Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following risk factors and other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K should be carefully considered. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we presently deem less significant may also impair our business operations. Please see page 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of some of the forward-looking statements that are qualified by these risk factors. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
We face risks related to health epidemics and other widespread outbreaks of contagious disease, which are, and may continue to, delay our ability to complete our ongoing clinical trials and initiate future clinical trials, disrupt regulatory activities and have other adverse effects on our business and operations, including the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has disrupted, and may continue to disrupt, our operations and may significantly impact our operating results. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial disruption in the financial markets and economies, which could result in adverse effects on our business and operations.
Significant outbreaks of contagious diseases, and other adverse public health developments, could have a material impact on our business operations and operating results. In December 2019, a strain of novel coronavirus, COVID-19, causing respiratory illness emerged in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province of China. Since that time, multiple other countries throughout the world, including the United States, have been affected by the spread of the virus. To date, responsive measures such as social distancing, travel bans and quarantines have been put into place in many countries throughout the world, including the United States. These responsive measures have had a significant impact, both direct and indirect, on
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business and commerce worldwide, as worker shortages have occurred, supply chains have been disrupted and facilities and production have been suspended or curtailed.
The spread of COVID-19 and the responsive measures taken to date have limited our access to our facilities, the access of trial participants to clinical sites and caused the majority of our employees to work from home. We continue to monitor the global spread and response of international, national and local authorities of COVID-19 and have put in place and will continue to put in place measures as appropriate and necessary for our business and the safety of our employees. While we expect the pandemic to continue to have an adverse effect on our business and operations, and the pandemic may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, we are unable to predict the extent or nature of the future progression of the COVID-19 pandemic or its effects on our business, operations, financial condition and results of operations at this time.
Furthermore, we have clinical trial sites located in countries that have been affected by COVID-19 that have been and may continue to be disrupted, including the United States. The disruption of our clinical trial sites is having an adverse impact on our clinical trial plans and timelines. For example, we initiated Study 045 to evaluate the ability of ataluren to increase dystrophin protein levels in boys with nmDMD. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our patients were temporarily unable to safely travel to our clinical trial site at the University of California, Los Angeles, which also experienced intermittent discontinuations of certain elective procedures and further complicated our patients’ ability to have final study muscle biopsies performed, which delayed our completion of the trial by approximately six months. The COVID-19 pandemic has also adversely affected our ability to timely enroll patients for our clinical trials which may delay the completion of clinical trials. Such disruptions could result in significant delays or could require us to abandon a clinical trial altogether. For additional information, see the risk factor under “Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of our Products and our Product Candidates” titled, “If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in our clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.”
Our ability to market and promote our products, as well as patient demand for our products may also be impacted. Because access to health care providers and institutions has been limited, we have had to transition to virtual and online promotion to reach existing and potential customers. Healthcare provider and institution restrictions and closures, as well as patient reticence to visit their physicians may also result in a decrease in product prescribing.
Significant suppliers and manufacturing located in countries that have been affected by COVID-19 may also be disrupted, which may affect our ability to procure items that are essential for our research and development activities and may cause disruptions or delays in our sales and commercialization efforts of approved products and clinical trials with respect to product candidates. In addition, our business and operations may be disrupted as resources, components and materials that are essential for our research and development and manufacturing activities may be diverted towards the ongoing efforts to rapidly diagnose, find and distribute a treatment or vaccine for COVID-19 and may not be readily available. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic may also redirect resources with respect to regulatory matters in a way that would adversely impact our ability to progress regulatory approval. For instance, certain of the third-party development and manufacturing organizations that we contract with for analytical testing have prioritized materials and testing kits to support COVID-19 testing, diverted employees to support COVID-19 related programs and reduced their workforce to comply with social distancing requirements imposed in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of this shift in resources, we experienced a delay in generating analytical data needed to respond to questions sent by the EMA regarding our MAA for PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency in the EEA. Following a clock stop extension, we submitted responses to the EMA’s questions. We may also choose to redirect our own resources in a way that may adversely impact or delay certain of our programs. Furthermore, we may face impediments to regulatory meetings and approvals due to measures intended to limit in-person interactions. For additional information, see the risk factor under “Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of our Products and our Product Candidates” titled, “We contract with third parties for the manufacture and distribution of our products and our product candidates, which may increase the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our products or product candidates, such quantities may not meet the applicable regulatory quality standards, or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our commercialization or development efforts. For certain of our product candidates, we may also directly engage in manufacturing, which will require significant expenditures and compliance with FDA’s manufacturing requirements.”
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Further, our own relationships with commercial customers and suppliers could be affected if the government places rated or allocation orders under the Defense Production Act, directly or through higher tier contractors, either with respect to our products or our partners’ supplies or products that may be related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the Defense Production Act provides the president with authority to direct private sector production in, among other circumstances, national emergencies. Once the Defense Production Act is invoked, federal agencies can use it to direct companies to prioritize the sale of goods to the federal government. On March 18, 2020, former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing use of the Defense Production Act to acquire “health and medical resources needed to respond to the spread of COVID-19.” President Biden has also directed that executive agencies consider whether further use of the Defense Production Act is appropriate in support of the COVID-19 response effort.
We cannot foresee if and when the COVID-19 pandemic will be effectively contained, nor can we predict the severity and duration of its impact. If the COVID-19 pandemic is not effectively and timely controlled, we may experience further or prolonged disruption of our clinical trials, third-party suppliers or contract manufacturers, extended closures of facilities, such as clinical trial sites, suppliers, manufacturers and distributors, including single source suppliers, and further delays with respect to regulatory approvals or the commercialization of any current or future products. Such events may materially and adversely affect our business operations and financial condition. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in the financial markets, and may continue to cause such disruptions, which could impact our ability to raise additional funds and has also impacted, and may continue to impact, the volatility of our stock price and trading in our stock. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted economies worldwide, which could result in adverse effects on our business and operations. We cannot be certain what the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be on our business and it has the potential to materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Risks Related to Our Gene Therapy Platform
We may fail to obtain regulatory approval for PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency within our expected timeline or at all.
In July 2017, an end-of-phase 2 meeting was held with the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and the clinical data from two completed PTC-AADC clinical trials, and non-clinical and manufacturing data available to date were reviewed. The FDA provided feedback indicating that the clinical and non-clinical data available to date were sufficient to support a submission for a biologics license application, or BLA, without undertaking additional trials at this time. In late 2019, the FDA requested additional information concerning the use of the commercial delivery system for PTC-AADC in young patients. Based on the FDA input, including with respect to manufacturing, we are preparing a BLA for PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency in the United States, which we anticipate submitting to the FDA in the second quarter of 2021. In April 2018, Agilis held a protocol assistance meeting with the Scientific Advice Working Party of the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, in anticipation of the expected submission of a Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, in the European Union, or EU and received feedback indicating the clinical and non-clinical data available to date were sufficient to support a submission for an MAA without undertaking additional trials or studies at this time. In January 2020, we submitted an MAA to the EMA for PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency in the EEA. However, certain of the third-party development and manufacturing organizations that we contract with for analytical testing have prioritized materials and testing kits to support COVID-19 testing, diverted employees to support COVID-19 related programs and reduced their workforce to comply with social distancing requirements imposed in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of this shift in resources, we experienced a delay in generating analytical data needed to respond to questions sent by the EMA regarding our MAA for PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency. Following a clock stop extension, we submitted responses to the EMA’s questions and we currently expect an opinion from the CHMP in the second quarter of 2021. There is no guarantee that we will be able to make our BLA submission within our expected timeline or that the FDA, upon making our BLA submission, or the EMA would not have additional comments or requirements with respect to the respective submissions that we would be required to address before such applications would be accepted for regulatory review or before obtaining regulatory approval, or that the FDA or the EMA will approve PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency at all. Any delays in obtaining regulatory approval from either the FDA and/or the EMA, or if we never obtain regulatory approval from either the FDA and/or the EMA, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Gene therapies are novel, complex and difficult to manufacture. We could experience manufacturing problems that result in delays in the development or commercialization of our gene therapy product candidates or otherwise harm our business.
The manufacture of gene therapy products and our other gene therapy product candidates, such as PTC-AADC, is technically complex and necessitates substantial expertise and capital investment. Production difficulties caused by unforeseen events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, may delay the availability of material for clinical studies and commercial product for any of our gene therapy product candidates that may receive regulatory approval in the future. We presently contract with third parties for the manufacturing of program materials for our gene therapy product candidates. We plan, however, to begin our own manufacturing of program materials for certain of our gene therapy product candidates at the Hopewell Facility. In connection with our prioritization of expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic, we deferred certain capital expenditures related to the Hopewell Facility, and we now expect cGMP manufacturing of clinical material at this facility to begin in the second half of 2021. To the extent we rely on contract manufacturers, we have personnel with manufacturing and quality experience to oversee our contract manufacturers.
Although we are taking steps to increase our manufacturing capabilities for our gene therapy platform, we currently rely on third-party manufacturers to be capable of providing sufficient quantities of our program materials to meet anticipated clinical trial scale demands. To meet our projected needs for commercial manufacturing, we or the third party from whom we currently obtain our clinical supply of PTC-AADC may need to increase the scale of production and confirm with the applicable regulatory authorities that the commercial material is comparable to the material used in clinical trials in addition to satisfying other regulatory obligations, or we will need to secure alternate suppliers. In general, gene therapy products have only in limited cases been manufactured at scales sufficient for pivotal trials and commercialization. Few pharmaceutical contract manufacturers specialize in gene therapy products and those that do are still developing appropriate processes, controls and facilities for large-scale production. While we believe that there are alternate sources of supply that can satisfy our clinical and commercial requirements, we cannot be certain that we will be able to identify and establish relationships with such sources, if necessary, in a timely manner or at all, and what the terms and costs of such new arrangements would be, or that such alternate suppliers would be able to supply our potential commercial needs. To the extent that we decide to manufacture our own clinical and commercial supply as an alternative source of supply, there is no guarantee that we will be able to cost-effectively produce sufficient quantities of our program materials. Any switch from our current manufacturer would result in a significant delay, would require FDA approval, and cause material additional costs.
As further described in these risks, the manufacturers of pharmaceutical products must comply with strictly enforced cGMP requirements, state and federal regulations, as well as ex-U.S. requirements when applicable. Any failure by us or our contract manufacturing organizations to adhere to or document compliance to such regulatory requirements could lead to a delay or interruption in the availability of our program materials for clinical studies or commercial use, among other consequences. If we or our manufacturers fail to comply with the requirements set forth by the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory authorities, it could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, clinical holds or termination of clinical studies, warning or untitled letters, regulatory communications warning the public about safety issues with a product, import or export refusals, license revocation, seizures, detentions, or recalls of product candidates or product, operating restrictions, criminal prosecutions or debarment, suits under the civil False Claims act, corporate integrity agreements, or consent decrees any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our product candidates and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Due to the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the manufacture of gene therapy products, the FDA issued guidance concerning how sponsors and investigators may address these challenges. This guidance recommended that gene therapy manufacturers perform a risk assessment to identify, evaluate, and mitigate factors that may allow for the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. The FDA specifically recommended that manufacturers consider areas, such as donor assessments, cellular and tissue source materials, manufacturing processes, manufacturing facility controls, product and material testing, and the number of individuals who may receive the product. Per the guidance, risk assessment and mitigation strategies should be submitted to the FDA.
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Any dependence upon others for the manufacture of our product candidates may also adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects, and our ability to commercialize any product candidates that receive regulatory approval on a timely and competitive basis.
We have no experience manufacturing gene therapy products on our own and could encounter problems and delays in establishing our biologics manufacturing facility that could adversely affect our business.
