Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the sections titled “Summary Risk Factors” and Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described below. Our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022, including a discussion of the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, has been reported previously in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2024, under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
Overview
We are a biopharmaceutical company that since its inception has been developing a portfolio of small molecule superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetics to improve radiotherapy in cancer, primarily by reducing one of the most common side effects of radiotherapy, severe oral mucositis (SOM). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designations to our product candidate, avasopasem, for the reduction of SOM induced by radiotherapy. Galera advanced avasopasem through Phase 1, then conducted a 223-patient randomized Phase 2 (GT-201) clinical trial and a 455-patient Phase 3 (ROMAN) clinical trial. Both trials achieved statistical significance in their respective primary endpoints.
In February 2023, we announced that the FDA had accepted for filing our New Drug Application (NDA) for avasopasem for radiotherapy-induced SOM in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing standard-of-care treatment, and had granted priority review. In August 2023, we received a Complete Response Letter (CRL) from the FDA that required a second Phase 3 trial to support resubmission of the NDA. During the Type A meeting held in September 2023, and in the subsequently received meeting minutes, the FDA reiterated the need for a second Phase 3 trial to support resubmission of the NDA. Since we lacked sufficient resources to consider conducting this additional trial, we wound down our commercial readiness efforts for avasopasem, reduced headcount across several departments and began to pursue strategic alternatives. In October 2023, we announced that we had engaged Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc., as a financial advisor to assist in reviewing strategic alternatives, with the goal of maximizing value for our stockholders. We also halted our clinical trials of our other product candidate, rucosopasem, following a futility analysis.
Following the conclusion of our review of strategic alternatives, on August 8, 2024 our board of directors approved our dissolution and liquidation (Dissolution), pursuant to a plan of complete liquidation and dissolution (Plan of Dissolution), subject to stockholder approval. The Plan of Dissolution contemplated an orderly wind down of the Company’s business and operations in accordance with the provisions of Delaware law. At the special meeting of stockholders held on October 17, 2024 the Plan of Dissolution was not approved by the Company’s stockholders. As our stockholders did not approve the Dissolution, the board of directors and management continued to explore what, if any, other alternatives were available for the future of the Company in light of its discontinued business activities and limited resources.
On December 30, 2024, we completed the acquisition of Nova Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nova), a privately-held biotechnology company advancing a pan-inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. With that acquisition, we have shifted our strategic focus to developing product candidates to treat certain types of advanced breast cancer, including metaplastic breast cancer (MpBC) and other refractory subsets of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In support of the acquisition, a syndicate of investors led by Ikarian Capital invested $2.9 million to purchase Galera common stock and pre-funded warrants. The Company continues as Galera Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC:GRTX).
Galera’s clinical portfolio now includes three clinical-stage product candidates: a pan-NOS inhibitor and two SOD mimetics. Galera’s lead program is now a Phase 1/2 trial of the pan-NOS inhibitor in combination with nab-paclitaxel and alpelisib for MpBC. This is an investigator-sponsored trial that is funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to investigators at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas (Houston Methodist), including the drug supply for the trial. The Company’s cash balance at closing is anticipated to fund operations into 2026 and
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through data readout from its lead program. A second trial for this agent is planned in TNBC in collaboration with the I-SPY 2 consortium. We also intend to support an investigator-sponsored trial of avasopasem, one of its small molecule dismutase mimetics, in hormone-receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer in patients who have developed resistance to conventional therapies. This trial is funded by an NIH grant, and is expected to commence enrollment in the first half of 2025. Our obligation is to provide the drug supply for this trial, which we can do from existing supplies of avasopasem.
Since our inception, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, acquiring and developing product and technology rights, and conducting research and development. We have incurred recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations and have funded our operations primarily through the sale and issuance of equity and $117.5 million of proceeds received under the Royalty Agreement with Blackstone Life Sciences, receiving aggregate gross proceeds of $379.9 million.
Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend heavily on the successful resumption of development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our current or future product candidates. We may never succeed in these activities and we expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future. Our net loss was $19.0 million and $59.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had $8.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and an accumulated deficit of $456.4 million.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. We expect our existing cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024 will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the first quarter of 2026, but not for more than one year after the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As a result there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern after such time. Our anticipated operating expenses involve significant risks and uncertainties and are dependent on our current assessment of the extent and costs of activities required to advance our product candidates. In the future, we anticipate that we will need to raise substantial additional financing to fund our operations through equity or debt financings, or through strategic transactions. To meet these requirements, we may seek to sell equity or convertible securities in public or private transactions that may result in significant dilution to our stockholders. We may offer and sell shares of our common stock under an existing registration statement or any registration statement we may file in the future. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of convertible securities, these securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock and could contain covenants that restrict our operations. We may also defer certain operating expenses unless and until additional capital is received. However, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in raising additional capital or that such capital, if available, will be on terms that are acceptable to us, or that we will be successful in deferring certain operating expenses. If we are unable to raise sufficient additional capital or defer sufficient operating expenses, we may be compelled to reduce the scope of our operations and planned capital expenditures and may decide to delay or discontinue certain activities, including planned research and development activities, hiring plans, manufacturing activities and commercial preparation efforts.
Our Common Stock is now quoted under its existing symbol “GRTX” on the Pink Market operated by OTC Markets Group Inc.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our financial statements. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those described below. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events, and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
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While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe the following accounting policies are the most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.
Royalty Purchase Liability
Pursuant to our amended Royalty Agreement with Blackstone Life Sciences, we have received cash payments totaling $117.5 million from Blackstone based upon the achievement of specified clinical milestones, which have been recorded as long-term debt obligations. Interest expense on such obligation is imputed by estimating risk adjusted future royalty payments over the term of the amended Royalty Agreement which takes into consideration the probability of obtaining FDA approval. Other significant assumptions include adjustments to estimated gross revenues to arrive at net product sales from which a royalty payment can be estimated. The non-cash interest expense recorded increases the balance of our royalty obligation. The royalty obligation will be reduced when royalty payments are made, if any.
Actual royalty payments, however, are highly uncertain and may change depending on a number of factors, including our ability to obtain FDA approval, successfully commercialize our product candidates and the timing of future royalty payments. We impute interest expense on our royalty purchase obligations based on such factors at each reporting period. As these factors change, we will adjust our estimate of the imputed interest expense accordingly.
Given the uncertainty of obtaining future avasopasem revenue based on the FDA stating the need for a second Phase 3 trial for NDA resubmission, our inability to conduct that additional trial with our current resources, and our focus on exploring strategic alternatives for the development of avasopasem, coupled with our decision in October 2023 to discontinue clinical trials of rucosopasem, we suspended accreting interest on the royalty purchase liability at the end of October 2023.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the development of our product candidates. We expense research and development costs as incurred.
We accrue an expense for manufacturing, preclinical studies and clinical trial activities performed by third parties based upon estimates of the proportion of work completed over the term of the individual trial and patient enrollment rates in accordance with agreements with CMOs, CROs and clinical trial sites. We determine the estimates by reviewing contracts, vendor agreements and purchase orders, and through discussions with our internal research and development personnel and external service providers as to the progress or stage of completion of trials or services and the agreed-upon fee to be paid for such services. However, actual costs and timing of these activities are highly uncertain, subject to risks and may change depending upon a number of factors, including our clinical development plan.
We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in our consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known at that time. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, we will adjust the accrual accordingly. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods and services, including fees for process development or manufacturing and distribution of clinical supplies that will be used in future research and development activities, are deferred and recognized as expense in the period that the related goods are consumed or services are performed.
Components of Results of Operations
Acquired in-process research and development expenses
Acquired in-process research and development expenses consist of a non-cash expense related to the acquisition of research and development programs that had no alternative future use at the time of acquisition which requires immediate expense recognition.
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Research and Development Expense
Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in connection with the discovery and development of our product candidates. We expense research and development costs as incurred. These expenses include:
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expenses incurred to conduct the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval;
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personnel expenses, including salaries, benefits and share-based compensation expense for employees engaged in research and development functions;
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costs of funding research performed by third parties, including pursuant to agreements with contract research organizations (CROs), as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our preclinical studies and clinical trials;
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expenses incurred under agreements with contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), including manufacturing scale-up expenses and the cost of acquiring and manufacturing preclinical study and clinical trial materials;
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fees paid to consultants who assist with research and development activities;
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expenses related to regulatory activities, including filing fees paid to regulatory agencies; and
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allocated expenses for facility costs, including rent, utilities, depreciation and maintenance.
We track our external research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis, such as fees paid to CROs, CMOs and research laboratories in connection with our preclinical development, process development, manufacturing and clinical development activities. However, we do not track our internal research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis as they primarily relate to personnel-related and share-based compensation expense, early-stage research expenses and other costs that are deployed across multiple projects under development.
