mlnd-20201231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FORM 10-K

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

Commission File Number: 001-35890

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Millendo Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (734) 845-9000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class Trading Symbol(s) Name of Each Exchange on which Registered

Common Stock, $0.001 par value MLND The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ̈Nox

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ Nox

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. Yesx 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). Yesx No ̈

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 x 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. ̈

Indicated 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. Yes ̈ No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ̈ No x

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity of the registrant held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2020 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), based on a closing price of $1.76 per share of the registrant’s common stock as reported on The Nasdaq Capital Market on June 30, 2020, was approximately $33.3 million. For purposes of this computation, all officers, directors, and 10% beneficial owners of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed to be an admission that such officers, directors or 10% beneficial owners are, in fact, affiliates of the registrant.

As of March 15, 2021, the registrant had 19,043,034 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K are incorporated by reference in Part III, Items 10-14 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On December 7, 2018, OvaScience, Inc., or the Company, completed a reverse merger with what was then known as “Millendo Therapeutics, Inc.”, or Private Millendo, in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization dated as of August 8, 2018, as amended on September 25, 2018 and November 1, 2018, or the OvaScience Merger Agreement, by and among the Company, Private Millendo and Orion Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, or Orion Merger Sub, pursuant to which, among other matters, Orion Merger Sub merged with and into Private Millendo, with Private Millendo continuing as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. We refer to the foregoing transactions in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as “the OvaScience Merger”. On December 6, 2018, in connection with, and prior to the completion of, the OvaScience Merger, the Company effected a 1-for-15 reverse stock split of its common stock, or the Reverse Stock Split, and immediately following the OvaScience Merger, the Company changed its name to “Millendo Therapeutics, Inc.” Following the completion of the OvaScience Merger, the business conducted by the Company became the business conducted by Private Millendo, which was a late-stage biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on developing novel treatments for orphan endocrine diseases. All references to common stock share and per share amounts in this Annual Report have been retroactively adjusted to reflect, where applicable, the Reverse Stock Split, as indicated. As used herein, the words “Millendo,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Millendo Therapeutics, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, as applicable. In addition, the word “OvaScience” refers to the Company prior to the completion of the OvaScience Merger.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, or this Annual Report, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in Part I, Item 1. “Business,” Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” and Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” but are also contained elsewhere in this Annual Report. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue” and “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this Annual Report, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our expectations of the future, about which we cannot be certain. Forward-looking statements include statements about:

•the impact of our discontinuation of the development of livoletide as a potential treatment of patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (“PWS”);

•the impact of our discontinuation of the development of nevanimibe as a potential treatment for classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (“CAH”);

•the impact of our discontinuation of the development of MLE-301 as a potential treatment of vasomotor symptoms (“VMS”);

•our consideration of strategic alternatives, including our proposed merger with Tempest Therapeutics, Inc.;

•our competitive position and the development of and projections relating to our competitors or our industry;

•our ability to identify, recruit and retain key personnel;

•the impact of laws and regulations;

•the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, our financial condition and results of operations, future expenses, the funding of our operations as well as our future capital requirements and needs for additional financing.

You should refer to Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report represent our views as of the date of this Annual Report. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments may cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this Annual Report.

SUMMARY OF SELECTED RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR BUSINESS

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those discussed at length in the section titled "Risk Factors." These risks include, among others, the following:

•Our merger with Tempest may not be consummated or may not deliver the anticipated benefits we expect.

•Certain provisions of the Merger Agreement may discourage third-parties from submitting alternative acquisition proposals, including proposals that may be superior to the arrangements contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

•The announcement and pendency of the Merger, whether or not consummated, may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock and our business prospects.

•Failure to consummate the Merger may result in us paying a termination fee to Tempest and could harm our common stock price and our future business and operations.

•If we do not successfully consummate the transaction with Tempest, our board of directors may dissolve or liquidate our assets to pursue a dissolution and liquidation. In such an event, the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders will depend heavily on the timing of such transaction or liquidation.

•We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

•We have a limited operating history and have never generated any revenue from product sales, which may make it difficult to assess our future viability.

•We will require additional capital to finance our operations, which may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all.