We currently contract, and have in the past contracted, with third parties for the manufacturing of program materials for our gene therapy product candidates. However, we have entered into a lease agreement for office, manufacturing and laboratory space at a facility located in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, or the Hopewell Facility, that we plan to utilize to begin our own manufacturing of program materials for certain of our gene therapy product candidates. The Hopewell Facility requires substantial investment and significant expertise, and our management devotes substantial time to its preparation. While some of our employees have experience with gene therapy manufacturing, we have never manufactured gene therapy product materials as a company and we may encounter unforeseen delays, equipment failure, labor shortages, natural disasters, power failures, transportation difficulties, quality control or other issues, including those resulting from compliance with regulatory requirements, as further described in these risks, that could prevent us from realizing the intended benefits of our manufacturing strategy. In addition, competition for skilled personnel within gene therapy manufacturing is intense and we may not be able to attract and retain these personnel on acceptable terms. Moreover, establishing an operational manufacturing facility may cost more than we currently anticipate. If we experience any problems or delays with the Hopewell Facility, we may need to rely on contract manufacturers for the manufacturing of program materials that we intended to produce ourselves, which may cause additional timing delays due to the availability of contract manufacturers, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. For example, in connection with our prioritization of expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic, we deferred certain capital expenditures related to the Hopewell Facility, and we now expect cGMP manufacturing of clinical material at this facility to begin in the second half of 2021. We currently continue to rely on contract manufacturers for the manufacturing of our gene therapy program materials.
The process for administering PTC-AADC is complex and includes specific specialized requirements that could delay or prevent the regulatory approval of PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency, limit its commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval.
PTC-AADC is administered directly to the putamen in the brain using stereotactic surgery, a brain surgery requiring significant skill and training. There is little experience with such surgeries being used to deliver drugs and for such surgeries being performed on children. Delivery of PTC-AADC to the putamen also requires certain medical devices, which may result in our product candidate being deemed to be a combination product by FDA. This would potentially require additional development work and collaboration with medical device manufacturers, which may delay the submission of product candidate marketing applications and approval. If we are unable to engage with and train sufficient brain surgeons to perform the procedure properly, the availability of PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency could be substantially diminished. The need to train brain surgeons to perform the procedures may also expose us to additional regulatory risks as our interactions with such health care providers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations. For example, if PTC-AADC receives approval in the United States, such interactions would need to comply with FDA’s laws and regulations on product promotion, as well as laws and regulations related to healthcare fraud and abuse. As a result, we will need to invest significant resources to ensure all personnel and contractors are adequately trained on these requirements and to monitor their conduct.
Any contamination in our manufacturing process, shortages of raw materials or failure of any of our key suppliers to deliver necessary components could result in delays in our clinical development or marketing schedules and adversely affect our ability to meet our supply obligations.
Given the nature of biologics manufacturing, there is a risk of contamination. Any contamination could materially adversely affect our ability to produce our gene therapy product candidates on schedule and could, therefore, harm our results of operations and cause reputational damage.
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Some of the raw materials and other components required in our manufacturing process are derived from diverse biologic sources. Such raw materials are difficult to procure and may be subject to contamination or recall. A material shortage, contamination, recall or restriction on the use of biologically derived substances in the manufacture of our product candidates could adversely impact or disrupt the production of clinical material, which could materially and adversely affect our development and commercialization timelines, including with respect to PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency, and our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulatory requirements governing gene therapy products have changed frequently and may continue to change in the future. Such requirements may lengthen the regulatory review process, require us to perform additional studies, and increase our development costs, or may force us to delay, limit, or terminate certain of our programs.
We may experience development problems related to our gene therapy programs that cause significant delays, changes in plans or unanticipated costs, or that cannot be solved. Although numerous companies are currently advancing gene therapy product candidates through clinical trials, to date, the FDA has only approved a limited number of gene therapy treatments, including vector-based gene therapies. In addition, there are also only limited gene therapy products for genetic diseases approved to date in the EU. As a result, it is difficult to determine how long it will take or how much it will cost to obtain regulatory approvals for PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency or our other gene therapy product candidates in any jurisdiction, if at all. Regulatory requirements governing gene therapy products are still evolving and may continue to change in the future. For example, the FDA has issued a number of guidance documents on human gene therapy development. The FDA will likely continue to issue new guidance and replace existing guidance. Similarly, in April 2019 the U.S. National Institutes of Health issued a rule to streamline the oversight of gene therapy protocols and reduce duplicative reporting requirements that are already captured within existing regulatory frameworks. The European Commission may also issue new guidelines concerning the development and marketing authorization for gene therapy medicinal products and require that we comply with these new guidelines. Regulatory review agencies and the new requirements and guidelines they promulgate may lengthen the regulatory review process, require us to perform additional or larger studies, increase our development costs, lead to changes in regulatory positions and interpretations, delay or prevent approval and commercialization of our product candidates or lead to significant post-approval studies, limitations or restrictions. Moreover, while there are significant risks that accompany all development programs, because gene therapy products are a relatively new development, less is known about such products and product candidates. Accordingly, there is an increased risk that such products and product candidates may not perform in clinical or preclinical trials as we expect. Additionally, because gene therapy products are complex, the manufacture of such products and product candidates is more difficult and costly. We may not be able to reliably manufacture such products in accordance with the applicable regulatory requirements in sufficient quantities to support our development programs and, if ultimately approved, commercial supply. Delay, failure or unexpected costs in obtaining, the regulatory approval necessary to bring our product candidates to market, as well as manufacturing difficulties or challenges, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. Even if we do obtain regulatory approval, ethical, social and legal concerns about gene therapy arising in the future could result in additional regulations restricting or prohibiting sale of our products.
In addition, the clinical trial requirements of the FDA, the EMA and other regulatory authorities and the criteria these regulators use to determine the safety and efficacy of a product candidate vary substantially according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use and market of such product candidates. The regulatory approval process for novel product candidates such as ours can be more expensive and take longer than for other, better known or more extensively studied product candidates.
The FDA has established the Office of Tissues and Advanced Therapies within the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, or CBER, to consolidate the review of gene therapy and related products, and has established the Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee to advise the CBER in its review; other international regulatory agencies have also dedicated personnel and/or offices to review gene therapy programs and products.
These regulatory review committees and advisory groups and any new guidelines they promulgate, as well as any unexpected results or manufacturing difficulties, may lengthen the regulatory review process, require us to perform additional studies, increase our development costs, lead to changes in regulatory positions and interpretations, delay or prevent approval and commercialization of our product candidates or lead to significant post-approval limitations or
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restrictions. As we advance our gene therapy product candidates, we will be required to consult with these regulatory and advisory groups and comply with applicable laws, regulations and guidelines. If we fail to do so, we may be required to delay or discontinue development of certain of our product candidates. These additional requirements may result in a review and approval process that is longer than we otherwise would have expected.
For our gene therapy product candidates, we may also pursue alternative approval pathways. For instance, in the EU, we may pursue an exceptional circumstances marketing authorization. If a product candidate is eligible for the grant of a marketing authorization under exceptional circumstances, the authorization would be subject to a requirement for the applicant to implement specific procedures, in particular related to notification of the competent authorities of any safety issue. Such exceptional circumstance marketing authorizations are annually reassessed and after five years, the authorization may be renewed under exceptional circumstances for an unlimited period, or the EMA may decide, on justified grounds relating to pharmacovigilance, to proceed with one additional five-year renewal. If any product we have is approved under the exceptional circumstances process, there is no guarantee that we will be able to maintain such approval. Moreover, our product candidates may not be eligible for exceptional circumstances marketing authorization. By example, the product candidate may not fulfill the qualifying criteria or the EMA may determine that the marketing authorization under exceptional circumstances may not be granted because a conditional marketing authorization is more appropriate. Orphan products are further eligible for approval under exceptional circumstances only if the criteria considered for the approval under exceptional circumstances are fulfilled.
Delays as a result of lengthier regulatory approval process and further restrictions on development or the approval of our gene therapy product candidates can be costly and could negatively impact our or our collaborators’ ability to complete clinical trials and commercialize our current and future product candidates in a timely manner, if at all, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
Our gene therapy product candidates and the process for administering such product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval.
The goal of gene therapy is to be able to correct an inborn genetic defect through one-time administration of therapeutic genetic material containing non-defective gene copies. The gene copies are designed to reside permanently in a patient, allowing the patient to produce an essential protein or ribonucleic acid, or RNA, molecule that a healthy person would normally produce. There is a risk, however, that the new gene copies will produce too much or too little of the desired protein or RNA. There is also a risk that production of the desired protein or RNA will increase or decrease over time. Because the treatment is irreversible, there may be challenges in managing side effects, particularly those caused by overproduction. Adverse effects would not be able to be reversed or relieved by stopping dosing and might require us to develop additional clinical safety procedures. Furthermore, because the new gene copies are designed to reside permanently in a patient, there is a risk that they will disrupt other normal biological molecules and processes, including other healthy genes, and we may not learn the nature and magnitude of these side effects until long after clinical trials have been completed. Accordingly, long-term patient and clinical study subject follow up and associated regulatory reporting may be required for gene therapies to assess delayed adverse events.
There have been several significant adverse side effects in gene therapy treatments in the past, including reported cases of leukemia, immune- and complement-mediated responses, and death seen in other trials using other vectors. While new recombinant vectors have been developed to potentially reduce these side effects, gene therapy is still a relatively new approach to disease treatment and additional adverse side effects could develop. Accordingly, depending on the vector that is used, additional manufacturing, clinical, and preclinical testing may be required, as well as additional analyses, assessments, and potential long-term patient and clinical study subject monitoring and sample testing and associated regulatory reporting. There also is the potential risk of delayed adverse events following exposure to gene therapy products due to persistent biologic activity of the genetic material or other components of products used to carry the genetic material.
Possible adverse side effects that could occur with treatment with gene therapy products include an immunologic or complement-mediated reactions early after administration which, while not necessarily adverse to the patient’s health, could substantially limit the effectiveness of the treatment.
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In addition to any potential side effects caused by any gene therapy product candidate, the administration process or related procedures also can cause adverse side effects. If any such adverse events occur, our clinical trials could be suspended, modified, or terminated or we may be required to interrupt or cease commercial sales of any product candidates that may receive regulatory approval. If in the future we are unable to demonstrate that such adverse events were caused by the administration process or related procedures, the FDA, the European Commission, the EMA or other regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development of, or deny approval of, our product candidates for any or all targeted indications. Even if we are able to demonstrate that all future serious adverse events are not product-related, such occurrences could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial, as well as the receptivity of patients and physicians to try any approved gene therapy products. Moreover, if we elect, or are required, to delay, suspend or terminate any clinical trial of any of our product candidates, the commercial prospects of such product candidates may be harmed and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these product candidates may be delayed or eliminated. Any of these occurrences may harm our ability to develop other product candidates, and may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial conditions and prospects.
Furthermore, if we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by any of our gene therapy product candidates, several potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:
● our reputation may suffer.
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of our gene therapy assets for which we receive marketing approval and could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our gene therapy approach utilizes vectors derived from viruses, which may be perceived as unsafe or may result in unforeseen adverse events. Negative public opinion and increased regulatory scrutiny of gene therapy may damage public perception of the safety of PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency or our other potential gene therapy product candidates and adversely affect our ability to conduct our business or obtain regulatory approvals for PTC-AADC or our other potential gene therapy product candidates.
