prta-20241231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
______________________________________
FORM 10-K
______________________________________
(Mark One)
For the year ended December 31, 2024
For the transition period fromto
Commission file number: 001-35676
______________________________________
PROTHENA CORPORATION PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
______________________________________
77 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Block C
Grand Canal Docklands
Dublin 2, D02 VK60, Ireland
(Address of principal executive offices including Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 011-353-1-236-2500
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class Trading Symbol Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Ordinary Shares, par value $0.01 per share PRTA The Nasdaq Global Select Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
______________________________________
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Yes☒No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes☒No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Yes☒No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐No☒
As of June 30, 2024, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the voting shares held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $870.3 million based on the last reported sale of the registrant’s ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Global Market on such date.
53,826,982 of the Registrant’s ordinary shares, par value $0.01 per share, were outstanding as of February 20, 2025.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement to be delivered to shareholders in connection with the registrant’s Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 13, 2025, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. The registrant intends to file its Proxy Statement within 120 days after its fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
PROTHENA CORPORATION PLC
Annual Report on Form 10-K
For the Year Ended December 31, 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PART I. 1
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 24
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 61
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 61
Item 2. Properties 61
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 62
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 62
PART II. 63
Item 6. [Reserved] 66
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 73
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 74
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 106
Item 9B. Other Information 107
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 108
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 109
Item 11. Executive Compensation 111
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 111
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules 113
EXHIBIT INDEX 114
Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this Form 10-K to “Prothena,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us” refer to Prothena Corporation plc and its subsidiaries.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may include words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “positioned,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements, which reflect our beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about our business and the industry in which we operated as of the date hereof, are estimates based on our best judgment. These statements relate to, among other things, our goal to continue building a biology-directed discovery engine targeting protein dysregulation; the treatment potential, designs, proposed mechanisms of action, and potential administration of our drug candidates; potential indications and attributes of epitopes and antibodies we have identified in our programs; plans for ongoing and future clinical trials of our drug candidates; our potential to advance, initiate, and complete investigational new drug (“IND”) enabling studies for our discovery and preclinical programs; the expected timing of reporting data from clinical trials of our drug candidates, including topline study results for our Phase 3 AFFIRM-AL clinical trial in the second quarter of 2025 and multiple clinical readouts starting in mid-2025 and continuing throughout the year from our Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating PRX012; our collaborations with F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (together “Roche”), Bristol Myers Squibb Company (“BMS”), and Novo Nordisk, and amounts we may receive under such collaborations; the sufficiency of our cash position to fund advancement of a broad pipeline and completion of our ongoing clinical trials; and our anticipated need for additional capital.
These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or development and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are in some cases beyond our control. As a result, any or all of our forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may turn out to be inaccurate. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties set forth below, those discussed under Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Except as required by law or by the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect any event or circumstance that arises after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including without limitation:
•our ability to obtain additional financing in future offerings and/or obtain funding from future collaborations;
•our operating losses;
•our ability to successfully complete research and development of our drug candidates;
•our ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize products;
•our collaborations and other agreements with third parties, including Roche, BMS, and Novo Nordisk;
•our ability to protect our patents and other intellectual property;
•our ability to hire and retain key employees;
•our ability to maintain financial flexibility and sufficient cash, cash equivalents and investments and other assets capable of being monetized to meet our liquidity requirements;
•the timing, receipt, and amount of any capital investments, cost-sharing contributions or reimbursements, milestone payments, or royalties that we might receive under current or potential future collaborations, including any milestone payments pursuant to our agreement with Novo Nordisk;
•potential disruptions in the U.S. and global capital and credit markets, including by geopolitical conflicts and pandemics;
•government regulation of our industry;
•the volatility of the market price of our ordinary shares; and
• business disruptions.
Summary of Risks Affecting Our Business
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. The following summary highlights some of the risks you should consider with respect to our business and prospects. These risks are described more fully in Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K which includes a more complete discussion of the risks summarized below as well as a discussion of other risks related to our business, our prospects, and your investment.
•We anticipate that we will incur losses for the foreseeable future and we may never sustain profitability.
•We will require additional capital to fund our operations, and if we are unable to obtain such capital, we will be unable to successfully develop and commercialize drug candidates.
•Our success is largely dependent on the success of our research and development programs; our drug candidates are in various stages of development and we may not be able to successfully discover, develop, obtain regulatory approval for, or commercialize any drug candidates.
•We have entered into agreements to develop and bring to market drug candidates with Roche, BMS, and Novo Nordisk and may enter into additional agreements in the future, and we might not realize the anticipated benefits of such agreements including receiving anticipated milestone payments pursuant to these agreements.
•If clinical trials of our drug candidates are prolonged, delayed, suspended, or terminated, we may be unable to commercialize our drug candidates on a timely basis, which would require us to incur additional costs and delay our receipt of any revenue from potential product sales.
•Even if any of our drug candidates receives regulatory approval, if such approved product does not achieve broad market acceptance, the revenues that we generate from sales of the product will be limited.
•If we are unable to adequately protect or enforce the intellectual property relating to our drug candidates our ability to successfully commercialize our drug candidates will be harmed.
•Our future success depends on our ability to retain key personnel and to attract, retain, and motivate qualified personnel.
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
Prothena Corporation plc (“Prothena” or the “Company”) is a late-stage clinical biotechnology company with expertise in protein dysregulation and a pipeline of investigational therapeutics with the potential to change the course of devastating neurodegenerative and rare peripheral amyloid diseases.
Fueled by our deep scientific expertise built over decades of research, we are advancing a pipeline of therapeutic candidates for a number of indications and novel targets for which our ability to integrate scientific insights around neurological dysfunction and the biology of misfolded proteins can be leveraged. Our wholly-owned programs include birtamimab for the potential treatment of AL amyloidosis, and a portfolio of programs for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease including PRX012, which targets amyloid beta (Aβ), and PRX123, a novel dual Aβ-tau vaccine. Our partnered programs include prasinezumab for the potential treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other related synucleinopathies that targets alpha-synuclein in collaboration with Roche. In addition, we have partnered BMS-986446 (formerly PRX005) for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease that targets tau and PRX019 for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases with an undisclosed target in two separate license agreements with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). We are also entitled to certain potential milestone payments pursuant to the Company’s share purchase agreement with Novo Nordisk pertaining to the Company’s ATTR amyloidosis business (inclusive of coramitug, formerly PRX004).
We were formed on September 26, 2012, under the laws of Ireland and re-registered as an Irish public limited company on October 25, 2012. Our ordinary shares began trading on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “PRTA” on December 21, 2012, and currently trade on The Nasdaq Global Select Market.
Our Strategy
Our goal is to be a leading biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies to treat diseases caused by protein dysregulation.
Under certain pathological conditions, the process by which proteins fold into specific conformations to carry out their intended biological activities becomes dysregulated. When this happens, proteins misfold and propagate many diseases that are not adequately addressed by current therapies. Proteins that misfold and aggregate to form amyloid are associated with a multitude of common and rare human diseases that can gravely damage vital organs. Amyloid can affect any organ in the body. Our pipeline reflects our deep understanding of the contribution of these toxic proteins to the cause and progression of disease. For example, the misfolding and aggregation of the amyloid beta (Aβ) protein leads to a build-up of amyloid in the brain, which scientists believe is the primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by neuronal dysfunction and loss caused by the cell-to-cell spreading of toxic forms of aggregated alpha-synuclein protein. Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR amyloidosis), and AL amyloidosis arerare, progressive and fatal diseases, characterized by deposition of aggregated misfolded transthyretin and light chain proteins, respectively, in vital organs such as the heart.
We leverage pioneering protein dysregulation science to develop novel therapeutic solutions that directly target pathogenic proteins in order to change the course of devastating neurodegenerative and rare peripheral amyloid diseases. We are advancing a broad pipeline of therapies with novel mechanisms of action that are uniquely suited to address unmet medical needs in targeted patient populations.
Our plan is to become a fully integrated research, development, and commercial biotechnology company. We are currently conducting the registration-enabling confirmatory Phase 3 AFFIRM-AL clinical trial evaluating birtamimab in Mayo Stage IV patients with AL amyloidosis being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement with FDA with significance level of p≤0.10., In December 2024, our partner Roche announced topline results from the Phase 2b PADOVA clinical trial of prasinezumab in patients with early Parkinson’s disease. Roche is further evaluating the data and will work together with health authorities to determine next steps. In addition, there is an early Phase 2 clinical trial ongoing evaluating coramitug (formerly PRX004) in patients with ATTR cardiomyopathy being conducted by Novo Nordisk. In addition, we are advancing a robust portfolio of Alzheimer’s disease programs designed to target the underlying disease pathology. These programs include PRX012, an anti-Aβ antibody designed to be best-in-class and dosed single-injection once-monthly subcutaneously currently in the ongoing Phase 1 ASCENT clinical trials; BMS-986446 (formerly PRX005), an investigational antibody that specifically targets a key epitope within the microtubule binding region (MTBR) of tau, and a potential best-in-class treatment, currently in an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial being conducted by our partner BMS; and PRX123, a dual Aβ-tau
1
vaccine for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. We also recently initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial for PRX-019, a potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases in development in collaboration with BMS.
Key elements of our strategy to achieve our goal are to:
•Concentrate our discovery and development efforts in areas where we have decades of scientific expertise and experience.
We leverage our core scientific expertise and proven protein dysregulation platform to develop novel therapeutics for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative and rare peripheral amyloid diseases.
Our pipeline is advanced by a team with scientific expertise and a track record of discovering and developing innovative, and often first-in-class programs. Our legacy includes fundamental discoveries in the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease biology including identifying and elucidating the role Aβ plays in Alzheimer’s disease pathology and discovering the biological cause of amyloid related imaging abnormalities (“ARIA”). These findings led to the development of a drug discovery and development organization that generated first-in-class clinical candidates in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and AL and ATTR amyloidosis.
Key elements of our biology-directed discovery engine include:
•A focus on pathophysiology-directed targeting focused on targeting proteins with the greatest effect on disease;
•Expert epitope mapping with deep expertise in determining optimal epitopes to be targeted for maximal efficacy; and
•Disease driven antibody engineering for therapeutics engineered to optimally eliminate pathogenic proteins while preserving normal biology.
Once we formulate a novel hypothesis or approach, we determine how to optimally intervene against a known target. We employ a combination of our understanding of normal protein structure, computational antibody design technologies, and an empirical and unbiased screening process to determine the optimal epitope to target on a pathogenic protein. Through our detailed screening process, we attempt to define critical regions of the protein involved in the pathological progression of a particular disease to elucidate key epitopes that are hidden when a protein is normally folded but exposed when a protein misfolds and remains exposed in all of its pathogenic aggregation states, inclusive of deposited amyloid. We engineer our molecules to interact with that epitope in a way that is most likely to intercept or halt the underlying disease process. We do this by designing molecules with a bias toward the pathogenic forms of the protein.We then develop a multitude of antibodies against the target, characterize specific and selective antibodies in vitro, and then use them to test the initial hypothesis in vivo using animal models of disease, assuming such models exist or can be successfully developed. We often rely on the use of preclinical models that have been extensively developed to establish early proof of concept for our programs. We leverage our insight of disease pathology and, when possible, employ biomarker endpoints as a way to detect signals of biological activity. We may elect to start clinical testing in indications that have well-established endpoints in order to demonstrate proof of concept as a basis for further investment in clinical trials, either by us or by potential partners.
Our biology-directed engine aims to produce molecules that specifically and selectively target the toxic, or pathogenic, protein species in order to alleviate their detrimental effects, while - to the furthest extent possible - leaving the native, or healthy, form of the protein unaffected.
We have employed our discovery engine to optimally target key epitopes on misfolded proteins including Aβ, tau, alpha-synuclein, light chain, and transthyretin to relevantly influence biology and achieve clinical benefit across a number of indications.
As a result of decades of our own investigation augmented by the work of others have elucidated that targeting the appropriate epitope, with the optimal binding strength (affinity) in the context of the right clinical design with appropriate endpoints in the right patient population, can result in meaningful clinical benefit. Our track record of combining these elements to discover and develop novel therapeutic candidates has resulted in a robust pipeline advancing multiple late-stage programs.
