Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Investing in our securities, involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements and their related notes included elsewhere in this Annual
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Report and Part II. Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” before making an investment decision. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition could suffer materially, the trading price of our ADSs could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition.
Risks Related to Our Limited Operating History, Financial Position and Capital Requirements
We have a limited operating history, have incurred significant operating losses since our inception and expect to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future.
Biopharmaceutical product development is a highly speculative undertaking and involves a substantial degree of risk. We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate the success of our business to date and assess our future viability. Since our inception in 2016, we have focused primarily on organizing and staffing our company, business planning, establishing our intellectual property portfolio, raising capital, developing our structure-based drug discovery platform, identifying and developing our product candidates, conducting preclinical studies and, more recently, clinical studies, and providing general and administrative support for these operations. Our approach to the discovery and development of product candidates based on our structure-based drug discovery platform is unproven, and we do not know whether we will be able to develop any product candidates that succeed in clinical development or commercially. Further, aleniglipron, our product candidate for obesity, overweight and related conditions, ACCG-2671, our oral small molecule amylin receptor agonist development candidate for the treatment of obesity, ANPA-0073, our product candidate for selective or muscle-sparing weight loss, and LTSE-2578, our product candidates for IPF, and, are in early clinical development and our other product candidates and programs are in preclinical development or discovery stages. Accordingly, we have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully obtain regulatory approvals, manufacture a commercial scale product or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful product commercialization. Consequently, any predictions made about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a history of successfully developing and commercializing biopharmaceutical products.
We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any revenue to date, and we continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. As a result, we are not profitable and have incurred significant losses since our inception and expect to continue to incur significant and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years. Our net losses were $122.5 million and $89.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $329.1 million. Substantially all of our losses have resulted from expenses incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations. All of our product candidates will require substantial additional development time and resources, including additional funding to conduct Phase 3 clinical studies of aleniglipron, before we would be able to apply for or receive marketing approvals and begin generating revenue from product sales. We expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, and we anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially as we continue our development of, seek marketing approval for and potentially commercialize any of our product candidates, recruit and maintain key personnel and seek to identify, assess, acquire, in-license or develop additional product candidates.
Even if we succeed in developing and obtaining marketing approval for one or more product candidates, we may never generate revenue that is significant enough to achieve profitability. If we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis and we will continue to incur substantial research and development (“R&D”) and other expenditures to develop and market additional product candidates. Our failure to become and remain profitable could decrease the value of our ADSs and impair our ability to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations.
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We will require substantial additional capital to finance our operations, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed may force us to delay, limit or terminate certain of our product development programs, commercialization efforts or other operations.
The development of biopharmaceutical product candidates is capital-intensive. We expect our expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing and planned activities, particularly as we conduct our ongoing and planned preclinical studies and clinical studies of aleniglipron, ACCG-2671, ANPA-0073, LTSE-2578 and any future product candidates we may develop. Our expenses will increase substantially if our product candidates successfully complete early clinical and other studies, and also could increase beyond expectations if the FDA or foreign authorities require us to perform clinical and other studies in addition to those that we currently anticipate. Because the outcome of any clinical trial or preclinical study is highly uncertain, we cannot reasonably estimate the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates. In addition, we have and expect to continue to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company. Furthermore, if we obtain marketing approval for our product candidates, we expect to incur significant expenses related to manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs or any future commercialization efforts.
Based on our current operating plan, we believe that our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, as of December 31, 2024, will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and key clinical milestones through at least 2027, including all planned aleniglipron studies for Phase 3 readiness but excluding Phase 3 registrational studies. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Our operating plan may change as a result of many factors currently unknown to us, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned, through equity offerings, debt financings or other capital sources, including potentially grants, collaborations, licenses and other similar arrangements. Even if we believe we have sufficient capital for our current or future operating plans, we may seek additional capital if market conditions are favorable or if we have specific strategic considerations.
Any additional capital raising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and, if approved, commercialize our current and any future product candidates. Additional funding may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. As a result of actual or anticipated changes in interest rates, economic inflation and tariffs, the impact of the Russia/Ukraine conflict and Israel-Hamas war, the global credit and financial markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates, and uncertainty about economic stability. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, including as a result of future bank failures, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to obtain in a timely manner or on favorable terms, more costly or more dilutive.
Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
● the number and characteristics of product candidates that we pursue;
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● the costs associated with operating as a public company;
If we are unable to raise additional capital when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves, and our ability to grow and support our business and to respond to market challenges could be significantly limited, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our shareholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our operations through equity offerings, debt financings or other capital sources, including potentially grants, collaborations, licenses or other similar arrangements. For example, in October 2023, we issued and sold an aggregate of 21,617,295 ordinary shares and 2,401,920 newly designated non-voting ordinary shares in the Private Placement. In June 2024, we issued and sold an aggregate of 10,427,017 ADSs in the Follow-On Offering. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our shareholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our ADS holders. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, make capital expenditures or declare dividends. If we raise funds through collaborations or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may be required 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.
Risks Related to the Discovery, Development and Regulatory Approval of Product Candidates
Our approach to the discovery of product candidates based on our technology platform is unproven, and we do not know whether we will be able to develop any products of commercial value.
The success of our business depends primarily upon our ability to identify novel product candidates based on our structure-based drug discovery platform and to successfully develop and commercialize those product candidates. While we have had favorable preclinical study and topline clinical trial results for certain of our development programs, we have not yet succeeded and may not succeed in demonstrating efficacy and safety for any product candidates in clinical studies or in obtaining marketing approvals or in commercializing such product candidates. We also may be unsuccessful in identifying additional product candidates using our
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platform, and any of our product candidates may be shown to have harmful side effects or may have other characteristics that may necessitate additional clinical testing, or make the product candidates unmarketable or unlikely to receive marketing approval. In particular, because all of our product candidates have been derived from our structure-based drug discovery platform, any failure of one of our development programs could create a perception that our other programs are less likely to succeed or that our discovery platform is not viable. Similarly, adverse developments with respect to other companies that attempt to use a similar approach to our approach may adversely impact the actual or perceived value and potential of our discovery platform and resulting product candidates.
If any of these events occur, our ability to successfully discover, develop and commercialize any product candidates may be impaired and the value of our company could decline significantly.
We are early in our development efforts and only have four product candidates, aleniglipron, ACCG-2671, ANPA-0073 and LTSE-2578, in early clinical development. All of our other development programs are in the preclinical or discovery stage. If we are unable to advance our product candidates in clinical development, obtain regulatory approval and ultimately commercialize our product candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
We are in the early stages of our development efforts and have four product candidates, aleniglipron, ACCG-2671, ANPA-0073 and LTSE-2578, in early clinical development. In June 2024, we reported positive topline data from our Phase 2a obesity study, in which aleniglipron demonstrated a clinically meaningful and statistically significant placebo-adjusted mean decrease in weight of 6.2% at 12 weeks (p<0.0001, using least-squares means (“LSM”) and analyzed based on the primary efficacy estimand using a mixed model for repeated measures) and demonstrated generally favorable safety and tolerability results following repeated, daily dosing up to 120 mg. Furthermore, we explored a new tablet formulation of aleniglipron in a capsule to tablet PK study, which demonstrated a placebo-adjusted mean weight loss of up to 6.9% with the tablet formulation at 12 weeks (p<0.0001, using LSM and analyzed based on the primary efficacy estimand using a mixed model for repeated measures). In July 2024, we submitted an IND to the FDA to support the initiation of a Phase 2b study in chronic weight management and received FDA allowance in August 2024. In the fourth quarter of 2024, we initiated the Phase 2b ACCESS study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-range finding study of aleniglipron in approximately 220 adult participants living with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), or overweight (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2) with at least one weight-related comorbidity. Participants start at 5 mg of aleniglipron (or placebo) with a 4-week titration schedule, reaching target doses of 45 mg, 90 mg and 120 mg. The primary endpoint is percent change in body weight from baseline to week 36. Secondary endpoints include safety and tolerability of the monthly titration scheme, as well as PK of aleniglipron. In the fourth quarter of 2024, we initiated a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-range finding Phase 2 study of aleniglipron, known as ACCESS II, in approximately 82 adult participants living with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity. The study is designed to evaluate two higher doses of aleniglipron. Participants start at 5 mg of aleniglipron (or placebo) and follow a 4-week titration schedule up to target doses of 120 mg, 180 mg and 240 mg. In February 2025, we completed enrollment in the ACCESS and ACCESS II studies, and we expect to report topline data from both studies in the fourth quarter of 2025.
In June 2024, we initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of LTSE-2578. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled first-in-human clinical trial is designed to investigate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple ascending doses of LTSE-2578 in approximately 64 healthy participants and expect to report initial data in 2025.
Our other product candidates are still in the preclinical or discovery stages. We will need to progress early product candidates through preclinical studies and submit INDs to the FDA or appropriate regulatory documents to applicable foreign authorities prior to initiating their clinical development. Our ability to generate product revenues, which we do not expect will occur for many years, if ever, will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of our product candidates. The success of our product candidates will depend on several factors, including the following:
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● completion of preclinical studies with favorable results;
● successful enrollment in, and completion of, clinical studies;
● effectively competing with other therapies;
We have not yet succeeded and may not succeed in demonstrating efficacy and safety for any product candidates in clinical studies or in obtaining marketing approval thereafter. Given our early stage of development, it will take several years before we can demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a product candidate sufficient to warrant approval for commercialization, if we can do so at all. If we are unable to develop, or obtain marketing approval for, or, if approved, successfully commercialize our product candidates, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to continue our business.
Clinical and preclinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process with uncertain timelines and outcomes. The results of prior clinical studies and preclinical studies are not necessarily predictive of future results, and may not be favorable, or receive regulatory approval on a timely basis, if at all.
