PTC THERAPEUTICS, INC._December 31, 2025
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended: December 31, 2025
or
Commission file number: 001-35969
PTC THERAPEUTICS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
500 Warren Corporate Center Drive
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(908) 222-7000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share PTCT Nasdaq Global Select Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. □
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). □
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☑
The aggregate market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the last sale price of the Common Stock reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on June 30, 2025, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $3,350,589,128. For purposes of this calculation, shares of Common Stock held by directors and officers have been treated as shares held by affiliates.
As of February 18, 2026, the registrant had 82,774,730 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III of this Annual Report incorporates by reference information from the definitive Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders which is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PTC Therapeutics, Inc.
Page No.
PART I
Item 1. Business 6
Item 1A. Risk Factors 54
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 103
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 103
Item 2. Properties 104
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 104
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 104
PART II
Item 6. [Reserved] 105
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 129
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 131
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 188
Item 9B. Other Information 191
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 193
Item 11. Executive Compensation 193
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 193
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 194
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.
The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include, among other things, statements about:
● changes in tax and other laws, regulations, rates and policies;
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● our scientific approach and general development progress;
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● the potential advantages of our products and any product candidate;
● our intellectual property position;
● the impact of government laws and regulations;
● our competitive position.
We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly under the heading “Summary of Risk Factors” and the risk factors detailed further in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors that we believe could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make.
Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.
You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “PTC,” “PTC Therapeutics,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company,” and similar references refer to PTC Therapeutics, Inc. and, where appropriate, its subsidiaries. The trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective owners.
All website addresses given in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are for information only and are not intended to be an active link or to incorporate any website information into this document.
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SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS
Below is a summary of the principal risk factors that make an investment in our common stock speculative or risky. This summary does not address all of the risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we presently deem less significant may also impair our business operations. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk factor summary, and other risks that we face, can be found in Item 1A. Risk Factors, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and should be carefully considered, together with other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the Securities Exchange Commission, before making an investment decision regarding our common stock. The forward-looking statements discussed above 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.
Summary of Risk Factors
● Our products and product candidates may be difficult to manufacture;
● We face substantial competition;
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● We may fail to properly allocate our resources;
● We may be subject to product liability and other civil lawsuits;
● We may be unable to retain our key executives;
● Without patent protection, our marketed products may face generic competition;
● The price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially.
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PART I
Item 1. Business
Overview
We are a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of clinically differentiated medicines for children and adults living with rare disorders. We are advancing a robust and diversified pipeline of transformative medicines as part of our mission to provide access to best-in-class treatments for patients with unmet medical needs. Our strategy is to leverage our scientific expertise and global commercial infrastructure to optimize value for our patients and other stakeholders.
Our Pipeline
We have a diversified therapeutic portfolio that includes several commercial products and product candidates in various stages of development, including discovery, research and clinical stages, focused on the development of new treatments for multiple therapeutic areas for rare diseases relating to neurology and metabolism. The disclosure below summarizes the status of our significant commercial products and clinical-stage programs as of the date of this report, including those with our strategic partners:
● Global Commercial Footprint
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● Diversified Development Pipeline
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● Pre-clinical Pipeline
Global Commercial Footprint
Sephience
Sephience is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with PKU. Sephience has a novel dual mechanism of action. First, it is a natural precursor of the enzymatic co-factor BH4, a critical co-factor for phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), the enzyme affected in PKU. Sephience is able to serve as a more bioavailable source of intracellular BH4 than by administering BH4 itself. The second mechanism of action is Sephience’s ability to serve as an independent chaperone itself, stabilizing enzyme morphology and enhancing enzyme function. Through this dual mechanism of action, Sephience is able to effectively reduce blood Phe levels and has the potential to treat a broad range of PKU patients, including those with the most severe, non-BH4 responsive mutations.
PKU is a rare, inherited metabolic disease, characterized by the body's inability to break down Phe, an essential amino acid, which can result in neurological and other symptoms. If left untreated or poorly managed, Phe can build up to harmful levels in the body. This causes severe and irreversible disabilities, such as permanent intellectual disability, seizures, delayed development, memory loss, and behavioral and emotional problems. Newborns with PKU initially do not have any symptoms, but symptoms are usually progressive, and damage caused by toxic levels of Phe in the first few years of life is irreversible. Diagnosis of PKU usually takes place during newborn screening programs. There are an estimated 58,000 people living with PKU globally.
In June 2025, Sephience was granted marketing authorization by the EC for the treatment of children and adults living with PKU within the EEA. In July 2025, Sephience was approved by the FDA for the treatment of pediatric and adult patients living with PKU in the United States age one month and above. In December 2025, Sephience was approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, or MHLW, for the treatment of children and adults living with PKU in Japan, where the label includes individuals of all ages and the full spectrum of disease severity. In February 2026, Sephience was approved by ANVISA, the Brazilian health regulatory authority, for the treatment of children and adults living with PKU in Brazil. Sephience is also approved in additional geographies.
Global DMD Franchise
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
Muscular dystrophies are genetic disorders involving progressive muscle wasting and weakness. DMD is the most common and one of the most severe types of muscular dystrophy. DMD occurs when a mutation in the dystrophin gene prevents the cell from making a functional dystrophin protein. Dystrophin is a muscle membrane associated protein and is critical to the structural and membrane stability of muscle fibers in skeletal, diaphragm and heart muscle. The absence of normally functioning dystrophin results in muscle fragility, such that muscle injury occurs when muscles contract or stretch during normal use. As muscle damage progresses, connective tissue and fat replace muscle fibers, resulting in inexorable muscle weakness.
Because the dystrophin gene is located on the X chromosome, DMD occurs primarily in young boys, although approximately 10% of female carriers show some disease symptoms. DMD is rare, and estimates of occurrence include approximately 1 in every 3,500 live male births, according to the National Organization for Rare Diseases and approximately 1 in every 5,000 live male births according to Ryder (2017) in the European Journal of Human Genetics. We estimate that there are between approximately 10,000 to 15,000 DMD patients in the United States. Several different
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types of mutation in the dystrophin gene can result in DMD, including deletion, duplication and nonsense mutations. A test known as multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification can detect large deletions and duplications, which account for approximately 75% of all mutations. However, gene sequencing is required to identify small mutations such as nonsense mutations. We estimate that nonsense mutations account for approximately 13% of cases of DMD. Without treatment, patients with DMD typically lose walking ability by their early teens, require ventilation support in their late teens, and eventually experience premature death due to heart and lung failure. Even with medical care, most people with DMD die from cardiac or respiratory failure before or during their 30s.
Marketing authorization matters
Translarna for the treatment of nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy
We previously had a marketing authorization for Translarna in the EEA, which had been subject to annual review and renewal by the EC following reassessment by the EMA of the benefit-risk balance of the authorization. In March 2025, the European Commission adopted the negative opinion of the CHMP to not renew the conditional marketing authorization of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD. However, the EC indicated that individual countries within the EU can leverage Articles 117(3) and 5(1) of the EU Directive 2001/83 to allow continued commercial use of Translarna. There is a substantial risk that as a result of the EC’s adoption of the CHMP’s negative opinion we will lose a significant portion of our ability to generate revenue from sales of Translarna in the EEA. Translarna has marketing authorization for the treatment of nmDMD in additional geographies outside the EEA.
Translarna is an investigational new drug in the United States. During the first quarter of 2017, we filed an NDA for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD over protest with the FDA. 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 our ataluren NDA submission based on the accelerated approval pathway. We followed the FDA’s recommendation and collected, using newer technologies via procedures and methods that we designed in a new study, Study 045, and announced the results of Study 045 in February 2021. Study 045 did not meet its pre-specified primary endpoint. In June 2022, we announced top-line results from the placebo-controlled trial of Study 041, which was our 18 months, placebo-controlled trial, followed by an 18 months open label extension, of Translarna in the treatment of ambulatory patients with nmDMD aged five years or older. Following this announcement, we submitted a meeting request to the FDA to gain clarity on the regulatory pathway for a potential re-submission of an NDA for Translarna. The FDA provided initial written feedback that Study 041 does not provide substantial evidence of effectiveness to support NDA re-submission. We held a Type C meeting with the FDA in the fourth quarter of 2023 to discuss the totality of Translarna data. Based on feedback from the FDA, we re-submitted the NDA in July 2024, based on the results from Study 041 and from our international drug registry study for nmDMD patients receiving Translarna. In October 2024, the FDA accepted for review the resubmission of the NDA for Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD. Following feedback from FDA at the end of January 2026, we decided to withdraw the NDA resubmission for Translarna. Further development of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the United States is not planned.
Emflaza for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the United States
Emflaza, both in tablet and suspension form, received approval from the FDA in February 2017 as a treatment for DMD in patients five years of age and older in the United States. In June 2019, the FDA approved our label expansion request for Emflaza for patients two to five years of age. We estimate that there are between approximately 10,000 and 15,000 DMD patients in the United States.
We have previously relied on Emflaza’s seven-year marketing exclusivity period in the United States for its approved indications under the provisions of the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, or the Orphan Drug Act, when commercializing Emflaza for the treatment of DMD in patients five years and older, which expired in February 2024. With the expiration of this orphan drug exclusivity, we have seen an increase in competition from generics, which has, and we expect will continue to have, a negative impact on Emflaza net product revenue. Emflaza’s orphan drug exclusivity related to the
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treatment of DMD in patients two years of age to less than five expires in June 2026. See “Item 1. Business-Government Regulation” for further discussion with respect to marketing protection we rely on.
Upstaza / Kebilidi
Upstaza/Kebilidi is an adeno-associated virus, or AAV, gene therapy for the treatment of AADC deficiency, a rare CNS disorder arising from reductions in the enzyme AADC that results from mutations in the dopa decarboxylase gene. In July 2022, the EC approved Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency for patients 18 months and older within the EEA. In November 2022, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approved Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency for patients 18 months and older within the United Kingdom. In November 2024, the FDA granted accelerated approval of our gene therapy for the treatment of children and adults with AADC deficiency, which is marketed with the brand name Kebilidi in the United States. We are obligated to complete certain post-marketing requirements in connection with the FDA's approval, including clinical safety studies.
AADC is the enzyme responsible for the conversion of L-dopa to dopamine. Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter that acts within the striatum (caudate and putamen), a component of the brain’s deep grey matter, to modulate output of neurons that project to the motor and premotor cortices of the brain that plan and execute normal motor function. Dopamine is required in the brain for humans to develop and maintain proper motor function.
AADC deficiency is a monogenic disorder of neurotransmitter synthesis that manifests in young children and most commonly results in profound developmental delay, often seen as complete arrest of motor development. AADC deficiency generally causes the inability to develop motor control, resulting in breathing, feeding, and swallowing problems, frequent hospitalizations, and the need for life-long care. On average, patients with AADC deficiency die in the first decade of life due to profound motor dysfunction and secondary complications such as choking, hypoxia, and pneumonia. Currently, no other treatment options are available for the underlying cause of the disorder, and care is limited to palliative options with significant burden on caregivers.
The prevalence of AADC deficiency has been estimated to be approximately 5,000 patients worldwide, with a live-birth incidence of up to 1 in 40,000 worldwide. While several diagnostic tests for AADC deficiency are available, we believe the condition remains largely undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and may be confused with cerebral palsy.
Patients are treated with Upstaza/Kebilidi during a single procedure in which the gene therapy is administered directly to the region of the brain, called the putamen, where dopamine is made and released. The targeted micro-dosing approach administering small amounts of gene therapy directly to focal regions of affected cells in the putamen has the benefit of keeping the supply requirements for materials low, improving access of the therapeutic gene to key cells, potentially limiting immune and complement-mediated responses and reducing the risk of off-target uptake and excretion of the gene therapy by the liver and kidneys.
Upstaza and Kebilidi for the treatment of AADC deficiency has orphan drug designation in the EU and United States, respectively. Due to its orphan medicinal product designation by the EMA, we rely on a ten-year exclusive marketing period for Upstaza in the EEA, which may potentially be extended for two additional years if we receive approval for a pediatric exclusivity incentive. Kebilidi has a twelve-year exclusive marketing period in the United States for the approved indication, commencing on the date of FDA approval, under the provisions of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, as well as a concurrent seven-year exclusive marketing period, under the provisions of the Orphan Drug Act. We rely on the twelve-year BPCIA regulatory exclusivity and concurrent seven-year Orphan Drug Act exclusivity to commercialize Kebilidi in the United States, which we expect to expire in November 2036 and November 2031, respectively.
See “Item 1. Business-Government Regulation-The new drug and biologic approval process” below for further discussion with respect to the Biologics License Application, or BLA, process.