Because gene therapy remains a novel technology, we face uncertainty as to whether gene therapy will gain the acceptance of the public or the medical community. Even if we obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, the commercial success of our product candidates will depend, in part, on the acceptance of physicians, patients and healthcare payers of gene therapy products in general, and of our product candidates in particular, as medically necessary, cost-effective and safe. Public perception may be influenced by claims that gene therapy is unsafe, and gene therapy may not gain the acceptance of the public or the medical community. In particular, our success will depend in part upon physicians who specialize in the treatment of genetic diseases targeted by our product candidates, if approved, prescribing treatments that involve the use of our product candidates, if approved, in lieu of, or in addition to, existing treatments, if any, with which they are familiar and for which greater clinical data may be available. Even if a product candidate displays a favorable efficacy and safety profile in clinical trials and is ultimately approved, market acceptance of the product candidate will not be fully known until after it is commercialized. More restrictive government regulations or negative public opinion would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and may delay or impair the development and commercialization of our product candidates or demand for any product candidates that receive regulatory approval. For example, earlier gene therapy trials conducted by other organizations have led to several well-publicized adverse events, including cases of leukemia, immune- and complement-mediated adverse events, and death seen in other such organizations’ trials using other vectors. A significant negative development in any other gene therapy program or our failure to satisfy any post-marketing regulatory commitments and requirements to which we may become subject may adversely impact the commercial results and potential of our product candidates. Serious adverse events in our clinical trials, or other clinical trials involving gene therapy products or our competitors’ products, even if not ultimately attributable to the relevant product candidates, and the resulting publicity, could result in increased government
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regulation, unfavorable public perception, potential regulatory delays in the testing or approval of our product candidates, stricter labeling requirements for those product candidates that are approved and a decrease in demand for any gene therapy products for which we obtain marketing approval. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
The insurance coverage and reimbursement status of newly approved products is uncertain. Failure to obtain or maintain adequate coverage and reimbursement for our products candidates, if approved, could limit our ability to market those products and decrease our ability to generate product revenue.
We expect the cost of a single administration of gene therapy products, including PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency, to be substantial. We expect that coverage and reimbursement by government and private payers will be essential for most patients to be able to afford these treatments. Accordingly, sales of any product candidates, if approved, will depend substantially, both domestically and abroad, on the extent to which the prices of such product candidates will be paid by health maintenance, managed care, pharmacy benefit and similar healthcare management organizations, or will be reimbursed by government authorities, private health coverage insurers and other third-party payers. Coverage and reimbursement by a third-party payer may depend upon several factors, including the availability of alternative therapies or a third-party payer’s determination that use of a product is:
● a covered benefit under its health plan;
● safe, effective and medically necessary;
● appropriate for the specific patient;
● cost-effective; and
● neither experimental nor investigational.
Obtaining coverage and reimbursement for a product from third-party payers is a time-consuming and costly process that could require us to provide to the payer supporting scientific, clinical and cost-effectiveness data. We may not be able to provide data sufficient to gain acceptance with respect to coverage and reimbursement.
There is significant uncertainty related to third-party coverage and reimbursement of newly approved products, including potential one-time gene therapies, such as PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency. In the United States, third-party payers, including government payers such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs, play an important role in determining the extent to which new drugs and biologics will be covered and reimbursed. Expensive specialty drugs in particular are often subject to restriction. The Medicare and Medicaid programs increasingly are used as models for how private payers and government payers develop their coverage and reimbursement policies. Currently, there is limited experience with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, coverage of gene therapy product. We cannot be assured that Medicare or Medicaid will cover our product candidates that may be approved or provide reimbursement without restriction and at adequate levels to realize a sufficient return on our investment. Our rebate payments may increase or our prices be adjusted under value-based purchasing arrangements based on evidence-based measures or outcomes-based measures for a patient or beneficiary based on use of our drug. Moreover, reimbursement agencies in the EU may be more conservative than CMS. It is difficult to predict what third-party payers will decide with respect to the coverage and reimbursement for our products for which we obtain marketing approval. Additionally, within Europe, each country has its own reimbursement regime employing various health technology assessment approaches to assess the cost-effectiveness of the product (in the United Kingdom a HTA assessment is conducted by NICE) which may significantly affect the effective access to the market.
We may face competition from biosimilars approved through an abbreviated regulatory pathway or from separate full applications for approval.
Biologics, including our gene therapy product candidates are regulated by the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, or FDCA, and the Public Health Service Act, or PHSA. Biologics require the submission of a BLA and approval by the FDA prior to being marketed in the United States. Historically, a biologic product approved under a BLA was not subject to the generic drug review and approval provisions of the FDCA. However, the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, created a regulatory pathway under the PHSA for the abbreviated approval of biological products that are demonstrated to be “biosimilar” or “interchangeable” with an FDA approved
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biological product. To demonstrate biosimilarity, the biosimilar sponsor must show that the product candidate is highly similar to the reference product, notwithstanding minor differences in clinically inactive components, and that there is no clinically meaningful difference between the biosimilar product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency. In order to meet the standard of interchangeability, a sponsor must demonstrate that the biosimilar product can be expected to produce the same clinical result as the reference product, and for a product that is administered more than once, that the risk of switching between the reference product and biosimilar product is not greater than the risk of maintaining the patient on the reference product.
Such biosimilars would reference biological products approved in the United States. The BPCIA, however, establishes certain protections for reference biologic products. For example, the BPCIA sets up a complex and involved framework for reference and biologic product sponsors to bring patent infringement actions and actions for declaratory judgment. If another company pursues approval of a product that is biosimilar to any biologic product for which we receive FDA approval, we may need to pursue costly and time-consuming patent infringement actions, which may include certain statutorily specified regulatory steps before an infringement action may be brought. We may also need to spend time and money defending an action for declaratory judgement that is brought by the biosimilar product sponsor.
Another protection established by the BPCIA is a period of 12 years of exclusivity for reference products that begins on the date that the reference product was first licensed by FDA. During this time, FDA may not make the licensure of a biosimilar product effective. Biosimilar applications can, however, be submitted for FDA review beginning four years after the date of the reference product’s first licensure. Any of our product candidates that may be approved under BLAs in the future could be reference products for biosimilar marketing applications. As a result, any of our product candidates that may receive regulatory approval may face competition from other biological products that receive regulatory approval pursuant to an abbreviated pathway, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, business, financial condition or prospects.
In addition, the biologic exclusivity period has certain limitations that may limit its ability to protect our product candidates, if approved, from biosimilar or interchangeable product competition. For example, certain changes and supplements to an approved BLA, and certain subsequent applications filed by the same sponsor, manufacturer, licensor, predecessor in interest, or other related entity do not qualify for the 12-year exclusivity period. Moreover, there have been legislative efforts to decrease this period of exclusivity to a shorter timeframe. Future proposed budgets, international trade agreements and other arrangements or proposals may affect periods of exclusivity. Further, even if our biologic product candidates qualify for the BPCIA’s 12-year period of exclusivity, there is a risk that the FDA will not consider our product candidates to be reference products for competing products, potentially creating the opportunity for biosimilar competition sooner than anticipated. Additionally, this period of regulatory exclusivity does not apply to companies pursuing regulatory approval via their own traditional BLA, rather than via the abbreviated pathway. Accordingly, another company could market a competing version of a biological product if the FDA approves a full BLA for such product containing the sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar, once approved, will be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products is not yet fully clear, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing. It is also possible that payers will give reimbursement preference to biosimilars, even over reference biologics, absent a determination of interchangeability.
Similarly, in the EU, another company could gain approval for a competing product based on an MAA with a completely independent data package that includes pharmaceutical tests, preclinical tests and clinical trials.
To the extent we do not receive any anticipated periods of regulatory exclusivity or to the extent the FDA or ex-U.S. regulatory authorities approve any biosimilar, interchangeable, or other competing products, our business would be adversely impacted. Competition that our products may face from biosimilar, interchangeable, or other competing products could materially and adversely impact our future revenue, profitability, and cash flows and substantially limit our ability to obtain a return on the investments we have made in those product candidates. In the United States, this risk has increased in recent years as the FDA and the U.S. government have taken steps to encourage increased biosimilar competition in the market, in an effort to bring down the cost of biologic products.
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Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of our Products and our Product Candidates
If we are unable to continue to execute our commercial strategy for our products, fail to obtain renewal of, or satisfy the conditions of our marketing authorization for our products, or if we experience significant delays in accomplishing such goals, our business will be materially harmed.
We have invested a significant portion of our efforts and financial resources to bring our products to market through research and development, collaborations and acquisitions. Our ability to continue to generate product revenues will depend heavily on the successful commercialization of our products.
As we presently have no patent rights to protect the approved use of Emflaza, we rely on the concurrently running market exclusivity periods currently available to us under the Hatch-Waxman Act and the Orphan Drug Act to commercialize Emflaza for DMD in the United States. Further, we are obligated to complete certain FDA post-marketing requirements in connection with our marketing authorization of Emflaza. Failure to maintain these market exclusivity periods, complete the FDA post-marketing requirements, maintain our marketing authorization for Emflaza in the United States, or timely execute our commercialization plans for Emflaza, would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
While we have obtained marketing authorization for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the EEA, such authorization is subject to annual review and renewal by the European Commission following the annual EMA reassessment as well as the specific obligation to conduct and submit the results of Study 041. For a review of recent developments that have had, and may continue to have, a material adverse effect on our ability to commercialize Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, please review the risk factor titled, “ACT DMD did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint, and there is substantial risk that regulators will not agree with our interpretation of the results of ACT DMD and the totality of clinical data from our trials in Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and results of operations.”
We and our collaborators are currently pursuing further clinical development efforts for our products for other indications. Each genetic disorder has unique genetic and pathophysiological characteristics and we believe that regulators, including the FDA and the EMA, will evaluate the effectiveness of such products for any given indication based on the merits of the clinical efficacy evidence available for such indication. However, because we are developing products for the treatment of multiple indications, there is a risk that negative results in a clinical or pre-clinical trial of a product for one indication, could adversely affect the perception of such product in a different indication. There can be no assurance that regulators, including the FDA and the EMA, will not consider such results when making determinations with respect to our ongoing or future regulatory submissions for marketing authorization of our products for any indication, including the FDA’s Complete Response Letter to our NDA for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD and the EMA’s annual reassessment of our marketing authorization for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, which could have an adverse effect on the outcome of the applicable regulatory review. There can be no assurance that regulators will agree with our interpretation of data from our clinical trials.
If we do not successfully maintain our marketing authorizations for our products, our ability to generate additional revenue will be jeopardized and, consequently, our business will be materially harmed. The success of our products will depend on a number of additional factors, including the following:
● the timing and scope of commercial launches;
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● successful identification of eligible patients;
● effectively competing with other therapies;
● global trade policies;
● a continued acceptable safety profile of the drug;
● protecting our rights in our intellectual property portfolio.
If we do not achieve one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to continue to commercialize our products, either of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The marketing authorization granted by the European Commission for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD is limited to ambulatory patients aged two years and older located in the EEA, which significantly limits an already small treatable patient population, which reduces our commercial opportunity and is also subject to annual reassessment of the benefit-risk balance by the EMA as well as the specific obligation to conduct Study 041, and may be varied, suspended or withdrawn by the European Commission if we fail to satisfy those requirements.
We have obtained orphan drug designations from the EMA and from the FDA for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD because the number of patients who could benefit from treatment with Translarna is small. The marketing label approved by the European Commission further limits the currently treatable patient population to ambulatory nmDMD patients aged two years and older who have been identified through genetic testing as having a nonsense mutation in the dystrophin gene. Prevalence estimates for rare diseases are uncertain due to the uncertainties associated with the methodologies used to derive estimates, such as epidemiology assumptions. It can take many years of experience in rare disease market places before prevalence becomes well characterized. Our estimates of both the number of people who have DMD caused by a nonsense mutation, as well as the subset of people with nmDMD who are ambulatory and at least two years old (and, therefore, satisfy the conditions for treatment under our current product label in the EEA), are based on our beliefs and estimates derived from a variety of sources and may prove to be either incorrect or subject to additional refinement or characterization on a country specific basis over the coming years. Prevalence estimates vary given some degree of variation in the incidence of live male births, the incidence of DMD, the incidence of nonsense mutations and other factors. Information concerning the eligible patient population is generally limited to certain geographies and may not employ definitive measures capable of establishing with precision the actual number of nmDMD patients in such geography. If the market opportunities for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD are smaller than we believe they are, our business
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and anticipated revenues will be negatively impacted. If we decide to seek to expand the approved product label of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the future, the timing of, and our ability to generate, the necessary data or results required to obtain expanded regulatory approval is currently uncertain. Given the small number of patients who have nmDMD, and the smaller number of patients who meet the criteria for treatment under our current marketing authorization, our commercial opportunity is limited. It is critical to the commercial success of Translarna for nmDMD that we successfully identify and treat these patients.