Clinical drug development is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Our clinical studies may not be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all, and failure can occur at any time during the preclinical study or clinical trial process. For example, we depend on the availability of NHPs to conduct certain preclinical studies that we are required to complete prior to submitting an IND and initiating clinical development. There is currently a global shortage of NHPs available for drug development. This has caused the cost of obtaining NHPs for our preclinical studies to increase dramatically and, if the shortage continues, could also result in delays to our development timelines. Despite promising preclinical or clinical results, any product candidate can unexpectedly fail at any stage of preclinical or clinical development. The historical failure rate for product candidates in our industry is high. Furthermore, the results from clinical studies or preclinical studies of a product candidate may not predict the results of later clinical studies of the product candidate, and interim results of a clinical trial are not necessarily indicative of
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final results. For example, the preliminary topline nature of aleniglipron results and the length of the study and sample size, may render these results not necessarily indicative of the results for our future clinical studies for aleniglipron and may not be comparable to other weight loss products or product candidates, including other oral selective GLP-1RAs. In addition, given the size of the Phase 2a obesity cohort, the primary efficacy endpoint of weight loss was calculated using LSM and analyzed based on the primary efficacy estimand using a mixed model for repeated measures. This means that we drew on all available data, including data from patients that did not follow-up at 12 weeks. The model estimates how patients with missing data would have responded based on patients who continued the study and had similar baseline characteristics (implicit imputation). Product candidates in later stages of clinical studies may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy characteristics despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical studies. In particular, while we have conducted, or are conducting certain preclinical studies of our product candidates, the predictive value of these studies with respect to future testing in humans is limited, particularly in indications where animal models are less developed.
Even if our clinical studies are completed, the results may not be sufficient to obtain marketing approval for our product candidates. In clinical studies that are based on preclinical studies and early clinical studies, it is not uncommon to observe unexpected results, and many product candidates fail in clinical development despite very promising early results. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data may be susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in clinical development even after achieving promising results in earlier studies. In addition, in some cases, external experts or regulatory authorities disagreed with such companies’ views and interpretations of the data and results from earlier preclinical studies or clinical studies. As we investigate aleniglipron and ACCG-2671 for obesity, ANPA-0073 for selective and muscle-sparing weight loss, and LTSE-2578 for IPF, we may encounter new and unforeseen difficulties. Similarly, any future product candidates we may develop may not be able to progress from preclinical to Phase 1 clinical development. For the foregoing reasons, we cannot be certain that our ongoing and planned clinical studies and preclinical studies will be successful. Any of the foregoing occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.
Any difficulties or delays in the commencement or completion, or termination or suspension, of our planned clinical studies could result in increased costs to us, delay or limit our ability to generate revenue and adversely affect our commercial prospects.
In order to obtain FDA approval to market our product candidates, we must demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates in humans to the satisfaction of the FDA. To meet these requirements, we will have to conduct adequate and well-controlled clinical studies. In addition, before we can initiate clinical studies for any product candidate, we must submit the results of preclinical studies to the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities along with other information, including information about product candidate chemistry, manufacturing and controls and our proposed clinical trial protocol, as part of an IND or similar regulatory submission, and we are also required to submit comparable applications to foreign regulatory authorities for clinical studies outside of the United States. In July 2024, we submitted an IND to the FDA to support initiation of a Phase 2b study of aleniglipron in chronic weight management and received FDA allowance in August 2024. In the fourth quarter of 2024, we initiated the Phase 2b ACCESS study. We dosed the first patient in the ACCESS II study in the fourth quarter of 2024. We may be required to obtain additional FDA approval prior to evaluating aleniglipron at higher doses of 180 mg and 240 mg under our ACCESS II study. Since we have not previously tested these higher doses, we cannot be certain whether they have a favorable safety or tolerability profile. If we are unable to obtain such additional FDA approval, we may not be able to conduct our ACCESS II study as planned.
Clinical testing is expensive, time-consuming and subject to uncertainty. Conducting preclinical studies and clinical studies represents a lengthy, time-consuming and expensive process. The length of time may vary substantially according to the type, complexity and novelty of the program, and often can be several years or more per program. Delays associated with programs for which we are directly conducting preclinical studies may cause us to incur additional operating expenses.
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Clinical studies may not be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. For example, in September 2023, we reported that a data collection omission had occurred at a clinical site that impacted the obesity cohort (120 mg dose level) of the Phase 2a study for aleniglipron, where weight was not collected at the final (week 12) visit for 24 of the 40 enrolled participants, and as a result of this data collection omission, we were delayed and reported interim Phase 2a obesity cohort data in December 2023, and topline 12-week obesity data in June 2024.
Events that may prevent successful or timely completion of clinical development include:
● delays in obtaining regulatory authorization to commence a clinical trial;
● changes to the clinical trial protocol;
● lack of adequate funding to continue a clinical trial;
● clinical studies producing negative or inconclusive results;
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We could also encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, by the IRBs of the institutions in which such studies are being conducted, by a Data Safety Monitoring Board for such trial or by the FDA or applicable foreign authorities. Such authorities may impose such a suspension or termination due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or applicable foreign authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using a drug, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial. In addition, changes in regulatory requirements and policies may occur, and we may need to amend clinical trial protocols to comply with these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical trial protocols to IRBs for reexamination and approval, which may impact the costs, timing or successful completion of a clinical trial.
Further, conducting clinical studies in foreign countries, as we may do for our product candidates, presents additional risks that may delay completion of our clinical studies. These risks include the failure of enrolled patients in foreign countries to adhere to clinical protocols as a result of differences in healthcare services or cultural customs, managing additional administrative burdens associated with foreign regulatory requirements, as well as political, currency exchange and other economic risks relevant to such foreign countries. Investigators and patients may not be able to comply with clinical trial protocols if quarantines impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare services. Similarly, our ability to recruit and retain patients and principal investigators and site staff which in turn could adversely impact our clinical trial operations. Additionally, we may experience interruption of key clinical trial activities, such as clinical trial site monitoring, due to limitations on travel, quarantines or social distancing protocols imposed or recommended by federal or state governments, employers and others in connection with public health concerns. We have faced and may continue to face delays in meeting our anticipated timelines for our ongoing and planned clinical studies. We experienced delays in our patient enrollment and our supply chain as a direct result of COVID-19 on our suppliers’ ability to timely manufacture and ship certain supplies such as reagents and other lab consumables and due to the data collection omission at a clinical site as discussed above. These delays have previously impacted and could in the future adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
Any inability to successfully complete preclinical and clinical development could result in additional costs to us or impair our ability to generate revenue from future product sales and regulatory and commercialization milestones. In addition, if we make manufacturing or formulation changes to our product candidates, we may need to conduct additional testing to bridge our modified product candidate to earlier versions. For example, to facilitate potential commercial-scale manufacturing, we expect to transition from capsule formulations of our product candidates used for early clinical studies to tablet formulations, including the addition of excipients, in later stage clinical studies. While these formulation transitions are common for small molecule drug candidates, we cannot guarantee that we will not encounter delays or unexpected results in bridging studies or implementing necessary changes to the manufacturing process. Clinical trial delays could also shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, or allow our competitors to bring comparable products to market before we do, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Enrollment and retention of patients in clinical studies is an expensive and time-consuming process and could be made more difficult or rendered impossible by multiple factors outside our control, which could adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.
Patient enrollment is a significant factor impacting the duration of our clinical studies, along with treatment duration and completion of required follow-up periods. Clinical studies may be prolonged, or we may not be able to initiate or continue clinical studies for our product candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a
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sufficient number of eligible patients to participate as required by the FDA or applicable foreign authorities. For certain of our product candidates, including ANPA-0073, the conditions which we may evaluate include rare diseases with limited patient pools from which to draw. In some cases, patient populations for rare diseases are located at specific academic sites focused on such indications, often with multiple competing clinical studies. Potential patients for any planned clinical studies may not be adequately diagnosed or identified with the diseases which we are targeting or may not meet the entry criteria for such studies. We also may encounter difficulties in identifying and enrolling patients with a stage of disease appropriate for our planned clinical studies and monitoring such patients adequately during and after treatment. As noted above, other pharmaceutical companies targeting these same diseases are recruiting clinical trial patients from these patient populations, which may make it more difficult to fully enroll our clinical studies. In addition, the process of finding and diagnosing patients may prove costly.
The eligibility criteria of our clinical studies, once established, may further limit the pool of available trial participants. If the actual number of patients with these diseases is smaller than we anticipate, we may encounter difficulties in enrolling patients in our clinical studies, thereby delaying or preventing development and approval of our product candidates. Even once enrolled we may be unable to retain a sufficient number of patients to complete any of our studies.
The timely completion of clinical studies in accordance with their protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the study until its conclusion. We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment or retention in our clinical studies for a variety of reasons. Patient enrollment and retention in clinical studies depends on many factors, including:
● the size and nature of the patient population;
● the severity of the disease under investigation;
● the design of the trial protocol;
● the existing body of safety and efficacy data for the product candidate;
● the proximity of patients to clinical sites;
● the eligibility criteria for the trial;
Furthermore, our efforts to build relationships with patient communities may not succeed, which could result in delays in patient enrollment in our clinical studies. If we encounter any delays in enrolling such additional participants, this may further delay our clinical trial. In addition, any negative results we may report in clinical studies of our product candidate may make it difficult or impossible to recruit and retain patients in other clinical studies of that same product candidate. Delays or failures in planned patient enrollment or retention may result in increased costs, program delays or both, which could have a harmful effect on our ability to develop our product candidates, or could render further development impossible. For example, the impact of public health epidemics may delay or prevent patients from enrolling or from receiving treatment in accordance with the protocol and the required timelines, which could delay our clinical studies, or prevent us or our partners from completing our clinical studies at all, and harm our ability to obtain approval for such product candidate. Further, if patients drop out of our clinical studies, miss scheduled doses or follow-up
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visits, or otherwise fail to follow clinical trial protocols, the integrity of data from our clinical studies may be compromised or not accepted by the FDA or applicable foreign authorities, which would represent a significant setback for the applicable program. In addition, we may rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure proper and timely conduct of our future clinical studies and, while we intend to enter into agreements governing their services, we will be limited in our ability to compel their actual performance. Such delays or failures could adversely affect our business, operating results and prospects.
Serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or other unexpected properties of our product candidates may be identified during development or after approval, which could lead to the discontinuation of our clinical development programs, refusal by regulatory authorities to approve our product candidates or, if discovered following marketing approval, revocation of marketing authorizations or limitations on the use of our product candidates, any of which would limit the commercial potential of such product candidate.