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Tegsedi and Waylivra
In August 2018, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Akcea Therapeutics, Inc., or Akcea, a subsidiary of Ionis, for the commercialization by us of Tegsedi, Waylivra and products containing those compounds in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, or the PTC Territory. See “Item 1. Business-Our Collaborations, License Agreements and Funding Arrangements-Tegsedi and Waylivra” below for further discussion with respect to this Collaboration and License Agreement.
Tegsedi
Tegsedi, a product of Ionis’ proprietary antisense technology, is an antisense oligonucleotide, or ASO, inhibitor of human transthyretin, or TTR, production. Tegsedi is the world’s first RNA-targeted therapeutic to treat patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, or hATTR amyloidosis. In October 2019, it received marketing authorization from ANVISA, the Brazilian health regulatory authority, for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hATTR amyloidosis in Brazil. Our marketing authorization for Tegsedi in Brazil is subject to renewal every five years. It has also received marketing authorization in the United States and the EU for the same indication.
hATTR amyloidosis is a progressive, systemic and fatal inherited disease caused by the abnormal formation of the TTR protein and aggregation of TTR amyloid deposits in various tissues and organs throughout the body, including in peripheral nerves, heart, intestinal tract, eyes, kidneys, CNS, thyroid and bone marrow. The progressive accumulation of TTR amyloid deposits in these tissues and organs leads to sensory, motor and autonomic dysfunction often having debilitating effects on multiple aspects of a patient’s life. Patients with hATTR amyloidosis often present with a mixed phenotype and experience overlapping symptoms of polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy.
Ultimately, hATTR amyloidosis generally results in death within three to fifteen years of symptom onset. Therapeutic options for the treatment of patients with hATTR amyloidosis are limited and there are currently no disease-modifying drugs approved for the disease. There are an estimated 50,000 patients with hATTR amyloidosis worldwide, including approximately 6,000 patients with polyneuropathic hATTR amyloidosis in Latin America.
Waylivra
Waylivra is an ASO that has received marketing authorization in the EU for the treatment of FCS, subject to certain conditions. The United States and EU regulatory agencies have granted orphan drug designation to Waylivra for the treatment of FCS. In connection with the marketing approval for Waylivra in the EU, the EC is requiring Akcea to provide results of a study based on a registry of patients to investigate how blood checks and adjustments to frequency of injections are carried out in practice and how well they work to prevent thrombocytopenia and bleeding in FCS patients taking Waylivra. In August 2021, ANVISA approved Waylivra as the first treatment for FCS in Brazil. Our marketing authorization for Waylivra in Brazil is subject to renewal every five years.
FCS is an ultra-rare disease caused by impaired function of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase, or LPL, and characterized by severe hypertriglyceridemia (>880mg/dL) and a risk of unpredictable and potentially fatal acute pancreatitis. Because of limited LPL function, people with FCS cannot break down chylomicrons, lipoprotein particles that are 90% triglycerides. In addition to pancreatitis, FCS patients are at risk of chronic complications due to permanent organ damage. They can experience daily symptoms including abdominal pain, generalized fatigue and impaired cognitions that affect their ability to work. People with FCS also report major emotional and psychosocial effects including anxiety, social withdrawal, depression and brain fog.
Additionally, we received approval of Waylivra for the treatment of FPL in Brazil in December 2022. FPL is a rare genetic metabolic disease characterized by selective, progressive loss of body fat (adipose tissue) from various areas of the body leading to ectopic fat deposition in liver and muscle and development of insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia and fatty liver disease. Individuals with FPL often have reduced subcutaneous fat in the arms and legs and the head and trunk regions may or may not have loss of fat. Conversely, affected individuals may also have excess subcutaneous fat accumulation in other areas of the body, especially the neck, face and intra-abdominal regions.
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Evrysdi
Evrysdi was approved by the FDA in August 2020 for the treatment of SMA in adults and children two months and older and by the EC in March 2021 for the treatment of 5q SMA in patients two months and older with a clinical diagnosis of SMA Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3 or with one to four SMN2 copies. Evrysdi has also received marketing authorization for the treatment of SMA in over 100 countries. In May 2022, the FDA approved a label expansion for Evrysdi to include infants under two months old with SMA. In August 2023, the EC approved an extension of the Evrysdi marketing authorization to include infants under two months old in the EU. Evrysdi is a product of our SMA program and our collaboration with Roche and the SMA Foundation. For additional information, see “Item 1. Business – Our Collaborations, License Agreements and Funding Arrangements – Roche and the SMA Foundation.”
SMA is a genetic neuromuscular disease characterized by muscle wasting and weakness. The disease generally manifests early in life. SMA is caused by mutation or deletion of the Survival of Motor Neuron 1, or SMN1, gene that encodes the survival of motor neuron, or SMN, protein. The SMN protein is critical to the health and survival of the nerve cells in the spinal cord responsible for muscle contraction. A second gene, Survival of Motor Neuron 2, or SMN2, is very similar to SMN1, contains a T nucleotide at position 6 in exon 7 and produces low, insufficient levels of functional SMN protein due to alternative splicing of exon 7. According to the SMA Foundation, SMA is the leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers. Approximately 1 in 10,000 children is born with the disease. We estimate that there are between 20,000 to 30,000 children and adults living with SMA in the United States, Europe and Japan.
Diversified Development Pipeline
Our pipeline includes a number of programs at various stages of development including votoplam and other programs from our splicing and inflammation and ferroptosis platforms. Additionally, we have ongoing clinical studies of our current commercial products for maintaining authorizations and enabling additional authorizations.
Splicing Platform
Our splicing platform focuses on the development of innovative therapies for diseases of unmet medical need that may be ameliorated through the regulation of pre-mRNA splicing.
In addition to Evrysdi and our SMA program, our splicing platform also includes votoplam, which is being developed for the treatment of HD. HD is a neurodegenerative and progressive brain disorder caused by the expansion of a triplet repeat sequence in the huntingtin gene and production of a toxic gain-of-function mutant huntingtin protein, or mHTT, resulting in uncontrolled movements and cognitive loss. There are currently no disease-modifying therapies approved to delay the onset or slow the progression of HD. We believe that there are approximately 135,000 HD patients globally. Votoplam is an orally bioavailable molecule with broad CNS and systemic distribution that has been designed to reduce huntingtin protein expression with high selectivity and specificity. We announced the results from our Phase 1 study of votoplam in healthy volunteers in September 2021 demonstrating dose-dependent lowering of huntingtin messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels, that votoplam efficiently crosses blood brain barrier at significant levels and that votoplam was well tolerated. We initiated a Phase 2 study of votoplam for the treatment of HD in the first quarter of 2022, which consisted of an initial 12-week placebo-controlled phase focused on safety, pharmacology and pharmacodynamic effects followed by a nine-month placebo-controlled phase focused on votoplam biomarker effect. In September 2024, the FDA granted Fast Track designation to the votoplam program for the treatment of HD. In May 2025, we announced that the Phase 2 study of votoplam met its primary endpoints of blood mHTT lowering and safety. The results on the full study population are consistent with the previously reported evidence of dose-dependent mHTT lowering, favorable safety profile and early signals of dose-dependent clinical effect at 12 months in Stage 2 patients. In addition, at 24 months of treatment, there were continued trends of dose-dependent favorable clinical effect relative to a propensity-matched natural history cohort as well as dose-dependent NfL lowering.
In November 2024, we entered into a License and Collaboration Agreement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, or Novartis, relating to our votoplam program, or the Novartis Agreement, which included related molecules. While Novartis has taken over responsibility for further development of the votoplam program, we continue to collaborate with Novartis on next steps. In the fourth quarter of 2025, an End-of-Phase 2 meeting was held with FDA, and we reached
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alignment on design of a global Phase 3 clinical trial of votoplam, which we expect that Novartis will initiate in the first half of 2026. This trial could serve as the confirmatory study in the context of Accelerated Approval, or as a registration trial. We also expect to have results from the Phase 2 PIVOT-HD extension study of votoplam in the first half of 2026, once all participants cross the 24-month time point. For additional information, see “Item 1. Business – Our Collaborations, License Agreements and Funding Arrangements – Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.”
Inflammation and Ferroptosis Platform
Our inflammation and ferroptosis platform consists of small molecule compounds that target enzymes and pathways known to regulate oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways central to the pathology of a number of CNS and non-CNS diseases. Oxidation-reduction, or redox, reactions are an essential component of the generation and regulation of energy in living systems. These reactions are regulated through a set of enzymes known as oxidoreductase enzymes that uniquely require the transfer of an electron, or a redox chemical reaction, to affect their biological activity.
One of the advanced molecules in our inflammation and ferroptosis platform is vatiquinone. Vatiquinone is a small molecule orally bioavailable compound that has been in development for inherited mitochondrial diseases and related genetic disorders of oxidative stress. Vatiquinone targets 15-lipoxygenase, a key regulator of oxidative stress, lipid-based neuro-inflammation and cell death. We are developing vatiquinone for the treatment of FA. FA is a rare and life-shortening neurodegenerative disease caused by a single defect in the FXN gene which causes reduced production of the frataxin protein. We believe that there are approximately 25,000 FA patients globally, including approximately 6,000 in the United States, of which approximately one-third are pediatric. Vatiquinone has previously been studied in FA patients in a Phase 2 trial that included a six-month placebo-controlled phase followed by an 18-month open label extension. In this trial, long-term vatiquinone treatment (18-24 months) was associated with an improvement in overall disease severity and neurological function relative to natural history. Vatiquinone has been generally well-tolerated in the clinic.
We announced topline results from our MOVE-FA trial, a registration-directed Phase 3 trial of vatiquinone in children and young adults with FA, in May 2023. While the trial did not meet its primary endpoint of statistically significant change in modified Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale, or mFARS, score at 72 weeks in the primary analysis population, vatiquinone treatment did demonstrate significant benefit on key disease subscales and secondary endpoints. In addition, in the population of subjects that completed the study protocol, significance was reached in the mFARS endpoint and several secondary endpoints, including the upright stability subscale. Furthermore, vatiquinone was well tolerated. In the first quarter of 2024, we met with the FDA, who expressed willingness to review an NDA for vatiquinone for the treatment of FA based on the MOVE-FA trial as well as data from the ongoing open label extension study following the MOVE-FA trial. In October 2024, we announced that the pre-specified endpoint for two different FA long-term extension studies was met, with statistically significant evidence of durable treatment benefit on disease progression. In December 2024, we submitted an NDA to the FDA for vatiquinone for the treatment of children and adults living with FA. In August 2025, the FDA issued a complete response letter related to the NDA stating that substantial evidence of efficacy was not demonstrated for vatiquinone and that an additional adequate and well-controlled study would be needed to support NDA resubmission. We met with the FDA in the fourth quarter of 2025 to discuss the vatiquinone development program. FDA suggested an additional study be conducted to support an NDA resubmission. FDA stated in the meeting minutes that this study could be an open label study with a natural history control group. We plan to meet with FDA in the second quarter of 2026 to discuss the design of this new study.
Multi-platform Discovery
We continue to invest in our pre-clinical product pipeline by committing resources to research and development programs to provide access to best-in-class treatments for patients who have an unmet medical need.
Our Approach
We use multiple drug discovery platforms to discover and develop therapies to target diseases with high-unmet need. Our platforms focus on identifying small molecules that intervene in pathways required for RNA processing and energy production. Careful control and manipulation of these processes allow us to address a wide range of deficiencies.
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Splicing
Post-transcriptional control processes are the events that occur in a cell following the transcription of DNA into RNA. These processes regulate, for example, how long RNA molecules last in the cell, how exons in precursor messenger RNA, or pre-mRNA, molecules are spliced, and how efficiently mRNA molecules are translated to proteins. In the majority of human protein-encoding genes, the sequence encoding the mature mRNA transcript is not contiguous in the pre-mRNA but rather has intervening non-coding regions called introns that interrupt the coding sequences, called exons. These introns are removed from the final mRNA product by a process called splicing that also joins the exons together such that only the exons are retained in the mature mRNA.
Approximately 94% of all human genes encode pre-mRNAs that undergo splicing, as such the majority of the human genome is targetable with splicing modulation. PTC’s proprietary splicing discovery platform, PTSeekTM, identifies small molecules that modulate splicing of specific exons in genes of therapeutic interest, including genes associated with SMA, HD and various forms of cancer. Using this technology, we have successfully identified orally bioavailable small molecules that correct splicing of SMN2 mRNA. An example of one of these molecules is Evrysdi, which was approved in August 2020 by the FDA for the treatment of SMA in adults and children two months and older. Based on our knowledge of the mechanism of splicing and how small molecules interact with the cellular splicing machinery, we have identified additional small molecule drug candidates that modify splicing of pre-mRNA, promote inclusion of specific exons into mRNA, including pseudoexons, or force skipping of undesired exons from the mature mRNA. We believe that this technology is potentially widely applicable to a large number of target genes across many therapeutic areas.