Today, one of the elements that distinguishes Prothena is that our pipeline has matured beyond demonstrating target engagement via downstream biomarkers. Instead, our internally discovered pipeline has generated multiple proof points that our molecules have successfully influenced biology in a manner that translates into clinical benefit. We’ve most recently
2
demonstrated this in AL amyloidosis, ATTR amyloidosis, and Parkinson’s disease where preclinical findings in our programs have translated to positive clinical data.
•Focus on diseases that lack effective therapies.
We focus on the development of therapies for serious and/or life-threatening diseases that currently lack effective therapies or in areas where current therapies have known limitations. Our efforts in AL amyloidosis, ATTR amyloidosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurological or peripheral amyloid diseases are examples of this.
In Parkinson’s disease, currently approved therapies focus on the alleviation of early motor symptoms without addressing the underlying cause of the disease. We are focusing our efforts to develop a therapeutic with the potential to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease by targeting α-synuclein protein. Synucleins are a family of proteins, of which there are three known members: α-synuclein, β-synuclein, and γ-synuclein. The α- and β-synuclein proteins are found primarily in brain tissue. There is genetic evidence that α-synuclein plays a fundamental role in Parkinson’s disease, and an increasing body of evidence demonstrates that pathogenic forms of α-synuclein can be propagated and transmitted from cell to cell. Our scientists have developed prasinezumab, an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting the pathogenic aggregated form of α-synuclein, that is designed to slow or reduce the neurodegeneration associated with α-synuclein misfolding and/or its transmission. We are developing prasinezumab, in collaboration with Roche, for the potential treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other related synucleinopathies.
AL amyloidosis and ATTR amyloidosis are diseases caused by misfolded, pathogenic forms of light chain (AL) or transthyretin (ATTR) protein that deposit as amyloid in vital organs such as the heart. Current therapeutic approaches seek to reduce the production of new pathogenic AL or ATTR protein in order to slow the formation of new amyloid deposits. However, simply reducing new pathogenic protein production may not be adequate for patients who are at high risk of early mortality due to the substantial existing amyloid deposition in their vital organs. The therapeutic approaches we are developing with birtamimab for AL amyloidosis and coramitug (formerly PRX004) for ATTR amyloidosis, are investigational monoclonal antibodies designed to clear the pathogenic amyloid deposits. Birtamimab and coramitug are designed to target and clear amyloid deposited in organs in order to improve organ function. Current therapies do not adequately address the needs of patients with AL and ATTR amyloidosis who have advanced stages of cardiac disease due to amyloid deposition. Improving survival for these patients is an area of urgent need which directly aligns with birtamimab and coramitug’s differentiated depleter mechanism that targets the amyloid that causes organ dysfunction and failure and puts patients at risk for early mortality.
Moving forward, we intend to advance new discovery-stage therapeutics for other diseases of protein dysregulation with unmet medical needs.
•Pursue strategic business development opportunities and collaborations and leverage external resources.
We capitalize on a foundation of internal discovery efforts augmented by collaborations with academic and industry partners and business development activities to build upon our internally generated pipeline.
Our robust discovery engine generates new targets and compounds that have the potential to treat unmet medical needs. For investigational therapeutic programs targeting broad patient populations that may require large clinical trials and development investment, we may seek to collaborate or license these programs to pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies for development and/or commercialization. Our collaboration with Roche to develop prasinezumab for the potential treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other related synucleinopathies and our global neuroscience R&D collaboration with BMS focused on three proteins implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases are examples of this, as is the acquisition of our ATTR amyloidosis business by Novo Nordisk. Within these types of collaborations, we will evaluate several strategic options for designing and operationalizing early to late-stage development programs. This includes evaluating the option of designing and operationalizing clinical programs ourselves or with a partner.
We also consider opportunities to acquire or license rights or invest in differentiated product candidates or technologies to complement our existing R&D pipeline.
We rely on, and will expand as appropriate, strong internal talent with expertise in our core areas of focus. We also rely on external resources, as needed, to execute efficiently on our clinical development and other business objectives. We engage and collaborate with consultants and advisors with certain scientific, clinical or other functional and/or disease area expertise to
3
help us execute specific activities related to our programs. This may include activities such as testing and characterizing our potential therapeutic candidates and gaining feedback and guidance on our programs through advisory boards.
•Pursue commercialization strategies to maximize the value of our product candidates or future potential products.
As we move our drug candidates through development toward regulatory approval, we will evaluate several strategic options for commercialization. These options include building our own internal sales force; forging partnerships with other pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies, to jointly sell and market the product; pursuing regional licensing agreements in markets where we do not have expertise or infrastructure; and out-licensing or selling the product, whereby another pharmaceutical or biotechnology company sells and markets the product and pays us a royalty on sales. We evaluate options for each product based on a number of factors including commercial synergies and expertise, capital necessary to execute on each option, size of the market to be addressed, and the expertise and terms of potential offers from other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Our collaboration with Roche for the potential commercialization of prasinezumab is an example of this strategy, as is the acquisition of our ATTR amyloidosis business by Novo Nordisk.
Our Research and Development Pipeline
Our clinical research and development pipeline includes six therapeutic antibody programs currently in clinical development: birtamimab for the potential treatment of AL amyloidosis; prasinezumab, in collaboration with Roche, for the potential treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other related synucleinopathies; coramitug, which is being developed by Novo Nordisk, for the potential treatment of ATTR amyloidosis; PRX012 for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease; and BMS-986446 and PRX019, in collaboration with BMS, for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative diseases respectively.
In addition to our clinical development pipeline, we have recently received clearance by the FDA for an investigational new drug (IND) application for PRX123. PRX123 is our Alzheimer’s disease vaccine program and was also granted Fast Track designation from the FDA. We also have a number of discovery- and late-preclinical-stage programs targeting proteins implicated in neurological diseases.
While we are modality agnostic, we have deep expertise in antibody targeting and have developed a diverse pipeline that includes antibody as well as small molecule and vaccine approaches. We believe a diverse portfolio positions us to make an impact on a broad spectrum of diseases and we may also pursue opportunities in other modalities such as gene and cell therapies.
The following table summarizes the status of our research and development pipeline:
4
Birtamimab for the Potential Treatment of AL Amyloidosis
About Birtamimab and AL Amyloidosis
Birtamimab is an investigational humanized antibody that targets toxic misfolded light chain that causes organ dysfunction and failure in patients with AL amyloidosis. AL amyloidosis is a rare, progressive, and typically fatal disease where immunoglobulin light chain proteins produced by clonal plasma cells misfold, aggregate, and deposit as amyloid in vital organs. These toxic aggregates and amyloid deposits cause progressive damage and failure of vital organs, including the heart.
Birtamimab binds to both soluble and insoluble amyloid aggregates in multiple organs and promotes the clearance of amyloid deposits via phagocytosis. This anti-amyloid mechanism of action broadly targets misfolded kappa and lambda light chain to clear deposited amyloid that causes organ dysfunction and failure in patients with AL amyloidosis. Birtamimab is the only investigational therapeutic that has demonstrated a significant survival benefit in a randomized clinical trial in patients with Mayo Stage IV AL amyloidosis. Birtamimab has been granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Mayo Stage IV patients with AL amyloidosis to reduce the risk of mortality and has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by both the FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA).
It is estimated that 200,000 to 400,000 patients globally suffer from this rare disease, with approximately 60,000 to 120,000 (or 30%) of those patients being categorized as Mayo Stage IV. Patients categorized at diagnosis as Mayo Stage IV have poor outcomes with current standard-of-care that aims to reduce the production of new protein but does not directly target and clear the toxic amyloid that deposits in organs. There are currently no approved treatments for AL amyloidosis that have demonstrated a survival benefit in a randomized clinical trial, and there is an urgent unmet medical need for therapies that improve survival in patients at risk for early mortality due to amyloid deposition.
Clinical Development Program for Birtamimab
Birtamimab reacts with a “cryptic” epitope that is exposed on misfolded kappa and lambda light chains that misfold and form amyloid. The epitope is well defined and highly conserved in light chains and exposed from early stages of aggregation throughout amyloid. Preclinical research has demonstrated that birtamimab binds to both soluble and insoluble aggregated kappa and lambda immunoglobulin light chain by recognizing this epitope that is exposed at the earliest stages of abnormal light chain misfolding and through aggregation of deposited amyloid. Our extensive preclinical findings and publications describe two proposed mechanisms of action for birtamimab: binding and neutralization of soluble toxic light chain aggregates, and clearance of amyloid deposits by phagocytosis.
In multiple clinical trials, birtamimab has been shown to be generally safe and well tolerated and has been evaluated in 302 patients receiving monthly intravenous infusions (including 294 patients who received the recommended 24 mg/kg dose), for an average of approximately 15 months.
Confirmatory Phase 3 AFFIRM-AL Clinical Trial Design under SPA Agreement with FDA
Based on further analyses of data from the VITAL clinical trial and multiple in-depth discussions with the FDA, Prothena announced plans in February 2021, to advance birtamimab into the confirmatory Phase 3 AFFIRM-AL clinical trial in patients with Mayo Stage IV AL amyloidosis. AFFIRM-AL is a registration-enabling Phase 3 clinical trial that is being conducted with a primary endpoint of time to all-cause mortality at p<0.10 under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement with the FDA. Patient enrollment is on track in the AFFIRM-AL trial and topline trial results are expected in the second quarter of 2025.
AFFIRM-AL is an ongoing global, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2:1 randomized, time-to-event trial expected to enroll up to 220 newly diagnosed, treatment naïve patients with AL amyloidosis categorized as Mayo Stage IV. Patients receive 24 mg/kg of birtamimab or placebo by intravenous infusion every 28 days, with all patients receiving concurrent standard of care chemotherapy in accordance with the institutional standard of care which includes a bortezomib-containing chemotherapy regimen such as cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (CyBorD). The initiation of daratumumab treatment at randomization is allowed at the discretion of the investigator. The trial has been designed to evaluate the primary endpoint of time to all-cause mortality with a significance level of p<0.10. Secondary endpoints will assess change from baseline to month 9 in functional capacity as measured by 6MWT distance and quality of life as measured by SF-36v2 PCS.
5
Phase 3 VITAL Clinical Trial Results
In June 2023, we announced that results from the Phase 3 VITAL clinical trial were published in Blood, a journal of the American Society of Hematology (“ASH”). The published data demonstrate that in a post hoc analysis of patients with Mayo Stage IV AL amyloidosis, a statistically significant survival benefit of 74 percent was observed for those treated with birtamimab plus standard of care (“SOC”) versus 49 percent in patients on placebo plus SOC at 9 months (HR 0.413, p=0.021).
The article, entitled “Birtamimab plus standard of care in light chain amyloidosis: the phase 3 randomized placebo-controlled VITAL clinical trial”, also demonstrated that patients with Mayo Stage IV AL amyloidosis treated with birtamimab had statistically significant improvements over placebo in a post hoc assessment of two key secondary endpoints, quality of life (assessed with the Short Form-36 version 2 physical component score, SF-36v2 PCS) and cardiac function (assessed with the 6-minute walk test). Patients treated with birtamimab showed a slower decline in quality of life with a mean decrease of 0.75 in the SF-36v2 PCS at 9 months compared to a mean decrease of 5.40 in the SF-36v2 PCS for patients on placebo at 9 months (a mean difference of 4.65 favoring birtamimab; p=0.046). Patients treated with birtamimab after 9 months demonstrated an increase in mean distance of 15.22 meters in the 6-minute walk test, compared to a decrease in mean distance of 21.15 meters for patients on placebo (a mean difference of 36.37 meters favoring birtamimab; p=0.022).
Prasinezumabfor the Potential Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and Other Synucleinopathies
Prasinezumab is an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody that targets alpha-synuclein, a protein found in neurons that can aggregate and spread from cell to cell, resulting in the neuronal dysfunction and loss that causes Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies. Prasinezumab is the focus of our worldwide collaboration with Roche.
The protein α-synuclein is found extensively in neurons and is a major component of pathological inclusions that characterize several neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, which collectively are termed synucleinopathies. While the normal function of α-synuclein is not well understood, the protein normally occurs in a soluble form. In synucleinopathies, the α-synuclein protein can misfold and aggregate to form soluble aggregates and insoluble fibrils that contribute to the pathology of the disease.