During the conduct of clinical studies, patients report changes in their health, including illnesses, injuries and discomforts, to their doctor. Often, it is not possible to determine whether or not the product candidate being studied caused these conditions. Regulatory authorities may draw different conclusions or require additional testing to confirm these determinations, if they occur. In addition, it is possible that as we test our product candidates in larger, longer and more extensive clinical studies with a broader group of patients, or as use of these product candidates becomes more widespread if they receive marketing approval, illnesses, injuries, discomforts and other AEs that were observed in earlier studies, as well as conditions that did not occur or went undetected in previous studies, will be reported by participants. Many times, side effects are only detectable after investigational product candidates are tested in large-scale, Phase 3 studies or, in some cases, after they are made available to patients on a commercial scale after approval. If additional clinical experience indicates that any of our current product candidates and any future product candidates has serious or life-threatening side effects or other side effects that outweigh the potential therapeutic benefit, the development of the product candidate may fail or be delayed, or, if the product candidate has received marketing approval, such approval may be revoked, which would harm our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition. In particular, because we are developing our product candidates for chronic indications, the FDA and applicable foreign authorities will likely require that our product candidates demonstrate a higher level of safety over a longer period of time than would be the case for product candidates intended for short-term use. Moreover, if we elect, or are required, to delay, suspend or terminate any clinical trial of our product candidates, the commercial prospects of our product candidates may be harmed and our ability to generate revenue through their sale may be delayed or eliminated. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.
Moreover, if our product candidates are associated with undesirable side effects in clinical studies or have characteristics that are unexpected, we may elect to abandon their development or limit their development to more narrow uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective, which may limit the commercial value for the product candidate if approved. We may also be required to modify our trial plans based on findings in our ongoing clinical studies. In our completed Phase 1 SAD and Phase 1b MAD study of aleniglipron, the following adverse events occurred and were considered probably or possibly related to the study drug: nausea, headache, vomiting, dehydration, decreased appetite, dizziness, and diarrhea. In our completed Phase 2a study of aleniglipron, the following adverse events occurred and were considered probably or possibly related to the study drug: nausea, headache, vomiting, decreased appetite, dyspepsia, and diarrhea. In our completed Phase 1 SAD and MAD study of ANPA-0073, the following adverse events occurred and were considered probably or possibly related to the study drug: blood creatine phosphokinase increase, dizziness, electrocardiogram T wave inversion, diarrhea, headache, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, chills, palpitations, and sinus tachycardia. However, further analysis may reveal AEs inconsistent with the safety results observed. Many compounds that initially showed promise in early-stage testing have later been found to cause side effects that prevented further development of the compound. In addition, regulatory authorities may draw different conclusions or require additional testing to confirm these determinations.
In addition, if any of our product candidates receive marketing approval, the FDA could require us to include a black box warning in our label or adopt a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (“REMS”), to ensure that the
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benefits outweigh its risks, which may include, among other things, a medication guide outlining the risks of the drug for distribution to patients and a communication plan to health care practitioners. For example, the FDA has required that the product labels of approved drugs targeting GLP-1R include a black box warning related to the risk of thyroid C-cell tumors based on rodent carcinogenicity studies. While we have not yet conducted carcinogenicity studies for aleniglipron, because it also targets GLP-1R, it is possible that absent compelling data to the contrary, the FDA and applicable foreign authorities will similarly require a black box warning for aleniglipron if it is approved for marketing. Furthermore, if we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates, several other potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:
● we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients;
● we may need to conduct a recall;
● the product may become less competitive, and our reputation may suffer.
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of our product candidates and could significantly harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
As an organization, we have never conducted later-stage clinical studies or submitted an NDA, and may be unable to do so for any of our product candidates.
We are early in our development efforts for our product candidates, and we will need to successfully complete pivotal clinical studies in order to seek FDA or applicable foreign authority approval to market aleniglipron, ACCG-2671, ANPA-0073, LTSE-2578 and any future product candidates we may develop. Carrying out clinical studies and the submission of NDAs is complicated. We have not conducted any later stage or pivotal clinical studies, have limited experience as a company in preparing, submitting and prosecuting regulatory filings and have not previously submitted an NDA or other applicable foreign regulatory submission for any product candidate. We also plan to conduct a number of clinical studies for multiple product candidates in parallel over the next several years. This may be a difficult process to manage with our limited resources and may divert the attention of management. In addition, we are currently planning for later stage interactions with FDA, and other foreign regulatory agencies however we cannot guarantee timely or shift alignment on our clinical trial designs, phase 3 dose rationale and overall size of the data base needed for any future marketing applications. Consequently, we may be unable to successfully and efficiently execute and complete necessary clinical studies in a way that leads to regulatory submission and approval of any of our product candidates. We may require more time and incur greater costs than our competitors and may not succeed in obtaining marketing approvals of product candidates that we develop. Failure to commence or complete, or delays in, our planned clinical studies, could prevent us from or delay us in submitting NDAs for and commercializing our product candidates.
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The marketing approval processes of the FDA and applicable foreign authorities are lengthy, time consuming, expensive and inherently unpredictable, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain marketing approval for our product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.
The time required to reach approval by the FDA and applicable foreign authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical studies and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, regulations, or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. We have not obtained marketing approval for any product candidate and it is possible that any product candidates we may seek to develop in the future will never obtain marketing approval. Neither we nor any future collaborator is permitted to market any of our product candidates in the United States until we receive FDA marketing approval of an NDA.
Prior to obtaining approval to commercialize a product candidate in the United States or abroad, we or our collaborators must demonstrate with substantial evidence from well-controlled clinical studies, and to the satisfaction of the FDA or applicable foreign authorities, that such product candidates are safe and effective for their intended uses. The number of nonclinical studies and clinical studies that will be required for FDA approval varies depending on the product candidate, the disease or condition that the product candidate is designed to address, and the regulations applicable to any particular product candidate. Results from nonclinical studies and clinical studies can be interpreted in different ways. Even if we believe the nonclinical or clinical data for our product candidates are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. The FDA and applicable foreign authorities may also require us to conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical studies for our product candidates either prior to or post-approval, or could object to elements of our clinical development program.
The FDA or applicable foreign authorities can delay, limit or deny approval of our product candidates or require us to conduct additional nonclinical or clinical testing or abandon a program for various reasons, including the following:
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Of the large number of products in development, only a small percentage successfully complete the FDA or foreign marketing approval processes and are commercialized. The lengthy approval process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain marketing approval to market our product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.
We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we focus on specific product candidates, indications and discovery programs. Correctly prioritizing our research and development activities is particularly important for us due to the breadth of potential product candidates and indications that we believe could be pursued using our platform technologies. As a result, we may forgo or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates that could have had greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through future collaborations, licenses and other similar arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidate. In addition, in recent years, a number of companies have entered the drug discovery industry utilizing different artificial intelligence (“AI”) approaches. The success of other such AI approaches to drug discovery could create more competition for us. We believe that we must continue to invest a significant amount of time and resources in our platform technologies to maintain and improve our competitive position.
We may not be able to obtain or maintain orphan drug designations or exclusivity for our product candidates, which could limit the potential profitability of our product candidates.
Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, the FDA may designate a drug as an orphan drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or a patient population of greater than 200,000 individuals in the United States but for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing the drug will be recovered from sales in the United States alone. In the United States, orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages and application fee waivers. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the drug and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. Orphan drug designation, however, neither shortens the development time or regulatory review time of a drug nor gives the drug any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process. Generally, if a drug with an orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the targeted indication, then the drug is entitled to a seven-year period of marketing exclusivity that precludes the applicable regulatory authority from approving another marketing application for the same chemical entity for the same indication for the exclusivity period except in limited situations, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or where the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient product quantity. For purposes of small molecule drugs, the FDA defines “same drug” as a drug that contains the same active moiety and is intended for the same use as the drug in question. A designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received orphan drug designation.
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We intend to pursue orphan drug designation for one or more of our product candidates, as well as for potential other future product candidates. Obtaining orphan drug designations is important to our business strategy; however, obtaining an orphan drug designation can be difficult and we may not be successful in doing so. Even if we were to obtain orphan drug designation for a product candidate, we may not obtain orphan exclusivity and that exclusivity may not effectively protect the drug from the competition of different drugs for the same condition, which could be approved during the exclusivity period. Additionally, after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA could subsequently approve another application for the same drug for the same indication if the FDA concludes that the later drug is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care. Orphan drug exclusive marketing rights in the United States also may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition. The failure to obtain an orphan drug designation for any product candidates we may develop, the inability to maintain that designation for the duration of the applicable period, or the inability to obtain or maintain orphan drug exclusivity could reduce our ability to make sufficient sales of the applicable product candidate to balance our expenses incurred to develop it, which would have a negative impact on our operational results and financial condition.
We have conducted, or may plan to conduct, our initial clinical studies for aleniglipron, ACCG-2671, ANPA-0073, LTSE-2578 and our other product candidates outside of the United States. However, the FDA and other foreign equivalents may not accept data from such studies, in which case our development plans will be delayed, which could materially harm our business.
We have conducted our initial clinical studies for aleniglipron and ANPA-0073 in Australia, and may conduct our Phase 1 studies for other drug candidates in Australia, China or other foreign countries. The acceptance of study data from clinical studies conducted outside the United States or another jurisdiction by the FDA or applicable foreign authority may be subject to certain conditions or may not be accepted at all. In cases where data from foreign clinical studies are intended to serve as the sole basis for marketing approval in the United States, the FDA will generally not approve the application on the basis of foreign data alone unless (i) the data are applicable to the U.S. population and U.S. medical practice; (ii) the studies were performed by clinical investigators of recognized competence and pursuant to good clinical practices (“GCP”) regulations; and (iii) the data may be considered valid without the need for an on-site inspection by the FDA, or if the FDA considers such inspection to be necessary, the FDA is able to validate the data through an on-site inspection or other appropriate means. In addition, even where the foreign study data are not intended to serve as the sole basis for approval, the FDA will not accept the data as support for an application for marketing approval unless the study is well-designed and well-conducted in accordance with GCP requirements and the FDA is able to validate the data from the study through an onsite inspection if deemed necessary. Many foreign regulatory authorities have similar approval requirements. In addition, such foreign studies would be subject to the applicable local laws of the foreign jurisdictions where the studies are conducted. There can be no assurance that the FDA or any applicable foreign authority will accept data from studies conducted outside of the United States or the applicable jurisdiction. If the FDA or any applicable foreign authority does not accept such data, it would result in the need for additional studies, which could be costly and time-consuming, and which may result in current or future product candidates that we may develop not receiving approval for commercialization in the applicable jurisdiction.