Inflammation and Ferroptosis
Energy production in cells is critical to their survival. On the other hand, processes that induce inflammation and oxidative stress in cells can negatively impact cell survival. Energy production takes place in a part of the cell called mitochondria. The mitochondria use the transport of electrons via chemical reactions called redox reactions in their cell membranes to produce adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is the central energy molecule inside cells. This process of moving electrons to produce ATP is termed electron transfer or transport. The redox reactions, however, can also cause oxidative stress. We use our expertise in energy production via electron transfer chemical reactions and in oxidative stress to develop potentially first-in-class therapeutics for unmet medical needs. Through our screening processes, we have identified multiple drug targets which we are assessing in nonclinical studies with the aim of identifying additional product candidates to take into clinical development.
Our Collaborations, License Agreements and Funding Arrangements
We currently have ongoing collaborations with Roche and the SMA Foundation for SMA, a license agreement with National Taiwan University, or NTU, for Upstaza, a collaboration and license agreement with Akcea for Tegsedi and Waylivra, a license agreement with Shiratori Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., or Shiratori, relating to the manufacturing processes and technology for sepiapterin, and a license and collaboration agreement with Novartis for our votoplam HD program.
Roche and the SMA Foundation
Overview. In November 2011, we entered into a License and Collaboration Agreement with Roche and the SMA Foundation, dated as of November 23, 2011, or the SMA License Agreement, to further develop and commercialize compounds identified under our SMA sponsored research program with the SMA Foundation and to research other small molecule compounds with potential for therapeutic use in patients with SMA. The research term of this agreement was terminated effective December 31, 2014. The ongoing collaboration is governed by a joint steering committee consisting of an equal number of representatives of us, the SMA Foundation and Roche. We, the SMA Foundation and Roche have agreed to endeavor to make decisions by consensus, but if the joint steering committee cannot reach agreement after following a specified decision resolution procedure, Roche’s decision will control. However, Roche may not exercise its final decision-making authority with respect to certain specified matters, including any decision that would increase our or the SMA Foundation’s obligations, reduce our or the SMA Foundation’s rights, expand Roche’s rights, or reduce Roche’s obligations under the license and collaboration agreement.
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Commercialization. We have granted Roche worldwide exclusive licenses, with the right to grant sublicenses, to our patent rights and know-how with respect to such compounds and products. Roche is responsible for pursuing worldwide clinical development of compounds from the research program and has the exclusive right to develop and commercialize compounds from the collaboration.
Payments and Contingent Payments. Pursuant to the SMA License Agreement, Roche paid us an upfront non-refundable payment of $30.0 million. During the research term, which was terminated effective December 31, 2014, Roche provided us with funding, based on an agreed-upon full-time equivalent rate, for an agreed-upon number of full-time equivalent employees that we contributed to the research program. We are eligible to receive up to an aggregate of $135.0 million in payments if specified development and regulatory milestones are achieved and up to an aggregate of $325.0 million in payments if specified sales milestones are achieved. We are also entitled to tiered royalties ranging from 8% to 16% on worldwide net product sales of products developed pursuant to the collaboration. Roche’s obligation to pay us royalties will expire generally on a country-by- country basis at the latest of the expiration of the last-to-expire patent covering a product in the given country, the expiration of regulatory exclusivity for that product in such country or 10 years from the first commercial sale of that product in such country. However, the royalties payable to us may be decreased in certain circumstances. For example, the royalty rate in a particular country is reduced if the product is not protected by patents in that country and no longer entitled to regulatory exclusivity in that country. As of December 31, 2025, we have made all payments due to the SMA Foundation under our pre-existing sponsored research agreement with the SMA Foundation.
As of December 31, 2025, we had recognized a total of $310.0 million in milestone payments and $789.8 million royalties on net sales pursuant to the SMA License Agreement. As of December 31, 2025, there are no remaining development and regulatory event milestones that we can receive. The remaining potential sales milestones as of December 31, 2025 are $150.0 million upon achievement of certain sales events.
In December 2025, we entered into a second amendment, or Amendment No. 2, with Royalty Pharma Investments 2019 ICAV, or Royalty Pharma, and Royalty Pharma plc, to the Amended and Restated Royalty Pharma Purchase Agreement, dated October 18, 2023, or the A&R Royalty Purchase Agreement, which amended and restated in its entirety the Royalty Purchase Agreement, dated as of July 17, 2020. Pursuant to Amendment No. 2, we sold to Royalty Pharma our retained right to receive sales-based royalty payments, or the Royalty, on worldwide net sales of Evrysdi and any other product developed pursuant to the SMA License Agreement under the SMA Program in exchange for $240.0 million in upfront cash consideration, and three potential additional cash purchase price payments of $20.0 million each conditioned upon receipt by Royalty Pharma of more than $347.0 million of Assigned Royalty Payments (as defined in the A&R Royalty Purchase Agreement) in respect of Calendar Year Net Sales (as defined in the A&R Royalty Purchase Agreement) arising in 2027, $363.0 million of Assigned Royalty Payments in respect of Calendar Year Net Sales arising in 2028, and $379.0 million of Assigned Royalty Payments in respect of Calendar Year Net Sales arising in 2029, respectively. The retained interest we sold Royalty Pharma pursuant to the Amendment No. 2 is equal to 9.5111% of the Royalty before the 2020 Assigned Royalty Cap (as defined in the A&R Royalty Purchase Agreement) has been met, and 16.6666% of the Royalty from and after such time as the 2020 Assigned Royalty Cap has been met. As a result of the sale, Royalty Pharma owns 100% of the Royalty and we own 0% of the Royalty. To date, Royalty Pharma has paid to us cash consideration of $2.1 billion in exchange for 100% of the Royalty.
Termination. Unless terminated earlier, the SMA License Agreement will expire on the date when no royalty or other payment obligations are or will become due under the agreement. Roche’s termination rights under the license and collaboration agreement include the right to terminate the agreement at any time after November 22, 2013 on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis upon three months’ notice before the launch of the applicable product or upon nine months’ notice thereafter; and the right to terminate the agreement in specified circumstances following a change of control of us. The license and collaboration agreement provides that we or Roche may terminate the agreement in the event of an uncured breach by the other party of a material provision of the agreement, or in the event of the other party’s bankruptcy or insolvency. Upon termination of the collaboration agreement by Roche for convenience or termination by us as a result of Roche’s breach, bankruptcy, change of control or patent challenge, we have the right to assume the development and commercialization of product candidates arising from the license and collaboration agreement. In that event, we may become obligated to pay royalties to Roche on sales of any such product.
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SMA Foundation
Overview. In June 2006, we entered into a sponsored research agreement with the SMA Foundation under which we and the SMA Foundation have collaborated in the research and preclinical development of small molecule therapeutics for SMA. As discussed above, we are also collaborating with the SMA Foundation and Roche to further develop these compounds. Pursuant to the sponsored research agreement, as amended, the SMA Foundation provided us with $13.3 million in funding. The SMA Foundation is not obligated to provide any further funding under this agreement.
Continuing financial obligations. We may become obligated to pay the SMA Foundation single-digit royalties on worldwide net product sales of any collaboration product that we successfully develop and subsequently commercialize or, with respect to collaboration products we outlicense, including Evrysdi, a specified percentage of certain payments we receive from our licensee. As discussed above, we have outlicensed rights to Roche pursuant to the SMA License Agreement. We are not obligated to make such payments unless and until annual sales of a collaboration product exceed a designated threshold. Since inception, the SMA Foundation has earned $52.5 million in royalty payments, fulfilling our obligation to make such payments, all of which has been previously paid.
Reversion rights. In specified circumstances, including those involving our decision to discontinue development or commercialization of a collaboration product, our uncured failure to meet agreed timelines or those that might arise following our change of control, we may be obligated to grant the SMA Foundation exclusive or non-exclusive sublicensable rights under our intellectual property, in certain collaboration products, among other rights, to assume the development and commercialization of such collaboration products and to provide the SMA Foundation with other transitional assistance, which we refer to as a reversion. In some such cases, we may be entitled to receive licensing fee payments from the SMA Foundation and single-digit royalties on sales of the applicable collaboration product, which amounts we collectively refer to as reversion payments. In other cases, the SMA Foundation is not required to make any payments to us in connection with the licenses it receives from us.
Termination. Unless terminated earlier, the sponsored research agreement will continue until the earliest of the SMA Foundation’s receipt of the repayment amount or, if there was a reversion, either our receipt of all reversion payments that the SMA Foundation may be obligated to make to us or, if the SMA Foundation is not obligated to make reversion payments, the expiration of the last-to-expire patent we licensed to the SMA Foundation in connection with such reversion. The sponsored research agreement provides that either party may terminate the agreement in the event of an uncured material breach by the other party or in the event of the other party’s bankruptcy or insolvency.
National Taiwan University
Overview. Pursuant to the license and technology transfer agreement, originally entered into between Agilis Biotherapeutics, Inc., or Agilis, NTU and Professor Wuh-Liang (Paul) Hwu, in December 2015, or the NTU Licensing Agreement, NTU granted to us an exclusive, perpetual license, with the right to grant sublicenses through all tiers, to research and use the intellectual property, data, chemistry, manufacturing and controls, or CMC, records, documents, confidential information, materials and know-how pertaining to the Research, including Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency, under the NTU Collaboration Agreement (as defined below), or the Technology, and to develop, make, manufacture, use, sell, import and market the Technology and any other products made, invented, developed or incorporated by or with the Technology, or the Licensed Products. Subject to any regulatory delays or issues, we were obligated to research, use and develop the Technology to manufacture Licensed Products by December 23, 2025. Additionally, we were obligated to obtain marketing approval of Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency, either by the FDA or by the EMA, by December 31, 2024. In July 2022, the EC approved Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency for patients 18 months and older within the EEA, satisfying that obligation.
Funding Obligations. NTU received a lump sum of $100,000 upon execution of the NTU Licensing Agreement, as well as $2.0 million milestones payments based on the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones, including $1.2 million that became due and payable in July 2022 upon the EC’s approval of Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency. Additionally, NTU will be entitled to receive contingent payments from us based on (i) annual license maintenance fees, (ii) a low double-digit percentage royalty of annual net sales between 10% and 15% of Licensed
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Products, and (iii) a percentage of sublicense revenue, ranging from low-twenties to mid-twenties. The annual license maintenance fees are non-refundable, but creditable against annual net sales payments.
Intellectual Property. All intellectual property relating to the manufacture, production, assembly, use or sale of Technology and any Licensed Products derived thereof are owned by NTU.
Termination. The NTU Licensing Agreement expires on December 23, 2035. Upon expiration, we will have a fully paid-up, perpetual, royalty-free exclusive license to the Technology. We may terminate the NTU Licensing Agreement upon 60 days’ written notice to NTU in the event of (a) the failure of a pivotal clinical study, or serious adverse event in a clinical study, with respect to Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency, that prevents continuing such clinical study under reasonable circumstances or (b) the rejection of a BLA with the FDA or an MAA with the EMA, or equivalent biologics approval application in another territory with respect to Upstaza for the treatment of AADC. In such termination event, we must pay $100,000 to NTU within 30 days of termination and NTU would retain all rights to the Technology. We may terminate the NTU Licensing Agreement for material breach by another party following a 30-day cure period. NTU may terminate the NTU Licensing Agreement for our failure to pay any undisputed license fees or net sales or sublicensing royalty fees within the applicable deadline following a 30-day cure period.
We are also a party to collaborative research agreements with NTU, or the NTU Collaboration Agreements, that govern the collaboration between us and NTU with respect to the research and clinical trials for AADC deficiency gene therapy. NTU is responsible for performing the research and clinical trials and we are responsible for providing related funding. As of December 31, 2025, an aggregate amount of $4.7 million in funding payments has been paid to NTU pursuant to the NTU Collaboration Agreements.
Akcea, a Subsidiary of Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Overview. PTC Therapeutics International Limited, our subsidiary, entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement, or the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement, dated August 1, 2018 by and between us and Akcea, a subsidiary of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for the commercialization by us of Tegsedi, Waylivra and products containing those compounds, which we refer to collectively as the Products, in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, or the PTC Territory. We are responsible for all meetings, communications and other interactions with regulatory authorities in the PTC Territory. The activities of the parties pursuant to the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement is overseen by a Joint Steering Committee, composed of an equal number of representatives appointed by each of us and Akcea.