The following table summarizes our research and development expenses by program for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Year endedDecember 31,
Avasopasem manganese $ (318 ) $ 4,281
Other research and development expense 607 2,316
Personnel related and share-based compensation expense 2,166 5,330
We have ceased all clinical trial activity and have suspended the clinical development of certain of our product candidates.
The successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the development of our product candidates. We are unable to predict when, if ever, material net cash inflows will commence from sales of any future product candidates that we may develop due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with clinical development, including:
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delays in regulators or institutional review boards authorizing us or our investigators to commence our clinical trials, or in our ability to negotiate agreements with clinical trial sites or CROs;
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our ability to secure adequate supply of our product candidates for our trials;
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the number of clinical sites included in the trials;
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the ability and the length of time required to enroll suitable patients;
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the number of patients that ultimately participate in the trials;
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the number of doses patients receive;
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any side effects associated with our product candidates;
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the duration of patient follow-up;
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the results of our clinical trials;
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significant and changing government regulations; and
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the impact of unforeseen events on the initiation and completion of our preclinical studies, clinical trials and manufacturing scale-up.
We may never succeed in achieving regulatory approval for any future product candidates we may develop.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative expense consists primarily of personnel expenses, including salaries, benefits and share-based compensation expense for employees in executive, finance, accounting, legal, information technology, commercial, business development and human resource functions. General and administrative expense also includes corporate facility costs, including rent, utilities, depreciation and maintenance, not otherwise included in research and development expense, as well as legal fees related to intellectual property and corporate matters and fees for accounting and consulting services.
We expect that our expenses will increase in the future to support our continued research and development activities and to expand our operations.
Interest Income
Interest income consists of amounts earned on our cash and cash equivalents held with large institutional banks, U.S. Treasury obligations and a money market mutual fund invested in U.S. Treasury obligations, and our short-term investments in U.S. Treasury and government agency obligations.
Interest Expense
Interest expense consists of non-cash interest on proceeds received under the Royalty Agreement with Blackstone and non-cash interest expense associated with the amortization of the debt discount recorded for the Blackstone warrants.
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Foreign Currency Loss
Foreign currency loss consists primarily of exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar.
Income Tax Benefit
In the year ended December 31, 2024, the impairment of our acquired intangible asset and goodwill resulted in an income tax benefit of $0.2 million due to the tax effect of the reduction in the deferred tax liability associated with the asset.
Net Operating Loss and Research and Development Tax Credit Carryforwards
As of December 31, 2024, we had federal and state tax net operating loss carryforwards of $209.5 million and $231.9 million, respectively, which will begin to expire in 2032 unless previously utilized. As of December 31, 2024, we also had federal research and development tax credit carryforwards of $9.0 million. The federal research and development tax credit carryforwards will begin to expire in 2032 unless previously utilized. In connection with the deregistration of the Australian subsidiary, the foreign net operating losses and the research and development tax credit carryforwards have been written off.
Utilization of the federal and state net operating losses and credits may be subject to a substantial annual limitation. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of our net operating losses and credits before we can use them. In addition, future changes in our stock ownership, some of which might be beyond our control, could result in an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code, further limiting our ability to utilize a material portion of the NOLs and credits. We have recorded a valuation allowance on substantially all of our deferred tax assets, including our deferred tax assets related to our net operating loss and research and development tax credit carryforwards, given the current uncertainty over our ability to utilize such amounts.
Results of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
The following table sets forth our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Year endedDecember 31,
Operating expenses:
Acquired in-process research and development $ 3,843 $ — $ 3,843
Write-off of acquired intangible asset 2,258 — 2,258
Write-off of goodwill 881 — 881
Gain on litigation settlement (975 ) — (975 )
Other income (expense):
Change in fair value of warrant liability 452 — 452
Foreign currency loss (6 ) (3 ) (3 )
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Acquired In-Process Research and Development Expense
In connection with the acquisition of Nova, we recognized a non-cash in-process research and development expense of $3.8 million related to the acquired anti-cancer therapeutics programs that had no alternative future use at the time of acquisition, which requires immediate expense recognition.
Research and Development Expense
Research and development expense decreased by $20.9 million from $24.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Avasopasem development costs decreased by $4.6 million as the ROMAN trial was completed and manufacturing activities ceased. Rucosopasem development costs decreased by $11.5 million as we halted the GRECO-1 and GRECO-2 clinical trials. Personnel related and share-based compensation expenses decreased $3.2 million, primarily due to decreased headcount and reduction in share-based compensation expense, partially offset by $0.8 million of severance charges recorded in the period. Other research and development expenses decreased $1.7 million due to reductions in regulatory and quality assurance expenses, costs for independent contractors and consultants, development costs for pipeline candidates, travel expenses and depreciation.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative expense decreased by $11.8 million from $22.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $11.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, principally due to the cessation of avasopasem commercial preparations and medical affairs activities, decreased headcount, and reduced share-based compensation and legal expenses, partially offset by $0.7 million of severance charges recorded in the period.
Write-off of Acquired Intangible Asset and Goodwill
In August 2024, our board of directors approved the Plan of Dissolution, under which future development of our product candidates would no longer continue. In connection with this decision, we concluded that the related IPR&D asset and related goodwill were each impaired in their entirety, and as such recognized non-cash impairment charges of $2.3 million for the IPR&D and $0.9 million for the goodwill during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Gain on Litigation Settlement
We recognized a $1.0 million gain during the year ended December 31, 2024 in connection with the settlement of certain litigation, as discussed below, which was recorded in operating expenses.
Restructuring Costs
In connection with the CRL announcement, we restructured our operations and reduced our workforce by 22 employees, or approximately 70%, as of August 9, 2023. As a result of these restructuring initiatives, we incurred total restructuring-related charges of $2.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. No such costs were incurred during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Interest Income
Interest income decreased by $1.0 million from $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, due to the reduction in investable cash and securities.
Interest Expense
We recognized $11.4 million in non-cash interest expense during the year ended December 31, 2023 in connection with the Royalty Agreement with Blackstone Life Sciences. Given the uncertainty of obtaining future avasopasem revenue based on the FDA reiterating the need for an additional Phase 3 trial for NDA resubmission,
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our inability to conduct an additional trial with our current resources, and our focus on exploring strategic alternatives for the development of avasopasem, coupled with our decision in October 2023 to discontinue clinical trials of rucosopasem, we suspended accreting interest on the royalty purchase liability at the end of October 2023.
Change in fair value of warrant liability
During the year ended December 31, 2024 we recognized a change in fair value of the warrant liability as a result of the change in the price of our common stock.
Income Tax Benefit
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the impairment of our acquired intangible asset and goodwill resulted in an income tax benefit of $0.2 million due to the tax effect of the reduction in the deferred tax liability associated with the asset.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We do not have any products approved for sale, and we do not expect to generate any revenue from product sales unless and until we successfully complete development and obtain regulatory approval for one or more product candidates, which will not be for many years, if ever. Through December 31, 2024, we have funded our operations primarily through the sale and issuance of equity and $117.5 million of proceeds received under the Royalty Agreement with Blackstone Life Sciences, receiving aggregate gross proceeds of $379.9 million.
In February 2023, we completed a registered direct offering, which resulted in the issuance and sale of 14,320,000 shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase up to 14,320,000 shares of common stock at a combined offering price of $2.095 per share and accompanying warrant, generating gross proceeds of $30.0 million. The warrants have an exercise price of $1.97 per share of common stock, are exercisable immediately following their issuance and will expire five years from the date of issuance. We received net proceeds of approximately $27.6 million from this offering, after deducting placement agent fees and offering expenses.
In December 2024, we completed a private placement with a group of investors led by Ikarian Capital. We issued approximately 21.1 million shares of common stock plus pre-funded warrants exercisable for approximately 23.0 million shares of common stock at an offering price of $0.065 per share or pre-funded warrant. As a result of the private placement, we received net proceeds of approximately $2.9 million.
As of December 31, 2024, we had $8.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and an accumulated deficit of $456.4 million. We have no ongoing material financing commitments, such as lines of credit or guarantees, that are expected to affect our liquidity over the next five years. We expect our existing cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024 will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the first quarter of 2026, but not for more than one year after the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Cash Flows
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated (in thousands):
Year endedDecember 31,
Net cash used in operating activities $ (12,145 ) $ (44,848 )
Net cash provided by investing activities (46 ) 27,293
Net cash provided by financing activities 2,223 31,496
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Operating Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we used $12.2 million of net cash in operating activities. Cash used in operating activities reflected our net loss of $19.0 million plus $2.1 million from other changes in operating assets and liabilities, partially offset by non-cash charges of $8.9 million related to acquired in-process research and development, the write-off of the acquired intangible asset and goodwill, deferred tax benefit, share-based compensation, depreciation expense, and loss from disposal of property and equipment. The primary use of cash was to fund our operations as we reviewed strategic alternatives and completed the acquisition of Nova.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we used $44.8 million of net cash in operating activities. Cash used in operating activities reflected our net loss of $59.1 million plus $6.2 million from other changes in operating assets and liabilities, partially offset by non-cash charges of $17.2 million primarily related to share-based compensation, interest expense on our Royalty Agreement with Blackstone Life Sciences and depreciation expense, and $3.2 million from the refund of the PDUFA fee. The primary use of cash was to fund our operations related to the development of our product candidates.