We believe that clinical data generated in Australia and China or other foreign countries will be accepted by the FDA and its foreign equivalents outside of Australia; however, there can be no assurance the FDA or applicable foreign authorities will accept data from any other clinical studies that we may conduct in Australia, China or other foreign countries. If the FDA or applicable foreign authorities do not accept any such data, we would likely be required to conduct additional Phase 1 clinical studies, which would be costly and time consuming, and delay aspects of our development plan, which could harm our business.
Conducting clinical studies outside the United States exposes us to additional risks, including risks associated with:
● additional foreign regulatory requirements;
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● foreign exchange fluctuations;
● cultural differences in medical practice and clinical research; and
● diminished protection of intellectual property in some countries.
Preliminary, topline and interim data from our clinical studies that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.
From time to time, we may publicly disclose interim, preliminary or topline data from our clinical studies, which are based on a preliminary analysis of then-available data, and the results and related findings and conclusions are subject to change following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial. We also make assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. As a result, the topline or preliminary results that we report may differ from future results of the same studies, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results, once additional data have been received and fully evaluated. Topline and preliminary data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the topline or preliminary data we previously made public. As a result, topline and preliminary data should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. From time to time, we may also disclose interim data from our clinical studies. Interim data from clinical studies that we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available. Adverse differences between topline, preliminary or interim data and final data could significantly harm our business prospects. For example, topline results and the length of the study and sample size may render the results of our prior aleniglipron studies not necessarily indicative of the results for our future clinical studies for aleniglipron and may not be comparable to other weight loss products or product candidates, including other oral selective GLP-1RAs. In addition, given the size of the Phase 2a obesity cohort, the primary efficacy endpoint of weight loss was calculated using LSM and analyzed based on the primary efficacy estimand using a mixed model for repeated measures. This means that we drew on all available data, including data from patients that did not follow-up at 12 weeks. The model estimates how patients with missing data would have responded based on patients who continued the study and had similar baseline characteristics (implicit imputation). Due to the preliminary nature of these results and the length of the study and sample size, these results are not necessarily indicative of the final results for our clinical studies for aleniglipron. If the final data is materially different from the preliminary topline data reported, this could significantly harm our business prospects.
Further, others, including regulatory agencies, may not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimates, calculations, conclusions or analyses or may interpret or weigh the importance of data differently, which could impact the value of the particular program, the approvability or commercialization of the particular product candidate or product and our company in general. In addition, the information we choose to publicly disclose regarding a particular study or clinical trial is based on what is typically extensive information, and you or others may not agree with what we determine is the material or otherwise appropriate information to include in our disclosure, and any information we determine not to disclose may ultimately be deemed significant with respect to future decisions, conclusions, views, activities or otherwise regarding a particular product, product candidate or our business. If the topline or preliminary data that we report differ from actual results, or if others, including regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for, and commercialize, our product candidates may be harmed, which could harm our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition.
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Obtaining and maintaining marketing approval of our product candidates in one jurisdiction does not mean that we will be successful in obtaining marketing approval of our product candidates in other jurisdictions.
Obtaining and maintaining marketing approval of our product candidates in one jurisdiction does not guarantee that we will be able to obtain or maintain marketing approval in any other jurisdiction. For example, even if the FDA grants marketing approval of a product candidate, it does not mean that comparable regulatory authorities in foreign jurisdictions must also approve the manufacturing, marketing and promotion and reimbursement of the product candidate in those countries. However, a failure or delay in obtaining marketing approval in one jurisdiction may negatively impact the marketing approval process in others. Approval procedures vary among jurisdictions and can involve requirements and administrative review periods different from those in the United States, including additional preclinical studies or clinical studies as clinical studies conducted in one jurisdiction may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions. In many jurisdictions outside the United States, a product candidate must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that jurisdiction. In some cases, the price that we intend to charge for our products is also subject to approval.
Obtaining foreign marketing approvals and establishing and maintaining compliance with foreign regulatory requirements could result in significant delays, difficulties and costs for us and could delay or prevent the introduction of our products in certain countries. If we or any future collaborator fail to comply with the regulatory requirements in international markets or fail to receive applicable marketing approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our product candidates will be harmed, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies caused by funding shortages or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire, retain or deploy key leadership and other personnel, or otherwise prevent new or modified products from being developed, approved or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, which could negatively impact our business.
The ability of the FDA and applicable foreign authorities to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and statutory, regulatory, and policy changes. Average review times at the FDA have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of other government agencies that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.
Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, over the last several years, the U.S. government shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA, furloughed critical employees and ceased critical activities. More recently, such agencies, including the FDA, have conducted layoffs and may, from time to time, conduct additional layoffs. If a prolonged government shutdown or significant layoffs occur, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA and applicable foreign authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, or if global health concerns prevent the FDA or applicable foreign authorities from conducting their regular inspections, reviews, or other regulatory activities, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA or applicable foreign authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties
We rely on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical and clinical development and expect to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or products or
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such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities and have no plans to build our own clinical or commercial scale manufacturing capabilities. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates and related raw materials for preclinical and clinical development, as well as for commercial manufacture if any of our product candidates receive marketing approval. This reliance increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or products, if approved, or such quantities at an acceptable cost or quality, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts. Our active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug product for our product candidates are currently provided by a supplier, WuXi STA, a subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, and we expect to rely on this supplier for the foreseeable future. Contract manufacturing organizations may become subject to legislation, trade restrictions, sanctions, and other regulatory requirements by the U.S. government, which could restrict or even prohibit our ability to work with such entities, thereby potentially disrupting the supply of material to us. For example, the House of Representatives of the prior Congress (the 118th Congress) passed the BIOSECURE Act, which proposed prohibiting U.S. government contracts, grants, and loans to entities that use equipment and services from certain named Chinese biotech companies, which currently include WuXi AppTec and WuXi Biologics and certain of their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, and authorizes the U.S. government to include additional Chinese biotechnology companies of concern. This version of the BIOSECURE Act included a grandfathering provision allowing biotechnology equipment and services provided or produced by named biotechnology companies of concern under a contract or agreement entered into before the effective date until January 1, 2032. The BIOSECURE Act did not become law in the 118th Congress. It is unclear whether the current Congress (the 119th Congress) will introduce the BIOSECURE Actor similar legislation in this congressional session and, if so, how the scope, prohibitions, or designated biotechnology companies of concern may differ from the version of the BIOSECURE Act passed by the House in the prior 118th Congress. Any U.S. executive action, legislative action or potential sanctions with China could materially impact entities that work with Chinese biotechnology companies. U.S. executive agencies have the ability to designate entities and individuals on various governmental prohibited and restricted parties lists. Depending on the designation, potential consequences can range from a comprehensive prohibition on all transactions or dealings with designated parties, or a limited prohibition on certain types of activities, such as exports and financing activities, with designated parties. Such disruption could have adverse effects on the development of our product candidates. We have contracted with, or are in the process of pursuing contracts with, alternative suppliers or manufacturers outside of China for our active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug product for our product candidates. While we believe that our current manufacturing plan will provide us with alternative sources for such supplies, there is a risk that, if supplies are interrupted, or the quality of ingredients provided by such alternative sources is not to our specification, it would cause delays in our supply chain and increase the cost of manufacturing our drugs, which could materially harm our business.
Furthermore, we do not have complete control over all aspects of the manufacturing process of, and are dependent on, our contract manufacturing partners for compliance with cGMP regulations for manufacturing both active drug substances and finished drug products. Third-party manufacturers may not be able to comply with cGMP regulations or similar regulatory requirements outside of the United States. If our contract manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to our specifications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA and others, they will not be able to secure and/or maintain marketing approval for their manufacturing facilities. In addition, we do not have control over the ability of our contract manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. If the FDA or an applicable foreign authority does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates or if the FDA or applicable foreign authority, withdraws any such approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to develop, obtain marketing approval for or market our product candidates, if approved. Our failure, or the failure of our third-party manufacturers, to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of product candidates or drugs, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could
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significantly and adversely affect supplies of our product candidates or drugs and harm our business and results of operations.
Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture of our product candidates or drugs may adversely affect our future profit margins and our ability to commercialize any product candidates that receive marketing approval on a timely and competitive basis.
In the event that any of our manufacturers fails to comply with applicable requirements or to perform its obligations to us in relation to quality, timing or otherwise, or if our supply of components or other materials becomes limited or interrupted for other reasons, including due to the impact of future global pandemics, we may be forced to manufacture the materials ourselves, for which we currently do not have the capabilities or resources, or enter into an agreement with another third party, which we may not be able to do on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. In particular, any replacement of our manufacturers could require significant effort and expertise because there may be a limited number of qualified replacements. In some cases, the technical skills or technology required to manufacture our product candidates may be unique or proprietary to the original manufacturer and we may have difficulty transferring such skills or technology to another third party and a feasible alternative may not exist. In addition, certain of our product candidates and our own proprietary methods have never been produced or implemented outside of our company, and we may therefore experience delays to our development programs if and when we attempt to establish new third-party manufacturing arrangements for these product candidates or methods. These factors would increase our reliance on our third-party manufacturers or require us to obtain a license from such manufacturers in order to have another third-party manufacture our product candidates. If we are required to or voluntarily change manufacturers for any reason, we will be required to verify that the new manufacturer maintains facilities and procedures that comply with quality standards and with all applicable regulations and guidelines. We will also need to verify, such as through a manufacturing comparability study, that any product produced by the new manufacturer is equivalent to that produced in a prior facility. The delays associated with the verification of a new manufacturer and equivalent product could negatively affect our ability to develop product candidates in a timely manner or within budget.
Our or a third party’s failure to execute on our manufacturing requirements on commercially reasonable terms and timelines, if at all, and comply with cGMP requirements could adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including:
● delay or inability to procure or expand sufficient manufacturing capacity;
● issues related to scale-up of manufacturing;
● costs and validation of new equipment and facilities required for scale-up;
● failure to comply with cGMP or similar foreign standards;
● reliance on single source manufacturers for drug substances and drug products;
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● carrier disruptions or increased costs that are beyond our control.