Commercialization. Under the terms of the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement, Akcea has granted to us an exclusive right and license, with the right to grant certain sublicenses, under Akcea’s product-specific intellectual property to develop, manufacture and commercialize the Products in the PTC Territory. In addition, Akcea has granted to us a non-exclusive right and license, with the right to grant certain sublicenses, under Akcea’s core intellectual property and manufacturing intellectual property to develop, manufacture and commercialize the Products in the PTC Territory and to manufacture the Products worldwide in accordance with a supply agreement with Akcea. Akcea has in-licensed certain of the Akcea intellectual property from its parent company, Ionis. Each party has agreed not to, independently or with any third party, commercialize any competing oligonucleotide product in the PTC Territory for the same gene target as inotersen.
Payments and Contingent Payments. We paid to Akcea an upfront licensing fee of $18.0 million, consisting of an initial payment of $12.0 million paid in connection with entering into the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement in August 2018, and a second payment of $6.0 million that was paid after Waylivra received regulatory approval from the EMA in May 2019. In addition, Akcea was eligible to receive milestone payments, on a Product-by-Product basis, of $4.0 million upon receipt of regulatory approval for a Product from ANVISA, subject to a maximum aggregate amount of $8.0 million for all such Products. We paid Akcea $4.0 million upon our receipt of marketing authorization from ANVISA in October 2019 for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hATTR amyloidosis in Brazil with Tegsedi and an additional $4.0 million upon our receipt of marketing authorization from ANVISA in August 2021 for the treatment of FCS. Akcea is also entitled to receive royalty payments in the mid-twenty percent range of net sales on a country-by-country and Product-by-Product basis, commencing on the earlier to occur of (1) 12 months after the first commercial sale of such Product in Brazil or (2) the date when we, our affiliates or sublicensees have recognized revenue of $10.0 million
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or more in cumulative net sales for such Product in the PTC Territory. The royalty payments are subject to reduction in certain circumstances as set forth in the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement.
Termination. The Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement will continue until the expiration of the last to expire royalty term with respect to all Products in all countries in the PTC Territory. Either party may terminate the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement on written notice to the other party if such other party is in material breach of its obligations thereunder and has not cured such breach within 30 days after notice in the case of a payment breach or 60 days after notice in the case of any other breach.
Shiratori
Overview. In connection with our acquisition of Censa Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Censa, in May 2020, we became a party to a license agreement dated as of February 8, 2015, as amended, between Shiratori and Censa, or the Shiratori License Agreement. Pursuant to the Shiratori License Agreement, as amended, Shiratori granted Censa the sole and exclusive worldwide right and license, with the right to sublicense, under certain licensed know-how, or the Licensed Know-How, and licensed patents, or the Licensed Patents, relating to manufacturing processes and technology for sepiapterin, to research, have researched, develop, have developed, use, import, export, market, have marketed, offer for sale, sell and have sold, and otherwise commercialize any final pharmaceutical product in finished form containing sepiapterin as an active pharmaceutical ingredient, including sepiapterin, collectively the Sepiapterin Products, covered by the Licensed Patents or using the Licensed Know-How in all countries and territories of the world.
Payments and Contingent Payments. Under the Shiratori License Agreement, we are obligated to pay to Shiratori a low single digit percentage of annual net sales of the Sepiapterin Products in each country in the Sepiapterin Territory until the expiration of the last-to-expire Licensed Patent controlled by Shiratori covering the relevant country followed by an obligation to pay a reduced royalty rate for a specified period of time thereafter. We are also obligated to pay Shiratori certain regulatory and development milestones that are of an immaterial amount.
Termination. Unless earlier terminated, the Shiratori License Agreement will continue in full force and effect on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis until the obligation to pay royalties with respect to the sale of such Sepiapterin Product in such country expires. The parties may agree to mutually terminate the Shiratori License Agreement. We may elect to terminate the Shiratori License Agreement upon sixty days’ prior written notice to Shiratori.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Overview.On November 27, 2024 we and Novartis entered into the Novartis Agreement relating to our votoplam HD program which includes related molecules. Pursuant to the Novartis Agreement, we were responsible for conducting the Phase 2A clinical trial of votoplam, which is complete, and have transitioned sponsorship of the ongoing OLE clinical trial of votoplam to Novartis. Novartis will be responsible for all other development of licensed compounds and licensed products and the manufacture and commercialization of licensed compounds and licensed products worldwide.
Payments and Contingent Payments. Under the Novartis Agreement, and upon the closing of the transaction contemplated by the Novartis Agreement in January 2025, we received an upfront payment of $1.0 billion on the effective date and can receive up to $1.9 billion in development, regulatory and sales milestones, a 40% share of U.S. profits and losses, and tiered double-digit royalties on ex-U.S. sales.
Termination. The Novartis Agreement, unless earlier terminated in accordance therewith, shall continue in force and effect until (a) with respect to the royalty territory, on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis, the royalty term end date for such licensed product in such country and (b) with respect to the profit-sharing territory, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, until the exploitation of such licensed product has completely terminated. Either party may terminate for material breach of the Novartis Agreement. Novartis may terminate for convenience or for safety or regulatory issue. We may also terminate (a) solely with respect to such country or other jurisdiction, (b) in the case that such country or other jurisdiction is United States, Brazil, Switzerland, Russia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, each a Major Market, solely with respect to all Major Markets, or (c) in its entirety, for material breach of diligence obligations.
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Our Ongoing Acquisition-Related Obligations
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.
Complete Pharma Holdings, LLC
On April 20, 2017, we completed our acquisition of all rights to Emflaza, or the Emflaza Transaction. The Emflaza Transaction was completed pursuant to an asset purchase agreement, dated March 15, 2017, as amended on April 20, 2017, or the Emflaza Asset Purchase Agreement, by and between us and Marathon Pharmaceuticals, LLC (now known as Complete Pharma Holdings, LLC), or Marathon. The assets acquired by us in the Emflaza Transaction include intellectual property rights related to Emflaza, inventories of Emflaza, and certain contractual rights related to Emflaza. We assumed certain liabilities and obligations in the Emflaza Transaction arising out of, or relating to, the assets acquired in the Emflaza Transaction.
In addition to the upfront consideration paid to Marathon upon the closing of the Emflaza transaction, Marathon was entitled to receive contingent payments from us based on annual net sales of Emflaza, up to a specified aggregate maximum amount over the expected commercial life of the asset, subject to the terms and conditions of the Emflaza Asset Purchase Agreement. This amount was achieved during the year ended December 31, 2024. Accordingly, no future payments will be due. In 2022, we paid Marathon a single $50.0 million sales-based milestone in accordance with the Emflaza Asset Purchase Agreement.
Agilis Biotherapeutics, Inc.
On August 23, 2018, we completed our acquisition of Agilis pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 19, 2018, or the Agilis Merger Agreement, by and among us, Agility Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and our wholly owned, indirect subsidiary, Agilis and, solely in its capacity as the representative, agent and attorney-in-fact of the equityholders of Agilis, Shareholder Representative Services LLC, or the Merger.
In addition to the upfront consideration paid to Agilis equityholders upon the closing of the Merger, Agilis equityholders may become entitled to receive contingent payments from us based on the achievement of certain development, regulatory and net sales milestones, as well as based upon a percentage of net sales of certain products.
On April 29, 2020, we, certain of the former equity holders of Agilis, or the Participating Rightholders, and, for the limited purposes set forth in the agreement, Shareholder Representative Services LLC, entered into a Rights Exchange Agreement, or the Rights Exchange Agreement. Pursuant to the Right Exchange Agreement, we issued 2,821,176 shares of our common stock and paid $36.9 million, in the aggregate, to the Participating Rightholders in exchange for the cancellation and forfeiture by the Participating Rightholders of their rights to receive certain milestone-based contingent payments under the Agilis Merger Agreement.
As of December 31, 2025, we have paid the former equity holders of Agilis a total of $83.4 million in connection with the achievement of certain milestone-based contingent payments under the Agilis Merger Agreement. In May 2023, as part of our strategic portfolio prioritization, we decided to discontinue our preclinical and early research programs for our gene therapy platform, which included programs for FA and Angelman syndrome. As a result, we do not expect the milestones under the Agilis Merger Agreement related to FA and Angelman syndrome to be achieved, and we do not expect to pay royalties on annual net sales related to FA and Angelman syndrome. Our outstanding obligations under the Agilis Merger Agreement related to Upstaza/Kebilidi include obligations to pay up to a maximum aggregate amount of $50.0 million upon the achievement of certain net sales milestones, however the Company has determined that the probability of triggering these milestones is remote.
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BioElectron Technology Corporation
On October 25, 2019, we completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of BioElectron Technology Corporation, or BioElectron, pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement by and between us and BioElectron, dated October 1, 2019, or the BioElectron Asset Purchase Agreement.
In addition to the upfront consideration paid to BioElectron upon the closing of the asset acquisition, subject to the terms and conditions of the BioElectron Asset Purchase Agreement, BioElectron may become entitled to receive contingent milestone payments of up to $200.0 million (in cash or in shares of our common stock, as determined by us) from us based on the achievement of certain regulatory and net sales milestones. Subject to the terms and conditions of the BioElectron Asset Purchase Agreement, BioElectron may also become entitled to receive contingent payments based on a percentage of net sales of certain products.
Censa Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
On May 29, 2020, we acquired Censa pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 5, 2020, or the Censa Merger Agreement, by and among us, Hydro Merger Sub, Inc., our wholly owned, indirect subsidiary, and, solely in its capacity as the representative, agent and attorney-in-fact of the securityholders of Censa, Shareholder Representative Services LLC, or the Censa Merger.
In addition to the upfront consideration paid to the Censa securityholders upon the closing of the Censa Merger, pursuant to the Censa Merger Agreement, Censa securityholders will be entitled to receive contingent payments from us based on (i) the achievement of certain development and regulatory milestones up to an aggregate maximum amount of $217.5 million for sepiapterin’s two most advanced programs and receipt of a priority review voucher from the FDA as set forth in the Censa Merger Agreement, (ii) $109 million in development and regulatory milestones for each additional indication of sepiapterin, (iii) the achievement of certain net sales milestones up to an aggregate maximum amount of $160.0 million, including payments of $30.0 million for the first occurrence of a four consecutive calendar quarter period in which aggregate Net Sales of Product (as defined below) exceed $250.0 million, $50.0 million for the first occurrence of a four consecutive calendar quarter period in which aggregate Net Sales of Product exceed $500.0 million, and $80.0 million for the first occurrence of a four consecutive calendar quarter period in which aggregate Net Sales of Product exceed $1.0 billion, (iv) a percentage of annual net sales during specified terms, equal to (a) 8% of annual Net Sales of Product for that portion of annual Net Sales of Product less than or equal to $250.0 million, (b) 10% of annual Net Sales of Product for that portion of annual Net Sales of Product greater than $250.0 million but less than $500.0 million and (c) 12% of annual Net Sales of Product for that portion of annual Net Sales of Product greater than $500.0 million, which we collectively refer to as the Net Sales Payments, and (v) any sublicense fees paid to us in consideration of any sublicense of Censa’s intellectual property to commercialize sepiapterin, on a country-by-country basis, which contingent payment will equal to a mid-double digit percentage of any such sublicense fees. We have paid $152.5 million in regulatory and development milestones related to Sephience, including in 2025, when we paid $25.0 million and $32.5 million in milestones to the former Censa securityholders when the EC granted marketing authorization to Sephience, and when the FDA approved Sephience for the treatment of children and adults living with PKU, respectively.
On August 5, 2025, we, certain of the former securityholders of Censa, or the Participating Rightsholders, and, for the limited purposes set forth in the agreement, Shareholder Representative Services LLC entered into a Rights Satisfaction Agreement, or the Rights Satisfaction Agreement, pursuant to which the Participating Rightsholders agreed to the cancellation and forfeiture of their rights to receive certain contingent payments from us based on worldwide annual net sales by us of products containing sepiapterin, or Net Sales of Product, under the Censa Merger Agreement in exchange for the consideration set forth in the Rights Satisfaction Agreement and further detailed below.
Pursuant to the terms of the Rights Satisfaction Agreement, the Participating Rightsholders have canceled and forfeited their rights under the Censa Merger Agreement to receive the Net Sales Payments.