Investing Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, investing activities used $46,000, primarily cash paid for the acquisition of Nova.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, investing activities provided $27.3 million in cash proceeds from net sales of our short-term investments.
Financing Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2024, financing activities provided $2.2 million from the sale of our common stock and pre-funded warrants in a private placement in December 2024.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, financing activities provided $31.5 million from the sale of our common stock and common stock warrants in our registered direct offering in February 2023, from the sale of our common stock under the Sales Agreement with Jefferies, and from the exercise of common stock warrants and stock options during the period.
Funding Requirements
We expect our existing cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024 will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the first quarter of 2026, but not for more than one year after the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As a result there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern through the 12 months from the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our anticipated operating expenses involve significant risks and uncertainties and are dependent on our current assessment of the extent and costs of activities required to advance our product candidates. In the future, we anticipate that we will need to raise substantial additional financing to fund our operations through equity or debt financings, or through strategic transactions. To meet these requirements, we may seek to sell equity or convertible securities in public or private transactions that may result in significant dilution to our stockholders. We may offer and sell shares of our common stock under an existing registration statement or any registration statement we may file in the future. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of convertible securities, these securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock and could contain covenants that restrict our operations. We may also defer certain operating expenses unless and until additional capital is received. However, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in raising additional capital or that such capital, if available, will be on terms that are acceptable to us, or that we will be successful in deferring certain operating expenses. If we are unable to raise sufficient additional capital or defer sufficient operating expenses, we may be compelled to reduce the scope of our operations and planned capital expenditures and may decide to delay or discontinue certain activities, including planned research and development activities, hiring plans, manufacturing activities and commercial preparation efforts.
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Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of product candidates, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on, and could increase significantly as a result of, many factors, including:
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the scope, progress, results and costs of any future preclinical studies and clinical trials;
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the scope, prioritization and number of any future research and development programs;
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the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of any future product candidates;
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our ability to establish and maintain any future collaborations on favorable terms, if at all;
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the extent to which we are obligated to reimburse, or entitled to reimbursement of, clinical trial costs under any future collaboration agreements, if any;
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the costs of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending intellectual property-related claims;
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the extent to which we acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies;
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the costs of securing manufacturing arrangements for any future commercial production; and
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the costs of scaling-up or contracting for sales and marketing capabilities as we prepare for the potential commercialization of our product candidates.
Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes many years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, any future product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, our stockholders’ ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our existing stockholders’ rights. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate certain activities, including planned research and development activities or hiring plans.
If we raise funds through additional collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds 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.
Key Agreements
Royalty Agreement with Blackstone Life Sciences (Formerly Known as Clarus Ventures)
In November 2018, we entered into the Royalty Agreement with Blackstone Life Sciences. Pursuant to the Royalty Agreement, Blackstone agreed to pay us, in the aggregate, up to $80.0 million (the Royalty Purchase Price), in four tranches of $20.0 million each upon the achievement of specified clinical milestones in our ROMAN
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trial. We agreed to apply the proceeds from such payments primarily to support clinical development and regulatory activities for avasopasem, rucosopasem and any pharmaceutical product comprising or containing avasopasem or rucosopasem (collectively, the Products), as well as to satisfy working capital obligations and for general corporate expenses. We received the first tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in November 2018, the second tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in April 2019, and the third tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in February 2020, in each case in connection with the achievement of the first three milestones, respectively, under the Royalty Agreement.
In May 2020, we entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Royalty Agreement (the Amendment), with Clarus IV Galera Royalty AIV, L.P. (the Blackstone Purchaser). The Blackstone Purchaser is affiliated with Blackstone Life Sciences, successor in interest to Clarus Ventures. The Amendment increased the Royalty Purchase Price by $37.5 million to $117.5 million by increasing the fourth tranche from $20.0 million to $37.5 million and adding a new $20.0 million tranche upon the achievement of an additional clinical enrollment milestone. We received the new $20.0 million tranche of the Amendment in June 2021, in connection with the enrollment of the first patient in the GRECO-2 trial. Also in June 2021, we completed enrollment in the ROMAN trial, thereby achieving the milestone associated with the fourth tranche, and received the associated $37.5 million in July 2021.
Pursuant to the amended Royalty Agreement, in connection with the payment of each tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price, we have agreed to sell, convey, transfer and assign to Blackstone all of our right, title and interest in a high single-digit percentage of (i) worldwide net sales of the Products and (ii) all amounts received by us or our affiliates, licensees and sublicensees with respect to Product-related damages (collectively, the Product Payments) during the Royalty Period. The Royalty Period means, on a Product-by-Product and country-by-country basis, the period of time commencing on the commercial launch of such Product in such country and ending on the latest to occur of (i) the 12th anniversary of such commercial launch, (ii) the expiration of all valid claims of our patents covering such Product in such country, and (iii) the expiration of regulatory data protection or market exclusivity or similar regulatory protection afforded by the health authorities in such country, to the extent such protection or exclusivity effectively prevents generic versions of such Product from entering the market in such country.
The amended Royalty Agreement will remain in effect until the date on which the aggregate amount of the Product Payments paid to Blackstone exceeds a fixed single-digit multiple of the actual amount of the Royalty Purchase Price received by us, unless earlier terminated pursuant to the mutual written agreement of us and Blackstone. If no Products are commercialized, we would not have an obligation to make Product Payments to Blackstone, which is the sole mechanism for repaying the liability.
In May 2020, as partial consideration for the Amendment, we issued two warrants to the Blackstone Purchaser to purchase an aggregate of 550,661 shares of our common stock at an exercise price equal to $13.62 per share, each of which became exercisable upon the receipt by us of the applicable specified milestone payment. The issued warrants expire six years after the initial exercise date of each respective warrant.
Patheon Manufacturing Agreements
In August 2021, we entered into a Master Manufacturing Services Agreement with Patheon (the Master Agreement). The Master Agreement governs the general terms under which Patheon, or one of its affiliates, will provide non-exclusive manufacturing services to us for the drug products specified by us from time to time. Pursuant to the Master Agreement, we have agreed to order from Patheon at least a certain percentage of our commercial requirements for a product under a related product agreement. Each product agreement that we may enter into from time to time will be governed by the terms of the Master Agreement, unless expressly modified in such product agreement.
In August 2021, we and Patheon entered into a product agreement for avasopasem (the Product Agreement), under the Master Agreement to govern the terms and conditions of Patheon’s manufacture and commercial supply to us of avasopasem manganese from Patheon’s Greenville, North Carolina manufacturing site.
The Master Agreement, and any related product agreement, has an initial term that expires on December 31, 2027 and includes renewal terms, as applicable. In addition, each party has the ability to terminate the Product Agreement upon the occurrence of certain customary conditions. The Master Agreement contains
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representations, warranties and indemnity obligations customary for agreements of this type, and the Product Agreement establishes certain pricing for avasopasem that may be adjusted as set forth in the Master Agreement.
Our obligation to purchase avasopasem under the Product Agreement is subject to certain binding forecast periods at certain established prices, which will be reviewed each year on January 1 by us and Patheon. We currently do not have any contractual commitment to purchase avasopasem under the Product Agreement.
Methodist Hospital License Agreement
The Company’s subsidiary, Nova, has a worldwide license agreement (the License) with Houston Methodist. The License was executed in January 2024 and gives Nova the exclusive rights to certain Houston Methodist patents for use in the field of oncology, and non-exclusive rights to certain Houston Methodist know-how for use in connection with the licensed patents.
As consideration for the License, Nova paid Houston Methodist an initial license fee of $300,000, approximately $147,000 as reimbursement for patent costs incurred prior to the date of the license, and a $100,000 deposit for future patent costs incurred by Houston Methodist to the extent they are not paid by Nova. Under a separate patent prosecution agreement, fees of the law firm maintaining the licensed patents are billed to and payable directly by Nova.
The License includes due diligence requirements for Nova to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application by January 31, 2028, and thereafter to initiate Phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials and file a Biologics License Application (BLA) by specified dates. If Nova receives FDA approval for a product covered by the License, fees are payable upon attainment of certain commercial milestones, and low-to-mid single digit royalties are payable on net sales. Fees are also payable on any sublicense revenue that Nova receives.