In order to continue to generate revenue from Translarna, we must maintain our marketing authorization in the EEA for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in ambulatory patients aged two years and older, maintain our marketing authorization for Translarna in Brazil from ANVISA, the Brazilian health regulatory authority, for the treatment of nmDMD in ambulatory patients aged five years and older and we also may need to receive marketing authorizations in other territories. The marketing authorization in the EEA is conditional and subject to annual review and renewal by the European Commission following reassessment by the EMA of the benefit-risk balance of the authorization, which we refer to as the annual EMA reassessment, as well as the specific obligation to complete and report the results of Study 041 to the EMA. We expect that as part of the annual EMA assessment, the EMA will consider the ongoing status of Study 041. The final report on Study 041 is to be submitted by us to the EMA by the end of the third quarter of 2022. The marketing authorization was last renewed in June 2020 and is effective, unless extended, through August 5, 2021.
If the EMA determines in any annual renewal cycle that the balance of benefits and risks of using Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD has changed materially or that we have not or are unable to comply with any conditions that have been or may be placed on the marketing authorization, the European Commission could, at the EMA’s recommendation, vary, suspend, withdraw or refuse to renew the marketing authorization for Translarna or require the imposition of other conditions or restrictions. As such, there is ongoing risk to our ability to maintain our marketing authorization in the EEA.
If we are unable to renew our marketing authorization in the EEA during any annual renewal cycle, or if our product label is materially restricted, we would lose all, or a significant portion of, our ability to generate revenue from sales of Translarna, whether pursuant to a commercial or an EAP program, and in all territories, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. See “Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of our Products and our Product Candidates” below for further detail regarding conditional marketing authorizations in the EEA.
Delays or failures in obtaining regulatory approval in the United States, may prevent us from commercializing Translarna for nmDMD in that territory and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired. In the event that the FDA requires us to conduct additional clinical trials in nmDMD which, if successful, may enable FDA review of an NDA submission by us, we would expect to incur significant costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
In the first quarter of 2017, we filed our Translarna NDA for nmDMD with the FDA via the “file over protest” process that allows a company to have its NDA filed and reviewed when there is a disagreement with regulators over the acceptability of the NDA submission. In October 2017, the Office of Drug Evaluation I of the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter for the NDA, stating that it was unable to approve the application in its current form. In response, we filed a formal dispute resolution request with the Office of New Drugs of the FDA. In February 2018, the Office of New Drugs of the FDA denied our appeal of the Complete Response Letter. In its response, the Office of New Drugs recommended a possible path forward for the ataluren NDA submission based on the accelerated approval pathway. This would involve a re-submission of an NDA containing the current data on effectiveness of ataluren with new data to be generated on dystrophin production in nmDMD patients’ muscles. We followed the FDA’s recommendation and collected, using newer technologies via procedures and methods that we designed, such dystrophin data in a new study, Study 045. While we have discussed the procedures and methods for Study 045 with the FDA, the procedures and methods have never previously been utilized in DMD studies and the FDA will need to accept the methods utilized in the study. There is substantial risk that the FDA will not accept the methods used to collect the data in Study 045.
In February 2021, we announced the results of Study 045. Although Study 045 did not meet its pre-specified primary endpoint, we plan to discuss the Study 045 dystrophin results and the totality of existing clinical and real-world data with the FDA to determine if there is a potential path to approval based on these results and data. There is substantial risk that
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the FDA will determine that the results from our clinical trials and existing real-world data are not sufficient to support a marketing approval for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the United States. In that case, as we expect to have data for Study 041 in the third quarter of 2022, and subject to a positive outcome in that study, we would plan to re-submit the NDA at that time.
There is significant risk that we will be unable to obtain FDA approval of Translarna for nmDMD, on a timely basis or at all, and we may be required to perform additional clinical trials, non-clinical studies or CMC assessments or analyses at significant cost. Even if we are able to enroll and fund any such additional trials or studies or complete such assessments or analyses, there is substantial risk that the results would not ultimately support the approval of a re-submission of an NDA in the United States for Translarna for nmDMD. In addition, any such requirement for additional trials would most likely result in our inability to sell Translarna in the United States for a significant period of time, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue from the sales of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD.
Even if we do ultimately receive approval for Translarna in the United States, if such approval is via the accelerated approval pathway, there is a risk that the FDA would not view our completed studies as satisfying the requirement for post-approval confirmatory studies of the product’s clinical benefit. In such an instance, we would potentially need to invest substantial time, effort, and funds into the conduct of such a post-approval study. Moreover, if Translarna is ultimately approved through the accelerated approval pathway, we would be subject to additional regulatory requirements, such as the pre-submission of promotional materials to FDA and potential restrictions, such as distribution restrictions, to assure the product’s safe use. Accelerated approval would also subject us to the risk of expedited FDA withdrawal procedures if we do not conduct required post-approval studies, such studies do not meet FDA’s standards, such studies do not confirm the product’s clinical benefit, or FDA finds that any post market restrictions are inadequate to assure the safe use of the product, among other circumstances. Due to these and other uncertainties, we are unable to estimate the timing or potential for a launch of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the United States or the cost or effort required to receive FDA approval for Translarna and meet FDA’s regulatory requirements both before and after approval. Even if we receive approval for Translarna, there is no guarantee that we would be able to maintain such approval.
The FDA has repeatedly disagreed with our interpretation of the study results for Translarna. In 2010, we filed a NDA for ataluren based on our Phase 2b clinical data, which the FDA refused to file. We filed a formal dispute resolution request concerning this decision in 2011 and, in 2012, the FDA reaffirmed its previous decision to refuse to file the 2010 NDA.
In October 2015, we announced that the primary efficacy endpoint in the ITT population did not achieve statistical significance in ACT DMD. On the basis of our position that the totality of clinical data from ACT DMD and our prior Phase 2b trial support the clinical benefit of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, in December 2015, we submitted our analyses of the ACT DMD data and meta-analysis of the combined ACT DMD and Phase 2b subgroup data to the FDA, as part of our NDA, after commencing our submission on a rolling basis in December 2014.
On February 22, 2016, we received a Refuse to File letter from the FDA stating that our NDA was not sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review in particular because, in the view of the FDA, both the Phase 2b and Phase 3 ACT DMD trials were negative and do not provide substantial evidence of effectiveness and that our NDA does not contain adequate information regarding the abuse potential of Translarna. Additionally, the FDA stated that we had proposed a post-hoc adjustment of ACT DMD that eliminates data from a majority of enrolled patients. In addition, the FDA noted that our NDA does not contain adequate information regarding the abuse potential of Translarna. While other comments and requests were noted in the letter as items to be addressed if the NDA were to be resubmitted, the FDA specified that they were not related to its refusal to file our NDA.
Following the refusal to file of our NDA, we initiated dialogue with the FDA to discuss and clarify the matters set forth in the letter and determine our best path forward. In accordance with the formal dispute resolution process that exists within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of the FDA, we filed a formal appeal of the Refuse to File letter, which was denied in October 2016. In the first quarter of 2017, we filed our Translarna NDA for nmDMD via the FDA’s file over protest regulations. We included additional retrospective and post hoc analyses from our clinical trials with the NDA filed in 2017, including analyses of the 6-minute walk test using alternative statistical and analytical methods and new analyses from the North Star Ambulatory Assessment test, a functional scale designed for boys affected by DMD. Filing over
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protest is a procedural path permitted by FDA regulations that allows a company to have its NDA filed and reviewed when there is a disagreement with regulators over the acceptability of the NDA submission.
In its 2016 Refuse to File letter and in its 2017 Complete Response Letter and its denial of our appeal to the Complete Response Letter, the FDA referenced its prior refusal to file relative to the Phase 2b data and our early discussions with the FDA, reiterating the views previously expressed.
ACT DMD did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint, and there is substantial risk that regulators will not agree with our interpretation of the results of ACT DMD and the totality of clinical data from our trials in Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and results of operations.
In October 2015, we announced that the primary efficacy endpoint in the ITT population did not achieve statistical significance in ACT DMD. We submitted our analyses of the ACT DMD data and meta-analyses of the combined ACT DMD and Phase 2b subgroup data to the EMA to support continuation of our marketing authorization in the EEA, which is subject to annual review and renewal by the European Commission following reassessment by the EMA of the benefit-risk balance of the authorization. The EMA and European Commission did not approve our request for full marketing authorization of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD and, instead, approved the annual renewal of our marketing authorization with the specific obligation to confirm the efficacy and safety of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in ambulatory patients age 5 years or older via Study 041.
Enrolling, conducting and reporting a clinical trial is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we have incurred and expect to continue to incur material costs related to the implementation and conduct of Study 041. We expect that conducting a placebo-controlled trial in nmDMD of this size will be challenging and we have enrolled patients in countries with a different standard of care for nmDMD patients and at clinical trial sites that are inexperienced with nmDMD clinical trials, which may affect our ability to accurately evaluate the study and maintain compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and laws. In addition, we may experience unknown complications with Study 041 and may not achieve the pre-specified endpoint with statistical significance, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain our marketing authorization in the EEA.
There is substantial risk that other regulators in regions where we have not yet sought or are currently seeking marketing authorization will not agree with our interpretation of the results of ACT DMD and the totality of clinical data from our trials in Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue from the sales of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in those applicable territories. In addition, we may not be able to maintain or obtain marketing authorizations in areas where such authorizations are contingent upon decisions of the EMA with respect to our marketing authorization in the EEA.
For additional information, see “Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of our Products and our Product Candidates” below.
If clinical trials of our products or our product candidates fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of the EMA, the FDA or other regulators, or do not otherwise produce favorable results, we may experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of our products or product candidates.
In connection with seeking marketing authorization from regulatory authorities for the sale of any product candidate, we must complete preclinical development and then conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates in humans. Clinical and preclinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is uncertain as to outcome. This is especially true for rare and/or complicated diseases. A failure of one or more clinical or preclinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. Preclinical and clinical studies may reveal unfavorable product candidate characteristics, including safety concerns, or may not demonstrate product candidate efficacy. In some instances, there can be significant variability in safety or efficacy results between different clinical trials of the same product candidate due to numerous factors, including changes in trial procedures set forth in protocols, differences in the size and type of the patient populations, changes in and adherence to the clinical trial protocols and the rate of dropout among clinical trial participants. The outcome of preclinical testing and early clinical trials may not be
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predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and interim results of a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing authorization of their products.
With respect to Translarna, the primary efficacy endpoint in the intent to treat, or ITT, population did not achieve statistical significance in the Phase 2b (completed in 2009) or Phase 3 ACT DMD (completed in 2015) clinical trials of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD. For a review of recent developments that have had, and may continue to have, a material adverse effect on our ability to commercialize Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, please review the risk factor titled, “ACT DMD did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint, and there is substantial risk that regulators will not agree with our interpretation of the results of ACT DMD and the totality of clinical data from our trials in Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and results of operations.”
If the FDA, the EMA and other regulators do not agree with our interpretation of the results of the clinical data from our trials, and, when and if completed, Study 041 and related analyses, or otherwise do not view the results of these trials as favorable; if we are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other testing of our products or product candidates that we develop beyond those that we contemplate; if we are unable to successfully complete our clinical trials or other testing; if the results of these trials or tests are not positive or are only modestly positive; or if there are safety concerns, we may, among other things:
● not be permitted to sell Translarna under some or any reimbursed EAP programs.