There is genetic evidence for a causal role of α-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease. In rare cases of familial forms of Parkinson’s disease, there are mutations in the synuclein protein sequence, or duplication and triplications of the relevant gene leading to overproduction of α-synuclein, which may cause α-synuclein protein to aggregate and form amyloid-like fibrils that contribute to the disease. There is also increasing evidence that this disease-causing α-synuclein can be propagated and transmitted from neuron to neuron, resulting in a spreading of neuronal death. Recent studies in cellular and animal models suggest that the spread of α-synuclein-associated neurodegeneration can be disrupted by targeting aberrant forms of α-synuclein.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system (“CNS”) that affects approximately one in 100 people over the age of 60, with incidence increasing based on an aging population. With an estimated 10 million people living with Parkinson’s disease worldwide today, it is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder and fastest growing neurological disorder. The disease is characterized by the neuronal accumulation of aggregated α-synuclein in the CNS and peripheral nervous system that results in a wide spectrum of worsening progressive motor and non-motor symptoms. While diagnosis currently relies on motor symptoms classically associated with Parkinson's disease, non-motor symptoms may present many years earlier. Current treatments for Parkinson’s disease are symptomatic and only address a subset of symptoms such as motor impairment, dementia or psychosis. Symptomatic therapies do not target the underlying cause of the disease and as the disease progresses and dopaminergic neurons continue to be lost, these drugs lose effectiveness, often leading to debilitating side effects as the disease progresses. There are currently no treatments available that target the underlying cause of the disease. Prasinezumab is designed to block the cell-to-cell transmission of the aggregated, pathogenic forms of alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease, thereby slowing clinical decline. The goal of our approach is to slow the progressive neurodegenerative consequences of disease, a current unmet need.
Clinical Development Program for Prasinezumab
Phase 2b PADOVA Clinical Trial
In December 2024, topline results were announced from the Phase 2b clinical trial (PADOVA) conducted by partner Roche investigating prasinezumab in 586 people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease, treated for a minimum of 18 months while on stable symptomatic treatment. Prasinezumab showed potential clinical effect in the primary endpoint of time to confirmed motor progression, as assessed by ≥5 point increase in Movement Disorder Society – Unified Parkinson’s Disease
6
Rating Scale (“MDS-UPDRS”) Part III score from baseline, with a HR=0.84 [0.69-1.01] and p=0.0657. The effect of prasinezumab was more pronounced in a pre-specified analysis in the population treated with levodopa (75% of participants), HR=0.79 [0.63-0.99] and nominal p=0.0431. Pre-specified supplementary covariate-adjusted analyses of these endpoints demonstrated nominally significant effects on the primary endpoint (HR=0.81 [0.67-0.98]; nominal p=0.0334) and in the levodopa subgroup (HR=0.76 [0.61-0.95]; nominal p=0.0175). Covariates used for adjustment: medication at baseline, H&Y stage, DaT-SPECT, age, sex, baseline dependent parameter. Consistent positive trends across multiple secondary and exploratory endpoints were also observed. Prasinezumab continues to be well tolerated and no new safety signals were observed in the study.
Prasinezumab is the first anti-alpha synuclein antibody to advance into late-stage development. In March 2022, results from the analysis of part 2 of the Phase 2 PASADENA trial of prasinezumab were presented in an oral presentation by Roche at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases (“AD/PD 2022”). Results showed that participants with Parkinson’s disease who were treated with prasinezumab for two years (early-start group) showed slower decline of MDS-UPDRS Part III scores relative to participants treated with placebo in the first year and prasinezumab in the second year (delayed-start group), further supporting a potential effect on delaying motor progression in patients. In October 2024, Roche published results in Nature Medicine from the long term open-label extension of the PASADENA trial, which compared the prasinezumab population with a propensity score-balanced cohort of real-world data (“RWD”) Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (“PPMI”). The data suggests that prasinezumab continued to show reduced motor and functional progression in prazinezumab-treated individuals with early-stage Parkinson’s disease compared to a real-world data arm on MDS-UPDRS Part III score (clinician rated motor examination) OFF and ON symptomatic medication state and MDS-UPDRS Part II score (patient-reported motor experiences of daily living). The Phase 2 PASADENA and Phase 2b PADOVA open-label extension studies will continue in order to further explore the observed effects in both studies. Roche will continue to evaluate the data and work together with health authorities to determine next steps.
Phase 2 PASADENA Clinical Trial
The results from the Phase 1 clinical trial further supported advancing prasinezumab into the Phase 2 PASADENA clinical trial. PASADENA was a two-part Phase 2 clinical trial in early Parkinson's disease patients conducted by Roche. Part 1 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-arm trial and enrolled 316 patients to evaluate the efficacy and safety of prasinezumab in patients over 52 weeks. In part 1, patients were randomized on a 1:1:1 basis to receive one of two active doses (1500 mg or depending on body weight either 3500 mg or 4500 mg) of prasinezumab or placebo via intravenous infusion once every 4 weeks. Patients enrolled in the trial must not have been on dopaminergic therapy and were not expected to require dopaminergic therapy for at least 52 weeks. Part 2 of the trial was a 52-week blinded extension phase in which patients from the placebo arm of the trial were re-randomized onto one of two active doses on a 1:1 basis, so that all participants were on active treatment. Patients who were originally randomized to an active dose will continue at that dose level for the additional 52 weeks. In part 2, patients were allowed to use concomitant dopaminergic therapy. Any patient who medically required initiation of dopaminergic therapy during part 1 had their subsequent data censored for the primary endpoint analysis.
Results from Part 1 of the PASADENA clinical trial were presented in a Top Abstract oral presentation at the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society’s MDS Virtual Conference 2020. While the trial did not meet the primary objective, signals of efficacy on multiple pre-specified secondary and exploratory clinical endpoints, including measures of motor function and biomarkers, were demonstrated in both of the prasinezumab arms when compared to placebo. In PASADENA, prasinezumab significantly reduced decline in motor function by 35% (pooled dose levels) vs. placebo after one year of treatment on the centrally rated assessment of Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III, a clinical examination of motor function. Motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease include slowness of movement (bradykinesia), tremor, rigidity, and gait. Prasinezumab-treated patients also demonstrated a significant delay in time to clinically meaningful worsening of motor progression on the site rated assessment of time to at least a 5-point progression on MDS-UPDRS Part III vs. placebo over one year, with a hazard ratio of 0.82 (pooled dose levels). The trial was designed with 80% power and a one-sided alpha of 0.10 to detect a 37.5% relative between group reduction from baseline to week 52.
The primary endpoint of the trial was the change from baseline in the MDS-UPDRS total score (Parts I, II and III) at 52 weeks in each treatment group vs. the placebo group (pooled dose levels: –14.0%, –1.30, 80% CI=(–3.18, 0.58), p=0.38; low dose level: –21.5%, –2.02, 80% CI=(–4.21, 0.18); and high dose level: –6.6%, –0.62, 80% CI=(–2.82, 1.58)). Signals of efficacy were observed on multiple pre-specified secondary and exploratory clinical endpoints including change from baseline in MDS-UPDRS Part III in prasinezumab-treated patients vs. placebo at 52 weeks by central rating (pooled dose levels: –35.0%, –1.88, 80% CI=(–3.31, –0.45), p=0.09; low dose level: –45.4%, –2.44, 80% CI=(–4.09, –0.78); and high dose level: –24.7%, –1.33, 80% CI=(–2.99, 0.34)) and by site rating (pooled dose levels: –25.0%, –1.44, 80% CI=(–2.83, –0.06), p=0.18; low dose level: –33.8%, –1.88, 80% CI=(–3.49, –0.27); and high dose level: –18.2%, –1.02, 80% CI=(–2.64, 0.61)). MDS-
7
UPDRS Part III is a clinical examination of motor function that assesses motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. Prasinezumab also delayed time to clinically meaningful worsening of motor progression in prasinezumab-treated patients vs. placebo over 52 weeks as demonstrated by site rating of time to at least a 5-point progression in MDS-UPDRS Part III (pooled dose levels: HR=0.82, 80% CI=0.64 to 0.99, p=0.17; low dose level: HR=0.77, 80% CI=0.63 to 0.96; and high dose level: HR=0.87, CI=0.70 to 1.07).
Additional signals of efficacy on bradykinesia and, separately, a digital motor score developed by Roche using a novel smartphone technology further extended the results shown on MDS-UPDRS Part III.
In an analysis of cerebral blood flow, assessed by changes in magnetic resonance-arterial spin labeling (MRI-ASL) in a subset of patients, prasinezumab-treated patients showed improvement in cerebral blood flow in the putamen, an area of the brain associated with the loss of dopaminergic terminals and presence of alpha-synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease, suggesting an impact on the underlying biology implicated in disease progression.
Prasinezumab was found to be generally safe and well tolerated, with the majority of adverse events reported as mild or moderate and similar across placebo and both treatment arms.
Phase 1 Clinical Trials
During 2014, together with Roche, we advanced prasinezumab into clinical development with the initiation of two Phase 1 clinical trials. Results of the first trial, a Phase 1 double-blind, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose trial demonstrated that prasinezumab was safe and well-tolerated in healthy volunteers, meeting the primary objective of the trial. Results of the second trial, a Phase 1b double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple ascending dose trial demonstrated an acceptable safety and tolerability profile at all dose levels tested in patients with Parkinson’s disease, meeting the primary objective of the trial. CNS penetration was demonstrated by a dose-dependent increase in prasinezumab levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and a mean concentration of prasinezumab in CSF of 0.3% relative to serum across all dose levels, which exceeded our expectations based on our preclinical experience. Data from the trial also demonstrated rapid, dose- and time-dependent mean reduction in levels of free serum α-synuclein of up to 97% after a single dose, which were statistically significant (p<0.0001), and maintained following two additional monthly doses.
In June 2018, we published results from the Phase 1b multiple ascending dose trial of prasinezumab in patients with Parkinson’s disease in JAMA Neurology. The paper is entitled “Safety and Tolerability of Multiple Ascending Doses of PRX002/RG7935, an Anti-α-Synuclein Monoclonal Antibody, in Patients with Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.”
License, Development, and Commercialization Agreement with Roche
In December 2013, we entered into the License Agreement with Roche to develop and commercialize certain antibodies that target α-synuclein, including prasinezumab, which are referred to in this report collectively as “Licensed Products.” The License Agreement became effective on January 17, 2014, which triggered an upfront payment to us of $30.0 million from Roche, which we received in February 2014. In July 2017, we announced that the first patient had been enrolled in PASADENA, a global Phase 2 clinical trial of prasinezumab in patients with early Parkinson’s disease. The start of PASADENA triggered a $30.0 million milestone payment from Roche to Prothena, which was earned in the second quarter of 2017. In May 2021, we announced that the first patient had been enrolled in PADOVA, a global Phase 2b clinical trial of prasinezumab in patients with early Parkinson’s disease. The start of PADOVA triggered a $60.0 millionmilestone payment from Roche to Prothena, which was earned in the second quarter of 2021.
Pursuant to the License Agreement, we are collaborating with Roche to develop antibody products targeting α-synuclein. Roche is primarily responsible for developing, obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval for, and commercializing Licensed Products under the collaboration, including prasinezumab. Roche is responsible for the clinical and commercial manufacture and supply of Licensed Products within a defined time period following the effective date of the License Agreement.
We have so far earned $135.0 million of a total $755.0 millionin potential clinical, regulatory and sales milestones. In addition to the $$30.0 million upfront payment and clinical milestone payment of $15.0 million (both in 2014), the clinical milestone payment of $30.0 million in 2017, and the clinical milestone payment of $60.0 million in 2021, Roche is also obligated to pay:
8
•up to $290.0 million upon the achievement of additional development, regulatory and various first commercial sales milestones;
•up to $155.0 million upon the achievement of U.S. commercial sales milestones;
•up to $175.0 million upon achievement of ex-U.S. commercial sales milestones; and
•tiered, high single-digit to high double-digit royalties in the teens based on U.S. and ex-U.S. annual net sales, subject to certain adjustments, with respect to the applicable Licensed Product.
Roche bore 100% of the cost of conducting the research collaboration under the License Agreement during the research term, which expired December 31, 2017. In May 2021, the Company exercised its rights under the terms of License Agreement to receive potential U.S. commercial sales milestone and royalties, in lieu of a U.S. profit and loss share for prasinezumab in Parkinson’s disease. Thus in the U.S. through May 28, 2021, the parties shared all development costs, all of which were allocated 70% to Roche and 30% to the Company, for prasinezumab in the Parkinson’s disease indication. If the Company opts in to participate in co-development and co-funding for any other Licensed Products and/or indications, the parties will share all development and commercialization costs, as well as profits, all of which will be allocated 70% to Roche and 30% to the Company.