As additional consideration for the License, Nova made an initial issuance of shares of Nova common stock to Houston Methodist, and subsequently issued additional shares such that Houston Methodist maintained an agreed percentage of Nova outstanding shares. On December 30, 2024, the Houston Methodist shares in Nova were exchanged for approximately 7,323 shares of the Company’s Series B. Refer to Notes 3 and 11 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Unless earlier terminated, the License expires on the later of January 31, 2044, or the end of the patent term for the last licensed patent to expire, after which the license continues on a nonexclusive, royalty-free basis.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
We are a smaller reporting company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this Item 7A.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 66
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 68
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 73
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors
Galera Therapeutics, Inc.:
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Galera Therapeutics, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, changes in redeemable convertible preferred stock and stockholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has incurred substantial operating losses since inception and has negative cash flows from operations that raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
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Determination of the accounting acquirer
As discussed in Notes 1 and 3 to the consolidated financial statements, on December 30, 2024, the Company entered into the Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement” or “Merger”) with Nova Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Nova”), pursuant to which the Company acquired Nova’s tilaginine programs and assumed certain liabilities associated with the acquired assets. The Company accounted for the Merger as an asset acquisition and was deemed the accounting acquirer for financial reporting purposes.
We identified the Company’s determination of the accounting acquirer as a critical audit matter. Challenging auditor judgment was required in evaluating the relative importance of the indicative factors, individually and in the aggregate, including the post combination voting rights, composition of the board of directors and management, the terms of the exchange, the relative size of the entities, minority voting rights, and the entity initiating the business combination. A different conclusion regarding the determination of the Company as the accounting acquirer would have resulted in a significant difference in the accounting for the Merger.
The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We tested the Company’s conclusion about the accounting acquirer by:
•
reading management’s accounting memorandum that documented the factors the Company considered in determining the accounting acquirer and evaluating management’s assessment of the post combination voting rights, composition of the board of directors and management, the terms of the exchange, the relative size of the entities, minority voting interests, and the entity initiating the combination by comparing them to the (1) the relevant organizational documents, (2) certain regulatory filings related to the Merger, and (3) the Merger Agreement;
•
corroborating our understanding with external legal counsel and the audit committee; and
•
inquiring of both the Company and Nova management and inspection of board minutes regarding the business purpose of the transaction and decisions regarding the appointment of board members.
/s/ KPMG LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2014.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 31, 2025
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT SHARE AND PER-SHARE AMOUNTS)
Assets
Current assets:
Subscription receivable 635 —
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,077 3,372
Property and equipment, net — 71
Acquired intangible asset — 2,258
Right-of-use lease assets — 1,212
Liabilities, redeemable convertible preferred stock and stockholders’ deficit
Current liabilities:
Lease liabilities — 133
Lease liabilities, net of current portion — 1,117
Warrant liability 1,055 —
Deferred tax liability — 203
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)
Stockholders’ deficit:
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
Year endedDecember 31,
Operating expenses:
Acquired in-process research and development $ 3,843 $ —
Write-off of acquired intangible asset 2,258 —
Write-off of goodwill 881 —
Gain on litigation settlement (975 ) —
Restructuring costs — 2,309
Other income (expenses):
Interest expense — (11,414 )
Change in fair value of warrant liability 452 —
Foreign currency loss (6 ) (3 )
Income tax benefit 203 —
Net loss per share of common stock, basic and diluted $ (0.34 ) $ (1.33 )
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(IN THOUSANDS)
Year endedDecember 31,
Unrealized gain on short-term investments — 22
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
(IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT SHARE AMOUNTS)
Shares Amount Shares Amount capital gain (loss) Deficit Deficit
Share-based compensation expense — — — — 5,560 — — 5,560
Unrealized gain on short-term investments — — — — — 22 — 22
Share-based compensation expense — — — — 2,545 — — 2,545
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(IN THOUSANDS)
Year endedDecember 31,
Operating activities:
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Acquired in-process research and development 3,843 —
Depreciation and amortization 20 259
Noncash interest expense — 11,414
Share-based compensation expense 2,545 5,560
Write-off of acquired intangible asset 2,258 —
Write-off of goodwill 881 —
Deferred tax benefit (203 ) —
Change in fair value of warrants (452 ) —
Loss (gain) on disposal of property and equipment 48 (72 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Refundable PDUFA fee — 3,242
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 2,295 514
Other liabilities (38 ) (104 )
Cash used in operating activities (12,145 ) (44,848 )
Investing activities:
Purchases of short-term investments — (22,643 )
Proceeds from sales of short-term investments — 49,995
Cash paid for acquisition of Nova (50 ) —
Purchase of property and equipment — (59 )
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 4 —
Cash provided by investing activities (46 ) 27,293
Financing activities:
Proceeds from the exercise of common stock warrants — 2,009
Proceeds from exercise of stock options — 188
Cash provided by financing activities 2,223 31,496
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year 18,257 4,316
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year $ 8,289 $ 18,257
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Subscription receivable in connection with private placement $ 635 $ —
Acquisition costs in accounts payable $ 869 $ —
Right-of-use asset obtained in exchange for lease obligation $ — $ 1,310
Sale of property and equipment in exchange for prepaid future services $ — $ 240
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Organization and description of business
Galera Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on November 19, 2012 (inception) and together with its subsidiaries (the Company, or Galera) is a biopharmaceutical company that since its inception has been developing a portfolio of small molecule dismutase (SOD) mimetics to improve radiotherapy in cancer, primarily by reducing one of the most common side effects of radiotherapy, severe oral mucositis (SOM). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designations to our product candidate, avasopasem, for the reduction of SOM induced radiotherapy. Galera advanced avasopasem through Phase 1, then conducted a 223-patient randomized Phase 2 (GT-201) clinical trial and a 455-patient Phase 3 (ROMAN) clinical trial.
In August 2023, the Company announced that it had received a Complete Response Letter (CRL) from the FDA regarding the Company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for avasopasem for radiotherapy-induced SOM in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing standard-of-care treatment. In the CRL, the FDA communicated that results from an additional clinical trial will be required for resubmission. During the Type A meeting held in September 2023, and in the subsequently received meeting minutes, the FDA reiterated the need for a second Phase 3 trial to support resubmission of the NDA. It is not feasible to conduct an additional trial with the Company’s current resources.
In connection with the CRL, the Company wound down its commercial readiness efforts for avasopasem, reduced headcount across several departments and began to pursue strategic alternatives. The reduction in force, which was approved by the Company’s board of directors, reduced the Company’s workforce by 22 employees, or approximately 70%, as of August 9, 2023 (the Workforce Reduction). The decision was based on cost-reduction initiatives intended to reduce operating expenses. Further reductions in employee headcount occurred in 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had 3 employees.
In October 2023, the Company also announced that it had engaged Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc. (Stifel), as its financial advisor, to assist in reviewing strategic alternatives with the goal of maximizing value for its stockholders. The Company also halted its clinical trials of its other product candidate, rucosopasem, following a futility analysis.
Following the conclusion of its review of strategic alternatives, on August 8, 2024 the Company’s board of directors approved the Company’s dissolution and liquidation (Dissolution), pursuant to a plan of complete liquidation and dissolution (Plan of Dissolution), subject to stockholder approval. The Plan of Dissolution contemplated an orderly wind down of the Company’s business and operations in accordance with the provisions of Delaware law. At the special meeting of shareholders held on October 17, 2024 the Plan of Dissolution was not approved by the Company’s shareholders.
As the Company’s shareholders did not approve the Dissolution, the Company’s board of directors and management continued to explore what, if any, other alternatives were available for the future of the Company in light of its discontinued business activities and limited resources. On December 30, 2024, the Company completed the acquisition of Nova Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nova), a privately-held biotechnology company advancing a pan-inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase to treat patients with highly resistant forms of breast cancer, including metaplastic breast cancer (MpBC) and other refractory subsets of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The Company issued 119,318.285 shares of Series B Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock (Series B) to the securityholders of Nova, each share of which is convertible into 1,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The Company continues as Galera Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC:GRTX).
Galera’s clinical portfolio now includes three clinical-stage product candidates: a pan-inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and two SOD mimetics. Superoxide and Nitric Oxide (NO) each play critical and complementary roles in the tumor microenvironment (TME), in the initiation, progression and metastasis of many cancers and in the immune responses to cancer. Specifically, NOS has been shown to be over-expressed in TNBC and especially in the rare subset of TNBC known as MpBC, that today has no effective or regulatory approved
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
therapy. Initial clinical data with our pan-NOS inhibitor in these patients, when combined with a taxane, have been promising. Galera’s lead program is now an investigator-sponsored Phase 1/2 trial of the pan-NOS inhibitor in combination with nab-paclitaxel and alpelisib for MpBC, which is being conducted at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas (Houston Methodist) with funding by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. A second trial for this agent is planned in TNBC in collaboration with the I-SPY 2 consortium.