In addition, we do not have any long-term commitments or supply agreements with our third-party manufacturers. We may be unable to establish any supply agreements with our third-party manufacturers or do so on acceptable terms, which increases the risk of timely obtaining sufficient quantities of our product candidates or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which may harm our business and results of operations.
We rely on third parties to conduct, supervise and monitor our discovery research, preclinical studies and clinical studies. We have experienced delays due to actions of third parties in the past and if in the future third parties do not satisfactorily carry out their contractual duties or fail to meet expected deadlines, our development programs may be delayed or subject to increased costs, each of which may have an adverse effect on our business and prospects.
We do not currently have the ability to independently conduct certain discovery research, preclinical studies and clinical studies for our product candidates. We rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure the proper and timely conduct of our preclinical studies and clinical studies, and we expect to have limited influence over their actual performance. We rely upon CROs to monitor and manage data for our clinical programs, as well as the execution of future nonclinical studies. We expect to control only certain aspects of our CROs’ activities. Nevertheless, we will be responsible for ensuring that each of our preclinical studies or clinical studies are conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities.
We and our CROs will be required to comply with the good laboratory practices (“GLPs”), and GCPs, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA and applicable foreign authorities in the form of International Conference on Harmonization guidelines for any of our product candidates that are in preclinical and clinical development. The regulatory authorities enforce GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and clinical trial sites. Although we will rely on CROs to conduct GLP-compliant preclinical studies and GCP-compliant clinical studies, we remain responsible for ensuring that each of our GLP preclinical studies and clinical studies is conducted in accordance with its investigational plan and protocol and applicable laws and regulations, and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. If we or our CROs fail to comply with GCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical studies may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or applicable foreign authorities may require us to perform additional clinical studies before approving our marketing applications. For example, in September 2023, we announced that topline data from the obesity cohort of our Phase 2a trial of aleniglipron would be delayed because of a data collection omission by a clinical site, where weight was not collected at the final (week 12) visit for 24 of the 40 enrolled participants. Accordingly, if our CROs fail to comply with these regulations or fail to recruit a sufficient number of participants or ensure the collection of requisite data by clinical sites, we may be required to enroll additional participants or repeat clinical studies, which would delay the marketing approval process.
While we will have agreements governing their activities, our CROs will not be our employees, and we will not control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our future clinical and nonclinical programs. These CROs may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting clinical studies, or other drug development activities which could harm our business. We face the risk of potential unauthorized disclosure or misappropriation of our intellectual property by CROs, which may reduce our trade secret protection and allow our potential competitors to access and exploit our proprietary technology. If our CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations, fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for any other reasons, our clinical studies may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain marketing approval for, or successfully commercialize any product candidate that we develop. As a result, our financial results and the commercial prospects for any product candidate that we develop would be harmed, our costs could increase, and our ability to generate revenue could be delayed.
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If our relationship with these CROs terminates, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or do so on commercially reasonable terms. Switching or adding additional CROs involves substantial cost and requires management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work. As a result, delays occur, which can negatively impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Though we intend to carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, we may encounter challenges or delays in the future and we cannot assure you that these delays or challenges will not have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.
In addition, principal investigators for our clinical studies may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and receive compensation in connection with such services. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to report some of these relationships to the FDA or applicable foreign authorities. The FDA or applicable foreign authorities may conclude that a financial relationship between us and a principal investigator has created a conflict of interest or otherwise affected interpretation of the trial. The FDA or applicable foreign authorities may therefore question the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized. This could result in a delay in approval, or rejection, of our marketing applications by the FDA or applicable foreign authorities and may ultimately lead to the denial of marketing approval of our current and future product candidates.
We have entered into, and may in the future enter into, collaboration agreements and strategic alliances to maximize the potential of our structure-based drug discovery platform and product candidates, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits of such collaborations or alliances. We expect to continue to form collaborations in the future with respect to our product candidates, but may be unable to do so or to realize the potential benefits of such transactions, which may cause us to alter or delay our development and commercialization plans.
Part of our business strategy is to explore additional collaborations with third parties to further strengthen our platform capabilities and to leverage our platform for external opportunities where partners bring additional disease biology understanding, development and commercial expertise, regional insights or other complementary capabilities. We may therefore form or seek further strategic alliances, create joint ventures or collaborations, or enter into additional licensing arrangements with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our development and commercialization efforts with respect to our structure-based drug discovery platform or our product candidates and any future product candidates that we may develop, including in territories outside the United States or for certain indications. These transactions can entail numerous operational and financial risks, including exposure to unknown liabilities, disruption of our business and diversion of our management’s time and attention in order to manage a collaboration or develop acquired products, product candidates or technologies, incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to pay transaction consideration or costs, higher than expected collaboration, acquisition or integration costs, write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges, increased amortization expenses, difficulty and cost in facilitating the collaboration or combining the operations and personnel of any acquired business, impairment of relationships with key suppliers, manufacturers or customers of any acquired business due to changes in management and ownership and the inability to retain key employees of any acquired business. As a result, if we enter into acquisition or license agreements or strategic partnerships, we may not be able to realize the benefit of such transactions if we are unable to successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture. We also cannot be certain that, following a strategic transaction or license, we will achieve the revenue or other anticipated benefits that led us to enter into the arrangement.
Research and development collaborations are subject to numerous risks, which may include the following:
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In addition, we face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic partners and the negotiation process is time-consuming and complex. We may not be successful in our efforts to establish a strategic partnership or other alternative arrangements for our structure-based drug discovery platform or product candidates because they may be deemed to be at too early of a stage of development for collaborative effort and third parties may not view our product candidates as having the requisite potential to demonstrate safety and efficacy. If and when we collaborate with a third party for development and commercialization of a product candidate, we can expect to relinquish some or all of the control over the future success of that product candidate to the third party. Our ability to reach a definitive agreement for a collaboration will depend, among other things, upon our assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed collaboration and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of our technologies, product candidates and market opportunities. The collaborator may also consider alternative product candidates or technologies for similar indications that may be available to collaborate on and whether such a collaboration could be more attractive than the one with us for our product candidate. We may also be restricted under any license agreements from entering into agreements on certain terms or at all with potential collaborators.
As a result of these risks, we may not be able to realize the benefit of our existing collaborations or any future collaborations or licensing agreements we may enter into. In addition, there have been a significant number of recent business combinations among large pharmaceutical and biomedical companies that have resulted in a reduced number of potential future collaborators and changes to the strategies of the combined company. As a result, we may not be able to negotiate collaborations on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, we may face regulatory obstacles in completing such transactions. If we are unable to do so, we may have to curtail the development of such product candidate, reduce or delay one or more of our other development programs, delay the potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any planned sales or marketing activities for such product candidate, or increase our expenditures and undertake development, manufacturing or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to increase our expenditures to fund development, manufacturing or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we do not have sufficient funds, we may not be able to further develop our structure-based drug discovery platform or product candidates or bring them to market and generate revenue.
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Additionally, we may sometimes collaborate with academic institutions to accelerate our preclinical research or development under written agreements with these institutions. If collaborations occur, these institutions provide us with an option to negotiate a license to any of the institution’s rights in technology resulting from the collaboration. Regardless of such option, we may be unable to negotiate a license within the specified timeframe or under terms that are acceptable to us. If we are unable to do so, the institution may offer the intellectual property rights to other parties, potentially blocking our ability to pursue our program. If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required third-party intellectual property or to maintain the existing intellectual property rights we have, we may have to abandon development of such program and our business and financial condition could suffer.
Our products require specific constituents to work effectively and efficiently, and rights to those constituents are, and in the future may be, held by others. We may also seek to in-license third-party technologies to enhance our structure-based drug discovery platform. We may be unable to in-license any rights from constituents, methods of use, processes or other third-party intellectual property rights from third parties that we identify. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, which could harm our business. Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to develop or license replacement technology in order to establish or maintain our competitive position in the market. Any delays in entering into new collaborations or strategic partnership agreements related to our product candidates or our structure-based drug discovery platform could delay the development and commercialization of our product candidates in certain geographies or limit our ability to discover and develop new product candidates, which could harm our business prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our existing discovery collaborations with Schrödinger are important to our business. If we are unable to maintain these collaborations, or if these collaborations are not successful, our business could be adversely affected.
In October 2020, Lhotse, our wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into the Lhotse-Schrödinger Agreement. In November 2023, Aconcagua, our wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into the Aconcagua-Schrödinger Agreement. Under both agreements, Schrödinger uses its technology platform to perform virtual screens of members of the target class of human integrins, and we and Schrödinger collaborate to facilitate prioritization of targets, perform target validation and analysis, identify leads and perform lead optimization. Schrödinger has granted us an exclusive license to certain intellectual property related to our product candidates discovered under both agreements. See the discussion in Part I. Item 1. “Business—Lhotse Collaboration Agreement with Schrödinger, LLC” and Part I. Item 1. “Business—Aconcagua Collaboration Agreement with Schrödinger, Inc.” of this Annual Report.
Because we currently rely on Schrödinger for a substantial portion of our discovery capabilities, if Schrödinger delays or fails to perform its obligations under the Lhotse-Schrödinger Agreement or Aconcagua-Schrödinger Agreement, disagrees with our interpretation of the terms of the collaborations or our discovery plan or terminates the Lhotse-Schrödinger Agreement or Aconcagua-Schrödinger Agreement, our pipeline of product candidates would be adversely affected. Schrödinger may also fail to properly maintain or defend the intellectual property we have licensed from them, or even infringe upon, our intellectual property rights, leading to the potential invalidation of our intellectual property or subjecting us to litigation or arbitration, any of which would be time-consuming and expensive. Additionally, either party has the right to terminate the collaboration pursuant to the terms of the Lhotse-Schrödinger Agreement or Aconcagua-Schrödinger Agreement, as applicable. If either of our collaborations with Schrödinger is terminated, especially during our discovery phase, the development of our product candidates would be materially delayed or harmed.
Reliance on third parties requires us to share our trade secrets, which increases the possibility that a competitor will discover them or that our trade secrets will be misappropriated or disclosed.