In addition, we have an option under the License Agreement to co-promote prasinezumab in the U.S. in the Parkinson’s disease indication. If we exercise such option, we may also elect to co-promote additional licensed products in the U.S. approved for Parkinson’s disease or other indications calling on the same prescriber. Outside the U.S., Roche has responsibility for developing and commercializing the licensed products.
Under the License Agreement with Roche, we granted to Roche an exclusive, worldwide license to develop, make, have made, use, sell, offer to sell, import and export the Licensed Products. The License Agreement continues on a country-by-country basis until the expiration of all payment obligations thereunder. The License Agreement may also be terminated (i) by Roche at will after the first anniversary of the effective date of the License Agreement, either in its entirety or on a Licensed Product-by-Licensed Product basis, upon 90 days’ prior written notice to us prior to first commercial sale and 180 days’ prior written notice to us after first commercial sale, (ii) by either party, either in its entirety or on a Licensed Product-by-Licensed Product or region-by-region basis, upon written notice in connection with a material breach uncured 90 days after initial written notice, and (iii) by either party, in its entirety, upon insolvency of the other party. The License Agreement may be terminated by either party on a patent-by-patent and country-by-country basis if the other party challenges a given patent in a given country. Our rights to co-develop licensed products under the License Agreement will terminate if we commence certain trials for certain types of competitive products. Our rights to co-promote licensed products under the License Agreement will terminate if we commence a Phase 3 trial for such competitive products.
Coramitug (formerly PRX004) for the Potential Treatment of ATTR Amyloidosis
Coramitug is an investigational antibody designed to deplete amyloid associated with disease pathology in hereditary and wild type ATTR amyloidosis, without affecting the native, normal tetrameric form of the protein.
ATTR amyloidosis is a rare, progressive and fatal disease characterized by deposition of abnormal, non-native forms of TTR protein (amyloid) in vital organs. ATTR amyloidosis can be hereditary (hATTR) when caused by a mutation in the TTR gene, or wild-type (wtATTR) when it occurs sporadically. In both forms of the disease, patients can experience a spectrum of clinical manifestations due to deposition of amyloid that can affect multiple organs, most commonly the heart and/or nervous system. The TTR protein is produced primarily in the liver and in its normal tetrameric form serves as a carrier for thyroxin and retinol binding protein (a transporter for vitamin A) and is also implicated in neuroprotective functions.
Wild-type ATTR (wtATTR) occurs sporadically and primarily involves cardiomyopathy. It is estimated that between 400,000 to 1.4 million patients suffer from ATTR-cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). Within this population, between 130,000 to 490,000 patients are estimated to be moderate-to-advanced and categorized as New York Heart Association Class III and IV.
In hereditary ATTR amyloidosis, mutations in the TTR gene causes non-native TTR to accumulate and damage body organs and tissue, such as the peripheral nerves and heart. This results in predominant symptoms of neuropathy (hATTR-PN) and/or cardiomyopathy (hATTR-CM), as well as other disease manifestations. It is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 patients with hATTR worldwide, with approximately 10,000 characterized as hATTR-PN and 40,000 characterized as hATTR-CM.
9
It is generally accepted that, at the time of diagnosis, affected organs in ATTR amyloidosis patients (both hATTR and wtATTR amyloidosis) contain extracellular amyloid deposits. These deposits, together with prefibrillar species, are believed to cause organ dysfunction and failure.
Current therapeutic approaches for ATTR amyloidosis have demonstrated benefit to patients by impacting the biological pathway leading to the formation of amyloid deposits. These approaches are designed to either reduce production of native forms of the TTR protein or bind to TTR and prevent tetramer dissociation but do not target the non-native, pathogenic form of TTR directly.
Coramitug’s proposed mechanism of action is to deplete both circulating non-native TTR to prevent further deposition and deposited amyloid to improve organ function. Coramitug has been shown in preclinical studies to inhibit amyloid fibril formation, neutralize soluble aggregate forms of non-native TTR, and promote clearance of insoluble amyloid fibrils through antibody-mediated phagocytosis. This differentiated depleter mechanism of action could be developed as a monotherapy approach to ATTR amyloidosis and might also complement existing therapeutic approaches which either stabilize or reduce production of the native TTR tetramer.
We completed a Phase 1 clinical trial with coramitug in patients with hereditary forms of ATTR amyloidosis, in which coramitug was demonstrated to be safe and well tolerated. In October 2024, these Phase 1 results were published in Amyloid, the official journal of the International Society of Amyloidosis.
ATTR Amyloidosis Business Acquired by Novo Nordisk
In July 2021, we announced that we and Novo Nordisk entered into a definitive purchase agreement under which Novo Nordisk acquired our clinical stage antibody coramitug and broader ATTR amyloidosis business.
Under the terms of the definitive purchase agreement, Novo Nordisk acquired our wholly-owned subsidiary and gained full worldwide rights to the intellectual property and related rights of our ATTR amyloidosis business and pipeline. The aggregate purchase price consists of an upfront payment and development and sales milestone payments totaling up to $1.23 billion. We have earned approximately $100 million to date.
A Phase 2 clinical trial of coramitug in approximately 99 patients with ATTR amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy is being conducted by Novo Nordisk (NCT05442047).
BMS-986446 (formerly PRX005) for the Potential Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
BMS-986446 is designed to be a best-in-class anti-tau antibody that specifically binds with high affinity the R1, R2, and R3 repeats within the microtubule binding region (“MTBR”) of tau and targets both 3R and 4R tau isoforms. MTBR-tau has been shown in preclinical studies to be involved in the pathological spread of tau. Neurofibrillary tangles composed of misfolded tau proteins, along with amyloid beta plaques, are pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Cell-to-cell transmission of pathogenic extracellular tau and the accumulation of pathogenic tau also correlate with the progression of symptomatology and clinical decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Recent publications suggest that during the course of Alzheimer’s disease progression, tau appears to spread throughout the brain via synaptically-connected pathways; this propagation of pathology is thought to be mediated by tau “seeds” containing the MTBR of tau. Additionally, it has been recently reported that the presence of MTBR fragments in cerebrospinal fluid correlate with dementia stages and tau tangles in Alzheimer’s disease to a higher degree than fragments of other tau regions. In preclinical research, antibodies targeting this region of tau were superior in blocking tau uptake and neurotoxicity, which has been associated with efficacy in relevant animal models. In these preclinical models, BMS-986446 demonstrated significant reduction of intraneuronal tau pathology and progression protection against behavioral deficit in a tau transgenic mouse model and complete blockade of neuronal tau internalization in vitro.
In July 2021, we entered into an exclusive US license agreement for BMS-986446 and we received an associated option exercise fee of $80 million. In July 2023, we entered into an exclusive global license agreement for BMS-986446, which as discussed above supersedes and replaces the US license agreement in its entirety and we received an associated option exercise fee of $55 million. We are eligible to receive regulatory and sales milestone payments of up to $563 million, as well as tiered royalties on annual, worldwide net sales.
10
Phase 1 Clinical Trial
In this first-in-human, randomized, placebo controlled, single ascending dose (“SAD”) clinical trial, healthy volunteers (n=19) were enrolled into three BMS-986446 dose level cohorts (low, medium or high dose) and randomized in a 3:1 drug to placebo ratio. Trial participants received a single dose of BMS-986446 or placebo intravenously (“IV”) and were followed for up to two months. The results of the trial found all three dose level cohorts of BMS-986446 to be generally safe and well tolerated, meeting the Phase 1 SAD trial primary objective. None of the treatment emergent adverse events (“TEAE”) were serious. No clinically relevant changes were observed in other safety parameters. BMS-986446 also met key pharmacokinetic (“PK”) and immunogenicity secondary endpoints. Plasma drug concentrations of BMS-986446 increased in a dose-proportional manner. Furthermore, BMS-986446 exposure in cerebrospinal fluid (“CSF”) was measured in the high dose cohort and based on the robust exposure of BMS-986446 in the CSF (day 29 CSF:Plasma ratio=0.2%), substantial target engagement is expected in the CNS. BMS-986446 had a desirable immunogenicity profile with no persistent BMS-986446-induced antidrug antibodies (“ADA”s) observed.
A multiple ascending dose (MAD) portion of the Phase 1 clinical trial was ongoing at the time BMS acquired the global rights to the program and control of the Phase 1 trial. All program updates going forward, including results from ongoing and any future BMS-986446 clinical trials, will be reported by BMS.
Phase 2 Clinical Trial
In the first quarter of 2024, BMS advanced the anti-tau program BMS-986446 with the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT06268886). This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global, Phase 2 clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of BMS-986446, an anti-MTBR tau monoclonal antibody, in approximately 475 participants with early Alzheimer's disease. Participants will be randomized into one of three treatment arms including placebo, BMS-986446 Dose A, and BMS-986446 Dose B. The primary outcome measure is mean change from baseline to week 76 in Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes (“CDR-SB”).
PRX012 for the Potential Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
PRX012 is an investigational antibody that targets Aβ, or amyloid beta, a protein implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Our scientists have advanced the understanding of the biology of Alzheimer’s disease and made particularly impactful and fundamental discoveries that elucidated the role amyloid plays in the disease.
Monoclonal antibodies targeting key epitopes within the N-terminus of Aβ have demonstrated that reducing amyloid plaque burden is associated with the slowing of clinical decline in Alzheimer’s disease. To address the growing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease with a therapeutic that can be made widely accessible to patients, we have developed highly potent anti-Aβ antibodies that retain or improve key attributes that are thought to underlie the observed efficacy of N-terminally directed therapeutics such as aducanumab, with the aim of offering similar or improved efficacy with convenient subcutaneous dosing regimens. In preclinical studies, our antibodies demonstrated a higher binding strength to amyloid than aducanumab; specifically, our lead candidate with an approximately 10-fold greater affinity/avidity for fibrillar Aβ than aducanumab that also neutralized soluble, toxic (i.e., oligomeric) Aβ species. Preclinical studies also showed that our antibodies recognize Aβ pathology to a greater extent than aducanumab, demonstrating more extensive plaque area binding at lower antibody concentrations, which are estimated to be clinically relevant exposures in the central nervous system following systemic dosing.
We are advancing our lead candidate, PRX012, as a next-generation approach for subcutaneous administration to address the unmet need of millions of patients with presymptomatic or early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. In March 2022, we announced the FDA clearance of the IND for PRX012 and the initiation of a Phase 1 single ascending dose trial to investigate the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and pharmacokinetics of PRX012 in both healthy volunteers and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In April 2022, we announced that the FDA granted Fast Track designation for PRX012 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The FDA’s Fast Track designation program is designed to expedite the development and review of drugs intended to treat a serious condition, such as Alzheimer’s disease, with evidence demonstrating the potential to address an unmet medical need. In January 2024, we announced that topline Phase 1 data from the single ascending dose trial and the initial multiple dose cohort (70 mg) supports single-injection once-monthly subcutaneous treatment and dose escalation. The ongoing Phase 1 trial continues as planned and we expect to report multiple clinical readouts starting in mid-2025 and continuing throughout the year.
11
PRX123, a Dual Aβ-Tau Vaccine for the Potential Treatment and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease
We are developing a dual vaccine, PRX123, which concomitantly targets key epitopes within both the Aβ and tau proteins. Preclinical models suggest that Aβ and tau act synergistically in the development of Alzheimer’s disease; however, the majority of vaccines and passive immunotherapies under development today target only one of these two pathological features.
PRX123 is being developed for the potential prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. In preclinical studies, PRX123 has generated polyclonal responses against key epitopes within the N-terminal of Aβ and a key region of tau to promote amyloid clearance and blockade of tau transmission. Immunohistochemistry using sera from immunized animals demonstrated an appropriate and balanced immune response with antibodies that react to both Aβ plaques and tau tangles at concentrations expected to be reached in CNS following immunization and resultant titer generation.
In March 2022, we delivered an oral presentation at AD/PD 2022 on preclinical data demonstrating that PRX123 generated anti-Aβ and anti-tau antibodies to enable phagocytosis of Aβ and to neutralize tau. These findings provided proof of concept in multiple preclinical species.
In January 2024, we announced that the FDA has cleared the IND application for PRX123 and granted PRX123 Fast Track designation.