Liquidity
The Company has incurred recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception and has an accumulated deficit of $456.4 million as of December 31, 2024. The Company anticipates incurring additional losses until such time, if ever, that it can generate significant sales of its product candidates currently in development. The Company follows the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern, which requires management to assess the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for one year after the date the financial statements are issued. The Company expects its existing cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024 will not enable the Company to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for more than one year after the date these consolidated financial statements are issued, and therefore management has concluded that substantial doubt exists about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans to mitigate this risk include raising additional capital through equity or debt financings, or through strategic transactions. Management’s plans may also include the deferral of certain operating expenses unless and until additional capital is received. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in raising additional capital or that such capital, if available, will be on terms that are acceptable to the Company, or that the Company will be successful in deferring certain operating expenses. If the Company is unable to raise sufficient additional capital or defer sufficient operating expenses, the Company may be compelled to reduce the scope of its operations and planned capital expenditures. In the future, if the Company is not able to continue to raise sufficient capital to fund its operations, the Company may decide to delay or discontinue certain activities, including planned research and development activities, hiring plans, manufacturing activities and commercial preparation efforts. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the continuity of operations, the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the carrying amounts and classification of assets, liabilities, and reported expenses that may be necessary if the Company were unable to continue as a going concern.
On February 17, 2023, the Company completed a registered direct offering, which resulted in the issuance and sale of 14,320,000 shares of its common stock and warrants to purchase up to 14,320,000 shares of common stock at a combined offering price of $2.095 per share and accompanying warrant, generating gross proceeds of $30.0 million. The warrants have an exercise price of $1.97 per share of common stock, are exercisable immediately following their issuance and will expire five years from the date of issuance. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $27.6 million from this offering, after deducting placement agent fees and offering expenses.
In December 2024, the Company completed a private placement with a group of investors led by Ikarian Capital. The Company issued 21,070,220 shares of common stock plus pre-funded warrants exercisable for 23,041,040 shares of common stock at an offering price of $0.065 per share or pre-funded warrant. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $2.9 million after deducting issuance costs of approximately $27,000, of which $0.6 million was received in January 2025. The pre-funded warrants have an exercise price of $0.001 per share, are exercisable immediately following their issuance and never expire.
2. Basis of presentation and significant accounting policies
Basis of presentation and consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP). Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to U.S. GAAP as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) and Accounting Standards Updates (ASU) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Galera Therapeutics, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Galera Therapeutics Australia Pty Ltd (Galera Australia) and Galera Labs, LLC. Galera Australia was deregistered in November 2024. In December 2024, the Company acquired Nova Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nova) as a wholly owned subsidiary (see Note 3). All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The Company has determined the functional currency of Galera Australia to be the U.S. dollar. The Company records remeasurement gains and losses on monetary assets and liabilities, such as accounts payable, which are not denominated in U.S. dollars in the statements of operations.
Use of estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Estimates and assumptions are periodically reviewed and the effects of revisions are reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period they are determined to be necessary. Significant areas that require management’s estimates include the share-based compensation assumptions, royalty purchase liability assumptions and accrued research and development expenses.
Segments
Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision-maker (CODM) in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance.
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), as the CODM, manages the Company’s business activities as a single operating and reportable segment at the consolidated level. Accordingly, the CEO uses consolidated income (loss) from operations as well as consolidated net income (loss) to measure segment profit or loss, allocate resources, and assess performance. The measure of segment assets is reported on the balance sheet as total assets.
Significant expenses within income (loss) from operations, as well as within net income (loss), include research and development and general and administrative expenses, which are each separately presented on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Other segment items within net income (loss) include acquired in-process research and development, write-offs of the acquired intangible asset and goodwill, a gain on litigation settlement, restructuring costs, interest income, interest expense, the change in fair value of warrant liability, foreign currency loss, and income tax benefit.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The table below summarizes the significant expense categories reviewed by the CEO for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
Year endedDecember 31,
Research and Development
Other unallocated expenses 607 2,316
General and Administrative
Other general and administrative 2,480 9,203
Asset acquisitions
Acquisitions of assets or a group of assets that do not meet the definition of a business are accounted for as asset acquisitions, with a cost accumulation model used to determine the cost of the acquisition. Common stock issued as consideration in an acquisition of assets is generally measured based on the acquisition date fair value of the equity interests issued. Direct transaction costs are recognized as part of the cost of an acquisition of assets. Intangible assets that are acquired in an asset acquisition for use in research and development activities that have an alternative future use are capitalized as in-process research and development (IPR&D). Acquired IPR&D that has no alternative future use is expensed immediately in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Fair value of financial instruments
Management believes that the carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments, including accounts payable and accrued expenses, approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of those instruments. The royalty purchase liability is accounted for as debt and interest is accreted over the expected repayment period. Based on the outcome from the Company’s discussions with the FDA reiterating the need for an additional Phase 3 trial to support resubmission of the avasopasem NDA, it is not feasible to conduct an additional clinical trial with the Company’s current resources. Due to the uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approval and successful commercialization of avasopasem, it is impractical to determine the fair value of the debt. The pre-funded warrants are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and carried at their estimated fair value.
Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. The Company maintains deposits in federally insured financial institutions in excess of federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts and believes it is not exposed to significant risk on its cash and cash equivalents. The Company had no short-term investments as of December 31, 2024 or 2023.
Cash and cash equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments that have maturities of three months or less when acquired to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 consisted of bank deposits, U.S. Treasury obligations and a money market mutual fund invested in U.S. Treasury obligations. We
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
maintain a portion of our cash and cash equivalents in accounts with major financial institutions, and our deposits at these institutions exceed insured limits.
Refundable PDUFA fee
In December 2022, the Company paid a $3.2 million Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) fee to the FDA in conjunction with the filing of its NDA for avasopasem. The Company requested and was granted a small business waiver of this PDUFA fee from the FDA. The Company received the refund of the PDUFA fee from the FDA in May 2023.
Property and equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives ranging from three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of their economic lives or the remaining lease term. The costs of maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Improvements and betterments that add new functionality or extend the useful life of the asset are capitalized.
Impairment of long-lived assets
Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, then an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset. As of December 31, 2024, the Company believes that no revision of the remaining useful lives or write-down of long-lived assets outside of goodwill and acquired intangible asset, discussed below, is required.
Goodwill and acquired intangible asset
In November 2012, the Company completed a Series A redeemable convertible preferred stock (Series A) financing with venture capital investors and simultaneously acquired Galera Therapeutics, LLC (LLC), a limited liability company incorporated in Missouri in 2009. LLC was renamed Galera Labs, LLC in January 2013 and operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The Company applied the purchase method of accounting under which the consideration given to the LLC members and noteholders was allocated to the fair value of the net assets assumed from the LLC at the date of the acquisition. The sole intangible asset acquired represented the fair value of IPR&D which was recorded on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as an indefinite life intangible asset. A deferred tax liability was recorded for the difference between the fair value of the acquired IPR&D and its tax basis of zero which was recognized as goodwill in applying the purchase method of accounting.
Intangible assets related to IPR&D are considered indefinite-lived intangible assets and, along with goodwill, are not amortized, but are assessed for impairment annually or more frequently if impairment indicators exist. For those compounds that reach commercialization, the IPR&D assets will be amortized over their estimated useful lives. If the associated research and development effort related to IPR&D is abandoned, the related assets will be written-off and the Company will record a noncash impairment loss on its consolidated statements of operations.
In August 2024, the Company’s board of directors approved the Plan of Dissolution, under which future development of the Company’s product candidates would no longer continue. In connection with this decision, the Company concluded that the related IPR&D asset and related goodwill were each impaired in their entirety, and as such recognized non-cash impairment charges of $2.3 million for the IPR&D and $0.9 million for the goodwill. during the year ended December 31, 2024. The impairment also resulted in an income tax benefit of $0.2 million due to the tax effect of the reduction in the deferred tax liability associated with the IPR&D asset. There was no impairment to goodwill or IPR&D during the year ended December 31, 2023.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Royalty purchase liability
In November 2018, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Purchase and Sale Agreement (the Royalty Agreement), with Clarus IV Galera Royalty AIV, L.P., Clarus IV-A, L.P., Clarus IV-B, L.P., Clarus IV-C, L.P. and Clarus IV-D, L.P. (collectively, Blackstone or Blackstone Life Sciences). Pursuant to the Royalty Agreement, Blackstone agreed to pay up to $80.0 million (the Royalty Purchase Price) in four tranches of $20.0 million each upon the achievement of specific Phase 3 clinical trial patient enrollment milestones. The Company received the first tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in November 2018, the second tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in April 2019, and the third tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in February 2020, in each case in connection with the achievement of the first three milestones, respectively. The proceeds received have been recorded as long-term debt obligations. Interest expense on such obligation is imputed by estimating risk adjusted future royalty payments over the term of the Royalty Agreement which takes into consideration the probability of obtaining FDA approval. Other significant assumptions include adjustments to estimated gross revenues to arrive at net product sales from which a royalty payment can be estimated. The non-cash interest expense recorded increases the balance of the royalty obligation. The royalty obligation will be reduced when royalty payments are made, if any.