•Raising additional capital by issuing equity or debt securities may cause dilution to our existing stockholders, and raising funds through lending and licensing arrangements may restrict our operations or require us to relinquish proprietary rights.

•Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic.

•We are highly dependent on the services of our key executives and personnel, including Louis Arcudi III, our chief executive officer and Jennifer Minai-Azary, our chief financial officer and if we are not able to retain these members of our management team or recruit and retain additional management or personnel, our business will be harmed.

Table of Contents

Page

PART I 4

Item 1. Business 4

Item 1A. Risk Factors 20

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 38

Item 2. Properties 38

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 38

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 39

Item 6. Selected Financial Data 40

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 83

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 52

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 73

Item 9B. Other Information 75

PART III 75

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 75

Item 11. Executive Compensation 75

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 75

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 76

Signatures 80

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company that was previously primarily focused on developing novel treatments for endocrine diseases where current therapies do not exist or are insufficient. The endocrine system is a collection of glands that secrete hormones into the blood stream to regulate a number of functions, including appetite, metabolism, growth, development and reproduction. Diseases of the endocrine system can cause multiple and varied symptoms, including appetite dysregulation, metabolic dysfunction, obesity, cardiovascular disease, menstrual irregularity, hirsutism, and infertility. In April 2020, our Board of Directors (“Board”) decided to discontinue the development of livoletide, an unacylated ghrelin analogue, as a potential treatment for Prader-Willi syndrome (“PWS”) based upon results from its Phase 2b trial. In addition, in June 2020, our Board decided to cease investing in the development of nevanimibe as a potential treatment for classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, (“CAH”) based on an interim review of data from its Phase 2b trial. Finally, in January 2021, our Board also decided to discontinue our investment in MLE-301, a neurokinin 3 receptor (“NK3R”) antagonist we were developing for the treatment of menopausal vasomotor symptoms (“VMS”), based on an analysis of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data from the ongoing single ascending dose portion of the Phase 1 study conducted in healthy male volunteers. Given our limited expected financing options, we began exploring an expanded range of strategic alternatives that included, but was not limited to, the potential sale or merger of the Company or our assets.

In an effort to streamline costs after discontinuing the PWS program, we eliminated employee positions representing approximately 30% of our prior headcount, which was completed in the second quarter of 2020. We also began evaluating corporate strategic plans to prioritize and allocate resources to our remaining product candidates at the time and any future pipeline assets.

In January 2021, as a result of our decision to discontinue our investment in MLE-301, our Board also approved a corporate restructuring plan (the “Plan”) furthering our ongoing efforts to align our resources with our current strategy and operations. In connection with the Plan, the Board determined to reduce our workforce by up to 85%, with the majority of the reduction in personnel expected to be completed by April 15, 2021. We initiated this reduction in force in January 2021 and expect to provide severance payments and continuation of group health insurance coverage for a specified period to the affected employees. We have also entered into retention arrangements with employees who are expected to remain with the Company. We estimate that we will incur costs of approximately $5.5 million for termination benefits and retention arrangements related to the Plan, substantially all of which will be cash expenditures.

We expect to devote significant time and resources to completion of this Merger. However, there can be no assurance that such activities will result in the completion of the Merger. Further, the completion of the Merger may ultimately not deliver the anticipated benefits or enhance shareholder value.

If the Merger is not completed, we will reconsider our strategic alternatives. In this case, we consider one of the following courses of action to be the most likely alternatives:

•Dissolve and liquidate our assets. If, for any reason, the Merger does not close, our Board may conclude that it is in the best interest of stockholders to dissolve the Company and liquidate our assets, which may include seeking protection from creditors in a bankruptcy proceeding. In that event, we would be required to pay all of our debts and contractual obligations, and to set aside certain reserves for potential future claims. There would be no assurances as to the amount or timing of available cash remaining to distribute to stockholders after paying our obligations and setting aside funds for reserves.

•Pursue another strategic transaction. We may resume the process of evaluating a potential strategic transaction in order to attempt another strategic transaction like the Merger.

•Operate our business.Although less likely than the alternatives above, our Board may elect to seek new product candidates for development.