PRX019 for the Potential Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases
PRX019 is an investigational antibody for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases in development in collaboration with BMS.
In December 2023, the FDA cleared the IND application for PRX019. In May 2024, we entered into an exclusive global license agreement for PRX019 and we received an associated option exercise fee of $80.0 million. We are eligible to receive development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments of up to $617.5 million as well as tiered royalties on annual, worldwide net sales.
In November 2024, we announced that we had initiated a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and pharmacokinetics of single ascending and multiple doses in healthy adults.
Our Discovery and Preclinical Programs
We are also advancing several discovery and preclinical-stage programs for neurological diseases with significant unmet medical needs.
If promising, we expect to advance our discovery programs into preclinical development. New target discovery will focus on areas where we can bring potential new therapies to patients expeditiously through our internal expertise and resources. Existing late discovery-stage or preclinical-stage programs may be partnered or out-licensed.
Regulation
We anticipate that if we commercialize any products, the U.S. market will ultimately be our most important market. For this reason, the laws and regulations discussed below focus on the requirements applicable to biologic products in the U.S.
Government Regulation
Governmental authorities, including the FDA, the EMA and comparable regulatory authorities in other countries, regulate the development, testing, use, labeling, manufacturing, storage, recordkeeping, reporting, marketing, advertising, promotion, tracking and tracing of pharmaceutical and biological products. The FDA does so under the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and its implementing regulations and guidance for industry, and the U.S. Public Health Service Act and its implementing regulations. Noncompliance with applicable requirements can result in warning and untitled letters, civil and criminal fines and other judicially imposed sanctions, including product seizures, import restrictions, injunctive actions and criminal prosecutions of both companies and individuals. In addition, administrative remedies can involve requests to recall violative products, the refusal of the government to enter into supply contracts; or the refusal to approve pending
12
applications for product approvals until manufacturing or other alleged deficiencies are brought into compliance. The FDA, the EMA and comparable regulatory authorities in other countries also have the authority to cause the revocation of approval of a marketed product or to impose additional labeling or distribution restrictions.
The pricing of pharmaceutical and biological products is regulated in many countries and the mechanism of price regulation varies. In the U.S., while there are limited indirect federal government price controls over private sector purchases of drugs, it is not possible to predict future regulatory action or private sector initiatives on the pricing of pharmaceutical products.
Product Approval
United States. In the U.S., our current drug candidates are regulated as biological products, or biologics. The FDA regulates biologics under the U.S. Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act, the Public Health Service Act and their implementing regulations. Biologics are also subject to other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. The process required by the FDA before biologic product candidates may be marketed in the U.S. generally involves, and is not limited to, the following:
•completion of extensive nonclinical laboratory tests and animal studies, performed in accordance with the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice (“GLP”) regulations;
•submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin and must be updated annually;
•performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the efficacy and safety of the product for each proposed indication, all performed in accordance with FDA’s current good clinical practices (“cGCP”) requirements;
•completion of chemistry, manufacturing and control (“CMC”) processes and procedures to establish the safety and quality of the product in accordance with FDA’s current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”) regulations;
•submission to the FDA of a Biological License Application (“BLA”) for a new biologic, after completion of all required clinical trials;
•satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facilities at which the product is produced and tested to assess compliance with regulatory requirements, including cGMP regulations;
•referral of the BLA to an advisory committee for review, if deemed necessary; and
•FDA review and approval of a BLA for a new biologic, prior to any commercial marketing or sale of the product in the U.S.
Nonclinical tests assess the potential safety and pharmacologic effects of a product candidate in in vitro and/or in vivo studies. The results of these studies must be submitted to the FDA as part of an IND before human testing may proceed. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to manufacture and administer an investigational drug or biologic product to humans. The IND includes the proposed protocol(s) and general investigational plan for human studies. The IND also includes results of nonclinical studies and other human studies, as appropriate, as well as manufacturing information, analytical data and any other available data or literature to support the use of the investigational new drug. An IND must become effective before human clinical trials may be initiated. An IND will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises full or partial concerns or questions related to initiation of the proposed clinical trial(s). In such a case, the IND may be placed on a full or partial clinical hold and the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns or questions before the clinical trial(s) may begin. Accordingly, submission of an IND may or may not result in the FDA allowing a clinical trial(s) to commence as planned.
Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational product to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with cGCPs, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent prior to their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, and the efficacy criteria to be evaluated. A protocol for each clinical trial and any subsequent protocol amendments must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Additionally, approval must also be obtained from each clinical trial site’s Institutional Review Board (“IRB”) before the trials may be initiated, and the IRB must provide oversight of the trials until completed. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and clinical trial results to public registries.
13
The clinical investigation of a pharmaceutical, including a biologic, is generally divided into three phases. Although the phases are usually conducted sequentially, they may overlap or be combined. The three phases of an investigation are as follows:
•Phase 1. Phase 1 includes the initial introduction of an investigational product into humans. Phase 1 clinical trials are typically more closely monitored and may be conducted in patients with the target disease or condition or in healthy volunteers. These studies are designed to evaluate the safety, appropriate dosage, metabolism and pharmacologic actions of the investigational product in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness. During Phase 1 clinical trials, sufficient information about the investigational product’s pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects may be obtained to permit the design of well-controlled Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials. The total number of participants included in Phase 1 clinical trials varies, but is generally in the range of 20 to 80;
•Phase 2. Phase 2 includes controlled clinical trials conducted to preliminarily or further evaluate the efficacy and safety of the investigational product for a specific indication(s) in patients with the disease or condition under study, to determine dosage(s) for further studies, and to identify possible adverse side effects and safety risks associated with the product. Phase 2 clinical trials are typically well-controlled, closely monitored, and conducted in a patient population, usually involving no more than several hundred participants; and
•Phase 3. Phase 3 clinical trials are generally well controlled clinical trials conducted in an expanded patient population generally at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. They are performed after preliminary evidence suggesting effectiveness and safety of the product has been obtained, and are intended to further evaluate efficacy and safety, to establish the overall benefit-risk relationship of the investigational product, and to provide an adequate basis for product approval. Phase 3 clinical trials usually involve several hundred to several thousand participants.
The clinical trial process can take many years to complete, and there can be no assurance that the data collected will support FDA approval of the product. During all phases of clinical development, regulatory agencies require extensive monitoring of clinical activities, clinical data, and clinical trial investigators. Clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all. The FDA may place clinical trials on hold at any point in this process if, among other reasons, it concludes that clinical subjects are being exposed to an unreasonable and significant health risk or illness or injury. Trials may also be terminated by IRBs, which must review and approve all research involving human subjects. Side effects or adverse events that are reported during clinical trials can delay, impede or prevent further clinical testing and/or marketing authorization.
Information including the results of the nonclinical and clinical testing, and the chemistry, manufacturing and controls of the product are evaluated and, if determined to be adequate, submitted to the FDA to support the proposed product labeling through a BLA. The application includes all relevant data available from nonclinical and clinical trials, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacturing, controls and proposed labeling, among other required information. Data from company-sponsored clinical trials intended to test the efficacy and safety of a proposed use of a product, and/or from alternative sources, including studies initiated by investigators may be included in a BLA.
Once the BLA submission has been accepted for filing, the FDA’s goal is to review applications within ten months from the 60 day filing date for Standard Review (for a total of twelve months) or, in the case of Priority Review, six months from the 60 day-filing date (for a total of eight months).
The review process often may be significantly extended by the FDA’s requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA reviews the BLA to determine, among other things, whether the proposed product is safe and effective, which includes determining whether it is safe and effective for its intended use, and whether the product is being manufactured in accordance with cGMP to assure and preserve the product’s identity, strength, quality, potency and purity. The FDA may refer the application to an advisory committee for evaluation and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it typically follows such recommendations.
In certain cases, the FDA may issue a SPA, which is a written agreement between a sponsor and the FDA that indicates concurrence between the parties regarding the adequacy and acceptability of specific design elements and planned analysis for a clinical trial intended to form the basis of a licensing application. An SPA does not indicate FDA concurrence on every detail in a particular trial protocol, and final marketing approval depends upon factors including the efficacy and safety results from the trial, the overall safety profile and an evaluation of the benefit/risk profile for the product candidate as demonstrated across clinical trials for the target patient population.
14
The FDA has four expedited program designations for serious conditions - Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy, Accelerated Approval and Priority Review - to facilitate and expedite development and review of new drugs to address unmet medical needs or provide substantial improvements in the treatment of serious or life-threatening conditions.
The Fast Track designation provides pharmaceutical manufacturers with opportunities for frequent interactions with FDA during the product’s development and for a rolling review of the BLA. A rolling review allows for completed portions of the application to be submitted and reviewed by the FDA prior to submission of the complete application.
The Breakthrough Therapy designation provides sponsors with all of the features of Fast Track designation as well as intensive guidance on implementing an efficient development program for the product and a commitment by the FDA to involve senior managers and experienced review staff in the review. This FDA designation requires preliminary clinical evidence that a product candidate intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition, alone or in combination with other drugs or biologics, demonstrates substantial improvement over currently available therapy on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development.
FDA may grant Accelerated Approval to a product for a serious or life-threatening condition, upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate or intermediate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of approval, the FDA has required the sponsor to conduct post-approval confirmatory trials to verify the clinical benefit. In addition, the FDA requires pre-approval of promotional materials, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the product.
Any biologic product submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with Fast Track or Breakthrough Therapy designation, may also be eligible for priority review. A product is eligible for priority review if it is intended to treat a serious condition, and if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness, among other criteria. For original BLAs, the FDA goal to take action on an application granted Priority Review designation is within six months of the 60-day filing date (compared with ten months under standard review).
After the FDA evaluates the BLA and conducts pre-approval inspections of manufacturing facilities where the candidate product and/or its active pharmaceutical ingredient will be produced, of clinical sites and of the sponsor, if deemed necessary, it may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response Letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the biologic with specific labeling for specific indications. A Complete Response Letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete and the application is not ready for approval. A Complete Response Letter may require additional clinical data and/or an additional Phase 3 clinical trial(s), and/or other significant, expensive and time-consuming requirements related to clinical trials, nonclinical studies or manufacturing. Even if such additional information is submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the BLA does not satisfy the criteria for approval.
The FDA may also require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (“REMS”) plan as a condition of approval to mitigate risks, which could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. A REMS or a separate medication guide, if required, must be submitted to the FDA for review and approval.
The FDA also may impose other conditions for approval including but not limited to, changes to proposed labeling, changes to manufacturing controls and specifications, or a commitment or requirement to conduct one or more post-marketing studies or additional clinical trials. Such post-marketing commitments or requirements may include Phase 4 clinical trials and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization.
European Union. In the EU, our current drug candidates are regulated as biological products, or biologics. The EU regulates biologics under Directive 2001/83/EC, Regulation (EC) No 726/2004, their implementing regulations and scientific guidelines.
In the EU, there are several pathways for marketing approval, depending on the type of product for which approval is sought. Under the centralized procedure, which is mandatory for inter alia, medicinal products (i) derived from certain biotechnology processes, (ii) contain new active substances to treat certain diseases such as auto-immune and other immune dysfunctions, or (iii) designated orphan medicines, a sponsor submits a single application to the EMA and an authorization granted under this procedure is valid in all EEA member states (i.e., the EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway). The centralized procedure is optional for certain other medicines, including medicines that constitute a significant innovation or the authorization of which would be in the interest of patients at EU level. The marketing application is similar to the BLA submitted to the FDA in the U.S. and is evaluated by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (the
15
“CHMP”), the expert scientific committee of the EMA. If the CHMP determines that the marketing application fulfills the requirements for efficacy, safety and quality (equivalent to chemistry, manufacturing and controls in the US), it will submit a favorable opinion to the European Commission (the “EC”). The CHMP opinion is not binding, but is typically adopted by the EC. A marketing application approved by the EC is valid in all EEA member states.
National marketing authorization are available for product candidates not falling within the mandatory scope of the centralized procedure, namely: (i) national authorization procedures, which requires a separate application in and approval determination by each country; (ii) a decentralized procedure, whereby applicants submit identical applications to several countries and receive simultaneous approval; and (iii) a mutual recognition procedure, where applicants submit an application to one country for review and approval, and other countries may accept or reject the decision in the initial country. Regardless of the approval process employed, various regulatory authorities share responsibilities for the monitoring, detection, and evaluation of adverse events post-approval, including national authorities, the EMA, the EC, and the marketing authorization holder.