In May 2020, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Royalty Agreement (the Amendment) with Clarus IV Galera Royalty AIV, L.P. (the Blackstone Purchaser). The Blackstone Purchaser is affiliated with Blackstone Life Sciences, the successor in interest to Clarus Ventures. The Amendment increased the Royalty Purchase Price by $37.5 million to $117.5 million, by increasing the fourth tranche from $20.0 million to $37.5 million, which was received in July 2021, and adding a new $20.0 million tranche upon the achievement of an additional clinical enrollment milestone, which was received in June 2021. The Company accounted for the Amendment as a debt modification and is amortizing fees paid to the Blackstone Purchaser related to the Amendment over the estimated term of the royalty purchase liability utilizing the effective-interest method.
Actual royalty payments are highly uncertain and may change depending on a number of factors, including the Company’s ability to obtain FDA approval, successfully commercialize the Company’s product candidates and the timing of future royalty payments. The Company imputes interest expense on the royalty purchase obligations based on such factors at each reporting period. As these factors change, the Company will adjust its estimate of the imputed interest expense accordingly.
Given the uncertainty of obtaining future avasopasem revenue based on the FDA reiterating the need for an additional Phase 3 trial for NDA resubmission, the Company’s inability to conduct an additional trial with its current resources, and its focus on exploring strategic alternatives for the development of avasopasem, coupled with the Company’s decision in October 2023 to discontinue its clinical trials of rucosopasem, the Company suspended accreting interest on the royalty purchase liability and amortizing the fees paid to the Blackstone Purchaser related to the Amendment at the end of October 2023.
Warrant Liability
The pre-funded warrants issued in conjunction with the private placement in December 2024 (See Notes 1 and 11) are classified as liabilities in the balance sheet as they contain terms for redemption of the underlying security that are outside the Company's control. The warrant liability was initially recorded at fair value upon the date of issuance and subsequently remeasured to fair value at each reporting date, with changes recognized in the consolidated statements of operations. Changes in the fair value of the liability classified warrants will continue to be recognized until the warrants are exercised, expire or qualify for equity classification.
Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock
The Company records shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock at their respective fair values on the dates of issuance, net of issuance costs. The Company has applied the guidance in ASC 480-10-S99-3A, SEC Staff Announcement: Classification and Measurement of Redeemable Securities, and has therefore classified the redeemable convertible preferred stock outside of stockholders’ (deficit) equity because, if conversion to common stock is not approved by the stockholders, the redeemable convertible preferred stock will be redeemable at the option of the holders for cash equal to the closing price of the common stock on the last trading day prior to the
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
holder’s redemption request. The Company determined that the conversion and redemption are outside of the Company’s control. Additionally, the Company determined the conversion and redemption features did not require bifurcation as derivatives.
Leases
At lease commencement, the Company records a lease liability based on the present value of lease payments over the expected lease term including any options to extend the lease that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. The Company calculates the present value of lease payments using an incremental borrowing rate as the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit interest rate. The Company’s incremental borrowing rate for a lease is the rate of interest it would have to pay on a collateralized basis to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments under similar terms. At the lease commencement date, the Company records a corresponding right-of-use lease asset based on the lease liability, adjusted for any lease incentives received and any initial direct costs paid to the lessor prior to the lease commencement date. The Company may enter into leases with an initial term of 12 months or less (short-term leases). For short-term leases, the Company records the rent expense on a straight-line basis and does not record the leases on the balance sheet. The Company had no short-term leases as of December 31, 2024 and 2023.
After lease commencement, the Company measures its leases as follows: (i) the lease liability based on the present value of the remaining lease payments using the discount rate determined at lease commencement, and (ii) the right-of-use lease asset based on the remeasured lease liability, adjusted for any unamortized lease incentives received, any unamortized initial direct costs and the cumulative difference between rent expense and amounts paid under the lease agreement. Any lease incentives received and any initial direct costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term. Rent expense is recorded on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term.
Research and development expenses
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and consist primarily of funds paid to third parties for the provision of services for product candidate development, clinical and preclinical development and related supply and manufacturing costs, and regulatory compliance costs. The Company accrues and expenses preclinical studies and clinical trial activities performed by third parties based upon estimates of the proportion of work completed over the term of the individual trial and patient enrollment rates in accordance with agreements with clinical research organizations and clinical trial sites. The Company determines the estimates by reviewing contracts, vendor agreements and purchase orders, and through discussions with internal clinical personnel and external service providers as to the progress or stage of completion of trials or services and the agreed-upon fee to be paid for such services. However, actual costs and timing of clinical trials are highly uncertain, subject to risks and may change depending upon a number of factors, including the Company’s clinical development plan.
Management makes estimates of the Company’s accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to the Company at that time. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the estimate, the Company will adjust the accrual accordingly. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods and services, including fees for process development or manufacturing and distribution of clinical supplies that will be used in future research and development activities, are deferred and recognized as expense in the period that the related goods are consumed or services are performed.
Share-based compensation
The Company measures share-based awards at their grant-date fair value and records compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of the awards.
Estimating the fair value of share-based awards requires the input of subjective assumptions, including the expected life of the options and stock price volatility. The Company accounts for forfeitures of stock option awards as they occur. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value its stock option awards. The assumptions used in estimating the fair value of share-based awards represent management’s estimate and
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if factors change and management uses different assumptions, share-based compensation expense could be materially different for future awards.
The expected life of the stock options is estimated using the “simplified method,” as the Company has limited historical information from which to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior for its stock option grants. The simplified method is the midpoint between the vesting period and the contractual term of the option. For stock price volatility, the Company uses comparable public companies as a basis for its expected volatility to calculate the fair value of option grants. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve commensurate with the expected life of the option.
Employee Benefit Plan
The Company sponsors a 401(k) defined contribution plan for its employees. Employee contributions are voluntary. The Company matches employee contributions in an amount equal to 100% of the first 4% of eligible compensation, and such employer contributions are immediately vested. The Company provided matching contributions of $0.1 million and $0.3 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Gain on litigation settlement
On May 30, 2023, the Company filed a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas in Chester County, Pennsylvania, or the Court, against Alira Health Clinical, LLC and IQVIA Biotech, LLC (the CROs), seeking damages and alleging breach of contract, professional negligence, and negligence related to an error by the defendants in 2021 in their statistical program for the Phase 3 ROMAN trial of avasopasem for the reduction of SOM induced by radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced HNC (the Phase 3 ROMAN trial) (the Litigation). On August 2, 2024, the Company and the CROs entered into an agreement to settle the Litigation, pursuant to which, in exchange for mutual releases, the CROs paid to the Company the amount of $975,000, and the parties terminated the contracts between the Company and the CROs, with no further obligations under the parties’ contracts. On August 8, 2024, the Company filed a Praecipe to Settle, Discontinue, and End the Litigation. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded the $975,000 as gain on litigation settlement within operating expenses on its consolidated statements of operations.
Restructuring costs
As a result of the Workforce Reduction, the Company incurred total restructuring-related charges of $2.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2024, none of the total restructuring-related charges remain unpaid.
Income taxes
The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, and operating loss and credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company recognizes the benefit of an uncertain tax position that it has taken or expects to take on its income tax return if such a position is more likely than not to be sustained.
Net loss per share
For purposes of net loss per share, the Series B shares have the same characteristics as common stock and have no liquidation or other material preferential rights over common stock and accordingly, have been considered as a second class of common stock in the computation of net loss per share regardless of their legal form.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Losses are allocated between the common shares and the Series B on a pro rata basis as they share equally in losses and residual net assets on an as-converted basis.
Basic loss per share of common stock is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each period, including pre-funded warrants. The pre-funded warrants to purchase common stock are included in the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per share as the exercise price of $0.001 per share is non-substantive and is virtually assured.
Diluted loss per share of common stock includes the effect, if any, from the potential exercise or conversion of securities, such as stock options and common stock warrants, which would result in the issuance of incremental shares of common stock. Basic and diluted net loss per share data is the same due to the fact that when a net loss exists, dilutive securities are not included in the calculation as the impact is anti-dilutive.
The following potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the computation of diluted weighted-average shares outstanding, as they would be anti-dilutive:
December 31,
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2023, FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures,” which improves reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. The guidance is effective for the Company beginning in the annual reporting period ending December 31, 2024 and interim periods beginning in fiscal year 2025. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this ASU on December 31, 2024. This change did not have a significant impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. See Note 2, Segments, for further discussion.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
In December 2023, FASB issued ASU 2023-09, “Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures,” which enhances the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures. The guidance is effective for the Company’s annual reporting period ending December 31, 2025. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is assessing the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, “Income Statement–Reporting Comprehensive Income–Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses,” which requires the disaggregation of certain expenses in the notes of the financials, to provide enhanced transparency into the expense captions presented on the face of the income statement. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2027 and may be applied either prospectively or retrospectively. The Company is assessing the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-04, “ASC 470- Debt with Conversion and Other Options, Induced Conversions of Convertible Debt Instruments,” (ASU 2024-04) which clarifies whether or not a settlement of a convertible debt instrument is subject to the induced conversion guidance. The guidance is effective for the Company’s annual reporting period beginning on January 1, 2026, including interim periods. Early adoption is permitted and the respective amendments in ASU 2024-04 may be applied on a prospective or retrospective basis. The Company is assessing the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
3. Asset acquisition
On December 30, 2024, the Company acquired Nova Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nova), in accordance with the terms of an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated December 30, 2024 (Merger Agreement), pursuant to which the Company acquired Nova’s tilarginine programs and assumed certain liabilities associated with the acquired assets. The upfront consideration included the issuance of 119,318 shares of Series B at an aggregate fair value of $2.6 million.