In consideration of the foregoing, we agreed to pay to the Participating Rightsholders an aggregate amount in cash up to $250.0 million, or the Upfront Consideration, upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Rights Satisfaction Agreement, or the Closing, and potential milestone payments, each, an Additional Milestone Payment, of up
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to $100.0 million each (or up to $500.0 million in the aggregate) based on the achievement of specified Net Sales Thresholds (as defined in the Censa Merger Agreement). The amount of the Upfront Consideration and the Additional Milestone Payments was subject to adjustment in the Rights Satisfaction Agreement based on the number of Participating Rightsholders.
At the Closing, based on the participation of former Censa securityholders holding approximately 90% of Censa’s equity securities prior to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Censa Merger Agreement, we paid an aggregate amount of Upfront Consideration in cash of $225.1 million. Additionally, we are obligated to make Additional Milestone Payments in an amount equal to approximately $90.0 million upon achievement of each of the (i) first occurrence of a three or fewer consecutive calendar year period in which aggregate Net Sales of Product are greater than $3.0 billion, (ii) first occurrence of a five or fewer consecutive calendar year period in which aggregate Net Sales of Product are greater than $5.0 billion, (iii) first occurrence of a seven or fewer consecutive calendar year period in which aggregate Net Sales of Product are greater than $7.0 billion, (iv) first occurrence of a nine or fewer consecutive calendar year period in which aggregate Net Sales of Product are greater than $9.0 billion and (v) first occurrence of an 11 or fewer consecutive calendar year period in which aggregate Net Sales of Product are greater than $11.0 billion. If any additional former securityholder of Censa executes and delivers a joinder to the Rights Satisfaction Agreement and becomes a party thereto, we will pay such former securityholder an amount in cash equal to such former securityholder’s applicable pro rata share of the Upfront Consideration (less any Net Sale Payments previously received) and any Additional Milestone Payments that become payable to Participating Rightsholders under the Rights Satisfaction Agreement.
Intellectual Property
Patents and trade secrets
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary protection for our product candidates, technology and know-how, to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others and to prevent others from infringing our proprietary rights. Our policy is to seek to protect our proprietary position by, among other methods, filing U.S. and certain ex-U.S. patent applications related to our proprietary technology, inventions and improvements that we believe are important to the development of our business, where patent protection is available. We also rely on trade secrets, know-how, continuing technological innovation and in-licensing opportunities to develop and maintain our proprietary position.
As of January 31, 2026, our patent portfolio included a total of 106 active U.S. patents and 53 pending U.S. non-provisional patent applications, including continuations and divisional applications, that are owned, co-owned, or exclusively in-licensed. Our patent portfolio also includes numerous International and ex-U.S. patents and patent applications. The patent portfolio includes patents and patent applications with claims including composition of matter, pharmaceutical formulation and methods of use of our commercial products including sepiapterin, the active ingredient in the formulated product Sephience, ataluren, the active ingredient in the formulated product Translarna, and risdiplam, the active ingredient in the formulated product Evrysdi.
The patent rights relating to sepiapterin owned by us include five issued U.S. patents relating to composition of matter and methods of use, and one issued U.S. patent, exclusively licensed to us by Shiratori, relating to methods of manufacture, as well as pending U.S. patent applications. We do not license any material patent rights relating to sepiapterin to unaffiliated parties. The last issued U.S. patent relating to composition of matter is currently scheduled to expire in September of 2038. Our patent rights include granted patents or pending counterpart patent applications in a number of other jurisdictions, including certain South American countries, Europe, certain Middle Eastern countries, certain African countries, certain Asian countries and certain Eurasian countries. One issued method of use patent in Europe is currently scheduled to expire in September of 2039. We are exclusively licensed to one European patent relating to methods of manufacture of sepiapterin, which is currently scheduled to expire in May of 2033. Except as indicated above, these anticipated expiration dates are without regard to potential patent term extension, patent term adjustment or other marketing exclusivities that may be available to us.
The patent rights relating to ataluren owned by us include 16 issued U.S. patents relating to composition of matter, methods of use, formulations, dosing regimens and methods of manufacture. We do not license any material patent rights relating to ataluren to unaffiliated parties. The issued U.S. patents relating to composition of matter expired in April 2024. Issued
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U.S. patents relating to therapeutic methods of use are currently scheduled to expire in 2026 and 2027, including patent term adjustment. Our patent rights relating to ataluren include granted patents or pending counterpart patent applications in a number of other jurisdictions, including Canada, certain South American countries, Europe, certain Middle Eastern countries, certain African countries, certain Asian countries and certain Eurasian countries. We own five European patents relating to composition of matter, uses, dosing regimens and methods of manufacture of ataluren. Granted European patents expired in April 2024 for those patents drawn to composition of matter, except in European jurisdictions in which supplementary protection certificates extended protection to 2029, and will expire in 2026 and 2027 for those patents drawn to dosing regimens and formulations, and in 2027 for those patents drawn to the manufacturing process. Except as indicated above, the anticipated expiration dates referred to above are without regard to potential patent term extension, patent term adjustment or other marketing exclusivities that may be available to us.
The patent rights relating to risdiplam co-owned by us and Roche include seven issued U.S. patents relating to composition of matter, methods of use, and methods of manufacture and pending U.S. patent applications. We do not license any material patent rights relating to risdiplam to unaffiliated parties. The issued U.S. patents relating to composition of matter are currently scheduled to expire in 2033, 2035 and 2042. Our patent rights include granted patents or pending counterpart patent applications in a number of other jurisdictions, including Canada, certain South American countries, Europe, certain Middle Eastern countries, certain African countries, certain Asian countries and certain Eurasian countries. We co-own four European patents relating to composition of matter, and uses of risdiplam. The expiration dates of the granted European patents relating to composition of matter are currently scheduled to expire in 2033 and 2035. Except as indicated above, these anticipated expiration dates are without regard to potential patent term extension, patent term adjustment or other marketing exclusivities that may be available to us.
The patent rights relating to vatiquinone owned by us include 13 issued U.S. patents relating to methods of use, formulations, dosing regimens and methods of manufacture and multiple pending U.S. patent applications relating to methods of use and methods of manufacture. We do not license any material patent rights relating to vatiquinone to unaffiliated parties. Issued U.S. patents relating to therapeutic methods of use are currently scheduled to expire in between February 2030 and May of 2032. Our patents drawn to the manufacturing processes in the U.S. will expire in 2029, 2030, 2032 and 2036. Our patent rights relating to vatiquinone include granted patents or pending counterpart patent applications in a number of other jurisdictions, including Canada, certain South American countries, Europe, certain Middle Eastern countries, certain African countries, certain Asian countries and certain Eurasian countries. We own 7 European patents relating to formulations, uses, dosing regimens and methods of manufacture of vatiquinone, as well as pending European patent applications relating to methods of manufacture. Granted European patents drawn to therapeutic methods of use will expire in June of 2026, the patent drawn to formulations will expire October 2029, and the patents drawn to the manufacturing processes expire between October of 2029 and July 2032. Except as indicated above, the anticipated expiration dates referred to above are without regard to potential patent term extension, patent term adjustment or other marketing exclusivities that may be available to us.
The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term for patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries, including the United States, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest filing date of a non-provisional patent application. In the United States, a patent’s term may, in certain cases, be lengthened by patent term adjustment, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in examining and granting a patent, or may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over an earlier filed patent. The term of a U.S. patent that covers a drug, biological product or medical device approved pursuant to a pre-market approval, or PMA, may also be eligible for patent term extension when FDA approval is granted, provided statutory and regulatory requirements are met.
Analogous patent term extension provisions are available in Europe and certain other ex-U.S. jurisdictions to extend the term of a patent that covers an approved drug. One means of patent term extension in Europe after EMA approval is based on obtaining a Supplementary Protection Certificate, or SPC. We have applied for SPCs for ataluren in all applicable European countries in which we have a European patent and have obtained SPCs or expect to obtain SPCs in all applicable European countries. The maximum patent term extension provided by an SPC is a total of 5 years from the date of patent term expiration. For example, in jurisdictions where an SPC with maximum patent term extension has been granted, the ataluren composition of matter patent would be scheduled to expire in 2029. To the extent a marketing authorization in any particular jurisdiction is not or cannot be maintained, the granted patent may remain in force in that jurisdiction until its natural expiration date, although a granted SPC in that jurisdiction may be withdrawn. To the extent an underlying granted patent may be invalidated in that jurisdiction prior to its natural expiration date, the associated SPC will be
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invalidated as well. In the future, if and when our product candidates receive approval by the FDA or other non-European ex-U.S. regulatory authorities, we expect to apply for patent term extensions on issued patents covering those products, depending upon the length of the clinical trials for each drug and other factors.
We have no patents covering Emflaza or the approved use of Emflaza. See “Item 1. Business-Government Regulation” for further information regarding the exclusivity periods we expect to rely on for patients aged 2-5.
We rely on orphan drug exclusivity in the EEA for Upstaza for the treatment of AADC deficiency. We rely on the non-patent market exclusivity periods under the Orphan Drug Act and the BPCIA to commercialize Kebilidi in the United States. If approved elsewhere, we expect to rely on orphan drug exclusivity in other countries or regions where such exclusivity is available. See “Item 1. Business-Government Regulation” for further information regarding the exclusivity periods that we expect to rely on.
We may rely, in some circumstances, on trade secrets to protect our technology. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, using confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, contractors and collaborators. We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data and trade secrets by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems. While we have confidence in these individuals, organizations and systems, such agreements or security measures may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our employees, former employees, consultants, scientific advisors, contractors or collaborators use intellectual property owned by us or licensed to us by others in their work for us, trade secret disputes may arise. If such disputes arise in the U.S., we may protect our trade secrets and pursue remedies available under federal statute using either the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 and/or the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 and, if necessary, under state law using either the Uniform Trade Secrets Act or other State law available in the applicable venue. If such disputes arise ex-US, we may protect our trade secrets and pursue remedies available under local or international law.
License agreements
We are a party to a number of license agreements under which we license patents, patent applications and other intellectual property from third parties. We enter into these agreements to augment our proprietary intellectual property portfolio. The licensed intellectual property covers some of the compounds that we are researching and developing, some post-transcriptional control targets and some of the scientific processes that we use. These licenses impose various diligence and financial payment obligations on us. We expect to continue to enter into these types of license agreements in the future.
We exclusively in-licensed know-how and materials related to the production and use of Upstaza/Kebilidi. For a further discussion of the material agreements relating to our in-licensing of Upstaza/Kebilidi for the treatment of AADC deficiency, see “Item 1. Business-Our Collaborations, License Agreements and Funding Arrangements-National Taiwan University.” Additionally, we exclusively in-license or jointly own patent applications with claims directed to composition of matter, formulation and methods of use of other gene therapy product candidates currently in development.
Manufacturing
We do not currently own or operate functional manufacturing or distribution facilities for the production of clinical or commercial quantities of our products or product candidates or compounds that we are testing in our preclinical or clinical programs. We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture, packaging, labeling and distribution of clinical and commercial supplies of our products or product candidates that we may develop, other than small amounts of compounds that we may synthesize ourselves for preclinical testing. We have personnel with manufacturing and quality experience to oversee our contract manufacturers.
The active pharmaceutical ingredients in our products and product candidates are provided by third-parties. We currently rely on two sources for the production of our raw materials and we obtain our supply of the drug substance from two third-party manufacturers for Sephience. For Translarna, we currently rely on a single source for the production of some of our raw materials and we obtain our supply of the drug substance from two third-party manufacturers.For vatiquinone we rely
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on one source for the production of our raw materials, and we obtain our supply of the drug substance for vatiquinone from one third-party manufacturer.
We engage two separate manufacturers to provide bulk drug product for Sephience. We engage two manufacturers to provide bulk drug product for Translarna and one manufacturer to provide bulk drug product for vatiquinone. We have a relationship with three manufacturers that are capable of providing primary and secondary packaging services for our finished commercial and clinical Translarna product.
We currently obtain our supplies of Sephience, Translarna, and most of our other products and product candidates from our third-party manufacturers pursuant to agreements that include specific supply timelines and volume expectations. If a manufacturer should become unavailable to us for any reason, we would seek to obtain supply from another manufacturer engaged by us for the applicable product or service. In the event that we were unable to procure the applicable supply from a validated manufacturer, we believe that there are a number of potential replacements for each of our outsourced services, however we likely would experience delays in our ability to supply Sephience, Translarna or vatiquinone to patients or in advancing our clinical trials while we identify and qualify replacement suppliers.