If we or our collaborators experience any of a number of possible unforeseen events in connection with clinical trials related to our products or our product candidates, maintenance of our existing marketing authorization for our products and any additional potential marketing authorization or commercialization of our products or our product candidates could be delayed or prevented.
We or our collaborators may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing authorization or commercialize our products or our product candidates, including:
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For example, the Phase 2 Moonfish study, which was evaluating the safety and efficacy of RG7800 under our SMA collaboration, was terminated in December 2016 following a suspension and clinical hold in the first half of 2015 to investigate an eye finding in a 39-week study in cynomolgus monkeys. The suspension and termination of Moonfish resulted in unanticipated delays in the advancement of the SMA program.
Our product development costs will increase if we experience delays in testing or marketing authorizations, and we may not have sufficient funding to complete the testing and approval process for any of our product candidates. We may be required to obtain additional funds to complete clinical trials and prepare for possible commercialization of our products and product candidates. We do not know whether any preclinical tests or clinical trials will begin as planned, will need to be restructured or will be completed on schedule, or at all. Significant preclinical or clinical trial delays also could shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our products or our product candidates and allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do, or impair our ability to successfully commercialize our products or our product candidates, and so may harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our conclusions regarding the activity and potential efficacy of Translarna in nmDMD are primarily based on retrospective, subgroup and meta-analyses of the results of our Phase 2b and ACT DMD clinical trials of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD. Other than with respect to certain of our meta-analyses, results of our analyses are expressed as nominal p-values, which are generally considered less reliable indicators of efficacy than adjusted p-values. In addition, retrospective analyses are generally considered less reliable than pre-specified analyses.
After determining that we did not achieve the primary efficacy endpoint with the pre-specified level of statistical significance in our completed ACT DMD and Phase 2b clinical trials of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, we performed subgroup, retrospective, and meta-analyses. We submitted these analyses to the FDA as part of our NDA, taking the position that the totality of clinical data from these trials support the clinical benefit of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD. In addition, after determining that the primary efficacy endpoint did not achieve statistical significance in ACT DMD or our Phase 2b clinical trial of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, we performed retrospective and subgroup analyses that we believe provide sufficient support for concluding that Translarna was active and showed clinically meaningful improvements over placebo in these trials.
We believe that our reliance upon the additional analyses of the results of these trials was warranted, but the FDA typically does not find a retrospective analysis performed after unblinding trial results to be persuasive because it can result in the introduction of bias if the analysis is inappropriately tailored or influenced by knowledge of the data and actual results.
Some of our favorable statistical data from these trials also are based on nominal p-values that reflect only one particular comparison when more than one comparison is possible. Typically, a trial result is interpreted as being statistically significant if the chance of the same result occurring with the placebo is less than one in 20, resulting in a p-value of less
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than 0.05. Nominal p-values cannot be compared to the typical significance level (p-value less than 0.05) to determine statistical significance without adjusting for the testing of multiple dose groups, end points or analyses of subgroups. Because of these limitations, regulatory authorities typically give greater weight to results from pre-specified analyses and adjusted p-values and less weight to results from post-hoc, retrospective analyses and nominal p-values. A p-value is considered nominal if it is the result of one particular comparison prior to any pre-specified multiplicity adjustment, such as when two active treatments are compared to placebo or when two or more subgroups are analyzed. For example, the p-values in ACT DMD for change from baseline at week 48 in the 6-minute walk test, or 6MWT (which we also refer to as 6-minute walk distance, or 6MWD) and each secondary end point timed function test in the pre-specified subgroup of patients with a baseline 300-400 meter 6MWD had p-values of less than 0.05. The FDA considered these p-values to be nominal because of the sequential testing method we used.
On February 22, 2016, we received a Refuse to File, or RTF, letter from the FDA stating the FDA’s opinion that both the Phase 2b and Phase 3 ACT DMD trials were negative and did not provide substantial evidence of effectiveness and that our NDA did not contain adequate information regarding the abuse potential of Translarna. Additionally, the FDA stated that we had proposed a post-hoc adjustment of ACT DMD that eliminates data from a majority of enrolled patients. Our reliance on nominal p-values for some of our statistical data and our use of retrospective analyses had a negative impact on the FDA’s interpretation of the results of our Phase 2b trial, ACT DMD and the totality of the data from our clinical trials. The FDA reiterated this view in the Complete Response Letter that it sent to us in October 2017 and its denial of our appeal of that letter.
Our reliance on nominal p-values for some of our statistical data and our use of retrospective analyses has also had a negative impact on the EMA’s evaluation of a prior application for continued marketing authorization for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, including delays in timing of the CHMP’s opinion with respect to the annual renewal of our marketing authorization, and could negatively impact regulatory determinations by regulators in other territories with respect to new or existing authorizations.
An unfavorable view of our data and analyses by the FDA and EMA for Translarna has and could continue to negatively impact our ability to obtain or maintain authorizations to market Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD. An inability to obtain new marketing authorizations or maintain our current marketing authorization in the EEA would have a material adverse effect on our revenue from Translarna and would materially harm our business, financial results and results of operations.
Because we are developing products and product candidates for the treatment of diseases in which there is little clinical experience and, in some cases, using new endpoints or methodologies, there is increased risk that the outcome of our clinical trials will not be favorable.
There are no marketed therapies approved to treat the underlying cause of nmDMD. In addition, there has been limited historical clinical trial experience generally for the development of drugs to treat nmDMD and other diseases that we are studying or have studied. As a result, the design and conduct of clinical trials for these diseases, particularly for drugs to address the underlying nonsense mutations causing these diseases in some subsets of patients, is subject to increased risk.
For example, on March 2, 2017, we announced that the primary and secondary endpoints were not achieved in ACT CF, our Phase 3 clinical trial for Translarna in nmCF. As a result, we discontinued our clinical development of Translarna for nmCF at that time.
Prior to the Phase 2b clinical trial of Translarna for nmDMD, there was no precedent of an established trial design to evaluate the efficacy of Translarna in nmDMD over a 48 week duration. In addition, clinical understanding of the methodologies used to analyze the resulting data were also limited. The study design and enrollment criteria for ACT DMD were based on available natural history data of the disease, including third-party data and results from our Phase 2b clinical trial. An evolving understanding in the DMD community has led to a greater appreciation of the optimal window for the 6MWT in assessing physical function. We believe that this factor may have led to the primary efficacy endpoint in the intent to treat population not achieving statistical significance in ACT DMD.
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We faced similar challenges in connection with the designs of our study of Translarna in nonsense mutation aniridia, which did not meet statistical significance, our study of Translarna in nonsense mutation Dravet syndrome/CDKL5, which did not meet its primary endpoint and our study in Emflaza in limb-girdle 2I. In each case, there was limited historical clinical trial experience for the development of drugs to treat the underlying cause of these disorders. Our program for Emflaza in limb-girdle 2I was discontinued in 2019 and our programs for Translarna in nonsense mutation aniridia and Translarna in nonsense mutation Dravet syndrome/CDKL5 were each discontinued in 2020.
If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in our clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.
We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates, including clinical trials related to our splicing, gene therapy, Bio-e, metabolic and oncology programs and studies of PTC299 for COVID-19 as well as studies in our products for maintaining authorizations, label extensions and additional indications.
Many of the indications we are currently pursuing for our products and product candidates are characterized by relatively small patient populations, which could result in slow enrollment of clinical trial participants. In addition, our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for product candidates that could be competitive with our product candidates. As a result, potential clinical trial sites may elect to dedicate their limited resources to participation in our competitors’ clinical trials and not ours, and patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials may instead enroll in clinical trials of our competitors’ product candidates. For example, there is significant competition, including from other companies and governmental organizations, to find a treatment for COVID-19 which may affect the patient enrollment of our studies of PTC299 for COVID-19.
Patient enrollment is affected by other factors including:
● severity of the disease under investigation;
● eligibility criteria for the study in question;
● perceived benefits and risks of the product candidate under study;
● disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic;
● efforts to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials;
● patient referral practices of physicians;
● the ability to monitor patients adequately during and after treatment; and
● proximity and availability of clinical trial sites for prospective patients.
Enrollment delays in our clinical trials may result in increased development costs for our product candidates. Our inability to enroll, timely or at all, a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials for our splicing, gene therapy, Bio-e, metabolic and oncology programs and studies of PTC299 for COVID-19 as well as studies in our products for maintaining authorizations, label extensions and additional indications, or any of our, or our collaboration partners’, other clinical trials would result in significant delays or may require us to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether.
For example, we amended the study design for our proof-of-concept study for Translarna for the treatment of nmMPS I to include patients currently on enzyme replacement therapy, which contributed to delays in site initiation and patient accrual. Despite the protocol amendment, we continued to encounter difficulties identifying qualified patients for this study and stopped the study due to the lack of patients.
If serious adverse side effects are identified during the development or further development of any product candidate or for any product for which we have or may obtain marketing approval, including Translarna and Emflaza, we may need to abandon or limit our development and/or marketing of that product or product candidate.
Our products and product candidates are in clinical or preclinical development, or further development, and their risk of failure is high. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans or will receive regulatory approval. If our products or our product candidates are associated with undesirable side effects
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or have characteristics that are unexpected, regulatory authorities, institutional review boards, institutional biosafety committees, or independent ethics committees may place our studies on clinical hold, withdraw or suspend study approvals, or require that we modify our protocols. We may also need to abandon their development or limit development to certain uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a benefit-risk perspective. Adverse events or side effects may also result in regulatory authorities denying approval of any applications we may submit for marketing approval, limitations on the indicated use of a product, the inclusion of warnings, contraindications, or precautions on the label of any approved products, or significant conditions imposed on any approval, including the requirement of a REMS, costly post-marketing studies or clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the safety of the product. Many compounds that initially showed promise in clinical or earlier stage testing have later been found to cause side effects that prevented further development of the compound.
For example, although we did not observe a pattern of liver enzyme elevations in our Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical trials of Translarna, we did observe modest elevations of liver enzymes in some subjects in one of our Phase 1 clinical trials. These elevated enzyme levels did not require cessation of Translarna administration, and enzyme levels typically normalized after completion of the treatment phase. We did not observe any increases in bilirubin, which can be associated with serious harm to the liver, in the Phase 1 clinical trial.
In addition, in Study 009, our first Phase 3 clinical trial of Translarna for the treatment of nmCF, five adverse events in the Translarna arm of the trial that involved the renal system led to discontinuation. As compared to the placebo group, the Translarna treatment arm also had a higher incidence of adverse events of creatinine elevations, which can be an indication of impaired kidney function. In the Translarna treatment arm, more severe clinically meaningful creatinine elevations were reported in conjunction with cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations. These creatinine elevations were associated with concomitant treatment with antibiotics associated with impaired kidney functions, such as aminoglycosides or vancomycin. This led to the subsequent prohibition of concomitant use of Translarna and these antibiotics, which was successful in addressing this issue in the clinical trial.
In addition, we are obligated to perform certain FDA post-marketing requirements in connection with our marketing authorization of Emflaza in the United States, including pre-clinical and clinical safety studies. If we or others identify previously unknown side effects, whether pursuant to these post-marketing requirements, or otherwise, and in particular if such side-effects are severe, or if known side effects are more frequent or severe than in the past then our marketing authorization for Emflaza may be restricted or withdrawn, changes may be required to the product’s label, sales may be adversely impacted, we may be required to undertake additional studies or trials, and government investigations or litigation, including product liability claims, may be brought against us. Additionally, if the safety warnings in our product labels are not followed, adverse medical situations in patients may arise, resulting in negative publicity and potential lawsuits, even if our products worked as we described. Any of these occurrences would limit or prevent us from commercializing our products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial results and operations.