Each share of Series B is convertible into 1,000 shares of common stock, subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation (defined below). The fair value of the shares issued to Nova was based on the closing stock price of the Company’s common stock on December 30, 2024, of $0.027, less a discount of 20.0% related to unregistered share restrictions of the preferred shares. The fair value measurement for the Series B is classified as Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy.
The Company accounted for the transaction as an asset acquisition as the Company acquired inputs and no substantive processes or outputs. The assets acquired in the transaction were measured based on the estimated fair value of the consideration paid of $3.5 million, which included direct transactions costs of $0.9 million.
The consideration paid and the relative values of the assets acquired, and liabilities assumed were as follows:
Consideration transferred:
Fair value of Series B Preferred Stock issued $ 2,577
Transaction costs paid 919
Total consideration paid $ 3,496
Assets acquired:
Other assets $ 100
In-process research and development 3,843
Total assets acquired $ 3,943
Liabilities assumed:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses 447
Total liabilities assumed 447
Net assets acquired $ 3,496
As the Nova IPR&D assets acquired have no alternative future use to the Company, the Company charged $3.8 million to Acquired IPR&D expense within its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2024.
The Merger Agreement was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of both companies and by the stockholders of Nova. The Board of Directors includes three current Galera board members, and two additional board members selected by Nova.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, no earlier than twelve (12) months following the closing, but no later than eighteen (18) months following the closing, Galera will submit the following matters to its stockholders at a meeting of stockholders (the “Stockholders’ Meeting”) for their consideration: (i) the approval of the conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock into shares of Common Stock (the “Conversion Proposal”); (ii) the approval of an amendment to Galera’s certificate of incorporation to effect a reverse stock split and/or increase the number of authorized shares of common stock to such amount as determined by the Board of Director’s following the closing; and (iii) the approval of one or more adjournments of the Stockholders’ Meeting to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes cast in favor of the foregoing matters.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
4. Fair value measurements
The Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible. The Company determines fair value based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability in the principal or most advantageous market. When considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, the following fair value hierarchy distinguishes between observable and unobservable inputs, which are categorized in one of the following levels:
•
Level 1 Inputs: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the reporting entity at the measurement date.
•
Level 2 Inputs: Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
•
Level 3 Inputs: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at measurement date.
The following table presents the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (amounts in thousands):
(Level 1) (Level 2) (Level 3)
Assets
Money market funds (included in cash equivalents) $ 6,115 $ — $ —
Liabilities
Warrant liability $ — $ 1,055 $ —
(Level 1) (Level 2) (Level 3)
Assets
Money market funds (included in cash equivalents) $ 17,964 $ — $ —
There were no changes in valuation techniques during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. The Company’s short-term investment instruments classified using Level 1 inputs within the fair value hierarchy are classified as such because they are valued using quoted market prices, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. The fair value of Level 2 securities is estimated based on observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term on the assets or liabilities.
The initial fair value of the pre-funded warrants was based on the closing price of the private placement that occurred in December 2024. Each subsequent reporting period the warrants are marked-to-market based on the period-end closing price of the Company's common stock. The change in fair value of the warrant liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2024 is as follows (amounts in thousands):
Balance at December 31, 2023 $ —
Change in fair value (452 )
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
5. Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Prepaid expenses and other current assets consist of (amounts in thousands):
December 31, December 31,
Prepaid clinical expenses $ — $ 1,450
Other prepaid expenses and other current assets 282 620
6. Property and equipment
Property and equipment consist of (amounts in thousands):
December 31, December 31,
Computer hardware and software $ — $ 305
Leasehold improvements — 46
Furniture and fixtures — 179
Property and equipment, gross — 530
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization — (459 )
Property and equipment, net $ — $ 71
In connection with the termination of its office lease in August 2024, the Company wrote off its remaining fixed assets during the third quarter of 2024. Depreciation and amortization expense was $20,000 and $0.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
In 2023, the Company wrote off $0.3 million of leasehold improvements related to the previous office space for which the lease expired in February 2023. In addition, the Company wrote off $1.4 million of laboratory equipment that was either sold, exchanged in a barter transaction for future services, or otherwise disposed of in 2023.
7. Accrued expenses
Accrued expenses consist of (amounts in thousands):
December 31, December 31,
Compensation and related benefits $ 48 $ 121
Restructuring costs — 443
Research and development expenses 31 2,672
Professional fees and other expenses 312 213
8. Royalty purchase liability
Pursuant to the Royalty Agreement, Blackstone agreed to pay up to $80.0 million (the Royalty Purchase Price) in four tranches of $20.0 million each upon the achievement of specific Phase 3 clinical trial patient enrollment milestones. The Company received the first tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in November 2018, the second tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in April 2019, and the third tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price in February 2020, in each case in connection with the achievement of the first three milestones, respectively.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In May 2020, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Royalty Agreement (the Amendment) with Clarus IV Galera Royalty AIV, L.P. (the Blackstone Purchaser). The Blackstone Purchaser is affiliated with Blackstone Life Sciences, the successor in interest to Clarus Ventures. The Amendment increased the Royalty Purchase Price by $37.5 million, to $117.5 million by increasing the fourth tranche from $20.0 million to $37.5 million and adding a new $20.0 million tranche upon the achievement of an additional clinical enrollment milestone. The Company accounted for the Amendment as a debt modification and is amortizing fees paid to the Blackstone Purchaser related to the Amendment over the estimated term of the royalty purchase liability utilizing the effective-interest method. In June 2021, the Company received the new tranche ($20.0 million) under the Amendment in connection with the enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 2b trial of rucosopasem in combination with SBRT in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, which the Company refers to as the GRECO-2 trial. Also in June 2021, the Company completed enrollment in the ROMAN trial, thereby achieving the milestone associated with the fourth tranche ($37.5 million) under the Amendment, which was received in July 2021.
The Company accounts for the Royalty Agreement as a debt instrument. The $117.5 million in proceeds received as of December 31, 2024 have been recorded as a liability on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Interest expense is imputed based on the estimated royalty repayment period described below, which takes into consideration the probability and timing of obtaining FDA approval and the potential future revenue from commercializing its product candidates, and which results in a corresponding increase in the liability balance. The Company updated the assumptions underlying the calculation of interest expense on the royalty purchase liability based on the CRL received from the FDA in August 2023 on the Company's NDA for avasopasem for radiotherapy-induced SOM. The Company recognized $11.4 million in noncash interest expense during the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company suspended recognizing interest expense on the royalty purchase liability after October 2023, as the result of the uncertainty of any future royalties following its decision to discontinue the rucosopasem GRECO trials and that it is not feasible with its current resources for the Company to conduct another Phase 3 trial of avasopasem. Accordingly, no interest was recognized during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Pursuant to the Royalty Agreement and the Amendment, in connection with the payment of each tranche of the Royalty Purchase Price, the Company has agreed to sell, convey, transfer and assign to Blackstone all of its right, title and interest in a high single-digit percentage of (i) worldwide net sales of avasopasem and rucosopasem (collectively, the Products) and (ii) all amounts received by the Company or its affiliates, licensees and sublicensees with respect to Product-related damages (collectively, the Product Payments) during the Royalty Period. The Royalty Period means, on a Product-by-Product and country-by-country basis, the period of time commencing on the commercial launch of such Product in such country and ending on the latest to occur of (i) the 12th anniversary of such commercial launch, (ii) the expiration of all valid claims of the Company’s patents covering such Product in such country, and (iii) the expiration of regulatory data protection or market exclusivity or similar regulatory protection afforded by the health authorities in such country, to the extent such protection or exclusivity effectively prevents generic versions of such Product from entering the market in such country.
The Royalty Agreement and the Amendment will remain in effect until the date on which the aggregate amount of the Product Payments paid to Blackstone exceeds a fixed single-digit multiple of the actual amount of the Royalty Purchase Price received by the Company, unless earlier terminated pursuant to the mutual written agreement of the Company and Blackstone. If no Products are commercialized, the Company would not have an obligation to make Product Payments to Blackstone, which is the sole mechanism for repaying the liability. Pursuant to the terms of the Royalty Agreement and the Amendment, the Royalty Agreement and the Amendment remain in effect and any future purchaser or licensor of the Products will be bound by the terms of the Royalty Agreement and the Amendment, unless otherwise agreed by Blackstone.