We obtain our supply of the drug substance for Emflaza through a third-party manufacturer that is currently the only third-party manufacturer qualified to provide Emflaza drug substance for use in the United States. All of our drug product manufacturing, processing and packaging needs for Emflaza tablet and suspension product are fulfilled pursuant to two different exclusive supply agreements assumed by us in connection with our acquisition of Emflaza. We expect to fulfill all of our requirements for Emflaza tablets as well as secondary packaging of Emflaza oral suspension bottles pursuant to one of these agreements, which has an automatic renewal provision subject to the termination rights of each party. We expect to fulfill all of our requirements for Emflaza suspension product pursuant to the other agreement. We are obligated to pay to the manufacturer of the Emflaza suspension product royalty payments, on a quarterly basis, based on a percentage (ranging from low to middle-low double digits) of, or a fixed payment with respect to, our annual net sales of suspension product in the United States, subject to reduction in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
If our drug substance provider or either of our drug product manufacturers was to be unable to provide drug substance or manufacture Emflaza product in sufficient quantities to meet projected demand, future sales could be adversely affected, which in turn could have a detrimental impact on our ability to maintain our marketing authorization in the United States and on our ability to commercialize Emflaza, which in turn would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial results and results of operations. Emflaza’s orphan drug exclusivity related to the treatment of DMD in patients two years of age to less than five expires in June 2026. As the holder of orphan exclusivity, we are required to assure the availability of sufficient quantities of Emflaza to meet the needs of patients. Failure to do so could result in loss of the drug’s remaining orphan exclusivity in the United States.
Sephience, Translarna and Emflaza are manufactured in reliable and reproducible synthetic processes. Our raw materials are not scarce and are readily available subject to supply chain disruptions. We currently rely on multiple sources for the production of raw materials for Sephience. We currently rely on a single source for the production of some raw materials for Translarna and Emflaza, and switching to an alternative source could, in some instances, take time and could lead to delays in manufacturing. We maintain inventories for such materials such that any delays with raw materials will not affect or delay our manufacturing. No material shortages or delays of raw materials were encountered in 2025 and no manufacturing delays are currently expected in 2026. The chemistry is amenable to scale up and does not require unusual equipment in the manufacturing process. We expect to continue to develop drug candidates that can be produced cost-effectively at contract manufacturing facilities.
We have agreements with third-party manufacturers for the long-term commercial supply of Sephience, Translarna and vatiquinone. In the event that we are unable to procure supply from a validated manufacturer, we would seek to identify and qualify replacement suppliers, however this process would likely delay our ability to supply these products to patients or advance our clinical trials. We may be unable to conclude agreements for commercial or clinical supply of these products with third-party manufacturers, or we may be unable to do so on acceptable terms.
We utilize third parties for the commercial distribution of Sephience and Emflaza, including a 3PL to warehouse Sephience and Emflaza as well as specialty pharmacies to sell and distribute Sephience and Emflaza to patients in the United States.
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The specialty pharmacies provide us with third-party call center services to provide patient support and financial services, prescription intake and distribution, reimbursement adjudication, and ongoing compliance support.
We currently have contracts with multiple pharmacy and hospital distributors in the EU that distribute Sephience and Translarna for limited commercial, Named Patient/Compassionate Use and EAP programs. We have engaged with third-party logistic providers, or 3PLs, which distribute Sephience and Translarna for the majority of our commercial and EAP programs on our behalf.
Pursuant to the Tegsedi-Waylivra Agreement, we have entered into a master supply agreement with Akcea whereby Akcea or its affiliates will manufacture and supply, or cause to be manufactured and supplied, Tegsedi and Waylivra in quantities sufficient to support the commercialization of Tegsedi and Waylivra in the PTC Territory. This is currently the only manufacturing and supply agreement that we have entered into for the drug substance of Tegsedi and Waylivra. If the master supply agreement is terminated and we are unable to find an alternative third-party contractor, we may encounter delays in manufacturing Tegsedi and Waylivra.
We have a commercial manufacturing services agreement with MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, or MassBio, to provide sufficient quantities of our Upstaza/Kebilidi materials to meet commercial scale demands. If MassBio is unable to perform its obligations under the commercial manufacturing services agreement, identifying a replacement gene therapy manufacturer would likely be challenging and time-consuming.
Manufacturers and suppliers of product candidates are subject to the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, requirements, and other rules and regulations prescribed by ex-U.S. regulatory authorities. We depend on our third-party suppliers and manufacturers for continued compliance with cGMP requirements and applicable ex-U.S. standards.
Commercial Matters
Sales and marketing team
Our product revenue has primarily been attributable to sales of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in territories outside of the United States, to sales of Emflaza for the treatment of DMD in the United States, and, beginning in the second half of 2025, to sales of Sephience for the treatment of PKU. We have employees across the globe, with the largest concentrations being in the United States, Latin America and Europe.
In addition, in select territories, we have engaged full-time consultants, marketing partners and distribution partners to assist us with our international commercialization efforts for our products. We continue to evaluate new territories to determine in which geographies we might, if approved, choose to commercialize our products ourselves and in which geographies we might choose to collaborate with third parties. We expect that our internal team and partnership network will continue to grow, as needed, to maximize access to patients.
Customers
During 2025, our product revenue was primarily attributable to sales of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, to sales of Emflaza for treatment of DMD, and to sales of Sephience for the treatment of PKU.
Sephience for the treatment of PKU, and Emflaza for treatment of DMD, are available on a commercial basis throughout the United States. We utilize five specialty pharmacies to sell and distribute each of Sephience and Emflaza to patients. The specialty pharmacies receive prescription orders for Sephience and Emflaza directly from physicians and ship Sephience and Emflaza directly to the end-user upon fulfillment of the order. As such, there is very little inventory of Sephience or Emflaza stocked. The ultimate payor for Sephience and Emflaza is typically a state health insurance program or a third-party health insurer. The payment terms are generally 30 to 90 days after receipt of products.
Sephience for the treatment of PKU is available on a commercial basis in the EEA and other geographies. Additionally, Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD is available on a commercial basis or via reimbursed EAP programs or similar styled programs in multiple territories outside of the United States. In some territories, orders for Sephience or Translarna
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are placed directly with us and in other territories we have engaged with third-party distributors. As a result, these orders are generally received from hospital and retail pharmacies and, in some cases, one of our third-party partner distributors. Our third-party distributors act as intermediaries between us and end-users and do not typically stock significant quantities of Sephience or Translarna, as the case may be. The ultimate payor for Sephience and Translarna is typically a government authority or institution or a third-party health insurer. The payment terms are generally 30 to 90 days after receipt of products.
During 2025, four of our distributors each accounted for over 10% of our net product sales. Financial information about our net product revenues and other revenues generated in the principal geographic regions in which we operate and our long-lived assets is set forth in our financial statements and in Note 15, “Segment and geographic information” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Sephience, Translarna and Emflaza can generally only be returned if agreed upon in writing by us and the product is not opened nor in receipt by the final user, except in the case of quality issues associated with the product. Product is generally shipped when a specific patient is approved by the applicable government or insurer and an individual prescription has been written. The right of return is eliminated as a matter of course when the product is dispensed to patients. Other than in connection with our transition to a new third-party distributor, we have never had a request for a return of a material amount of product for Sephience, Translarna or Emflaza.
In some countries, 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. For example, countries may make centralized group purchase orders through regulatory bodies that are intended to cover multiple months of therapy. Any fluctuations in quarterly net product sales in these geographies resulting from these centralized group purchase orders may also be exacerbated by any delays.
Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD is currently available on a commercial basis in multiple countries outside of the United States. We consider our products to be commercially available when we are permitted to market treatment to patients. Additionally, Translarna is currently available through EAP or similar styled programs in select countries where funded named patient or cohort programs exist, both within the EEA and in other territories. These programs generally reference the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s determinations with respect to our marketing authorization of Translarna in the UK. Generally, EAP programs allow for access to Translarna pursuant to a named patient program, under which a physician requests access to Translarna on behalf of the specific, or “named” patient or pursuant to a cohort program, which allows for a broader temporary authorization for use for nmDMD meeting the inclusion criteria. Our EAP programs are named patient or similar styled programs in all territories.
Market Access Considerations
Our future revenues from our products and any other product candidates we may develop depends largely on our ability to obtain and maintain reimbursement from governments and third-party insurers.
In the United States, we are engaged in pricing, coverage and reimbursement discussions with third-party payors, such as state and federal governments, including Medicare and Medicaid, managed care providers, private commercial insurance plans and pharmacy benefit management plans. Decisions regarding the extent of coverage and the amount of reimbursement to be provided are made on a plan-by-plan, and in some cases, on a patient-by-patient basis. Coverage and reimbursement decisions by third-party payors, including the processing and adjudication of prescriptions, may vary from weeks to several months. Certain third-party payors routinely impose additional requirements before approving reimbursement of a prescription, including prior authorization and the requirement to try another therapy first. The specialty pharmacies we utilize provide patient services programs to support product access and, when eligible, out-of-pocket assistance.
Each country in the EEA has its own pricing and reimbursement regulations and many countries in the EEA have other regulations related to the marketing and sale of pharmaceutical products in the applicable country. The pricing and reimbursement process varies from country to country and can take a substantial amount of time from initiation to completion. As a result, our commercial launches of products in the EEA has been and is expected to continue to be on a
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country-by-country basis and we generally will not be able to commence commercial sales of our products pursuant to our marketing authorizations in the EEA in any particular member state of the EEA until we conclude the applicable pricing and reimbursement negotiations and comply with any licensing, employment or related regulatory requirements in that country. The price that is approved by local governmental authorities pursuant to commercial pricing and reimbursement processes may be lower than the price for purchases of product in that country pursuant to a reimbursed early access program.
In some instances, reimbursement may be subject to challenge, reduction or denial by the government and other payers. For example, in France, EAP programs and commercial sales of a product can begin while pricing and reimbursement rates are under discussion with the applicable government health programs. In the event that the negotiated price of the product is lower than the amount reimbursed for sales made prior to the conclusion of price negotiations, we may become obligated to repay such excess amount to the applicable government health program. Such retroactive reimbursement would be made following the conclusion of price negotiations with the applicable government health authority.
We have generated revenue from net sales of Upstaza/Kebilidi for the treatment of AADC deficiency in the EEA since May 2022 and the United States since November 2024. Upstaza is approved for the treatment of AADC deficiency for patients 18 months and older within the EEA and the United Kingdom, and for the treatment of children and adults in the United States, where it is marketed with the brand name Kebilidi. Our future revenues from Upstaza/Kebilidi depend largely on our ability to obtain and maintain reimbursement from governments and third-party insurers as described above.
Tegsedi for the treatment of hATTR amyloidosis and Waylivra for the treatment of FCS are currently available on a commercial basis in multiple countries outside of the United States and we have the right to commercialize these products in the PTC Territory. We have received marketing authorization from ANVISA for Tegsedi for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hATTR amyloidosis in Brazil and Waylivra for the treatment of FCS and FPL in Brazil. We make commercial sales of Tegsedi for the treatment of hATTR amyloidosis in Brazil and Waylivra for the treatment of FCS and FPL in Brazil. The marketing authorizations of Tegsedi and Waylivra in Brazil are subject to renewal every five years. We have also made both Tegsedi and Waylivra available in certain countries within the PTC Territory through EAP Programs. Our ability to make Tegsedi and Waylivra available within the PTC Territory is largely dependent upon the maintenance of the marketing authorizations in the EU by the licensor.
We record revenue net of estimated third-party discounts and rebates. Allowances are recorded as a reduction of revenue at the time revenues from product sales are recognized. These allowances are adjusted to reflect known changes in factors and may impact such allowances in the quarter those changes are known.
For important information regarding market access and pricing and reimbursement considerations see “Item 1. Business-Government Regulation-Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors-Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of our Products and our Product Candidates” and “-Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of our Products and our Product Candidates”.
Competition
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are characterized by rapidly advancing technologies, intense competition and a strong emphasis on proprietary products. While we believe that our technologies, knowledge, experience and scientific resources provide us with competitive advantages, we face potential competition from many different sources, including commercial pharmaceutical and biotechnology enterprises, academic institutions, government agencies and private and public research institutions. Any product candidates that we successfully develop and commercialize will compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become available in the future.
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. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies.
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Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we may develop. In addition, our ability to compete may be affected because in some cases insurers or other third-party payors seek to encourage the use of generic products. This may have the effect of making branded products less attractive, from a cost perspective, to buyers.
The key competitive factors affecting the success of our products and product candidates are likely to be its efficacy, safety, convenience, price and the availability of coverage and reimbursement from government and other third-party payors.
The competition for our products and product candidates includes the following:
● Waylivra for FCS. Ionis is developing Olezarsen for the treatment of FCS.
