors section of our website at www.bicycletherapeutics.com. If we make any amendments to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or grant any waiver from a provision of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics to any executive officer or director, we will promptly disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver on our website. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this Annual Report.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Information regarding compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement under the caption “Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports,” if any, and is hereby incorporated by reference.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.
Information regarding our executive compensation required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement under the captions “Executive Compensation,” “Pay Versus Performance” and “Director Remuneration,” and is hereby incorporated by reference.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.
The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement under the captions “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Equity Compensation Plan Information” and is hereby incorporated by reference.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.
The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement under the captions “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Corporate Governance—Board Independence” and “Transactions with Related Persons” and is hereby incorporated by reference.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.
Information regarding accounting fees and services required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement in the Proposal titled “Ratification of the Appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our U.S. Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the Year Ending December 31, 2024” under the captions “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees” and “Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures” and is hereby incorporated by reference.
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PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
The financial statements schedules and exhibits filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are as follows:
(a)(1) Financial Statements
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 876) F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 F-5
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-9
(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules
All other schedules are omitted because they are not required or the required information is included in the financial statements or notes thereto.
(a)(3) Exhibits
The exhibits listed below are filed as part of this Annual Report other than Exhibit 32.1, which shall be deemed furnished:
Number Description
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Number Description
4.6 Description of Securities.
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Number Description
134
Table of Contents
Number Description
135
Table of Contents
Number Description
23.1 Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
24.1 Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this report).
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Number Description
97.1 Incentive Compensation Recoupment Policy.
101.INS Inline XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.DEF Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
101.LAB Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PRE Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.
* Furnished herewith and not deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act (whether made before or after the date of the Form 10-K), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.
+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan.
†† Pursuant to Item 601(b)(10)(iv) of Regulation S-K, certain portions of this exhibit (marked by [***]) have been omitted because the identified information is not material and is the type that the registrant treats as private or confidential.
ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
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Index to Consolidated Financial Statements of
Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 876) F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 F-5
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-9
F-1
Table of Contents
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders
Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Bicycle Therapeutics plcand its subsidiaries(the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022,and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, of shareholders’ equity and of cash flowsfor each of the three years in the period ended December 31,2023, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”).We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31,2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
In our opinion, the consolidatedfinancial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31,2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31,2023in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31,2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.
Basis for Opinions
The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanyingManagement'sReport on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidatedfinancial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidatedfinancial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audits of the consolidatedfinancial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidatedfinancial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidatedfinancial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidatedfinancial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and
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dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to theconsolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidatedfinancial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Revenue recognition: Initial accounting treatment for collaboration agreements
As disclosed in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements, in 2023 the Company entered into collaboration and licence agreements with Novartis and Bayer. The Company recorded $1.9 million and $1.2 million of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023, and $50.0 million and $43.6 million of deferred revenue as of December 31, 2023, in connection with the Novartis and Bayer collaboration and licence agreements, respectively. As discussed by management, in accounting for these arrangements, management must make significant judgments, including identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each performance obligation based on the estimated relative standalone selling prices. Arrangements that include rights to additional goods or services that are exercisable at a customer’s discretion are generally considered options by management. Management considers if optional future goods and services reflect a significant or incremental discount, and if so, identifies these optional future goods and services as material rights, and accounts for them as performance obligations. The estimated standalone selling prices for the material rights were determined based on fees that the customer would pay to exercise the options, estimated value of underlying goods and services, and the probability that the customer will exercise the options, inclusive of the probabilities of technical success.
The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the initial accounting treatment for collaboration agreements is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgement exercised by management in identifying performance obligations, including options and material rights, and in estimating standalone selling price of material rights, and (ii) a high degree of auditor judgement, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures over management’s identification of performance obligations and evaluating management’s significant assumptions related to the value of underlying goods and services and probability that the customer will exercise the option.
Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming an overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to the initial accounting of revenue from collaboration agreements. These procedures also included, among others, i) evaluating management’s assessment of the initial accounting treatment for the collaboration agreements including the identification of performance obligations, including options and material rights (ii) testing management’s process for determining the estimated standalone selling prices, (iii) evaluating the appropriateness of the method used by management, iv) testing the completeness, accuracy, and relevance of the data used by management in determining the initial accounting, and v) evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used by management related to the value of underlying goods and services and the probability that the customer will exercise the option. Evaluating management’s assumptions related to the value of underlying goods and services and the probability that the customer will exercise its options involved assessing whether the assumptions used by management were reasonable considering consistency with the accounting for historical collaboration agreements and by interviewing the appropriate Company
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personnel, including members of the Company’s research and development and business development teams to understand the reasonable range of possible outcomes.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Cambridge, United Kingdom
February 20, 2024
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2010.