Reliance on third parties to manufacture or commercialize our current or any future product candidates, and on collaborations with additional third parties for the development of our current or any future product
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candidates, requires us to share trade secrets with these third parties. We may also conduct joint research and development programs that may require us to share trade secrets under the terms of our research and development partnerships or similar agreements. We seek to protect our proprietary technology in part by entering into confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, material transfer agreements, services agreements, consulting agreements or other similar agreements with our advisors, employees, third-party contractors and consultants prior to beginning research or disclosing proprietary information. These agreements typically limit the rights of the third parties to use or disclose our confidential information, including our trade secrets. Despite the contractual provisions employed when working with third parties, the need to share trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets become known by our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others, or are disclosed or used in violation of these agreements. Given that our proprietary position is based, in part, on our know-how and trade secrets, a competitor’s discovery of our trade secrets or other unauthorized use or disclosure could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
In addition, these agreements typically restrict the ability of our advisors, employees, third-party contractors and consultants to publish data potentially relating to our trade secrets. Despite our efforts to protect our trade secrets, our competitors may discover our trade secrets, either through breach of our agreements with third parties, independent development or publication of information by any third-party collaborators. A competitor’s discovery of our trade secrets could harm our business.
Confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties may not prevent unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.
In addition to the protection afforded by patents, we seek to rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary know-how that is not patentable or that we elect not to patent, processes for which patents are difficult to enforce, and any other elements of our product candidates, technology and product discovery and development processes that involve proprietary know-how, information, or technology that is not covered by patents. Any disclosure, either intentional or unintentional, by our employees, the employees of third parties with whom we share our facilities or third-party consultants and vendors that we engage to perform research, clinical studies or manufacturing activities, or misappropriation by third parties (such as through a cybersecurity breach) of our trade secrets or proprietary information could enable competitors to duplicate or surpass our technological achievements, thus eroding our competitive position in our market. Because we expect to rely on third parties in the development and manufacture of our product candidates, we must, at times, share trade secrets with them. Our reliance on third parties requires us to share our trade secrets, which increases the possibility that a competitor will discover them or that our trade secrets will be misappropriated or disclosed.
Trade secrets and confidential information, however, may be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our trade secrets, know-how and confidential information, including our proprietary processes, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, outside scientific advisors, contractors, and collaborators. With our consultants, contractors, and outside scientific collaborators, these agreements typically include invention assignment obligations. Although we use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, our employees, consultants, outside scientific advisors, contractors, and collaborators might intentionally or inadvertently disclose our trade secret information, including to competitors. In addition, competitors or other third-parties may otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. Despite our efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us. Furthermore, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent or in the same manner as the laws of the United States. As a result, we may encounter significant problems in protecting and defending our intellectual property both in the United States and abroad. If we are unable to prevent unauthorized material disclosure of our intellectual property to third parties, or misappropriation of our
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intellectual property by third parties, we may not be able to establish or maintain a competitive advantage in our market, which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.
The adoption and deployment of AI in our, and any third-party collaborators’ operations, and in particular our and any third-party collaborators’ R&D efforts to explore new targets and develop effective products, may not be effective and may expose us to risk.
The industry in which we compete is characterized by rapid technological advancements, frequent introductions of new products and heavy competition. The discovery of new products and targets remain vital to our success and the implementation by us and by any third-party collaborators of AI technologies and processes, including advanced predictive analytics, computational approaches for drug discovery and so-called “generative” AI, has the potential to provide significant benefits in these areas. Use of AI in our efforts may be difficult to deploy successfully due to operational issues inherent in such methods. In particular, the AI algorithms utilize machine learning and predictive analytics which may lead to flawed, biased, and inaccurate results, which could lead to ineffective product or target candidates and exposure to competitive and reputational harm. We face increased competition from other companies that are using AI and related methods for drug discovery, some of which have more resources than we do and may have developed more effective methods than we and any third-party collaborators have, which may reduce our and any third-party collaborator’s effectiveness in identifying potential targets and attracting additional collaborators to work with us. Even with the successful implementation of AI, we may fail to correctly identify indications and allocate resources efficiently, which could adversely impact our pipeline and ability to compete effectively.
Further, AI presents additional risks and challenges, especially as the use of these technologies becomes more important to our operations over time. Generative AI may be used improperly or inappropriately which could lead to the tainting of our proprietary information and render us unable to qualify for patent protection. Their use by people, including our vendors, employees, suppliers and contractors, with access to our proprietary and confidential information, including trade secrets, may continue to increase and may lead to the release of such information, which may impact our ability to realize the benefit of our intellectual property. Our use of generative AI platforms may lead to novel and urgent cybersecurity risks, which may adversely affect our operations and reputation, as well as the operations of any third-party collaborators. Emerging ethical issues surround the use of AI, and we may be subject to reputational and legal risk if our deployment or use of AI becomes controversial. Regulators could limit our, or any third-party collaborator’s ability to develop or implement AI-based technologies as part of measures taken against us or any third-party collaborators in particular or as a consequence of broader legislation, which could have an adverse effect on our or any third-party collaborators’ business, results of operations and financial conditions. Several jurisdictions around the globe, including Europe and certain U.S. states, have proposed, enacted, or are considering laws governing the development and use of AI/Machine Learning, such as the EU’s AI Act. We expect other jurisdictions will adopt similar laws. Uncertainty in the legal regulatory regime may require significant resources to modify and maintain business practices to comply with U.S. and non-U.S. laws, the nature of which cannot be determined at this time.
Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Product Candidates
Even if we receive regulatory approval for any product candidate, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense. Additionally, our product candidates, if approved, could be subject to labeling and other restrictions on marketing or withdrawal from the market, and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or if we experience unanticipated problems with our product candidates, when and if any of them are approved.
Even if we obtain any marketing approval for our current or any future product candidates, such approvals will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements for manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling, record-keeping and submission of safety and other post-market information. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as on-going compliance with cGMPs and GCPs, for any clinical studies that we may conduct post-
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approval. Any marketing approvals that we receive for our current or future product candidates may also be subject to a REMS, limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the drug may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 studies, and surveillance to monitor the quality, safety and efficacy of the drug.
In addition, drug manufacturers and their facilities are subject to payment of user fees and continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP requirements and adherence to commitments made in the NDA or foreign marketing application. If we or a regulatory authority discover previously unknown problems with a drug, such as AEs of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the drug is manufactured or if a regulatory authority disagrees with the promotion, marketing or labeling of that drug, a regulatory authority may impose restrictions relative to that drug, the manufacturing facility or us, including requesting a recall or requiring withdrawal of the drug from the market or suspension of manufacturing.
If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements following approval of our current or future product candidates, a regulatory authority may, among other things:
● suspend or withdraw marketing approval;
● suspend any ongoing clinical studies;
● restrict or suspend the marketing or manufacturing of the drug;
● refuse to permit the import or export of product candidates; or
In addition, if any of our product candidates is approved, our product labeling, advertising and promotion will be subject to regulatory requirements and continuing regulatory review. The FDA strictly regulates the promotional claims that may be made about drug products. In particular, a product may not be promoted for uses that are not approved by the FDA as reflected in the product’s approved labeling. If we receive marketing approval for a product candidate, physicians may nevertheless prescribe it to their patients in a manner that is inconsistent with the approved label. If we are found to have promoted such off-label uses, we may become subject to significant liability. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant sanctions. The federal government has levied large civil and criminal fines against companies for alleged improper promotion and has enjoined several companies from engaging in off-label promotion. The government has also required companies to enter into consent decrees and/or imposed permanent injunctions under which specified promotional conduct is changed or curtailed.
The FDA’s policies, and those of equivalent foreign regulatory agencies, may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could cause changes to or delays in the drug review process, or suspend or restrict marketing approval of our product candidates. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo overturned the longstanding Chevron doctrine, under which courts were required to give deference to regulatory agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous federal statutes. The Loper decision could result in additional legal challenges to regulations and decisions issued by federal agencies, including the FDA, on which we rely. Any such legal challenges, if successful, could have a material impact on our business. Additionally, the Loper decision may result in
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increased regulatory uncertainty, inconsistent judicial interpretations, and other impacts to the agency rulemaking process, any of which could adversely impact our business and operations. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may be subject to enforcement action and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Even if our current or future product candidates receive marketing approval, they may fail to achieve market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors or others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
Even if our current or future product candidates receive marketing approval, they may fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. If they do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenue and may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our current or future product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to:
● the clinical indications for which the product candidate is approved;
● effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts;
● the strength of our relationships with patient communities;
● our ability to offer such product for sale at competitive prices;
● the availability of third-party coverage and adequate reimbursement;
● the strength of marketing and distribution support;
● the prevalence and severity of any side effects; and
● any restrictions on the use of the product together with other medications.
Our efforts to educate physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community on the benefits of our product candidates may require significant resources and may never be successful. Such efforts may require more resources than are typically required due to the complexity and uniqueness of our product candidates. Because we expect sales of our product candidates, if approved, to generate substantially all of our revenues for the foreseeable future, the failure of our product candidates, if approved, to find market acceptance would harm our business and could require us to seek additional financing.
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Coverage and adequate reimbursement may not be available for our current or any future product candidates, which could make it difficult for us to sell profitably, if approved.
Market acceptance and sales of any product candidates that we commercialize, if approved, will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement for these drugs and related treatments will be available from third-party payors, including government health administration authorities, managed care organizations and other private health insurers. Third-party payors decide which therapies they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. Commercial payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided for any product candidates that we develop will be made on a payor-by-payor basis. One third-party payor’s determination to provide coverage for a drug does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage, and adequate reimbursement, for the drug. Additionally, a third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a therapy does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Each third-party payor determines whether or not it will provide coverage for a therapy, what amount it will pay the manufacturer for the therapy, and on what tier of its formulary it will be placed. The position on a third-party payor’s list of covered drugs, or formulary, generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the therapy and can strongly influence the adoption of such therapy by patients and physicians. Patients who are prescribed treatments for their conditions and providers prescribing such services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs. Patients are unlikely to use our drugs unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our drugs.
A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any drug that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Inadequate coverage and reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any drug for which we obtain marketing approval. If coverage and adequate reimbursement are not available, or are available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our current and any future product candidates that we develop, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results and our overall financial condition. Further, coverage policies and third-party payor reimbursement rates may change at any time. Therefore, even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more products for which we receive marketing approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.