Post-Approval Requirements
Any products manufactured or distributed by us or on our behalf pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including requirements for recordkeeping, reporting of adverse events, and submitting product deviation reports to notify the FDA of unanticipated changes in distributed products. Additionally, any significant change in the approved product or in how it is manufactured, including changes in formulation or the site of manufacture, generally require prior FDA approval of a supplemental BLA. The packaging and labeling of all products developed by us are also subject to FDA approval and ongoing regulation and oversight.
Sponsors are required to register their facilities with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP standards, which impose, among other things, certain quality processes, manufacturing controls and documentation requirements upon us and our third-party manufacturers in order to ensure that the product is safe, and has the identity, strength, quality, purity and potency characteristics that it purports to have. Certain states also impose requirements on manufacturers and distributors to establish the pedigree of product in the chain of distribution, including some states that require manufacturers and others to adopt new technology capable of tracking and tracing product as it moves through the distribution chain. Noncompliance with cGMP or other requirements can result in issuance of warning or untitled letters, civil and criminal penalties, seizures, and injunctive action, as well as FDA not approving pending supplemental applications or withdrawing prior approvals, and product recalls.
FDA regulations also require, among other things, investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMP requirements and impose reporting and documentation requirements upon us and any third-party manufacturers that we may decide to use. Accordingly, manufacturers and sponsors must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain compliance with cGMP and other aspects of regulatory compliance.
The FDA and other federal and state agencies closely regulate the labeling, marketing and promotion of drugs. While doctors are free to prescribe any product approved by the FDA for any use, a company can only make claims relating to safety and efficacy of a product that are consistent with the FDA approved labeling, and the company is allowed to market a drug only for the particular use(s) approved by the FDA. In addition, any claims we make for our products in advertising or promotion must be appropriately balanced with important safety information and otherwise be adequately substantiated. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in, among other things, adverse publicity, warning or untitled letters, corrective advertising, injunctions, potential civil and criminal penalties, criminal prosecution, and agreements with governmental agencies that materially restrict the manner in which a company promotes or distributes drug products. Government regulators, including the Department of Justice and the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as state authorities, have increased their scrutiny of the promotion and marketing of drugs.
The FDA also enforces the requirements of the U.S. Prescription Drug Marketing Act, which, among other things, imposes various requirements in connection with the distribution of product samples to physicians. Sales, marketing and scientific/educational grant programs must comply with the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute, the U.S. False Claims Act, and similar state laws. Pricing and rebate programs must comply with the Medicaid rebate requirements of the U.S. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. We may also be subject to the U.S. Physician Payment Sunshine Act (the “Sunshine Act”) which regulates disclosure of payments to healthcare professionals and providers.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”), the Irish Criminal Justice (Corruption Offences) Act 2018 (the “Irish Corruption Act”) and the U.K. Bribery Act prohibit companies and their representatives from offering, promising, authorizing or making payments to governmental officials (and certain private individuals under the Irish Corruption Act and
16
the U.K. Bribery Act) for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business abroad. In many countries, the healthcare professionals we interact with may meet the definition of a government official for purposes of the FCPA. Failure to comply with domestic or non-domestic laws could result in various adverse consequences, including possible delay in approval or refusal to approve a product, recalls, seizures, withdrawal of an approved product from the market, the imposition of civil or criminal sanctions and the prosecution of executives overseeing our international operations.
Orphan Drugs
Under the U.S. Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation to drugs intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the U.S., or more than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the U.S. a drug or biologic for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the U.S. for that drug or biologic. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting a BLA. In the U.S., orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages, and user fee waivers. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the drug and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process. The first BLA applicant to receive FDA approval for a particular active ingredient to treat a particular disease with FDA orphan drug designation is entitled to a seven-year exclusive marketing period in the U.S. for that product, for that indication. During the seven-year exclusivity period, the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug for the same orphan indication, except in limited circumstances, such as demonstration of clinical superiority to the product with orphan exclusivity or if FDA finds that the holder of the orphan drug exclusivity has not shown that it can assure the availability of sufficient quantities of the orphan drug to meet the needs of patients with the disease or condition for which the drug was designated. As a result, even if one of our drug candidates receives orphan exclusivity, the FDA can still approve other drugs that have a different active ingredient for use in treating the same indication or disease. In addition, another company may obtain orphan exclusivity for the same drug for the same use before we do, which would block FDA from approving our product until the end of the exclusivity period unless we can demonstrate clinical superiority or the first-approved company is unable to assure supply. Furthermore, the FDA can waive orphan exclusivity if we are unable to manufacture sufficient supply of our product.
In the EU, the EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (“COMP”) grants orphan drug designation to promote the development of products intended for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting not more than five in 10,000 persons in the EU. Additionally, designation is granted for products intended for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a life-threatening, seriously debilitating or serious and chronic condition when, without incentives, it is unlikely that sales of the drug in the EU would be sufficient to justify the necessary investment in developing the drug or biological product or where there is no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention, or treatment, or, if such a method exists, the medicine must be of significant benefit to those affected by the condition. In the EU, a sponsor must apply for maintenance of the orphan drug designation at the time of marketing authorization. If successful, the orphan drug designation entitles the sponsor to ten years of market exclusivity following drug or biological product approval. This period may be reduced to six years if the orphan drug designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity.
Pharmaceutical Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement
Sales of our products will depend, in part, on the extent to which our products will be covered by third-party payors, such as federal, state and other government health care programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations. In order to secure coverage and reimbursement for any product that may be approved for sale, a company may need to conduct additional pharmacoeconomic, real-world, or other outcomes studies to demonstrate the medical necessity, value and cost-effectiveness of the product (in addition to the costs incurred to obtain FDA or other comparable marketing approvals).
A decision by a third-party payor to limit or not cover a product candidate could reduce physician utilization once the product is approved and have an adverse effect on sales, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, a payor’s decision to provide coverage for a product does not imply that adequate reimbursement will be approved at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Further, one payor’s determination to provide coverage for a drug product does not ensure that other payors will also provide coverage and reimbursement for the product, and the level of coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor.
We expect our products, if and when approved, may be eligible for coverage under Medicare, the U.S. federal health care program that provides health care benefits to the aged and disabled. We also expect to participate in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (“MDRP”),which requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to enter into and have in effect a national rebate agreement with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services as a condition for states to receive federal matching funds for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs furnished to Medicaid patients. Under the MDRP, manufacturers must pay a rebate to each state Medicaid program for quantities of products utilized on an outpatient basis (with some exceptions) that are dispensed
17
to Medicaid beneficiaries and paid for by a state Medicaid program. MDRP rebates are calculated using a statutory formula, state-reported utilization data, and pricing data that are calculated and reported by manufacturers on a monthly and quarterly basis to CMS. These data include the average manufacturer price (“AMP”) and, in the case of single source and innovator multiple source products, the best price for each drug.
We also anticipate participating in the 340B drug pricing program in the U.S., which requires participating manufacturers to agree to charge statutorily-defined covered entities no more than the 340B “ceiling price” for the manufacturer’s covered outpatient drugs. These 340B covered entities include health care organizations that have certain federal designations or receive funding from specific federal programs, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantees, and certain types of hospitals and specialized clinics, as well as certain hospitals that serve a disproportionate share of low-income patients. The U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the U.S. Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “ACA”), expanded the 340B program to also include certain children’s hospitals, certain free-standing cancer hospitals, critical access hospitals, certain rural referral centers and certain sole community hospitals, each as defined by ACA. The 340B ceiling price is calculated using a statutory formula, which is based on the AMP and rebate amount for the covered outpatient drug as calculated under the MDRP, and in general, products subject to the MDRP are also subject to the 340B ceiling price calculation and discount requirement. Any changes to the definition of Medicaid AMP and the Medicaid rebate amount also could affect our 340B ceiling price calculation for our products and could negatively impact our results of operations.
U.S. federal law further requires that for a company to be eligible to have its products paid for with federal funds under the MDRP and Medicare Part B programs, as well as to be purchased by certain federal agencies and grantees, it also must participate in the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) Federal Supply Schedule (“FSS”) pricing program. To participate, manufacturers are required to enter into an FSS contract and other agreements with the VA for any covered drugs. Under these agreements, manufacturers must make such products available to the “Big Four” federal agencies—the VA, the Department of Defense (“DoD”), the Public Health Service (including the Indian Health Service), and the Coast Guard—at pricing that is capped pursuant to a statutory federal ceiling price (“FCP”), formula set forth in Section 603 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 (“VHCA”). The FCP is based on a weighted average non-federal average manufacturer price (“Non-FAMP”), which manufacturers are required to report on a quarterly and annual basis to the VA.
Governments and third-party payors have shown significant interest in implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Increasingly, the third-party payors who reimburse patients or healthcare providers, such as the federal healthcare programs described above and private insurance plans, are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices, and are seeking to reduce the prices charged or the amounts reimbursed for medical products. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit a company’s revenue generated from the sale of any approved products. Coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more products for which a company or its collaborators receive marketing approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.
The containment of healthcare costs, including drug pricing, has also become a priority of federal, state and foreign governments action and legislation. For example, in the U.S, there have been several recent Congressional inquiries and proposed federal legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, reduce the cost of drugs under Medicare, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs. This includes the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which included among its provisions a sunset of the provision in the ACA that capped pharmaceutical manufacturers’ rebate liability under the MRDP. Under the ACA, manufacturers’ rebate liability was capped at 100% of the AMP for a covered outpatient drug. As of January 1, 2024, manufacturers’ MDRP rebate liability is no longer capped, potentially resulting in a manufacturer paying more in MDRP rebates than it receives on the sale of certain covered outpatient drugs.
At the state level in the U.S., legislatures are increasingly passing laws and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including limitations on reimbursement, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing, cost disclosure (including disclosures for certain price increases or launches of costly drugs), and transparency measures, and, in some cases, to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. It is likely that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will continue to be adopted in the future, which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, potentially reducing demand for a pharmaceutical manufacturer’s products or adding additional pricing pressure.
18
Other Healthcare Laws
Although we currently do not have any products on the market, if our drug candidates are approved and we begin commercialization, we may be subject to additional healthcare regulation and enforcement by the federal government and by authorities in the states and other jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. These laws extensively govern how pharmaceutical companies, like Prothena, are operated and regulate activities related to pharmaceutical products. These laws and regulations may require administrative guidance to implement. Failure to comply could subject the Company to legal and/or administrative actions, which may include substantial fines and/or penalties; orders to stop non-compliant activities; criminal charges; warning letters; product recalls or seizures; delays in product approvals; and exclusion from participation in government reimbursement programs or contracts as well as limitations on conducting business in applicable jurisdictions.
Such laws include, without limitation:
•The U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, or AKS, which is a criminal law that prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order, or recommendation of, any good or service for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program such as Medicare and Medicaid. The AKS has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand and prescribers, pharmacies, purchasers, and formulary managers on the other, including, for example, consulting/speaking arrangements, discount and rebate offers, grants, charitable contributions, and patient support offerings, among others. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute can result in significant civil monetary penalties and criminal fines, as well as imprisonment and exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs;
•The U.S. federal civil False Claims Act, or the FCA, which may be enforced through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions and imposes significant civil penalties, treble damages and potential exclusion from government healthcare programs against individuals or entities for, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or for making a false record or statement material to an obligation to pay the federal government or for knowingly and improperly avoiding, decreasing or concealing an obligation to pay money to the federal government. Pharmaceutical companies have been investigated and/or subject to government enforcement actions asserting liability under the False Claims Act for a variety of alleged activities, including alleged off-label promotion of drugs, purportedly concealing price concessions in the pricing information submitted to the government for government price reporting purposes, and allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal healthcare programs for the product. FCA liability is potentially significant in the healthcare industry because the statute provides for treble damages and significant mandatory penalties per false or fraudulent claim or statement for violations, which are currently set at $14,308 up to $28,619 per false claim or statement for penalties assessed after January 15, 2025. Further, a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute can serve as a basis for liability under the federal civil False Claims Act. There is also the federal criminal False Claims Act, which is similar to the federal civil False Claims Act and imposes criminal liability on those that make or present a false, fictitious or fraudulent claim to the federal government;
•The U.S. federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which authorizes the imposition of substantial civil monetary penalties against an entity that engages in activities including, among others (1) knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a claim for services not provided as claimed or that is otherwise false or fraudulent in any way; (2) arranging for or contracting with an individual or entity that is excluded from participation in federal healthcare programs to provide items or services reimbursable by a federal healthcare program; (3) violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute; or (4) failing to report and return a known overpayment;
•The U.S. federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, implemented as the Open Payments Program, which requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, among others, to track and report annually to CMS information related to payments and other transfers of value made by that entity to US-licensed physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, anesthesiologist assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse midwives, and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Failure to timely, accurately, and completely submit the required information for all payments, transfers of value and ownership or investment interests may result in civil monetary penalties;
•The U.S. federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) which imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, executing or attempting to execute a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit
19
program, including any third-party payors, knowingly and willfully embezzling or stealing from a healthcare benefit program, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense, and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or representations, or making false statements relating to healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;
•HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, which mandates, among other things, the adoption of uniform standards for the electronic exchange of information in common healthcare transactions as well as standards relating to the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information. These standards require the adoption of administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect such information. In addition, many states have enacted comparable laws addressing the privacy and security of health information, some of which are more stringent than HIPAA. Failure to comply with these laws can result in the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties;
•U.S. state laws that require the reporting of certain pricing information, including information pertaining to and justifying price increases, prohibit prescription drug price gouging; or impose payment caps on certain pharmaceutical products deemed by the state to be “high cost”; and
•Analogous state and foreign laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers, and some state laws require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government, in addition to requiring drug manufacturers to report information related to payments to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures.
Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental and enforcement authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations, or case law interpreting applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, disgorgement, monetary fines, individual imprisonment, additional reporting obligations and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, possible exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
Intellectual Property
We seek to protect our proprietary technology and other intellectual property that we believe is important to our business, including by seeking, maintaining and defending patents. We also rely on trade secrets and know-how to protect our business. We may seek licenses from others as appropriate to enhance or maintain our competitive position.
Our intellectual property is primarily directed to therapeutic product candidates and related methods for the treatment of diseases that involve protein dysregulation, amyloidosis, or neurodegeneration, and other proprietary technologies and processes related to our lead product development candidates.
We own or hold exclusive licenses to a number of issued patents and pending patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, including Patent Cooperation Treaty applications. As of December 31, 2024, our patent portfolio included the following families of patents or patent applications that we own or have exclusively licensed from other parties:
•Approximately 9 patent families related to AL or AA amyloidosis, including our birtamimab program, including a composition of matter patent anticipated to expire 2029 (subject to potential adjustments in patent term as described below);
•Approximately 16 patent families related to passive immunotherapy for Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies, including our prasinezumab program, including a composition of matter patent anticipated to expire in 2032 (subject to potential adjustments in patent term as described below);
20
•Approximately 14 patent families related to passive immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease, including our PRX005 and PRX012 programs; and
•Approximately 20 patent families related to other potential targets of intervention and diseases and other product candidates, including PRX019 and vaccines.
The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the date of filing the non-provisional application. In the U.S., a patent’s term may be lengthened by patent term adjustment, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in granting a patent, or may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over an earlier-filed patent.
The term of a patent that covers an FDA-approved drug may also be eligible for patent term extension, which permits patent term restoration of a U.S. patent as compensation for the patent term lost during diligent clinical development and the FDA regulatory review process, which together are the regulatory review period. The U.S. Hatch-Waxman Act permits a patent term extension of up to five years beyond the expiration of the patent. The length of the patent term extension is related to the length of time the drug is under a regulatory review period. A patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval and only one patent can be extended for each first regulatory review period for a product. Moreover, a patent can only be extended once, and thus, if a single patent is applicable to multiple products, it can only be extended based on one product. Similar provisions are available in Europe and other jurisdictions to extend the term of a patent that covers an approved drug. When possible, depending upon the length of clinical trials and other factors involved in the filing of a BLA or NDA, we expect to apply for patent term extensions for patents covering our product candidates and their methods of use, however, there is no guarantee that the applicable authorities, including the FDA in the United States, will agree with our assessment of whether such extensions should be granted, and if granted, the length of such extensions.
University of Tennessee License Agreement: Under a License Agreement with the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, we have exclusively licensed from the University of Tennessee its joint ownership interest in certain patents jointly owned with us. Those patents relate to our program targeting amyloidosis (birtamimab). Under that sublicensable, worldwide license, we are required to pay to the University of Tennessee an amount equal to 1% of net sales of any product covered by any licensed patent, plus certain additional payments in the event that all or a portion of the license is sublicensed. To date, we have not paid or incurred any royalties to the University of Tennessee under our agreement. The agreement is effective on a country-by-country basis for the longer of (i) a period of twenty years from the effective date of the agreement, or (ii) in each country in which a valid claim for any licensed patent or patent application exists, expiration of such valid claim. The agreement will terminate prior to the end of its term if we become insolvent unless the University of Tennessee elects to allow the agreement to remain in effect. The University of Tennessee may terminate the agreement prior to the end of its term upon our failure to make payment under the agreement within 120 days of notice of such failure or upon our material breach of the agreement, which breach has not been cured within 60 days of written notice of such breach. We may terminate the agreement prior to the end of its term if we have paid all amounts due to the University of Tennessee through the effective date of the termination and provide three months’ written notice to the University of Tennessee or upon material breach of the agreement by the University of Tennessee, which breach has not been cured within 60 days of written notice of such breach.
University of California License Agreement: Under a License Agreement with The Regents of the University of California, we have exclusively licensed from the University of California its joint ownership interest in certain patents jointly owned with us. Those patents relate to our program targeting Parkinson’s disease and other synucleinopathies (prasinezumab). Under that sublicensable, worldwide license, we are required to pay to the University of California an amount equal to 1% of net sales of any product covered by any licensed patent, plus certain additional payments for milestones achieved and sublicense revenue. To date, we have not paid or incurred any royalties to the University of California under our agreement. The agreement is effective until the expiration date of the last to expire licensed patent. The obligation to pay royalties continues on a country-by-country basis until the expiration of the last to expire patent containing a valid claim covering the applicable product. The agreement will terminate prior to the end of its term without prior written notice if (i) we, or third parties on our behalf or at our written urging, file a claim including an assertion that any portion of the licensed patents is invalid or unenforceable, or (ii) upon the filing of a petition for relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code by or against us as a debtor or alleged debtor. The University of California may terminate the agreement prior to the end of its term upon our default, if we fail to cure the default within 60 days of written notice of such default. We may terminate the agreement prior to the end of its term upon a 90 day written notice to the University of California.
21
Elan License Agreement: Under an Amended and Restated Intellectual Property License and Contribution Agreement with Elan and certain of its affiliates, we have exclusively licensed from Elan and those affiliates certain patents and patent applications owned by them, and exclusively sublicensed from Elan and those affiliates certain patents and patent applications owned by Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy. Those licenses are worldwide, fully paid, royalty-free, perpetual and irrevocable, and relate to our program targeting α-synuclein. Subsequent to entering into this Agreement, Elan was acquired by Perrigo Company plc.
Competition
The pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive. Our principal competitors consist of major international companies, all of which are larger and have greater financial resources, technical staff, manufacturing, R&D and marketing capabilities than we have. We also compete with smaller research companies and generic drug and biosimilar manufacturers. The degree of competition varies for each of our programs.
A drug may be subject to competition from alternative therapies during the period of patent protection or regulatory exclusivity and thereafter it may be subject to further competition from generic products or biosimilars. Governmental and other pressures toward the dispensing of generic products or biosimilars may rapidly and significantly reduce, slow or reverse the growth, sales and profitability of any product not protected by patents or regulatory exclusivity, and may adversely affect our future results and financial condition. If we successfully discover, develop and commercialize any products, the launch of competitive products, including generic or biosimilar versions of any such products, may have a material adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations.
Our competitive position depends in part upon our ability to discover and develop innovative and cost-effective new products. If we fail to discover and develop new products, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.
Manufacturing
Birtamimab - Boehringer Ingelheim Biopharmaceuticals GmbH (“BI”) manufactured clinical supplies of our drug candidate birtamimab for our prior Phase 1, Phase 2 (PRONTO) and Phase 3 (VITAL) clinical trials. Rentschler Biopharma SE (“Rentschler”) is our third-party manufacturer of drug substance for our Phase 3 (AFFIRM-AL) clinical trial. Such drug substance manufactured by Rentschler has been demonstrated to be comparable to the drug substance manufactured by BI. Catalent Indiana, LLC (“Catalent Indiana”) is our third-party manufacturer of drug product for our Phase 3 (AFFIRM-AL) clinical trial, and this drug product has been demonstrated to be comparable to the drug product produced by BI. We are dependent on Rentschler and Catalent Indiana to manufacture clinical supplies for our Phase 3 (AFFIRM-AL) clinical trial.
PRX012 - Catalent Pharma Solutions, LLC (“Catalent Pharma”) is our third-party manufacturer for drug substance and Sharp Sterile Manufacturing, LLC (formerly known as “Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing, LLC” and hereinafter referred to as “Sharp Sterile”) is our third-party manufacturer for drug product for our drug candidate PRX012. We are dependent on Catalent Pharma and Sharp Sterile to manufacture clinical supplies for our Phase 1 clinical trials and any subsequent clinical trials for PRX012.
Prasinezumab - BI manufactured clinical supplies of our drug candidate prasinezumab for our completed Phase 1a single ascending dose and Phase 1b multiple ascending dose clinical trials. Roche, with whom we are collaborating on development of prasinezumab, is manufacturing clinical supplies for the ongoing Phase 2 and any subsequent clinical trials for prasinezumab. We are dependent on Roche, and its third-party manufacturers if applicable, to manufacture these clinical supplies.
Coramitug (formerly PRX004) - Rentschler manufactured clinical supplies of our drug candidate coramitug for our completed Phase 1 clinical trial. In July 2021, we sold shares of one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries to Novo Nordisk. In connection with the transaction, Novo Nordisk acquired our ATTR amyloidosis business, including our drug candidate coramitug. We are dependent on Novo Nordisk, and its third-party manufacturers if applicable, to manufacture clinical supplies of coramitug.
BMS-986446 (formerly PRX005) - Catalent Pharma was our third-party manufacturer for drug substance and Sharp Sterile was our third-party manufacturer for drug product for our drug candidate BMS-986446 for our Phase 1 clinical trial. BMS, with whom we are collaborating on development of BMS-986446, is responsible for manufacturing clinical supplies for any subsequent clinical trials for BMS-986446. We are dependent on BMS, and its third-party manufacturers if applicable, to manufacture these clinical supplies.
22
PRX019 - Lonza Ltd (“Lonza”) is our third-party manufacturer for drug substance and drug product for our drug candidate PRX019. We are dependent on Lonza to manufacture clinical supplies for our Phase 1 clinical trial.
Research and Development
Our research and development expenses totaled $222.5 million, $220.6 million, and $135.6 million in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. For more information, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
Employees and Human Capital Management
As of December 31, 2024, we had 163 employees, including 27 holding M.D. and/or Ph.D. degrees. Of our employees, 116 were engaged in research and development activities and the remainder were working in general and administrative areas.
To attract and retain qualified employees, we offer a total rewards package consisting of base salary and cash target bonus, a comprehensive benefit and wellness package, and equity compensation for every employee. An objective of our equity incentive program has been, and continues to be, to align the interests of equity incentive plan participants with those of our shareholders. We benchmark and survey the market to ensure we maintain competitive compensation and benefits programs for our employees.
As of December 31, 2024, we employed approximately 63% women and 37% men, and approximately 43% of our employees are racially or ethnically diverse. Our executive team, including employees at or above the vice president level, includes approximately 44% women, and approximately 26% who are racially or ethnically diverse. These figures were estimated by our human resources department.
The well-being, health, and safety of our employees are integral to the success of our business. We utilize numerous policies and strategies to ensure a safe workplace and laboratory environment, and also provide programs for employee wellness. Additionally, because we have a geographically-dispersed workforce, including remote working arrangements, we have efforts focused on engagement and integration of our existing and new employees.
Our Board of Directors has delegated to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee the responsibility to oversee and monitor our strategies and policies related to human capital management within our workforce.
Information about Segment and Geographic Revenue
Information about segment and geographic revenue is set forth in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report.