Historical Business and Programs

In 2020, we advanced three product candidates. Livoletide (AZP-531), was a potential treatment for PWS, a rare and complex genetic endocrine disease usually characterized by hyperphagia, or insatiable hunger, that contributes to serious complications, a significant burden on patients and caregivers, and early mortality. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a clinical trial in 47 patients with PWS, we observed that administration of livoletide once daily was associated with a clinically meaningful improvement in hyperphagia, as well as a reduction in appetite. In a pre-specified analysis of 38 home-resident patients with PWS from the Phase 2a trial, we observed a larger and statistically significant decrease in hyperphagia following administration of livoletide as compared to placebo. In March 2019, we initiated a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial of livoletide in patients with PWS. In April 2020, we discontinued the PWS program based on topline data from the Phase 2b ZEPHYR study which showed that treatment with livoletide did not result in a statistically significant improvement in hyperphagia and food-related behaviors as measured by the Hyperphagia Questionnaire for Clinical Trials (HQ-CT) compared to placebo.

We were developing nevanimibe (ATR-101) as a potential treatment for patients with CAH, a rare, monogenic adrenal disease that requires lifelong treatment with exogenous cortisol, often at high doses. These chronic high doses of cortisol can result in side effects that include diabetes, obesity, hypertension and psychological problems. When on suboptimal doses of cortisol, female patients with CAH can experience hirsutism, infertility and menstrual irregularity, and male patients with CAH can experience testicular atrophy, infertility and testicular tumors. It is often difficult for physicians to appropriately treat CAH without causing adverse consequences. We reported results from our Phase 2a clinical trial of nevanimibe in patients with CAH in March 2018 and initiated a Phase 2b trial in the third quarter of 2018. In June 2020, we elected to cease investing in the development of nevanimibe as a potential treatment for CAH. The decision to cease investment in the CAH program was based on the interim review of results from the Phase 2b clinical study and the changing competitive environment. Results from 10 subjects, nine from cohort 1 and one from cohort 2, with at least 12 weeks of treatment with nevanimibe in this open-label, continuous dose escalation study showed that one patient (10%) met the primary endpoint of achieving 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) levels less than or equal to 2-times the upper limit of normal. Treatment under the amended protocol with dose titration starting at 500 mg BID improved tolerability of nevanimibe. We are no longer developing nevanimibe for the treatment of CAH.

We were also developing a NK3R antagonist (MLE-301) as a potential treatment of vasomotor symptoms (“VMS”), commonly known as hot flashes and night sweats, in menopausal women. The sensations of heat and/or perspiration associated with VMS can occur frequently, generally lasting several minutes, and are often preceded or followed by sensations of cold and/or shivering. VMS interfere with the lives of affected women in a number of ways, including disrupting patients' ability to sleep and concentrate and causing anxiety and depression. VMS is experienced by up to 70% of women as they advance through menopause. We believe that over 20 million women in the United States experience VMS at any given time and that these patients are motivated to seek medical treatment for relief. In September 2020, we initiated our Phase 1 clinical trial of MLE-301. The Phase 1 clinical trial was supported by preclinical studies in which we observed potency and selectivity for the NK3R, the potential for once-daily dosing, and testosterone lowering consistent with the expected activity of an NK3R antagonist. In January 2021, we discontinued further investment in the development of MLE-301 for the treatment of VMS based on an analysis of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data from the single ascending dose portion of the Phase 1 study and the competitive NK3R antagonist market.

We had also been investigating nevanimibe (ATR-101) as a potential treatment for patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome (“CS”), a rare endocrine disease characterized by excessive cortisol production from the adrenal glands. As a result of slower than anticipated enrollment in our CS Phase 2 clinical trial, we elected to discontinue the trial in August 2019 and are no longer developing nevanimibe for the treatment of CS.

Sales and Marketing

We are not currently conducting sales and marketing efforts with respect to any of our previous programs and are in the process of terminating the license agreements pursuant to which we had development and commercialization rights with respect to livoletide, nevanimibe and MLE-301.