Our product candidates, including our gene therapy product candidates, may be subject to marketing and distribution restrictions that could limit our ability to successfully market and distribute those products, and limit the ability of physicians to prescribe and administer such products.
Our product candidates, including our gene therapy product candidates, if approved, may be subject to restrictions on product labeling, marketing, distribution, prescribing, and use, which could increase our cost to commercialize such products and decrease our ability to generate product revenue. One such restriction may be risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, or REMS. A REMS may be required to include various elements, such as a medication guide or patient package insert, a communication plan to educate health care providers of the product’s risks, limitations on who may prescribe or dispense the product, or other measures that the FDA deems necessary to assure the safe use of the product. Several gene therapy products that have been approved by FDA have required substantial REMS. For example, Yescarta, which is a cell-based gene therapy approved by FDA in 2017 for adult patients with certain types of large B-cell lymphoma who have not responded to or who have relapsed after at least two other kinds of treatment, is subject to a substantial REMS program. The Yescarta REMS includes requirements for dispensing hospital and clinic certification, training, adverse event reporting, documentation, and audits and monitoring conducted by the sponsor, among other conditions. Similarly, also in 2017, the FDA approved Kymriah, a cell-based gene therapy for the treatment of patients up to 25 years of age with B-
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cell precursor ALL that is refractory or in second or later relapse. This indication was expanded in 2018 to include adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, high grade B-cell lymphoma and DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma. Like Yescarta, Kymriah was approved with a REMS that includes requirements for hospital and clinic certification, training, adverse event reporting, documentation, and audits and monitoring conducted by the sponsor, among other conditions. The Yescarta and Kymriah sponsors are responsible for implementing the REMS. REMS, such as these, can be expensive and burdensome to implement, and burdensome for hospitals, clinics, and health care providers to comply with. Accordingly, should any of our product candidates be subject to a REMS, it may materially harm our business.
Any of our products or any other product candidate that receives marketing authorization, if any, may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
Although Translarna is currently authorized by the EMA for marketing for the treatment of nmDMD, such marketing authorization is subject to the specific obligation to conduct and submit the results of Study 041 to the EMA and is also subject to annual review and renewal by the European Commission following reassessment of the benefit-risk balance of the authorization by the EMA. Even if our marketing authorization in the EEA for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD is maintained, or we are successful in obtaining marketing authorization for Translarna for other indications or territories, such product may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. In addition, Emflaza for the treatment of DMD in the United States or any of our other products or product candidates that receive marketing authorization, may fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. Third-party payors may require prior authorizations or failure on another type of treatment before covering a particular drug, particularly with respect to higher-priced drugs. Decreases in third-party reimbursement for a product or a decision by a third-party payor to not cover a product could reduce physician usage of the product, including Emflaza or Translarna. If these products do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenues or any profits from operations.
The degree of market acceptance of our products or product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:
● the efficacy and potential advantages compared to alternative treatments;
● the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
● the limitations or warnings contained in the product’s FDA-approved labeling
● the claims we may make for a product, based on the approved label;
● convenience and ease of administration compared to alternative treatments;
● the strength of marketing and distribution support;
● sufficient third-party coverage or reimbursement;
● any restrictions on concomitant use of other medications.
In addition, because we are developing Translarna for the treatment of different indications, negative results in a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of Translarna for one indication, such as the results from our study assessing Translarna in nonsense mutation Dravet syndrome/CDKL5, could have a negative impact on the perception of the efficacy of Translarna in a different indication, which could have an adverse effect on our commercialization efforts and financial results.
Our ability to negotiate, secure and maintain third-party coverage and reimbursement may be affected by political, economic and regulatory developments in the United States, the EU, Latin America and other jurisdictions. Governments
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continue to impose cost containment measures, and third-party payors are increasingly challenging prices charged for medicines and examining their cost effectiveness, in addition to their safety and efficacy. These and other similar developments could significantly limit the degree of market acceptance of our products or any of our other product candidates that receive marketing authorization.
We face risks related to the development of PTC299 as a potential treatment for COVID-19 and we may ultimately be unsuccessful in developing a treatment for the virus in a timely manner or at all. Even if we are able to produce a drug that successfully treats the virus, there is significant competition in the search for a treatment for COVID-19 and our product may not be the only effective treatment.
In June 2020, the FDA authorized the initiation of a Phase2/3 clinical trial evaluating PTC299 as a potential treatment for COVID-19 and we expect data from this trial to be available in the second half of 2021. Our clinical trial for PTC299 may reveal unfavorable characteristics, including safety concerns, and may not demonstrate efficacy. We cannot be certain that the Phase 2/3 clinical trial will be sufficient to enable us to obtain marketing approval of PTC299 for the treatment of COVID-19, and we may need to conduct additional clinical trials before we are able to apply for marketing approval. Additionally, the FDA and other regulators may not agree with our interpretation of the results of the clinical data from the trial. If we are unable to successfully complete the clinical trial, if the results of the clinical trial are not positive or are only modestly positive, or if there are safety concerns, we may be unable to produce a drug that successfully treats COVID-19 and receives regulatory approval in a timely manner, if at all.
The timing and success of our clinical trial of PTC299 for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 will depend on our ability to enroll patients in the trial. Our inability to enroll a sufficient number of patients could result in significant delays or could require us to abandon the trial and development of PTC299 for the treatment of COVID-19 altogether. Patient enrollment may be affected by the availability of commercially available treatments and vaccines and other ongoing clinical trials. There is significant competition, including from other companies and governmental organizations, to find a treatment for COVID-19. For example, the FDA granted emergency use authorizations to Pfizer and Moderna for their COVID-19 vaccines in the United States as well as to Regeneron for the administration of casirivimab and imdevimab together. The FDA has also approved Gilead’s antiviral drug Velkury (remdesivir), for the treatment of COVID-19. As a result, even if we are able to sufficiently enroll our clinical trial and produce an effective treatment for COVID-19, there is no guarantee that we will be able to successfully commercialize our product. For additional information, see the risk factor under “Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of our Products and our Product Candidates” titled, “If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in our clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.”
If we are unable to establish or maintain sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market, sell and distribute our products or product candidates, we may not be successful in our continuing efforts to commercialize our products or any other product candidate if and when they are approved.
Our ongoing commercial strategy for our products and any other product candidate that may receive marketing authorization involves the development of a commercial infrastructure that spans multiple jurisdictions and is heavily dependent upon our ability to continue to build an infrastructure that is capable of implementing our global commercial strategy. The establishment and development of our commercial infrastructure will continue to be expensive and time consuming, and we may not be able to develop our commercial organizations in all intended territories, including in the United States, in a timely manner or at all. Doing so will require a high degree of coordination and compliance with laws and regulations in numerous territories, including in the United States, each state, and other countries in which we do business, including restrictions on advertising practices, enforcement of intellectual property rights, restrictions on pricing or discounts, transparency laws and regulations, and unexpected changes in regulatory requirements and tariffs. If we are unable to effectively coordinate such activities or comply with such laws and regulations, our ability to commercialize our products or any other product candidates that may receive marketing authorization in the United States, the EEA, Latin America and other jurisdictions will be adversely affected. If we are unable to establish and maintain adequate sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, whether independently or with third parties, we may not be able to generate product revenue consistent with our expectations and may not become profitable.
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There are risks involved with establishing our own sales and marketing capabilities and entering into arrangements with third parties to perform these services. For example, recruiting and training an internal commercial team is expensive and time consuming and could delay commercialization efforts. If a commercial launch for any product or product candidate for which we recruit a commercial team and establish marketing capabilities is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. This may be costly, and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain or reposition such personnel.
The arrangements that we have entered into, or may enter into, with third parties to perform sales and marketing services will generate lower product revenues or profitability of product revenues to us than if we were to market and sell any products that we develop ourselves. In addition, we may not be successful in entering into arrangements with third parties to sell and market our product candidates or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. We have little control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively.
If we do not establish sales and marketing capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in commercializing our products or product candidates.
Factors that may materially affect our efforts to commercialize our products include:
Any of these factors, individually or as a group, if not resolved in a favorable manner may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Similar risks apply in those territories where Translarna is available on a reimbursed basis under an EAP program.
A substantial portion of our commercial sales currently occurs in territories outside of the United States which subjects us to additional business risks that could adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.
We commercialize Translarna, Tegsedi and Waylivra outside of the United States. We have operations in multiple European countries, Latin America and other territories. We expect that we will continue to expand our international operations in the future, including in emerging growth markets, pending successful completion of the applicable regulatory processes. International operations inherently subject us to a number of risks and uncertainties, including:
● various effects and responsive measures relating to the COVID-19 pandemic;
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● difficulty in staffing and managing international operations;
● changes in international medical reimbursement policies and programs;
● unexpected changes in health care policies of ex-U.S. jurisdictions;
● differing labor regulations and business practices; and
For example, we face risks arising out of the potential uncertainty caused by United Kingdom’s exit from the EU and the end of the transition period on January 1, 2021, commonly referred to as Brexit. Uncertainty over the terms of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets. Currency exchange rates in the pound sterling and the euro with respect to each other and the U.S. dollar have already been adversely affected by Brexit and, in the event that such ex-U.S. exchange volatility were to continue, it could cause volatility in our financial results. In addition, if the United Kingdom were to significantly alter its regulations affecting the pharmaceutical industry, we could face significant new regulatory costs and challenges. While a trade deal has been agreed between the EU and UK, it is primarily focused on avoiding tariff barriers and mutual GMP recognition with further regulatory cooperation to be agreed between the parties through a ‘Working Group on Medicinal Products’.
In addition, some countries in which a product candidate is not approved allow patients access to the product candidate through other legal mechanisms, including court intervention or EAP programs, if the product is approved in another jurisdiction. The price that is ultimately approved by governmental authorities in any country pursuant to commercial pricing and reimbursement processes may be significantly lower than the price we are able to charge for sales under such legal mechanisms and we may become obligated to repay such excess amount. For additional information, see also “Risks Related to the Regulation of our Products and our Product Candidates”-”Commercialization of Translarna has been in, and is expected to continue to take place in, countries that tend to impose strict price controls, which may adversely affect our revenues. Failure to obtain and maintain acceptable pricing and reimbursement terms for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the EEA and other countries where Translarna is available would delay or prevent us from marketing our product in such regions, which would adversely affect our anticipated revenue, growth and business.”
Additionally, some of the countries in which our products are available for sale are in emerging markets. Some countries within emerging markets, including those in Latin America, may be especially vulnerable to periods of global or regional financial instability or may have very limited resources to spend on. We also may be required to increase our reliance on third-party agents within less developed markets. In addition, many emerging market countries have currencies that fluctuate substantially and if such currencies devalue and we cannot offset the devaluations, our financial performance within such countries could be adversely affected.
In addition, in some countries, including those in Latin America, orders for named patient sales may be for multiple months of therapy, which can lead to an unevenness in orders which could result in significant fluctuations in quarterly net product sales. Other factors may also contribute to fluctuations in quarterly net product sales including a product’s availability in any particular territory, government actions, economic pressures, political unrest and other factors. Net product sales are impacted by factors, such as the timing of decisions by regulatory authorities, in particular the FDA and the EMA with respect to our ability to market or sell Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, and our ability to successfully negotiate
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favorable pricing and reimbursement processes on a timely basis in the countries in which we have or may obtain regulatory approval, including the United States, EEA and other territories.
Any of these factors may, individually or as a group, have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. As we continue to expand our existing international operations, we may encounter new risks.
We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.
The development and commercialization of new drug products is highly competitive. We face competition with respect to our current products and product candidates and any products we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies, and biotechnology companies worldwide. Other gene therapy companies may in the future decide to utilize existing technologies to address unmet needs that could potentially compete with our product candidates.