Upon execution of the Amendment, the Company issued common stock warrants to the Blackstone Purchaser, each of which became exercisable upon the receipt by the Company of the applicable specified milestone payment. The issued warrants expire six years after the initial exercise dates, as follows:
Shares Exercise Price Initial Exercise Date Expiration Date
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The warrants are equity-classified and were valued at $4.7 million at the time of issuance using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The warrants were recorded as a discount to the royalty purchase liability. The Company amortizes the debt discount to interest expense over the estimated term of the royalty purchase liability utilizing the effective-interest method. The Company suspended amortizing the debt discount to interest expense after October 2023, as the result of the uncertainty of any future royalties following its decision to discontinue the rucosopasem GRECO trials and that it is not feasible with its current resources for the Company to conduct another Phase 3 trial of avasopasem.
9. Leases
The Company had a non-cancelable operating lease for office space in Malvern, Pennsylvania. On August 8, 2024, the Company entered into a Lease Termination Agreement with its landlord. In return for an early termination fee of $0.4 million, the office lease was terminated as of August 31, 2024, and the Company has no further obligations with regard to the office lease. The Company’s total cost to exit the office lease was $0.5 million, including a broker fee and other costs. The discount rate used to account for the Company’s operating lease is the Company’s estimated incremental borrowing rate of 5.4%.
Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows (amounts in thousands):
December 31, December 31,
Operating Leases
Right-of-use lease assets $ — $ 1,212
Lease liabilities, current — 133
Lease liabilities, net of current portion — 1,117
Total operating lease liabilities $ — $ 1,250
Lease cost, as presented below, includes costs associated with leases for which right-of-use (ROU) assets have been recognized as well as short-term leases. The components of lease expense were as follows (amounts in thousands):
Year endedDecember 31,
Operating lease costs
Operating lease rental expense $ 559 $ 191
Total operating lease expense $ 559 $ 191
Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows (amounts in thousands):
Year endedDecember 31,
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities
Operating cash flows for operating leases $ 597 $ 150
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligation
Operating leases — 1,310
Derecognition of lease liability and right-of-use asset due to lease termination
Operating leases 1,212 —
Additionally, in January 2025 the Company entered into a new operating lease agreement for office space in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The lease commencement date was February 1, 2025, and the lease term is 12 months.
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
10. Commitments and contingencies
License agreement
The Company’s subsidiary, Nova, has a worldwide license agreement (the License) with Houston Methodist. The License was executed in January 2024 and gives Nova the exclusive rights to certain Houston Methodist patents for use in the field of oncology, and non-exclusive rights to certain Houston Methodist know-how for use in connection with the licensed patents. Under a separate patent prosecution agreement, fees of the law firm maintaining the licensed patents are billed to and payable directly by Nova.
The License includes due diligence requirements for Nova to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application by January 31, 2028, and thereafter to initiate Phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials and file a Biologics License Application (BLA) by specified dates. If Nova receives FDA approval for a product covered by the License, fees are payable upon attainment of certain commercial milestones, and low-to-mid single digit royalties are payable on net sales. Fees are also payable on any sublicense revenue that Nova receives.
As additional consideration for the License, Nova made an initial issuance of shares of Nova common stock to Houston Methodist, and subsequently issued additional shares such that Houston Methodist maintained an agreed percentage of Nova outstanding shares. On December 30, 2024, the Houston Methodist shares in Nova were exchanged for approximately 7,323 shares of the Company’s Series B (See Notes 3 and 11).
An assignment fee of $200,000 is payable to Houston Methodist if the License is assigned before the first Phase III trial is initiated. The license may be assigned by Nova to the Company or another subsidiary of the Company in 2025, in which case the assignment fee will be payable.
Unless earlier terminated, the License expires on the later of January 31, 2044, or the end of the patent term for the last licensed patent to expire, after which the license continues on a nonexclusive, royalty-free basis.
Executive employment agreements
The Company has entered into employment agreements with certain key executives, providing for compensation and severance in certain circumstances, such as a change in control, as described in the respective agreements.
Legal matters
The Company is subject from time to time to various claims and legal actions arising during the ordinary course of its business. Management believes that there are currently no claims or legal actions that would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.
11. Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)
Shareholder Rights Agreement
On May 3, 2024, the Company entered into a Stockholder Rights Agreement with Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, as rights agent (the Rights Agreement). Pursuant to the Rights Agreement, the board of directors declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (each a Right) for each outstanding share of Company common stock to stockholders of record at the close of business on May 20, 2024. Each Right entitled its holder, subject to the terms of the Rights Agreement, to purchase from the Company one one-thousandth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company at an exercise price of $1.50 per Right, subject to adjustment. Rights attached to any shares of common stock that become outstanding after May 20, 2024 and prior to the earlier of the Distribution Time, as defined in the Rights Agreement, and the redemption or expiration of the Rights, and in certain other circumstances described in the Rights Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Rights Agreement, the Rights terminated upon closing of the acquisition of Nova. The
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Company intends to file a Certificate of Elimination eliminating from its Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, the designation of certain shares of its preferred stock as Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, which had been designated for potential use in connection with the Rights Agreement. Upon such filing, all 200,000 shares of preferred stock previously designated as Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock will be eliminated and returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock, without designation.
Equity offerings
December 2024 Private Placement
In December 2024, the Company completed a private placement with a group of investors led by Ikarian Capital. The Company issued 21,070,220 shares of common stock plus pre-funded warrants exercisable for 23,041,040 shares of common stock at an offering price of $0.065 per share (or, in the case of certain of the investors who also received pre-funded warrants in lieu of shares, $0.065 per pre-funded warrant), generating net proceeds of approximately $2.9 million after offering costs of approximately $27,000, of which $0.6 million was received in January 2025.The pre-funded warrants have an exercise price of $0.001 per share, are exercisable immediately following their issuance, and never expire.
The Company considered the appropriate accounting guidance and concluded that the pre-funded warrants qualified for liability treatment, and therefore, recorded the warrant liability at fair value $1.5 million. The remainder of the net proceeds were allocated to the common stock issued and recorded as a component of equity.
In connection with the December 2024 Private Placement, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement with the group of investors, pursuant to which the Company agreed to file with the SEC no later than March 31, 2025, a registration statement for the resale of the shares of common stock issued in the private placement. The Company agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to have such registration statement declared effective within 30 days of such filing (or within 60 days should the SEC provides written comments on the registration statement) and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until all relevant securities are sold or can be freely traded without restrictions. As of the filing date of this Form 10-K, the Company has not filed a registration statement with the SEC. The Company is requesting an extension of the time to file the registration statement from the investors. Should it fail to receive such an extension, or should it receive the extension but fail to file the registration statement by the expiration date of the extension, the Company would be subject to penalties up to 5% of the amount received in the private placement, a maximum of approximately $145,000.
December 2024 Series B Preferred Stock
Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, 119,318.285 shares of Series B were issued to the securityholders of Nova, each share of which is convertible into 1,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. Conversion of the shares of Series B is subject to approval at a subsequent meeting of the Company’s common stockholders to be held no earlier than twelve (12) months, but no later than eighteen (18) months, following the December 30, 2024 closing.
The following is a summary of the rights, preferences, and terms of the Series B:
Dividends
The holders of Series B are entitled to receive cash dividends, on an as-if-converted-to-common-stock basis, equal to and in the same form and manner as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock, when and if such dividends are paid. As of December 31, 2024, there were no unpaid Series B dividends.
Voting Rights
The holders of the Series B generally have no voting rights, except as required by law or outlined in the Certificate of Designation. However, a majority vote of the outstanding shares of Series B Non-Voting Preferred
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GALERA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Stock is required to approve certain actions that could adversely affect their rights, issue additional shares, or undertake specific mergers or fundamental transactions.
Liquidation Preference
The Series B participates pari passu with the common stock in the distribution of assets upon a liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the corporation. Distributions to holders of Series B are weighted to reflect two times the amount that would be received if the shares were fully converted into common stock.
Conversion
At any time after approval by the Company’s common shareholders, at the option of the holder, each share of Series B is convertible into 1,000 shares of common stock, subject to certain antidilution adjustments. Approval of the majority of common shareholders is required at a meeting to be held no sooner than 12 months and no later than 18 months after the issuance date. If the common shareholders do not approve the conversion, the Company will continue to hold shareholder meetings until such time it is approved. If not approved by 24 months after the issuance date, upon request by a holder of Series B, the Company will pay in cash the fair value, as defined, of the common stock into which the Series B would otherwise be converted.
Beneficial Ownership Limitation
A holder of Series B is prohibited from converting shares of Series B into shares of common stock if, as a result of such conversion, such holder, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own more than 19.9% of the total number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion.
Redemption