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Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
December 31, December 31,
Assets
Current assets:
Accounts receivable — 2,045
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 11,406 9,022
Research and development incentives receivable 24,039 19,162
Operating lease right-of-use assets 13,169 13,658
Liabilities and shareholders’ equity
Current liabilities:
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 31,509 26,452
Deferred revenue, current portion 24,978 20,418
Long-term debt, net of discount 30,698 30,315
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion 9,382 10,885
Deferred revenue, net of current portion 110,216 41,455
Other long‐term liabilities 4,579 3,829
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)
Shareholders’ equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income (1,304) 387
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 595,344 $ 410,609
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements
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Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Year Ended
December 31,
Operating expenses:
Other income (expense):
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 1,457 (1,524) (1,663)
Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (5.08) $ (3.80) $ (2.67)
Comprehensives loss:
Other comprehensive (loss) income:
Foreign currency translation adjustment (1,691) 3,775 (195)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements
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Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity
(In thousands, except share amounts)
Accumulated
Additional Other Total
Ordinary Shares Paid‐in Comprehensive Accumulated Shareholders’
Shares Amount Capital Income (Loss) Deficit Equity
Share-based compensation expense — — 12,083 — — 12,083
Net loss — — — — (66,819) (66,819)
Share-based compensation expense — — 26,779 — — 26,779
Share-based compensation expense — — 32,477 — — 32,477
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements
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Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
Year Ended
December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities:
Deferred income tax provision (benefit) 3,306 (4,976) (1,668)
Other non-cash charges 661 — —
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Research and development incentives receivable (3,684) (9,707) (1,866)
Prepaid expenses and other assets (2,072) (2,020) (2,974)
Operating lease right‐of‐use assets 4,186 2,698 404
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 2,398 12,362 1,185
Cash used in investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment (2,929) (18,987) (2,030)
Net cash used in investing activities (2,929) (18,987) (2,030)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of debt — — 15,000
Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
Restricted cash included in other assets 547 — —
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
Cash paid for income taxes $ 562 $ 2,228 $ 73
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements
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Bicycle Therapeutics plc
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
1. Nature of the business and basis of presentation
Bicycle Therapeutics plc (collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of medicines, which the Company refers to as Bicycle ® molecules, for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics. Bicycle molecules are a unique therapeutic modality combining the pharmacology usually associated with a biologic with the manufacturing and pharmacokinetic properties of a small molecule. The Company’s initial internal programs are focused on oncology indications with high unmet medical need. The Company is evaluating BT8009, a Bicycle Toxin Conjugate (a “BTC®”molecule) targeting Nectin-4, in both an ongoing Company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial and a Phase II/III registrational trial, called Duravelo-2, which was initiated and commenced recruiting patients in the first quarter of 2024, BT5528, a BTC molecule targeting Ephrin type-A receptor 2 (“EphA2”), in a Company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial, and BT7480, a Bicycle Tumor-Targeted Immune Cell Agonist® (a “Bicycle TICA®” molecule) targeting Nectin-4 and agonizing CD137, in a Company-sponsored Phase I/II clinical trial. In addition, BT1718, a BTC molecule that is being developed to target tumors that express Membrane Type 1 matrix metalloproteinase, is being investigated for safety, tolerability and efficacy in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial sponsored and fully funded by the Centre for Drug Development of Cancer Research UK. The Company’s discovery pipeline in oncology includes next-generation BTC molecules, Bicycleradionuclide conjugates (“BRCTM”molecules), Bicycle based systemic immune cell agonists and Bicycle TICA molecules. Beyond the Company’s wholly owned oncology portfolio, the Company is collaborating with biopharmaceutical companies and organizations in therapeutic areas in which the Company believes its proprietary Bicycle screening platform can identify therapies to treat diseases with significant unmet medical need.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Bicycle Therapeutics plc and its wholly owned subsidiaries, BicycleTx Limited, BicycleRD Limited and Bicycle Therapeutics Inc. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated on consolidation.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The Company has reclassified the deferred income tax provision (benefit) within its consolidated statements of cash flows in prior periods to conform to current period presentation.