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Government Regulation
Government authorities in the United States, at the federal, state and local level, and in other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, quality control, approval, manufacturing, labeling, post-approval monitoring and reporting, recordkeeping, packaging, promotion, storage, advertising, distribution, marketing and sales and export and import of biopharmaceutical products such as those we are developing and marketing. In addition, sponsors of biopharmaceutical products and drug products participating in Medicaid and Medicare are required to comply with mandatory price reporting, discount, and rebate requirements. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and ex-U.S. statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. If we do not comply with applicable requirements, we may be subject to civil penalties, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product recalls, seizure of products, fined, the government may refuse to approve our marketing applications, supplemental applications, or allow us to manufacture or market our products, we may be criminally prosecuted and we may be debarred or excluded from participation in government healthcare programs. These requirements are continually evolving. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors-Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of our Product and our Product Candidates” for important information regarding some of the risks to our business arising as a result of government regulation.
U.S. government regulation
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs and biologic products, including gene therapy products, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or the FDCA, the Public Health Service Act, or the PHSA, and regulations and guidance implementing these laws. The FDCA, PHSA and their corresponding regulations govern, among other things, the testing, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, labeling, packaging, storage, record keeping, distribution, reporting, advertising and other promotional practices involving drugs and biologic products. Failure to comply with the applicable FDA requirements at any time pre- or post-approval may result in a delay of approval or administrative or judicial sanctions.
Regulatory requirements governing our business are also evolving. For example, the FDA has issued a growing body of guidance documents on CMC, clinical investigations and other areas of gene therapy development, all of which are intended to facilitate the industry’s development of gene therapy products. Moreover, the FDA also continually issues guidance documents that provide the FDA’s interpretation of its laws and regulations, as well as the FDA’s approach to scientific issues and questions. While the FDA’s guidance is not binding, it does provide the FDA’s current interpretation and approach.
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The new drug and biologic approval process
In the United States, an NDA is the vehicle through which the FDA approves a new pharmaceutical drug product for sale and marketing in the United States. A BLA is the vehicle through which the FDA approves a new biologic product for sale and marketing in the United States.
To market a new drug or biologic product in the United States, a sponsor generally must undertake the following:
Nonclinical Studies and IND Submission
Nonclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, pharmacology, stability, toxicity and product formulation, as well as animal or other nonclinical studies to assess potential safety and efficacy. In 2025, however, FDA announced a plan to reduce animal testing, with an initial focus on monoclonal antibodies. In order to begin clinical testing, a sponsor must submit an IND to the FDA, which includes, among other things, the results of the nonclinical tests, manufacturing information, analytical data, proposed clinical protocols, and any available clinical data or literature on the product candidate. Some nonclinical testing may continue after the IND is submitted. The IND must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. An IND will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions about issues such as the conduct of the trials as outlined in the IND. In that case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding FDA concerns or questions before clinical trials can proceed. Clinical holds also may be imposed by the FDA at any time before or during trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials involve the administration of an investigational product to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators. Clinical trials are conducted in accordance with protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated, and a statistical analysis
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plan. A protocol for each clinical trial and subsequent protocol amendments must be filed with the FDA as part of the IND. Sponsors will also be required to provide FDA with diversity action plans once this requirement goes into effect. In accordance with GCP requirements, all research subjects or their legally authorized representatives must provide their informed consent in writing prior to their participation in a clinical trial. Each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an IRB and is subject to ongoing IRB monitoring. The IRB must approve the protocol, protocol amendments, the informed consent form, and communications to study subjects before a study commences at the site. An IRB considers among other things, whether the risks to individuals participating in the trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits, and whether the planned human subject protections are adequate. The IRB must continue to oversee the clinical trial while it is being conducted. Special clinical trial ethical considerations also must be taken into account if a study involves children. In the case of certain gene therapy studies, an IBC at the local level may also review and maintain oversight over the particular study, in addition to the IRB. If the product candidate is being investigated for multiple intended indications, separate INDs may also be required. Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted at least annually to FDA and the IRB and more frequently if serious adverse events or other significant safety information is found. Certain reports may also be required to be submitted to the IBC.
Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee. This group regularly reviews accumulated data and advises the study sponsor regarding the continuing safety of the trial. This group may also review interim data to assess the continuing validity and scientific merit of the clinical trial. The data safety monitoring board receives special access to unblinded data during the clinical trial and may advise the sponsor to halt the clinical trial if it determined there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or on other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy.
Information about certain clinical trials must be submitted within specific timeframes to the NIH to be publicly posted on the Clinicaltrials.gov website. Sponsors or distributors of investigational products for the diagnosis, monitoring, or treatment of one or more serious disease or conditions must also have a publicly available policy on evaluating and responding to requests for expanded access. Investigators must also provide certain information to clinical trial sponsors to allow the sponsors to make certain financial disclosures to the FDA.
The manufacture of investigational drugs and biologics for the conduct of human clinical trials is subject to cGMP requirements. Investigational drugs and biologics and active ingredients and therapeutic substances imported into the United States are also subject to regulation by the FDA. Further, the export of investigational products outside the United States is subject to regulatory requirements of the receiving country as well as U.S. export requirements under the FDCA.
In general, for the purposes of NDA and BLA approval, human clinical trials typically are conducted in three sequential phases, but the phases may overlap, be divided, or be combined. Phase 1 clinical trials may be conducted in patients or healthy volunteers to evaluate the product’s safety, dosage tolerance, structure-activity relationships, mechanism of action, absorption, metabolism distribution, excretion, and pharmacokinetics and, if possible, seek to gain an early indication of its effectiveness. Phase 2 clinical trials usually involve controlled trials in a larger but still relatively small number of subjects from the relevant patient population to evaluate dosage tolerance and appropriate dosage; identify possible short-term adverse effects and safety risks; and provide a preliminary evaluation of the efficacy of the drug or biologic product for specific indications. Phase 3 clinical trials usually further evaluate clinical efficacy and test further for safety in an expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites, to generate enough data to provide statistically significant evidence of clinical efficacy and safety of the product candidate for approval. These trials are well-controlled and are intended to establish the overall risk- benefit profile of the product or product candidate and provide an adequate basis for physician labeling. Phase 3 clinical trials are usually larger, more time consuming, more complex and more costly than Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. The FDA typically requires that an NDA or BLA include data from two adequate and well-controlled clinical trials, but, in certain circumstances, approval may be based upon a single adequate and well-controlled clinical trial plus confirmatory evidence or a single large multicenter trial without confirmatory evidence. In some cases, the FDA may condition approval of an NDA or BLA on the applicant’s agreement to conduct additional clinical trials to further assess the product’s safety and effectiveness after NDA or BLA approval. Such post-approval trials are typically referred to as Phase 4 studies. The results of Phase 4 studies can confirm or refute the effectiveness of a product candidate, and can provide important safety information.
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Additional kinds of data may also help support a BLA or NDA, such as patient experience data and real world evidence. Real world evidence may also be used to assist in clinical trial design or support an NDA for already approved products. FDA also has different programs, such as for genetically targeted and variant protein targeted products and platform technologies which, if the relevant criteria are met, can help to streamline or expedite product development and approval
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional nonclinical studies and must also develop additional information about the physical characteristics of the drug or biologic product candidate as well as finalize a process for manufacturing the product candidate in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other requirements, the sponsor must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality, potency and purity of the final biologic product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and adequate stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
Additional FDA Expedited Review and Approval Programs
The FDA has various programs that are intended to expedite or simplify the process for the development and FDA review of certain products that are intended for the treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions, and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs or present a significant improvement over existing therapy. The purpose of these programs is to provide important new therapeutics to patients earlier than under standard FDA review procedures.
To be eligible for a Fast Track designation, the FDA must determine, based on the request of a sponsor, that a product candidate is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need. If Fast Track designation is obtained, sponsors may be eligible for more frequent development meetings and correspondence with the FDA. In addition, the FDA may potentially initiate a rolling review of sections of an application before the application is complete. This ‘‘rolling review’’ is available if the applicant provides and the FDA approves a schedule for the remaining information. Applicable user fees must also be paid before the FDA will commence its review. In some cases, a Fast Track product may be eligible for accelerated approval or priority review.
The FDA may give a priority review designation to product candidates that are intended to treat serious conditions and, if approved, would provide significant improvements in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of the serious condition. A priority review means that the goal for the FDA is to review an application within six months, rather than the standard review of ten months under current PDUFA guidelines.
The FDA’s accelerated approval process allows for potentially faster development and approval of certain drugs or biologic products intended to treat serious or life-threatening illnesses that provide meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients over existing treatments. Under the accelerated approval process, the adequate and well-controlled clinical trials conducted with the drug or biologic product establish that the drug or biologic product has an effect on a “surrogate” endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit or on the basis of an effect on a clinical endpoint other than survival or irreversible morbidity, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and availability or lack of alternative treatments. Drugs or biologic products approved through the accelerated approval process are subject to certain post-approval requirements, including completion of Phase 4 clinical trials to demonstrate clinical benefit. By the date of approval of an accelerated approval product, FDA must specify the conditions for the required post approval studies, including enrollment targets, the study protocol, milestones, and target completion dates. The FDA may also, and frequently does, require that the confirmatory Phase 4 studies be commenced prior to the FDA granting a product accelerated approval. Reports on the progress of the required Phase 4 confirmatory studies must be submitted to the FDA every 180 days after approval. If the trials fail to verify the clinical benefit of the drug or biologics product, the FDA may withdraw approval of the application through a statutorily defined streamlined process. Failure to conduct the required Phase 4 confirmatory studies or to conduct such studies with due diligence, as well as failure to submit the required update reports can subject a sponsor to penalties. Promotional materials for a drug or biologic approved under the accelerated approval pathway are subject to the FDA prior review.
Sponsors can also request designation of a product candidate as a ‘‘breakthrough therapy.’’ A breakthrough therapy is defined as a product that is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other products, to treat a serious or life-
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threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. Products designated as breakthrough therapies are eligible for intensive guidance on an efficient development program beginning as early as Phase 1 trials, a commitment from the FDA to involve senior managers and experienced review staff in a proactive collaborative and cross-disciplinary review, rolling review, and the facilitation of cross-disciplinary review.
Another expedited pathway is the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy, or RMAT, designation. Qualifying products must be a cell therapy, therapeutic tissue engineering product, human cell and tissue product, or a combination of such products, and not a product solely regulated as a human cell and tissue product. The product must be intended to treat, modify, reverse, or cure a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and preliminary clinical evidence must indicate that the product has the potential to address an unmet need for such disease or condition. Advantages of the RMAT designation include all the benefits of the Fast Track and breakthrough therapy designation programs, including early interactions with the FDA. These early interactions may be used to discuss potential surrogate or intermediate endpoints to support accelerated approval.
Companion Diagnostics and Other Combination Products
A drug or biologic product may be regulated as combination product if it is intended for use in conjunction with a medical device, such as a drug delivery device or in vitro diagnostic device, as further discussed below. In such cases, the use of the two products together (i.e., the drug/biological product and the device) must be shown to be safe and effective for the proposed intended use and the labeling of the two products must reflect their combined use. In some cases, the device component may require a separate premarket submission; for example, when the device component is intended for use with multiple drug products. Sponsors of clinical studies using investigational devices are required to comply with FDA’s investigational device exemption regulations. Once approved or cleared, the sponsor of the device component submission (or the combination product submission, if both components are covered by one premarket submission) would need to comply with FDA’s post-market device requirements, including establishment registration, device listing, device labeling, unique device identifier, quality system regulation, medical device reporting, and reporting of corrections and removals requirements.
If the safety or effectiveness of a drug or biologic product candidate for its proposed indication is dependent on the measurement or detection of specified biomarkers, the FDA may require the contemporaneous approval or clearance of an in vitro companion diagnostic device that measures such biomarkers, and require the labeling of both the drug/biological product and the companion diagnostic to including instructions for use of the two products together. The FDA has explained in guidance that in vitro companion diagnostic devices may be used for a number of purposes, including identifying appropriate subpopulations for treatment. The type of premarket submission required for a companion diagnostic device will depend on the FDA classification of the device. A premarket approval, or PMA, application is required for high risk devices classified as Class III; a 510(k) premarket notification is required for moderate risk devices classified as Class II; and a de novo request may be used for novel devices not previously classified by FDA that are low or moderate risk.
However, not all in vitro companion diagnostics are medical devices regulated by FDA. Specifically, FDA does not regulate in vitro companion diagnostics that meet the definition of a Laboratory Developed Test, or LDT. An LDT is generally defined to include any test developed, manufactured, and used in a single laboratory certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. FDA previously attempted to regulate LDTs as medical devices through issuance of a rule, but the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas struck down that rule in American Clinical Laboratory Association v. US Food and Drug Administration. While there remains some uncertainty around FDA’s interpretation of the district court’s opinion and what FDA believes remains within its regulatory purview, to the extent that an in vitro companion diagnostic meets the definition of an LDT, such LDT is not a medical device and does not have to comply with the FDA’s medical device requirements described herein.