We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more successfully than us.
The biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries are characterized by rapidly advancing technologies. Our future success will depend in part on our ability to maintain a competitive position with our structure-based drug discovery platform. If we fail to stay at the forefront of technological change in utilizing our platform to create and develop product candidates, we may be unable to compete effectively. Our competitors may render our approach obsolete by advances in existing technological approaches or the development of new or different approaches, potentially eliminating the advantages in our drug discovery process that we believe we derive from our research approach and platform.
In addition, we face competition with respect to our current product candidates and will face competition with respect to any other product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future, from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide. There are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell products or are pursuing the development of product candidates for the treatment of the indications that we are pursuing. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.
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We are aware of GLP-1R small molecules in development by Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Qilu Regor Therapeutics, AstraZeneca/Eccogene, Terns Pharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Huadong, Sciwind Biosciences, Ascletis, Gilead, Kallyope, MindRank, vTv Therapeutics, Carmot Therapeutics (acquired by Roche Group in January 2024) and Kailera Therapeutics, formerly Hercules CM Newco (licensed HRS-7535, an oral small molecule GLP-1; HRS-9531 a GLP-1/GIP; and preclinical asset HRS-4729 from Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine). There are currently approved GLP-1R peptides for the treatment of diabetes and obesity marketed by Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Sanofi and Kailera Therapeutics, formerly Hercules CM Newco. We are also aware of other GLP-1R plus dual/tri incretin targeting peptides in development by Eli Lilly, Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group, Boehringer Ingelheim, Altimmune, Carmot Therapeutics, Sciwind Biosciences, Novo Nordisk, Viking Therapeutics, Amgen, Merck, Zealand Pharma, D&D Pharmatech, GMAX Biopharma, Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, BrightGene, Innovent Biologics, PegBio, NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals, Hanmi Phamaceuticals, Progen Holdings, Pep2Tango, Metsera, QL Biopharma, Lexaria Bioscience, Sun Pharmaceutical, Gan & Lee, Innogen and Biomed Industries. Additionally, we are aware of APJ receptor targeted product candidates in development for COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome by CohBar, Inc.; IPF, systemic sclerosis interstitial lung disease, and kidney nephrotic syndrome by Apie Therapeutics; and muscle atrophy by BioAge Labs, Inc. Both Amgen and Bristol Myers Squibb (“BMS”) have APJ receptor targeted product candidates for heart failure. Furthermore, we are aware of LPA1R targeted product candidates in development for IPF by BMS, Horizon Therapeutics (acquired by Amgen in October 2023) and DJS Antibodies; and myelin restoration and neuroinflammation by Contineum Therapeutics.
Many of our competitors, either alone or with their collaborators, have significantly greater financial, technical, manufacturing, marketing, sales and supply resources or experience than we do. If we successfully obtain approval for any product candidate, we will face competition based on many different factors, including the safety and effectiveness of our products, the timing and scope of marketing approvals for these products, the availability and cost of manufacturing, marketing and sales capabilities, price, reimbursement coverage and patent position. Competing products could present superior treatment alternatives, including by being more effective, safer, more convenient, less expensive or marketed and sold more effectively than any products we may develop. Competitive products may make any products we develop obsolete or noncompetitive before we recover the expense of developing and commercializing our product candidates. If we are unable to compete effectively, our opportunity to generate revenue from the sale of our products we may develop, if approved, could be adversely affected.
Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller and other early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific, management and commercial personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and subject registration for clinical studies, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Any failure to compete effectively could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
In addition, we and any third-party collaborators are facing increasing competition from companies utilizing AI and other computational approaches for drug discovery. Some of these competitors are involved in drug discovery themselves and/or with partners, and others develop software or as well as other tools utilizing AI which can be used, directly or indirectly, in drug discovery. To the extent these other AI approaches to drug discovery prove to be successful, or more successful, than our and any third-party collaborators’ approach, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.
If the market opportunities for any of our product candidates are smaller than we estimate, even assuming approval of a product candidate, our revenue may be adversely affected, and our business may suffer.
The precise incidence and prevalence for all the conditions we aim to address with our product candidates are unknown. Our projections of both the number of people who have these diseases, as well as the subset of people with these diseases who have the potential to benefit from treatment with our product candidates, are based on our beliefs and estimates. These estimates have been derived from a variety of sources,
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including scientific literature, surveys of clinics, patient foundations or market research, and may prove to be incorrect. Further, new information may change the estimated incidence or prevalence of these diseases. The total addressable market across all of our product candidates will ultimately depend upon, among other things, the diagnosis criteria included in the final label for each of our product candidates approved for sale for these indications, the availability of alternative treatments and the safety, convenience, cost and efficacy of our product candidates relative to such alternative treatments, acceptance by the medical community and patient access, drug pricing and reimbursement. The number of patients in the United States and other major markets and elsewhere may turn out to be lower than expected, patients may not be otherwise amenable to treatment with our products or new patients may become increasingly difficult to identify or gain access to, all of which would adversely affect our results of operations and our business.
We currently have no marketing and sales organization and have no experience as a company in commercializing products, and we may invest significant resources to develop these capabilities. If we are unable to establish marketing and sales capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell our products, we may not be able to generate product revenue.
We have no internal sales, marketing or distribution capabilities, nor have we as a company commercialized a product. If any of our product candidates ultimately receives marketing approval, we will be required to build a marketing and sales organization with technical expertise and supporting distribution capabilities to commercialize each such product in the markets that we target, which will be expensive and time consuming, or collaborate with third parties that have direct sales forces and established distribution systems, either to augment our own sales force and distribution systems or in lieu of our own sales force and distribution systems. We have no prior experience as a company in the marketing, sale and distribution of biopharmaceutical products and there are significant risks involved in building and managing a sales organization, including our ability to hire, retain and incentivize qualified individuals, generate sufficient sales leads, provide adequate training to sales and marketing personnel and effectively manage a geographically dispersed sales and marketing team. Any failure or delay in the development of our internal sales, marketing and distribution capabilities would adversely impact the commercialization of these products. We may not be able to enter into collaborations or hire consultants or external service providers to assist us in sales, marketing and distribution functions on acceptable financial terms, or at all. In addition, our product revenues and our profitability, if any, may be lower if we rely on third parties for these functions than if we were to market, sell and distribute any products that we develop ourselves. We likely will have little control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively. If we are not successful in commercializing our products, either on our own or through arrangements with one or more third parties, we may not be able to generate any future product revenue and we would incur significant additional losses.
Our future growth may depend, in part, on our ability to commercialize products in foreign markets, where we would be subject to additional regulatory burdens and other risks and uncertainties.
Our future growth may depend, in part, on our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates in foreign markets. We are not permitted to market or promote any of our product candidates before we receive regulatory approval from applicable regulatory authorities in foreign markets, and we may never receive such regulatory approvals for any of our product candidates. To obtain separate regulatory approval in many other countries we must comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements regarding safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical studies, commercial sales, pricing and distribution of our product candidates. If we obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates and ultimately commercialize our products in foreign markets, we would be subject to additional risks and uncertainties, including:
● different regulatory requirements for approval of drugs in foreign countries;
● reduced protection for intellectual property rights;
● unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements;
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● foreign reimbursement, pricing and insurance regimes;
● workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is common;
Risks Related to Our Business Operations and Industry
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations or any guidance we may provide.
Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes it difficult for us to predict our future operating results. These fluctuations may occur due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including, but not limited to:
● the level of demand for any approved products, which may vary significantly;
● future accounting pronouncements or changes in our accounting policies; and
The cumulative effects of these factors could result in large fluctuations and unpredictability in our quarterly and annual operating results. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. Investors should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. This variability and unpredictability could also result in our failing to meet the expectations of industry or financial analysts or investors for any period. If our revenue or operating results fall below the expectations of analysts or investors or below any forecasts we may provide to the market, or if the forecasts we provide to the market are below the expectations of analysts or investors, the price of our ADSs could decline substantially. Such a price decline could occur even when we have met any previously publicly stated revenue or earnings guidance we may provide.
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We are highly dependent on the services of our senior management team and if we are not able to retain these members of our management team and recruit and retain additional management, clinical and scientific personnel, our business will be harmed.
We are highly dependent on our senior management team. The employment agreements we have with these officers do not prevent such persons from terminating their employment with us at any time. The loss of the services of any of these persons could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives. In addition, we will need to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified additional management, clinical and scientific personnel. If we are not able to retain our management and to attract, on terms acceptable to us, additional qualified personnel necessary for the continued development of our business, we may not be able to sustain our operations or grow.
We may not be able to attract or retain qualified personnel in the future due to the intense competition for qualified personnel among biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other businesses. Many of the other pharmaceutical companies that we compete against for qualified personnel and consultants have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a longer operating history in the industry than we do. They also may provide more diverse opportunities and better chances for career advancement. Some of these characteristics may be more appealing to high-quality candidates and consultants than what we have to offer. If we are unable to attract, retain and motivate high-quality personnel and consultants to accomplish our business objectives, the rate and success at which we can discover and develop product candidates and our business will be limited and we may experience constraints on our development objectives.
Our future performance will also depend, in part, on our ability to successfully integrate newly hired executive officers into our management team and our ability to develop an effective working relationship among senior management. Our failure to integrate these individuals and create effective working relationships among them and other members of management could result in inefficiencies in the development and commercialization of our product candidates, harming future marketing approvals, sales of our product candidates and our results of operations. Additionally, we do not currently maintain “key person” life insurance on the lives of our executives or any of our employees.
We will need to expand our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth, which could disrupt our operations.
As of December 31, 2024, we had 163 full-time employees. As we advance our research and development programs, we may need to further increase the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of clinical development, discovery biology, chemistry, manufacturing, general and administrative matters related to being a public company, regulatory affairs and, if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, sales, marketing and distribution. To manage any future growth, we must:
Our future financial performance and our ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize our product candidates, if approved, will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage any future growth, and our management may also have to divert financial and other resources, and a disproportionate amount of its attention away from day-to-day activities, to managing these growth activities.