Research and Development

We are not currently conducting research and development of any of our previous programs and our plans for future research and development are dependent on the results of our ongoing strategic evaluation.

Assignment Agreement with Erasmus University Medical Center and the University of Turin

We have an assignment agreement (the “Assignment Agreement”) with Erasmus University Medical Center, the University of Turin and certain individuals, which we refer to collectively as the assignors, for certain patents and patent applications relating to livoletide.

In connection with the Assignment Agreement, we agreed to pay the assignors a flat, low single digit royalty on net commercial sales of products containing livoletide that are covered by the claims of the assigned intellectual property. Further, upon approval of livoletide by the FDA or EMA, we are required to pay the assignors CDN$100,000, which amount will be deducted from any future royalty payments due to the assignors. We also agreed to pay the assignors a low single digit percentage of any amounts received in connection with our license of the assigned intellectual property or products containing livoletide that are covered by the claims of the assigned intellectual property.

The assignors have a right to repurchase the assigned intellectual property at a certain price in the event we do not, upon receiving notice, use reasonable efforts to develop, introduce for sale and promote products derived from the assigned intellectual property. Such reasonable efforts involve spending an annual amount of at least CDN$100,000 in research and development related to livoletide, actively pursuing the registration, licenses and permits necessary to market livoletide, and the actual commercialization of livoletide, if approved. In addition, pursuant to the assignment agreement, certain individuals at the Erasmus University Medical Center and the University of Turin were granted non-exclusive rights to use the assigned intellectual property for non-commercial research with our prior written consent. In March 2021, we notified the assignors that we had discontinued the PWS program.

License Agreement with the University of Michigan

In June 2013, we entered into a license agreement with the University of Michigan, or the UM License Agreement, for a worldwide, exclusive, sublicensable license to the University of Michigan’s interest in certain patent rights jointly owned with us, covering, among other things, the use of nevanimibe to treat CAH. Such license rights allowed us to make, have made, import, export, use, market, offer for sale and sell products containing nevanimibe for such use in the United States. Due to our decision to cease investing in the nevanimibe program, effective on March 5, 2021, we notified the University of Michigan of our decision to terminate the UM License Agreement, which termination shall be effective April 30, 2021, as agreed to by the University of Michigan.

License Agreement with Roche

On October 16, 2018, we entered into a license agreement with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Hoffman-La Roche Inc. (collectively, “Roche”), for a worldwide, exclusive license to Roche's interest in certain patent rights and know-how covering, among other things, the use of a neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist (the "Roche License Agreement"). Such license rights have allowed us to research, have researched, develop, have developed, register, have registered, use, have used, make, have made, import, have imported, export, have exported, market, have marketed, distribute, have distributed, sell and have sold an NK3R antagonist for use in all countries in the world and for all other uses other than diagnostic use. Due to our decision to discontinue investing in the MLE-301 program, in March 2021, we notified Roche that we were terminating the Roche License Agreement effective three months from the date of such notice.

Intellectual Property

When applicable to our development programs, we seek to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property and proprietary protection for our drug candidates in the United States and internationally, including composition-of-matter, dosage and formulation patents, as well as patent and other intellectual property and proprietary protection for our novel biological discoveries and other important technology inventions and know-how. In addition to patents, we rely upon unpatented trade secrets, know-how, and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our intellectual property rights. We protect our proprietary information, in part, using confidentiality agreements with our commercial partners, collaborators, employees and consultants and invention assignment agreements with our employees as well as selected commercial partners and consultants. Despite these measures, any of our intellectual property and proprietary rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, infringed or misappropriated, or such intellectual property and proprietary rights may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current market trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages. In addition, such confidentiality agreements and invention assignment agreements can be breached and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. For more information, please see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property.”

We seek patent protection in significant markets and/or countries for each drug in development. We also seek to maximize patent term. The patent exclusivity period for a drug will prevent generic drugs from entering the market. Patent exclusivity depends on a number of factors including the strength of the claims, the initial patent term, patent term adjustments and available patent term extensions based upon delays caused by the regulatory approval process.