The FDA’s guidance states that the FDA generally will not approve a drug or biologic that is dependent upon the use of a companion diagnostic device if no such device is contemporaneously FDA-approved or -cleared for the relevant indication. According to the guidance, however, the FDA may approve such a drug/biologic product without an approved/cleared
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companion diagnostic when the drug/ biologic “is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition for which no satisfactory alternative treatment exists” and the FDA determines that the benefits from the use of the drug/biologic “are so pronounced as to outweigh the risks from the lack of an” approved/cleared companion diagnostic. Under these circumstances, the FDA expects that a companion diagnostic would be subsequently approved/cleared, and that the drug/biologic labeling would be revised “to stipulate the use of the” companion diagnostic device. The FDA would also consider whether additional protections, such as risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, or REMS, or post-approval requirements, are necessary.
In a separate guidance, specific to DMD and related dystrophinopathies, the FDA has stated that a sponsor should contemporaneously develop a companion diagnostic device in situations where (1) the safety or efficacy of the drug or biologic product “may be related to the patient’s specific dystrophin mutation or to another type of finding related to a biomarker,” and (2) a suitable companion diagnostic device is not currently available. However, given “the serious and life-threatening nature of dystrophinopathies and the lack of satisfactory alternative treatments that currently exist,” the guidance further states that the FDA may approve a drug/biologic “even if a companion diagnostic device is not yet approved or cleared, if the benefits are so pronounced as to outweigh the risks from the lack of an approved or cleared in vitro companion diagnostic device.” During the review, the “FDA will determine the need for clearance or approval of the device.” The FDA guidance documents represent the FDA’s current thinking on a topic but do not establish legally enforceable responsibilities.
FDA Approval Process
Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the preclinical studies and of the clinical trials, together with other detailed information, including proposed labeling and information on the chemistry, manufacture and composition of the product, are submitted to the FDA in the form of an NDA or BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. In most cases, the NDA or BLA must be accompanied by a substantial user fee, though a waiver of such fees may be obtained under certain limited circumstances. Product candidates that are designated as orphan products are not subject to application user fees unless the application includes an indication other than the orphan indication. The user fees must be paid at the time of the first submission of the application, even if the application is being submitted on a rolling basis. The FDA has 60 days from its receipt of an NDA or BLA to determine whether the application will be accepted for filing based on the FDA’s threshold determination that it is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review.
If the FDA determines that the NDA or BLA is incomplete, the FDA may refuse to file the application. If the FDA refuses to file an NDA or BLA, the applicant may refile the application with information addressing the FDA identified deficiencies, which refiling would be subject to FDA review before it is accepted for filing. After the NDA or BLA submission is accepted for filing, the FDA reviews the NDA or BLA to determine, among other things, whether a product meets FDA’s approval standard and whether the product is being manufactured in accordance with cGMP to assure and preserve the product’s identity, strength, quality and purity. Under the goals and policies agreed to by the FDA under the PDUFA, the FDA has set the review goal of completing its review of 90% of all standard applications for new molecular entities and original BLAs within ten months of the 60 day filing date. Under the FDA’s priority review program, however, the FDA set a review goal of completing its review of 90% of all applications within 6 months of the 60 day filing date. The FDA does not always meet its PDUFA goal dates. The review process and the PDUFA goal date may be extended by additional three-month review periods whenever the FDA requests or the NDA or BLA sponsor otherwise provides additional information or clarification regarding information already provided in the submission at any time during the review cycle.
NDAs or BLAs or supplements to NDAs or BLAs for a new active ingredient, dosage form, dosage regimen, or route of administration, unless subject to the below requirement for molecularly targeted cancer products, must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for submission of data or full or partial waivers. This requirement does not generally apply to products for an indication for which orphan designation has been granted. However, compliance may be required if approval is sought for other indications for which the product has not received orphan designation.
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Alternatively, product candidates intended for the treatment of adult cancer which are directed at molecular targets that the FDA determines to be substantially relevant to the growth or progression of pediatric cancer, must submit, with the marketing application, reports from molecularly targeted pediatric cancer investigations designed to yield clinically meaningful pediatric study data, gathered using appropriate formulations for each applicable age group, to inform potential pediatric labeling. The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals or waivers of some or all of this data, as above. Orphan products are not exempt from this requirement.
The FDA will typically inspect or conduct an inspection (remotely or in person) of one or more clinical sites to assure compliance with GCP before approving an NDA or BLA. The FDA also will inspect (remotely or in person) the facility or the facilities at which the product is manufactured before the NDA or BLA is approved. The FDA will not approve the product unless cGMP compliance is satisfactory.
The FDA may refer applications for novel drug products or biologic products to an advisory committee for recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully, particularly any negative recommendations or limitations, when making drug or biologic product approval decisions.
After evaluating the marketing application and all related information, including the advisory committee recommendation, if any, and inspection reports regarding the manufacturing facilities and clinical trial sites, the FDA may issue an approval letter, or, in some cases, a complete response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A complete response letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete and the application is not ready for approval and describes all of the specific deficiencies that the FDA identified. A CRL generally contains a statement of specific conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the marketing application, and may require additional clinical or preclinical testing in order for the FDA to reconsider the application. The deficiencies identified may be minor, for example, requiring labeling changes; or major, for example, requiring additional clinical trials. If a complete response letter is issued, the applicant may either: resubmit the marketing application, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter; withdraw the application; or request an opportunity for a hearing. In 2025, FDA started publicly releasing complete response letters after issuance, for both products that eventually obtained approval and products that have not yet received approval. The FDA has the goal of reviewing 90% of application resubmissions in either two or six months of the resubmission date, depending on the kind of resubmission. Even with submission of additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.
Additional regulation for gene therapy clinical trials
In addition to the regulations discussed above, there are a number of additional standards that apply to clinical trials involving the use of gene therapy. The FDA has issued, and continues to issue, various guidance documents regarding the development and commercialization of gene therapies, which outline additional factors that the FDA will consider at each of the above stages of development and relate to, among other things: the proper preclinical and nonclinical assessment of gene therapies; the design and conduct of clinical trials, the CMC information that should be included in an IND application; the proper design of tests to measure product potency in support of an IND or BLA application; expedited programs; and long term patient and clinical study subject follow up and regulatory reporting. The FDA also issued guidance documents that address guidance specific to the development of gene therapy products for neurodegenerative diseases and with respect to the use of human and animal derived materials. In January 2026, FDA also announced that it would be implementing a flexible approach to overseeing chemistry, manufacturing and control requirements for cell and gene therapies. Exactly how this and other FDA policies with respect to gene therapies will be implemented, however, is developing.
Post-approval requirements
After FDA approval of a product is obtained, we are required to comply with a number of post-approval requirements, including, among other things, establishment registration and product listing, record-keeping requirements, reporting certain adverse reactions and production problems to the FDA, providing updated safety and efficacy information, and complying with requirements concerning advertising and promotional labeling. As a condition of approval of an NDA or
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BLA, the FDA may require the applicant to conduct additional clinical trials or other post market testing and surveillance to further monitor and assess the product’s safety and efficacy. There also are continuing annual program user fee requirements for approved products, though orphan products may receive exemptions if certain criteria are met.
The FDA also has the authority to require a specific REMS to ensure that a product’s benefits outweigh its risks. A REMS may be required to include various elements, such as a medication guide or patient package insert, a communication plan to educate healthcare 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 drug. The FDA may also impose a REMS requirement on an approved product if the FDA determines, based on new safety information, that a REMS is necessary to ensure that the product’s benefits outweigh its risks.
The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Although physicians may prescribe a drug or biologic for off-label uses, manufacturers may only promote the product for the approved indications and in accordance with the approved labeling. All statements regarding products must be consistent with the FDA approved label, must be truthful and non-misleading, and must be adequately substantiated with a fair balance between product benefit claims and risks, among other requirements. This means, for example, that a manufacturer cannot make claims about the use of its marketed products or their relative benefits compared to other treatments outside of their FDA approved indications and label and without adequate comparative studies, and it would not be able to discuss or provide information on off-label uses or off-label safety benefits of such products in a promotional context. Over the last few years, the FDA has taken a number of actions in the advertising and promotional spaces, including issuing a final rule and a guidance on risk and efficacy disclosures in direct to consumer advertising, and a guidance on communication of off-label scientific information about approved products. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses. Failure to comply with the laws and regulations governing advertising and promotion can have negative consequences, including FDA and other governmental authority enforcement actions. In fact, in 2025, FDA increased its enforcement activity regarding promotion and advertising, both in the areas of promotional statements to healthcare providers and direct to consumer advertising.
In addition, the distribution of prescription pharmaceutical product samples is subject to the Prescription Drug Marketing Act, or PDMA, in addition to state requirements. Reports must also be submitted to the FDA on sample distribution. The Drug Supply Chain Security Act, or DSCSA, added sections in the FDCA that require manufacturers, repackagers, wholesale distributors, dispensers, and third-party logistics providers to take steps to identify and trace certain prescription drugs and biologics to protect against the threats of counterfeit, diverted, stolen, contaminated, or otherwise harmful products in the supply chain. The DSCSA regulates the distribution of prescription pharmaceutical drugs and biologics, requiring passage of documentation to track and trace each prescription product at the saleable unit level through the distribution system. This documentation must be transferred electronically and interoperably at the package level. Products subject to the DSCSA must only be transferred to appropriately licensed purchasers. The DSCSA also requires manufacturers and repackagers to affix or imprint a unique product identifier on product packages in both a human-readable and on a machine-readable data carrier. The DSCSA also establishes several requirements relating to the verification of product identifiers. Further, under this legislation, sponsors have product investigation, quarantine, disposition, and notification responsibilities related to counterfeit, diverted, stolen, and intentionally adulterated products that would result in serious adverse health consequences or death to humans, as well as products that are the subject of fraudulent transactions or which are otherwise unfit for distribution such that they would be reasonably likely to result in serious health consequences or death.
Also, quality control and manufacturing procedures must continue to conform to cGMPs after approval, including quality control and quality assurance and maintenance of records and documentation. Changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated and often require prior FDA approval or notification before being implemented. The FDA has issued a guidance specifically on demonstrating product comparability, and the management and reporting of manufacturing changes for investigational and licensed cellular and gene therapy products. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMP and specifications, and impose reporting and documentation requirements upon the sponsor and any third-party manufacturers that the sponsor may decide to use.
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Manufacturers and others involved in the manufacture and distribution of such products also must register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and provide information regarding the products that they manufacture, including the volume of drugs produced during the prior year.
Establishments may be subject to periodic, unannounced inspections (remotely or in person) by government authorities to ensure compliance with cGMP requirements and other laws. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain compliance with cGMP and other aspects of regulatory compliance. The FDA may take into account results of inspections performed by certain counterpart ex-U.S. regulatory agencies in assessing compliance cGMPs. The FDA has entered into international agreements with ex-U.S. agencies, including in the EU, in order to facilitate this type of information sharing.
Sponsors are further subject to various requirements related to FDA drug shortage and manufacturing volume reporting, supply chain security, such as risk management plan requirements, and the promotion of supply chain redundancy. Legislation and executive actions have also been issued to encourage domestic manufacturing.
Additional controls for biologics
To help reduce the risk of the introduction of adventitious agents or of causing other adverse events with the use of biologic products, the PHSA emphasizes the importance of manufacturing control for products whose attributes cannot be precisely defined. The PHSA also provides authority to the FDA to immediately suspend licenses in situations where there exists a danger to public health, to prepare or procure products in the event of shortages and critical public health needs, and to authorize the creation and enforcement of regulations to prevent the introduction or spread of communicable diseases in the United States and between states.
After a BLA is approved, the product may also be subject to official lot release as a condition of approval. As part of the manufacturing process, the manufacturer is required to perform certain tests on each lot of the product before it is released for distribution. If the product is subject to official release by the FDA, the manufacturer submits samples of each lot of product to the FDA together with a release protocol showing the results of all of the manufacturer’s tests performed on the lot. The FDA may also perform certain confirmatory tests on lots of some products before releasing the lots for distribution by the manufacturer. In addition, the FDA conducts laboratory research related to the regulatory standards on the safety, purity, potency, and effectiveness of biological products.
Other regulatory agencies may also regulate our use of biological materials, which may necessitate that we, our manufacturers, or other third parties with whom we work obtain permits and otherwise comply with regulatory requirements.
Orphan drug designation.