There is currently no marketed therapy, other than Translarna in the EEA, which has received approval for the treatment of the underlying cause of nmDMD. Sarepta recently received approval in the United States for two treatments (Exondys 51 (eteplirsen) and Vyondys 53 (golodirsen)) addressing the underlying cause of disease for different mutations in the DMD gene. Additionally, the FDA granted accelerated approval to Viltepso (viltolarsen) from NS Pharma for the treatment of DMD in patients with exon 53 skipping. Other biopharmaceutical companies are developing treatments for the underlying cause of disease for different mutations in the DMD gene, Sarepta (Casimersen (SRP-4045)), Daiichi Sankyo (DS-5141), Nippon Shinyaku (Viltolarsen (NS-065/NCNP-01) and NS-089/NCNP-02), and Astellas (AT-702). Other pharmaceutical companies are developing micro dystrophin gene therapies for patients with DMD regardless of genotype, including Sarepta (SRP-9001), Pfizer (PF-06939926) and Solid Biosciences (SGT-001).
Although the FDA has not approved a corticosteroid specifically for DMD in the United States other than Emflaza, we face competition in the U.S. DMD market from prednisone/prednisolone, which, while not approved for DMD in the United States, is generically available and has been prescribed off label for DMD patients. ReveraGen BioPharma and Santhera are developing a glucocorticoid antagonist (vamorolone) for DMD patients with anticipated NDA filing in 2021.
Evrysdi also faces competition. For example, in December 2016, the FDA approved Spinraza (nusinersen), a drug developed by Ionis and marketed by Biogen, to treat SMA. Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec), a gene therapy drug developed by AveXis, Inc. (acquired by Novartis in 2018) is approved in the United States and Japan for the treatment of SMA in patients under 2 years of age and in Europe for babies and young children who weigh up to 21 kilograms. Other companies are also pursuing product candidates for the treatment of SMA, including Kowa (sodrium valproate), Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (amifampridine), Scholar Rock (SRK-015) and Cytokinetics (reldesemtiv).
There are several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in the development or commercialization of products against targets that are also targets of Tegsedi and Waylivra. For example, if approved, Waylivra could face competition from drugs like Myalept (metreleptin). Myalept, produced by Novelion Therapeutics, Inc., is currently approved for use in generalized lipodystrophy patients. Additionally, Ionis is developing AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx for the treatment of FCS. Tegsedi also faces competition from drugs like Onpattro (patisiran), which was launched by Alnylam in the United States in 2018 and received approval in Brazil for the treatment of hATTR amyloidosis in 2020. Vyndaqel (tafamidis meglumine) and Vyndamax (tafamidis) are commercialized in the United States, EU and some other countries in Latin America by Pfizer. Other companies are also pursing product candidates for the treatment of ATTR Amyloidosis with polyneuropathy including Alnylam (vutrisiran), Eidos Therapeutics (AG-10), Proclara Biosciences (NPT-189), Prothena (PRK-004) and SOM Biotech (tolcapone).
Further, Tegsedi and Waylivra are delivered by injection, which may render them less attractive to patients than non-injectable products offered by our current or future competitors. If Tegsedi or Waylivra cannot compete effectively with these and other products with common or similar indications, we may not be able to generate substantial revenue from our product sales.
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Currently, no treatment options are available for the underlying cause of AADC deficiency, and care is limited to palliative options with significant burden on caregivers. Additionally, we are not aware of any late-stage development product candidates for AADC deficiency.
There are currently no drugs approved to delay the onset or slow the progression of Huntington disease. However, Novartis (branaplam), uniQure (AMT-130), Roche and Ionis (tominersen) and Wave Life Sciences (WVE-120102) are all developing product candidates for treatment of Huntington disease.
While there are currently no treatment options available for Friedreich ataxia, omaveloxolone, which is being developed by Reata Pharmaceuticals and RT-001, which is being developed by Retrotope, are each late stage product candidates being investigated for the treatment of Friedreich ataxia. Voyager Therapeutics, Pfizer, Novartis, Stride Bio in collaboration with Takeda, AavantiBio, and Fulcrom Therapeutics are also working on pre-clinical studies for a potential gene therapy solution. Other gene therapy companies may in the future decide to utilize existing technologies to address unmet needs that could potentially compete with our product candidates.
Although no drugs are currently approved for the treatment of GBA Parkinson’s disease, Prevail Therapeutics (PR001) and Sanofi (GZ/SAR402671), each have clinical stage product candidates being evaluated for the treatment of GBA Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, ambroxol, a generic cough medicine, is also being evaluated for treatment of GBA Parkinson’s disease.
If approved, PTC923 could face competition from Kuvan (sapropterin dihydrochloride), including generic versions, and Palynziq (pegvaliase-pqpz), each of which is approved for the treatment of PKU. Furthermore, Homology (HMI-102) and BioMarin (BMN 307) each are developing gene therapy product candidates for the treatment of PKU.
If approved, PTC299 could face significant competition as many other companies and governmental organizations have expended resources to find a treatment for COVID-19. The FDA granted emergency use authorizations to Pfizer and Moderna for their COVID-19 vaccines in the United States as well as to Regeneron for the administration of casirivimab and imdevimab together. The FDA has also approved Gilead’s antiviral drug Velkury (remdesivir), for the treatment of COVID-19.
Our competitors may develop products that are more effective, safer, more convenient or less costly than any that we are marketing or developing or that would render our products or product candidates obsolete or non-competitive. Our competitors may also obtain marketing authorization for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for our products and product candidates, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market.
We believe that many competitors are attempting to develop therapeutics for the target indications of our products and product candidates, including academic institutions, government agencies, public and private research organizations, large pharmaceutical companies and smaller more focused companies.
Many of our competitors may have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller and other early stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to or necessary for our programs.
Our products or product candidates may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives, which would harm our business.
We may not obtain adequate coverage or reimbursement for our products or we may be required to sell our products at an unsatisfactory price. In addition, obtaining pricing, coverage and reimbursement approvals can be a time consuming and
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expensive process. Our business would be materially adversely affected if we do not receive these approvals on a timely basis.
The regulations and practices that govern marketing authorizations, pricing, coverage and reimbursement for new drug products vary widely from country to country. Current and future legislation may significantly change the approval requirements in ways that could involve additional costs and cause delays in obtaining approvals. Some countries, including almost all of the member states of the EEA, require approval of the sale (list) price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or product licensing approval is granted. In some ex-U.S. markets, including the European market, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we might obtain marketing authorization for a product in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations, in some countries at national as well as regional levels, that delay our commercial launch of the product, possibly for lengthy time periods, and negatively impact the revenues we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in one or more products, including Emflaza and Translarna, or other product candidates, even following marketing authorization.
Our ability to successfully commercialize our products or product candidates that may receive marketing authorization will depend in large part on the extent to which coverage and reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers, managed health care organizations and other third-party payors and organizations. Government authorities and other third-party payors, such as private health insurers and managed health care organizations, decide which medications they will pay for and establish reimbursement conditions and rates. A primary trend in the EU and U.S. healthcare industries and elsewhere is cost containment. Government authorities, including the United States government and state legislatures, and other third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. Prices at which our products are reimbursed can be subject to challenge, reduction or denial by the government and other payers. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with discounts off the products’ sale (list) prices and are challenging the prices manufacturers charge for medical products. We cannot be sure that coverage will be available for any product or product candidate that we may commercialize and, if coverage is available, the level of reimbursement is also uncertain.
Reimbursement levels may impact the demand for, or the price of, any product or product candidate for which we obtain marketing authorization. Obtaining reimbursement for Emflaza and for Translarna has been and is expected to continue to be, particularly difficult due to price considerations typically associated with drugs that are developed to treat conditions that affect a small population of patients. In addition, third-party payors are likely to impose strict requirements for reimbursement of a higher priced drug, such as prior authorization and the requirement to try other therapies first, or high co-payments which can result in patient rejection. Decreases in third-party reimbursement for a product or a decision by a third-party payor to not cover a product could reduce physician usage of the product, including Emflaza or Translarna. If reimbursement is not available or is available only on a limited basis, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any product or product candidate for which we have obtained or may obtain marketing authorization, including Emflaza or Translarna.
There may be significant delays in obtaining coverage for newly approved drugs, and coverage may be more limited than the drug’s approved indications as determined by the applicable regulatory authority. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that any drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim reimbursement levels for new drugs, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent, and programs intended to provide patient assistance until coverage is established can be very costly. Reimbursement rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on reimbursement levels already set for lower cost drugs, and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Further, 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 we receive regulatory approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future.
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Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws, enforcement policies or administrative determinations with respect to the importation of drugs into the United States from other countries where they may be sold at lower prices.
In the United States, third-party payors include federal health care programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and Veterans Health Administration programs; managed care providers, private health insurers and other organizations. Several of the U.S. federal health care programs require that drug manufacturers extend discounts or pay rebates to certain programs in order for their products to be covered and reimbursed. For example, the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program requires pharmaceutical manufacturers of covered outpatient drugs to enter into and have in effect a national rebate agreement with the federal government as a condition for coverage of the manufacturer’s covered outpatient drug(s) by state Medicaid programs. The amount of the rebate for each product is based on a statutory formula and may be subject to an additional discount if certain pricing increases more than inflation. State Medicaid programs and Medicaid managed care plans can seek additional “supplemental” rebates from manufacturers in connection with states’ establishment of preferred drug lists. A further requirement for Medicaid coverage is that the manufacturer enter into a Federal Supply Schedule, or FSS, agreement with the Secretary for Veterans Affairs to extend discounted pricing to the Veterans Health Administration.
Similarly, in order for a covered outpatient drug to receive federal reimbursement under the Medicare Part B and Medicaid programs or to be sold directly to U.S. government agencies, the manufacturer must extend discounts on the covered outpatient drug to entities that are enrolled and participating in the 340B drug pricing program, which is a federal program that requires manufacturers to provide discounts to certain statutorily-defined safety-net providers. The 340B discount for each product is calculated based on certain Medicaid Drug Rebate Program metrics that manufacturers are required to report to CMS.
Emflaza is also eligible for reimbursement under the Medicare Part D program. Under Part D, Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in prescription drug plans offered by private entities, which will provide coverage of outpatient prescription drugs. Part D prescription drug formularies are required to include drugs within each therapeutic category and class of covered Part D drugs, though not necessarily all the drugs in each category or class. Any negotiated prices for our products covered by a Part D prescription drug plan likely will be lower than the prices we might otherwise obtain, and payment of Medicare Coverage Gap discounts may further reduce realization on Part D drugs. Further, CMS is proposing to relax Part D coverage requirements to give plans more leverage in negotiating their formularies.
With respect to drugs eligible for reimbursement under Medicare Part B, on November 27, 2020, CMS issued an interim final rule implementing a Most Favored Nations payment model under which reimbursement for certain Medicare Part B drugs and biologicals will be based on a price that reflects the lowest per capita Gross Domestic Product-adjusted (GDP-adjusted) price of any non-U.S. member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with a GDP per capita that is at least sixty percent of the U.S. GDP per capita. These and any additional healthcare reform measures could further constrain our business or limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in additional pricing pressures.
In addition, U.S. private health insurers often rely upon Medicare coverage policies and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies. Any such coverage or payment limitations may result in a similar reduction in payments from non-governmental payors. Payment by private payors is also subject to payor-determined coverage and reimbursement policies that vary considerably and are subject to change without notice. We expect that coverage and reimbursement of Emflaza in the United States will vary from commercial payor to commercial payor. Many commercial payors, such as managed care plans, manage access to prescription drugs partly to control costs to their plans, and may use drug formularies and medical policies to limit their exposure. Exclusion from policies can directly reduce product usage in the payor’s patient population and may negatively impact utilization in other payor plans, as well.