The patent positions of biotechnology companies like ours are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted after issuance. Consequently, we may not obtain or maintain adequate patent protection for any of our product candidates. As of December 31, 2020, with respect to livoletide patent rights, we owned four issued U.S. patents, one pending U.S. patent application, and a number of patents and pending patent applications in other jurisdictions. As of December 31, 2020, with respect to nevanimibe patent rights, we owned two issued U.S. patents, two pending U.S. patent applications, and a number of pending patent applications in other jurisdictions, and we jointly owned, with University of Michigan, three issued U.S. patents, one pending U.S. patent application, and a number of patent applications in other jurisdictions. As of December 31, 2020, with respect to MLE-301 patent rights, we owned one pending U.S. patent application, and we exclusively licensed from Roche one issued U.S. patent and a number of patents and pending patent applications in other jurisdictions.

We cannot predict whether the patent applications we pursue will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide any proprietary protection from competitors. The patent portfolios for our leading product candidates as of December 31, 2020 are summarized below.

Livoletide

With respect to livoletide patent rights, as of December 31, 2020 we owned four issued U.S. patents, which are not due to expire before 2028, 2028, 2029, and 2033, respectively, excluding any additional term for patent term extension pursuant to the Hatch-Waxman Act; one pending U.S. patent application, which is not due to expire before 2034, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustment or extension; and a number of patent applications in other jurisdictions. The foregoing patents and patent applications cover a form of and methods of making and using livoletide or its analogs. Related international patent applications have issued in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, and Mexico and are pending in a number of other countries, including Canada, Europe, and India. In March 2021, in connection with the discontinuation of our livoletide program, we notified the assignors of our decision to discontinue development of livoletide. We do not expect our livoletide patents to enable development of livoletide apart from the intellectual property licensed.

Nevanimibe

With respect to nevanimibe patent rights, as of December 31, 2020, we owned two issued U.S. patents, which are not due to expire before 2035, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustment or extension; two pending U.S. patent applications, which, if issued, are not due to expire before 2035 and 2036, respectively, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustment or extension; and a number of patent applications in other jurisdictions. As of December 31, 2020, we jointly owned, with University of Michigan, three issued U.S. patents, which are each not due to expire before 2033, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustments or extensions; one pending U.S. patent application, which, if issued, is not due to expire before 2033, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustment or extension; and a number of patent applications in other jurisdictions. The foregoing patents and patent applications cover a form of and methods of making and using nevanimibe or its analogs. Related international patent applications have issued in Australia, China, Japan, Mexico, and New Zealand and are pending in a number of other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, and Mexico. Due to our decision to discontinue the development of our nevanimibe program, in March 2021, we notified the University of Michigan of our decision to terminate the UM License Agreement, which termination shall be effective as of April 30, 2021, as agreed with the University of Michigan. We do not expect our nevanimibe patents to enable development of nevanimibe apart from the intellectual property licensed pursuant to the UM License Agreement.

MLE-301

With respect to MLE-301 patent rights, as of December 31, 2020, we owned one pending Patent Cooperation Treaty patent application, which, if issued, is not due to expire before 2040, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustment or extension. As of December 31, 2020, we exclusively licensed from Roche one issued U.S. patent, which is not due to expire before 2031, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustment or extension. The foregoing patents and patent applications cover a form of and methods of making and using MLE-301 or its analogs.Related international patent applications have issued in China, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico, and are pending in a number of other countries,

including Brazil, Canada, India, and Russia. Due to our decision to discontinue developing the MLE-301 program in March 2021, we notified Roche that we were terminating the Roche License Agreement effective three months from the date of such notice. We do not expect our MLE-301 patents to enable development of MLE-301 apart from the intellectual property licensed pursuant to the Roche License Agreement.

Manufacturing

We relied on contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, to produce drug candidates in accordance with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, regulations for use in our prior clinical trials. The manufacture of pharmaceuticals is subject to extensive cGMP regulations, which impose various procedural and documentation requirements and govern all areas of record keeping, production processes and controls, personnel and quality control.