If we are not able to effectively expand our organization by hiring new employees and expanding our groups of consultants and contractors, we may not be able to successfully implement the tasks necessary to further develop and commercialize our product candidates and, accordingly, may not achieve our research, development and commercialization goals.
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We conduct certain research and development operations through our Australian wholly-owned subsidiaries. If we lose our ability to operate in Australia, or if any of our subsidiaries are unable to receive the research and development tax credit allowed by Australian regulations, or are required to refund any research and development tax credit previously received or reserve for such credit in our financial statements, our business and results of operations could suffer.
In 2021, we formed two wholly-owned Australian subsidiaries, Annapurna Bio Pty Limited (“Annapurna AU”) and Gasherbrum Bio Pty Limited (“Gasherbrum AU”), to conduct various preclinical and clinical activities for our product and development candidates in Australia. Due to the geographical distance and lack of employees currently in Australia, as well as our lack of experience operating in Australia, we may not be able to efficiently or successfully monitor, develop and commercialize our lead products in Australia, including conducting clinical studies. Furthermore, we have no assurance that the results of any clinical studies that we conduct for our product candidates in Australia will be accepted by the FDA or applicable foreign authorities.
In addition, current Australian tax regulations provide for a refundable research and development tax credit equal to 43.5% of qualified expenditures. Although we have previously claimed a refundable research and development tax credit there is a possibility that we may not be able to claim such credit or we might qualify for a lesser credit. If we lose our ability to operate Annapurna AU or Gasherbrum AU in Australia, or if in the future we are ineligible or unable to receive the research and development tax credit or are required to refund any research and development tax credit previously received or have to reserve for such credit in our financial statements, or if the Australian government significantly reduces or eliminates the tax credit, our business and results of operation may be adversely affected.
Our relationships with customers, physicians and other healthcare providers, and third-party payors may be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, other healthcare laws and regulations and health data privacy and security laws and regulations, contractual obligations and self-regulatory schemes. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.
Healthcare providers and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors may subject us to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws and other healthcare laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal civil and criminal false claims laws and the law commonly referred to as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act and regulations. These laws will impact, among other things, our clinical research, as well as our proposed sales and marketing programs. In addition, we may be subject to health information privacy and security laws by the federal government, the states and other jurisdictions in which we may conduct our business. The laws that may affect our operations include, but are not limited to:
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Because of the breadth of these laws and the limited statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities, including certain scientific advisory board agreements with physicians who are compensated in the form of ordinary shares or share options in addition to cash consideration, could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws.
Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. The shifting compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance and/or reporting requirements increases the possibility that a healthcare company may run afoul of one or more of the requirements.
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If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.
Healthcare legislative reform measures may have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and continue to be, several legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities, and affect our ability to profitably sell any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval.
Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “ACA,”) was passed, which substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both the government and private insurers, and significantly impacts the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.
Since its enactment, there have been judicial, Congressional and executive branch challenges and amendments to certain aspects of the ACA. For example, on August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) was signed into law, which among other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA also eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D program beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary maximum out-of-pocket cost and through a newly established manufacturer discount program. It is possible the ACA will be subject to judicial or Congressional challenges and amendments in the future.
Also, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny recently over the manner in which drug manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which have resulted in several Congressional inquiries, presidential executive orders, and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. For example, the IRA, among other things, (1) directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to negotiate the price of certain high-expenditure, single-source drugs covered under Medicare that have been on the market for at least 7 years (the “Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program”) and (2) imposes rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation. These provisions began to effect progressively in fiscal year 2023. On August 15, 2024, HHS announced the agreed-upon reimbursement prices of the first ten drugs that were subject to price negotiations, although the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program is currently subject to legal challenges. HHS will select up to fifteen additional drugs covered under Part D for price negotiation in 2025. Each year thereafter more Part B and Part D products will become subject to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. Further, on December 7, 2023, an initiative to control the price of prescription drugs through the use of march-in rights under the Bayh-Dole Act was announced. On December 8, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology published for comment a Draft Interagency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights which for the first time includes the price of a product as one factor an agency can use when deciding to exercise march-in rights. While march-in rights have not previously been exercised, it is uncertain if that will continue under the new framework.
Individual states in the United States have also become increasingly active in passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure
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and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. For example, on January 5, 2024, the FDA approved Florida’s Section 804 Importation Program (“SIP”) proposal to import certain drugs from Canada for specific state healthcare programs. It is unclear how this program will be implemented, including which drugs will be chosen, and whether it will be subject to legal challenges in the United States or Canada. Other states have also submitted SIP proposals that are pending review by the FDA. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. We expect that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future.
We cannot predict what healthcare reform initiatives may be adopted in the future, particularly in light of the recent U.S. presidential and Congressional elections. We expect that these and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved drug. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our drugs.
If we or our third-party manufacturers use hazardous and biological materials in a manner that causes injury or violates applicable law, we may be liable for damages.
Our research and development activities involve the controlled use of potentially hazardous substances, including chemical and biological materials, by our third-party manufacturers. Our manufacturers are subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations in the United States and foreign jurisdictions governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of medical, radioactive and hazardous materials. Although we believe that our manufacturers’ procedures for using, handling, storing and disposing of these materials comply with legally prescribed standards, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of contamination or injury resulting from medical, radioactive or hazardous materials. As a result of any such contamination or injury, we may incur liability or local, city, state or federal authorities may curtail the use of these materials and interrupt our business operations. In the event of an accident, we could be held liable for damages or penalized with fines, and the liability could exceed our resources. We do not have any insurance for liabilities arising from medical radioactive or hazardous materials. Compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations is expensive, and current or future environmental regulations may impair our research, development, and production efforts, which could harm our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and could limit commercialization of any product candidate that we may develop.
We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of our current and any future product candidates in clinical studies and may face an even greater risk if we commercialize any product candidate that we may develop. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that any such product candidates caused injuries, we could incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:
● decreased demand for any product candidate that we may develop;
● loss of revenue;
● substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;
● significant time and costs to defend the related litigation;
● a diversion of management’s time and our resources;
● withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
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● initiation of investigations by regulators;
● the inability to commercialize any product candidate that we may develop;
● injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention; and
● a decline in our ADS price.
We currently hold approximately $10.0 million in product liability insurance coverage in the aggregate. We may need to increase our insurance coverage as we expand our clinical studies and if we successfully commercialize any product candidate. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to obtain or maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise. Although we will maintain such insurance, any claim that may be brought against us could result in a court judgment or settlement in an amount that is not covered, in whole or in part, by our insurance or that is in excess of the limits of our insurance coverage. Our insurance policies will also have various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. We may have to pay any amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient capital to pay such amounts.
If our information technology systems or data, or those of third parties upon which we rely, are or were compromised or experienced significant disruptions of our information technology systems or data security incidents, we could experience adverse consequences including but not limited to significant financial, legal, regulatory, business and reputational harm; litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales; or other adverse consequences.
We are increasingly dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure, including mobile and third-party, cloud-based technologies, to operate our business. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store, process and transmit large amounts of sensitive information, including intellectual property, proprietary business information, personal information and other confidential information. We have also outsourced elements of our operations (including elements of our information technology infrastructure) to third parties, and as a result, we manage a number of third-party vendors who may or could have access to our computer networks or our sensitive information. In addition, many of those third parties in turn subcontract or outsource some of their responsibilities to third parties. While all information technology operations are inherently vulnerable to inadvertent or intentional security breaches, incidents, attacks and exposures, the accessibility and distributed nature of our information technology systems, and the sensitive information stored on or transmitted between those systems, make such systems potentially vulnerable to unintentional or malicious, internal and external exploits of our technology environment, including by organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives (including, but not limited to, industrial espionage) and expertise, including organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” nation states and others. Further, many of our employees work remotely, which increases our vulnerability to cyberattacks. Cyberattacks are increasing in their frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication and intensity, and are being conducted by organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives (including, but not limited to, industrial espionage) and expertise, including organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” nation states and others. In addition to the extraction of sensitive information, such attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, supply chain attacks, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
Threat actors direct significant disruptions of, or cyber incidents at, our or our third-party vendors’ and/or business partners’ information technology systems that could adversely affect our business operations and/or result in the loss, misappropriation, and/or unauthorized access, use or disclosure of, or the prevention of access to, sensitive information, which could result in a variety of adverse effects, including financial, legal, regulatory, business and reputational harm to us. In addition, information technology system disruptions, whether from attacks on our technology environment or from computer viruses, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures, could result in a material disruption of our development
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programs and our business operations. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical studies could result in delays in our marketing approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. Additionally, theft of our intellectual property or proprietary business information would require substantial expenditures to remedy. If we or our third-party collaborators, consultants, contractors, suppliers, vendors or service providers were to suffer an actual or likely attack or breach, for example, that involves the unauthorized access to or use or disclosure of personal or health information for which we are responsible may require us, we may have to notify consumers, partners, collaborators, government authorities, and the media, and may be subject to investigations, civil penalties, administrative and enforcement actions (including mandatory corrective action or requirements to verify the correctness of database contents), and consuming, distracting and expensive litigation, any of which could result in increased costs to us, and result in significant legal and financial exposure, or other harm to our business and reputation.
We and certain of our service providers are from time to time subject to cyberattacks and security incidents. It may be difficult and/or costly to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate a security incident. Our efforts to do so may not be successful. Actions taken by us or the third parties with whom we work to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate a security incident could result in outages, data losses, and disruptions of our business. Threat actors may also gain access to other networks and systems after a compromise of our networks and systems. While we have implemented security measures intended to protect our information technology systems and infrastructure, such measures may not successfully prevent service interruptions or security incidents.
We take steps designed to detect, mitigate, and remediate vulnerabilities in our information systems (such as our hardware and/or software, including that of third parties with whom we work). We may not, however, detect and remediate all such vulnerabilities including on a timely basis. Further, we may experience delays in developing and deploying remedial measures and patches designed to address identified vulnerabilities.
Our contracts may not contain limitations of liability, and even where they do, there can be no assurance that limitations of liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and security obligations. We cannot be sure that our insurance coverage will be adequate or sufficient to protect us from or to mitigate liabilities arising out of our privacy and security practices, that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that such coverage will pay future claims.
Our employees, principal investigators, consultants and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements and insider trading.