Available information
Our principal executive office is at 77 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Block C, Grand Canal Docklands, Dublin 2, D02 VK60, Ireland, and our telephone number at that address is +353-1-236-2500. We are subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, in accordance therewith, file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Such periodic reports, proxy statements and other information are available for inspection and copying at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549 or may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. We also post on the Investors page of our website, www.prothena.com, a link to our filings with the SEC, our Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Conduct, which applies to all directors and employees, and the charters of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees of our Board of Directors. Our filings with the SEC are posted on our website and are available free of charge as soon as reasonably practical after they are filed electronically with the SEC. Please note that information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference in, or considered to be a part of, this report. You can also obtain copies of these documents free of charge by writing or telephoning us at: Prothena Corporation plc, 77 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Block C, Grand Canal Docklands, Dublin 2, D02 VK60, Ireland, +353-1-236-2500, or through the Investors page of our website.
23
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in this Form 10-K, in considering our business and prospects. Set forth below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K and in other documents we file with the SEC are descriptions of certain risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. If any of the following risks, other unknown risks, or risks that we think are immaterial occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, or growth prospects could be adversely impacted, in which case, the market price of our ordinary shares could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment in our ordinary shares. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations.
Risks Relating to Our Financial Position, Our Need for Additional Capital, and Our Business
We anticipate that we will incur losses for the foreseeable future and we may never sustain profitability.
We may not generate the cash that is necessary to finance our operations in the foreseeable future. We incurred net losses of $122.3 million,$147.0 million and $116.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $1.1 billion. We expect to continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future as we:
•support the Phase 3 AFFIRM-AL clinical trial for birtamimab, the Phase 1 clinical trials for PRX012, the Phase 1 clinical trial for PRX019, and potential additional clinical trials for these and other programs, including PRX123;
•develop and possibly commercialize our drug candidates, including birtamimab, PRX012, and PRX123;
•undertake nonclinical development of other drug candidates and initiate clinical trials, if supported by nonclinical data;
•pursue our early stage research and seek to identify additional drug candidates; and
•potentially acquire rights from third parties to drug candidates or technologies through licenses, acquisitions, or other means.
We must generate significant revenue to achieve and maintain profitability. Even if we succeed in discovering, developing, and commercializing one or more drug candidates, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue and we may never be able to achieve or sustain profitability.
We will require additional capital to fund our operations, and if we are unable to obtain such capital, we will be unable to successfully develop and commercialize drug candidates.
As of December 31, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of $471.4 million. The majority of such cash is held in accounts at U.S. banking institutions that we believe are of high quality. Cash held in depository accounts may exceed the $250,000 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits. If such banking institutions were to fail, we could lose all or a portion of those amounts held in excess of such insurance limitations. Although we believe, based on our current business plans, that our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to meet our obligations for at least the next twelve months, we anticipate that we will require additional capital in order to continue the research and development, and eventual commercialization, of our drug candidates. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors that are currently unknown to us, including, without limitation:
•the timing of progress, results, and costs of our clinical trials, including the Phase 3 clinical trial for birtamimab, the Phase 2 clinical trial for prasinezumab being conducted by Roche, the Phase 2b clinical trial for prasinezumab being conducted by Roche, the Phase 2 clinical trial for coramitug (formerly PRX004) being conducted by Novo Nordisk, the Phase 2 clinical trial for BMS-986446 being conducted by BMS, the Phase 1 clinical trials for PRX012, and the Phase 1 clinical trial for PRX019;
•the timing, initiation, progress, results, and costs of these and our other research, development, and possible commercialization activities;
•the results of our research, nonclinical studies, and clinical trials;
24
•the costs of manufacturing our drug candidates for clinical development as well as for future commercialization needs;
•if and when appropriate, the costs of preparing for commercialization of our drug candidates;
•the costs of preparing, filing, and prosecuting patent applications, and maintaining, enforcing, and defending intellectual property-related claims;
•our ability to establish strategic collaborations, licensing, or other arrangements;
•the timing, receipt, and amount of any capital investments, cost-sharing contributions or reimbursements, milestone payments, or royalties that we might receive under current or potential future collaborations;
•the costs to satisfy our obligations under current and potential future collaborations; and
•the timing, receipt, and amount of revenues or royalties, if any, from any approved drug candidates.
We have based our expectations relating to liquidity and capital resources on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of our drug candidates, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenses associated with completing the development and commercialization of our current drug candidates.
In the pharmaceutical industry, the research and development process is lengthy and involves a high degree of risk and uncertainty. This process is conducted in various stages and, during each stage, there is substantial risk that drug candidates in our research and development pipeline will experience difficulties, delays or failures. This makes it difficult to estimate the total costs to complete our clinical trials and to estimate anticipated completion dates with any degree of accuracy, which raises concerns that attempts to quantify costs and provide estimates of timing may be misleading by implying a greater degree of certainty than actually exists.
In order to develop and obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates we will need to raise substantial additional funds. We expect to raise any such additional funds through public or private equity or debt financings, collaborative agreements with corporate partners, or other arrangements. Our ability to raise additional capital, including our ability to secure new collaborations, may also be adversely impacted by global economic conditions, including any disruptions to, and volatility in, the credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide, geopolitical turmoil, and the ongoing conflict in Israel and any potential escalation or geographic expansion of such conflict, which could heighten other risks identified in this report. We cannot assure that additional funds will be available when we need them on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, including pursuant to our Amended Distribution Agreement (as may be further amended from time to time, and as discussed below), substantial dilution to existing shareholders would result. If we raise additional funds by incurring debt financing, the terms of the debt may involve significant cash payment obligations as well as covenants and specific financial ratios that may restrict our ability to operate our business. We may be required to relinquish rights to our technologies or drug candidates or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us in order to raise additional funds through strategic alliances, joint ventures, or licensing arrangements.
If adequate funds are not available on a timely basis, we may be required to:
•terminate or delay clinical trials or other development activities for one or more of our drug candidates;
•delay arrangements for activities that may be necessary to commercialize our drug candidates;
•curtail or eliminate our drug research and development programs that are designed to identify new drug candidates; or
•cease operations.
In addition, if we do not meet our payment obligations to third parties as they come due, we may be subject to litigation claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and distract management and may have unfavorable results that could further adversely impact our financial condition.
25
Our future success depends on our ability to retain key personnel and to attract, retain, and motivate qualified personnel.
We are highly dependent on key personnel, including Dr. Gene G. Kinney, our President and Chief Executive Officer. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain Dr. Kinney or any of our key personnel. The loss of the services of Dr. Kinney or any other person on whom we are highly dependent might impede the achievement of our research, development, and commercial objectives. We do not carry “key person” insurance covering any members of our senior management.
Attracting and retaining qualified scientific and other personnel are critical to our growth and future success. Competition for qualified personnel in our industry is intense. We may not be able to attract and retain these personnel on acceptable terms given that competition. Additionally, we may not be able to integrate and motivate qualified personnel to enable them to succeed in their positions. Failure to attract, integrate, retain, and motivate qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and/or growth prospects.
Our collaborators, prospective collaborators, and suppliers may need assurances that our financial resources and stability on a stand-alone basis are sufficient to satisfy their requirements for doing or continuing to do business with us.
Some of our collaborators, prospective collaborators, and suppliers may need assurances that our financial resources and stability on a stand-alone basis are sufficient to satisfy their requirements for doing or continuing to do business with us. If our collaborators, prospective collaborators or suppliers are not satisfied with our financial resources and stability, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop our drug candidates, enter into licenses or other agreements and on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
The agreements we entered into with Elan involve conflicts of interest and therefore may have materially disadvantageous terms to us.
We entered into certain agreements with Elan in connection with our separation from Elan, which set forth the main terms of the separation and provided a framework for our initial relationship with Elan. These agreements may have terms that are materially disadvantageous to us or are otherwise not as favorable as those that might be negotiated between unaffiliated third parties. In December 2013, Elan was acquired by Perrigo Company plc (“Perrigo”), and in February 2014 Perrigo caused Elan to sell all of its shares of Prothena in an underwritten offering. As a result of the acquisition of Elan by Perrigo and the subsequent sale of all of its shares of Prothena, Perrigo may be less willing to collaborate with us in connection with the agreements to which we and Elan are a party and other matters.
We have been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by business disruptions beyond our control, including outbreaks of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious disease, geopolitical turmoil, earthquakes or other natural disasters, and adverse weather events, including as a result of climate change.
The operational and financial impact of a business disruption beyond our control, such as a public health crisis, geopolitical turmoil, or an adverse weather event has, and could, adversely affect our business in the following ways:
•As we have seen with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious disease or other public health emergencies have historically and may in the future disrupt our operations, including clinical trials, research and nonclinical studies, the manufacture or shipment of both drug substance and finished drug product for drug candidates for preclinical testing and clinical trials, and access to stable credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide. For example, the Phase 3 clinical trial for birtamimab and the Phase 2 clinical trial for prasinezumab conducted by Roche were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of (i) the inability or unwillingness of study participants, site investigators or other study personnel to travel to clinical trial sites or otherwise follow study protocols and (ii) the diversion of healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials.
•Geographic regions where we operate may be affected by war, terrorism, or political instability, and our operations may be vulnerable to disruption, including disturbances to the credit and financial markets (in such region or worldwide), or to services generally, including healthcare services. For example, the Phase 3 clinical trial for birtamimab has clinical trial sites located globally, including in Israel and Eastern Europe, and operations at such clinical trial sites may be disrupted by ongoing conflicts and/or new conflicts, which could result in (i) the inability or unwillingness of study participants, site investigators or other study personnel to travel to such clinical trial sites or otherwise follow study protocols, (ii) the diversion of healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials, or (iii) the complete or partial cessation of operations at such clinical trial sites.
26
•Our key research facility and a significant portion of our operations are in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California, which in the past has experienced severe earthquakes. If an earthquake, other natural disaster, or similar event were to occur and prevent us from using all or a significant portion of those operations or local critical infrastructure, or that otherwise disrupts our operations, it could be difficult or impossible for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. We have disaster recovery and business continuity plans, but they may prove to be inadequate in the event of a natural disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses if our disaster recovery and business continuity plans prove to be inadequate. We do not carry earthquake insurance. Furthermore, third parties upon which we are materially dependent upon, including our clinical trial sites, may be vulnerable to natural disasters or similar events.
•Climate change could have an impact on longer-term natural weather trends. Extreme weather events that are linked to rising temperatures, changing global weather patterns, sea, land and air temperatures, as well as sea levels, rain and snow could result in increased occurrence and severity of adverse weather events.
Any one or more of these force majeure events could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, results of operations, financial condition or business, including the progress of, and timelines for, our nonclinical and clinical development programs, and may create safety challenges for our employees and safe occupancy of our job sites, financial market volatility and significant macroeconomic uncertainty in global markets. Furthermore, any governmental or business actions, or any actions taken by individuals in response to any such events (including mandatory quarantines, travel restrictions, delay in operations of the U.S. FDA and comparable foreign regulatory agency, and interruptions to healthcare services), may divert healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials and development programs.
We may experience breaches or similar disruptions of our information technology systems or data.
Our business is increasingly dependent on critical, complex, and interdependent information technology systems to support business processes as well as internal and external communications. Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems, and those of our current and any future CROs and other contractors, consultants, and collaborators, have been subject to and remain vulnerable to damage from cyberattacks, “phishing” attacks, ransomware, computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war, and telecommunication or electrical failures. Attacks upon information technology systems are increasing in their frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication, and intensity, and are being conducted by sophisticated and organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives and expertise. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we may also face increased cybersecurity risks due to our reliance on internet technology and the number of our employees who are working remotely, which may create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. Furthermore, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or to sabotage systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. We may also experience security breaches that may remain undetected for an extended period. Any breakdown, malicious intrusion, or computer virus could result in the impairment of key business processes or breach of data security, which could result in a material disruption of our development programs and cause interruptions in our business operations, whether due to a loss of our trade secrets or other intellectual property or lead to unauthorized disclosure of personal data of our employees, third parties with which we do business, clinical trial participants, or others. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. In addition, such a breach may require notification to governmental agencies, the media, or individuals pursuant to applicable data privacy and security law and regulations. Such an event could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Changes in and failures to comply with U.S. and foreign privacy and data protection laws, regulations, and standards may adversely affect our business, operations, and financial performance.