There has been recent negative publicity and increasing legislative and public scrutiny around pharmaceutical drug pricing in the U.S., in particular with respect to orphan drugs and specifically with respect to Emflaza. Moreover, U.S. government authorities and third-party payors are increasingly attempting to limit or regulate drug prices and reimbursement, often with particular focus on orphan drugs. These dynamics may give rise to heightened attention and potential negative
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reactions to pricing decisions for Emflaza and products for which we may receive regulatory approval in the future, possibly limiting our ability to generate revenue and attain profitability.
Moreover, in 2017, the U.S. Congress modified and amended certain provisions of the 2010 U.S. healthcare reform legislation (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, known collectively as the Affordable Care Act), which could have an impact on coverage and reimbursement for healthcare items and services covered by the federal and state healthcare programs as well as plans in the private health insurance market. The so-called “individual mandate” was repealed as part of tax reform legislation adopted in December 2017. There are legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act pending and there may continue to be future efforts to modify, repeal, or otherwise invalidate all, or certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The Biden administration is expected to continue to take measures to further facilitate the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. We cannot assure that the Affordable Care Act, as currently enacted or as amended in the future, will not adversely affect our business and financial results and we cannot predict how future federal or state legislative or administrative changes relating to healthcare reform will affect our business.
In the EU, reference pricing systems and other measures may lead to cost containment and reduced prices with respect to Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD and other product candidates that might receive marketing authorization in the future. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and profitable payment rates from both government-funded and private payors for our product or any of our product candidates that may receive marketing authorization, or a reduction in coverage for payment rates for our product or any such product candidates, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, in the EU, an authorized trader, such as a wholesaler, can purchase a medicine in one EU member state and obtain a license to import the product into another EU member state. This process is called “parallel distribution”. As a result, a purchaser in one EU member state may seek to import Translarna from another EU member state where Translarna is sold at a lower price. This could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth.
Similarly, sales of Emflaza in the United States could also be reduced if deflazacort is imported into the United States from lower-priced markets, whether legally or illegally. For example, in the United States, prices for pharmaceuticals are generally higher than in the bordering nations of Mexico and Canada. There have been proposals to legalize the import of pharmaceuticals from outside the United States and the FDA has finalized a guidance to facilitate the import of U.S. approved pharmaceutical and biologic products that were originally intended for marketing in a foreign country. If such legislation were enacted, our revenues from Emflaza could be reduced, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
We have incurred significant losses since our inception and based on our current commercial, research and development plans, we expect to continue to incur significant operating expenses for the foreseeable future. We may never generate profits from operations or maintain profitability.
Since inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $1,628.9 million. We have historically financed our operations primarily through the issuance and sale of our common stock in public offerings, our “at the market offerings” of our common stock, proceeds from the Royalty Purchase Agreement, the private placements of our preferred stock, collaborations, bank debt, convertible debt financings, our prior credit agreement with MidCap Financial Trust and grants and clinical trial support from governmental and philanthropic organizations and patient advocacy groups in the disease areas addressed by our product and product candidates. Since 2014, we have also relied on revenues generated from net sales of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in territories outside of the United States, and in May 2017, we began to recognize revenue generated from net sales of Emflaza for the treatment of DMD in the United States. We also began to recognize revenue generated from net sales of Tegsedi for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hATTR amyloidosis in 2019 and Waylivra for the treatment of FCS in 2020 in Latin America and the Caribbean. Based on our current commercial, research and development plans, we expect to continue to incur significant operating expenses for the foreseeable future, which we anticipate will be partially offset by revenues generated from the sale of our products. We expect to continue to generate operating losses through 2021 and, while we anticipate that operating losses generated in future periods should decline versus prior periods,
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we may never generate profits from operations or maintain profitability. The net losses we incur may fluctuate significantly from period to period.
From time to time, we have engaged in strategic transactions to expand and diversify our product pipeline, including through the acquisition of assets or businesses. In connection with these acquisitions, we have entered into agreements through which we have ongoing obligations, including obligations to make contingent payments upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and net sales milestones or upon a percentage of net sales of certain products. See “Item 1. Business-Our Ongoing Acquisition-Related Obligations” for further information regarding our acquisitions and our ongoing obligations. We may engage in additional strategic transactions to expand and diversify our product pipeline, including through the acquisition of assets, businesses, or rights to products, product candidates or technologies or through strategic alliances or collaborations and we may incur expenses, including with respect to transaction costs, subsequent development costs or any upfront, milestone or other payments or other financial obligations associated with any such transaction.
Our current ability to generate revenue from sales of Translarna is dependent upon our ability to maintain our marketing authorization in the EEA of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in ambulatory patients aged two years and older and in Brazil for the treatment of nmDMD in ambulatory patients aged five years and older. The marketing authorization in the EEA is subject to annual review and renewal by the European Commission following reassessment by the EMA of the benefit-risk balance of the authorization and is further subject to a specific obligation to conduct and report the results of Study 041, a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, 18-month, placebo-controlled trial, followed by an 18-month open-label extension, according to an agreed protocol, in order to confirm the efficacy and safety of Translarna. Enrolling, conducting and reporting a clinical trial is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we expect that we will incur material costs related to the implementation and conduct of Study 041. We may experience unknown complications with Study 041 and may not achieve the pre-specified endpoint with statistical significance, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain our marketing authorization in the EEA.
If, in any annual renewal cycle, the EMA determines that the balance of benefits and risks of using Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD has changed materially or that we have not or are unable to comply with the specific obligation to complete Study 041 or any other requirement that has been or may be placed on the marketing authorization, the European Commission could, at the EMA’s recommendation, vary, suspend, withdraw or refuse to renew the marketing authorization for Translarna or impose other specific obligations or restrictions, which would have a materially adverse effect on our business. We expect to incur significant costs in connection with our efforts to maintain our marketing authorization in the EEA. If our marketing authorization in the EEA is not renewed, or our product label is materially restricted, we would lose all, or a significant portion of, our ability to generate revenue from sales of Translarna, whether pursuant to a commercial or a reimbursed early access program, or EAP program, and throughout all territories. For additional information, see the risk factor under “Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of our Products and our Product Candidates” titled, “Our marketing authorization in the EEA for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD is a “conditional marketing authorization” that requires annual review and renewal by the European Commission following reassessment by the EMA of the benefit-risk balance of the authorization and is further conditioned upon our ability to satisfy the specific obligation to conduct and report the results of Study 041 by the end of the third quarter of 2022, and, as such, there is ongoing risk that we may be unable to maintain such authorization. If we are unable to obtain renewal of such marketing authorization in any future renewal cycle, we could lose all, or a significant portion of, our ability to generate revenue from sales of Translarna, whether pursuant to a commercial or an EAP program, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and results of operations.”
We also expect that our efforts to advance Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the United States will be time-consuming and may be expensive. For additional information, see the risk factor under “Risks Related to Development and Commercialization of our Products and our Product Candidates” titled, “Delays or failures in obtaining regulatory approval in the United States, may prevent us from commercializing Translarna for nmDMD in that territory and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired. In the event that the FDA requires us to conduct additional clinical trials in nmDMD which, if successful, may enable FDA review of an NDA submission by us, we would expect to incur significant costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.”
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We anticipate that our expenses will continue to increase in connection with our commercialization efforts in the United States, the EEA, Latin America and other territories, including the expansion of our infrastructure and corresponding sales and marketing, legal and regulatory, distribution and manufacturing and administrative and employee-based expenses. In addition to the foregoing, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in connection with ongoing, planned and potential future clinical trials and studies in our splicing, gene therapy, Bio-e, metabolic and oncology programs and studies of PTC299 for COVID-19 as well as studies in our products for maintaining authorizations, including Study 041, label extensions and additional indications. We have begun seeking and intend to continue to seek marketing authorization for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in territories outside of the EEA and Brazil. We submitted an MAA to the EMA for the treatment of AADC deficiency with PTC-AADC in the EEA. We are also preparing a BLA for PTC-AADC for the treatment of AADC deficiency in the United States and we anticipate submitting a BLA to the FDA in the second quarter of 2021. We filed for marketing authorization for Waylivra with ANVISA in June 2020 and, subject to potential delays in the review process related to the COVID 19 pandemic, expect a regulatory decision on approval from ANVISA in the third quarter of 2021. These efforts may significantly impact the timing and extent of our commercialization expenses.
In addition, the clinical and regulatory developments noted in this risk factor may exacerbate the risks related to our commercialization efforts set forth under the heading “Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of our Products and our Product Candidates,” which could increase the costs associated with our commercial activities or have a negative impact on our revenues. For additional information, see also “Risks Related to the Regulation of our Products and our Product Candidates” “Commercialization of Translarna has been in, and is expected to continue to take place in, countries that tend to impose strict price controls, which may adversely affect our revenues. Failure to obtain and maintain acceptable pricing and reimbursement terms for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the EEA and other countries where Translarna is available would delay or prevent us from marketing our product in such regions, which would adversely affect our anticipated revenue, growth and business.”
We may seek to continue to expand and diversify our product pipeline through opportunistically in-licensing or acquiring the rights to products, product candidates or technologies and we may incur expenses, including with respect to transaction costs, subsequent development costs or any upfront, milestone or other payments or other financial obligations associated with any such transaction, which would increase our future capital requirements.
With respect to our outstanding 3.00% convertible senior notes due August 15, 2022, or the 2022 Convertible Notes, cash interest payments are payable on a semi-annual basis in arrears, which will require total funding of $4.5 million annually. With respect to our outstanding 1.50% convertible senior notes due September 15, 2026, or the 2026 Convertible Notes, cash interest payments are payable on a semi-annual basis in arrears, which will require total funding of $4.3 million annually. In addition, Akcea is eligible to receive from us an additional milestone payment of $4.0 million upon receipt of regulatory approval for Waylivra from ANVISA, the determination for which we expect to potentially occur, subject to potential delays in the review process related to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the third quarter of 2021.
In addition, our expenses will increase if and as we:
● seek to discover and develop additional product candidates;
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● maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio; and
Our ability to generate profits from operations and become and remain profitable depends on our ability to successfully develop and commercialize drugs that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including:
● commercializing and marketing all of our products and products candidates;
● maintaining orphan exclusivity in the United States for Emflaza;
● expanding the territories in which we are approved to market our products;
We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, may never generate revenues that are significant enough to generate profits from operations. Even if we do generate profits from operations, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to generate profits from operations and remain profitable would decrease the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our research and development efforts, diversify our product offerings or continue our operations. A decline in the value of our company could also cause our stockholders to lose all or part of their investment in our company.
We may need additional funding. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or commercialization efforts.
As noted in the prior risk factor, we expect to incur significant expenses related to our clinical, regulatory, commercial, legal, research and development, and other business efforts. We believe that our cash flows from product sales, together with existing cash and cash equivalents, including our Convertible Notes offerings, public offerings of common stock, our “at the market offering” of our common stock pursuant to an At the Market Offering Sales Agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald and RBC Capital Markets, LLC, or the Sales Agreement, proceeds from the Royalty Purchase Agreement and marketable securities, will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least
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the next twelve months. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our capital resources sooner than we currently expect.
Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
● our ability to commercialize and market our products and product candidates;
● the costs, timing and outcome of Study 041;
● our ability to maintain orphan exclusivity in the United States for Emflaza;
● the timing and scope of growth in our employee base;
Conducting preclinical testing and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain regulatory approval and achieve product sales for certain product candidates or indications. In addition, our products and product candidates, if approved, may not achieve sustained commercial success. Likewise, if we fail to maintain our marketing authorization or lose non-
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patent market exclusivity for our products and product candidates we will be unable to commercialize and generate revenue from the sales of those products.
Accordingly, we may need to continue to rely on additional financing in connection with our continuing operations and to achieve our business objectives. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or based on strategic considerations, even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. Additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs or our commercialization efforts.
We may engage in strategic transactions to acquire assets, businesses, or rights to products, product candidates or technologies or form collaborations or make investments in other companies or technologies that could harm our operating results, dilute our stockholders’ ownership, increase our debt, or cause us to incur significant expense.