Government Regulation and Approval

United States-FDA process

In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and other federal and state statutes and regulations, govern, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, storage, recordkeeping, approval, labeling, promotion and marketing, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, sampling, and import and export of drugs. To obtain regulatory approvals in the United States and in foreign countries, and subsequently comply with applicable statutes and regulations, we will need to spend substantial time and financial resources.

Approval process

The FDA must approve any new drug or a drug with certain changes to a previously approved drug before a manufacturer can market it in the United States. If a company does not comply with applicable United States requirements it may be subject to a variety of administrative or judicial sanctions, such as FDA refusal to approve pending applications, warning or untitled letters, clinical holds, drug recalls, drug seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, civil penalties, and criminal prosecution. The steps we must complete before we can market a drug include:

•completion of preclinical laboratory tests, animal studies, and formulation studies, all performed in accordance with the FDA’s good laboratory practice, or GLP, regulations;

•submission to the FDA of an IND application for human clinical testing, which must become effective before human clinical studies start. The sponsor must update the IND annually;

•approval of the study by an independent institutional review board, or IRB, or ethics committee representing each clinical site before each clinical study begins;

•performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical studies to establish the safety and efficacy of the drug for each indication to the FDA’s satisfaction;

•submission to the FDA of an NDA;

•potential review of the drug application by an FDA advisory committee, where appropriate and if applicable;

•satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities to assess compliance with current good manufacturing practices, cGMP, or regulations; and

•FDA review and approval of the NDA.

It generally takes companies many years to satisfy the FDA approval requirements, but this varies substantially based upon the type, complexity, and novelty of the drug or disease. Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluation of a drug’s chemistry, formulation, and toxicity, as well as animal trials to assess the characteristics and potential safety and efficacy of the drug. The conduct of the preclinical tests must comply with federal regulations and requirements, including GLP. The company submits the results of the preclinical testing to the FDA as part of an IND along with other information, including information about the product drug’s chemistry, manufacturing and controls, and a proposed clinical study protocol. Long term preclinical tests, such as animal tests of reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity, are generally conducted after submitting the initial IND.

The FDA requires a 30-day waiting period after the submission of each IND before the company can begin clinical testing in humans in the United States. The FDA may, within the 30-day time period, raise concerns or questions relating to one or more

proposed clinical studies and place the study on a clinical hold. In such a case, the company and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the company begins the clinical study. Accordingly, the content of an IND submission may or may not be sufficient for the FDA to permit the sponsor to start a clinical study. The company must also make a separate submission to an existing IND for each successive clinical study conducted in the U.S. during drug development.

Clinical studies

Clinical studies involve administering the investigational new drug to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of a qualified investigator. The company must conduct clinical studies:

•in compliance with federal regulations;

•in compliance with good clinical practice, or GCP, an international standard meant to protect the rights and health of patients and to define the roles of clinical study sponsors, administrators, and monitors; as well as

•under protocols detailing the objectives of the trial, the safety monitoring parameters, and the effectiveness criteria.

The company must submit each protocol involving testing on United States patients and subsequent protocol amendments to the FDA as part of the IND. The FDA may order the temporary, or permanent, discontinuation of a clinical study at any time, or impose other sanctions, if it believes that the sponsor is not conducting the clinical study in accordance with FDA requirements or presents an unacceptable risk to the clinical study patients. The sponsor must also submit the study protocol and informed consent information for patients in clinical studies to an institutional review board for approval. An IRB may halt the clinical study, either temporarily or permanently, for failure to comply with the IRB’s requirements, or may impose other conditions.

Companies generally divide the clinical investigation of a drug into three or four phases. While companies usually conduct these phases sequentially, they are sometimes overlapped or combined.

•Phase 1. The company evaluates the drug in healthy human subjects or patients with the target disease or condition. These studies typically evaluate the safety, dosage tolerance, metabolism and pharmacologic actions of the investigational new drug in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and if possible, gain early evidence on effectiveness.

•Phase 2. The company administers the drug to a limited patient population to evaluate dosage tolerance and optimal dosage, identify possible adverse side effects and safety risks, and preliminarily evaluate efficacy.

•Phase 3. The company administers the drug to an expanded patient population, generally at geographically dispersed clinical study sites, to generate enough data to statistically evaluate dosage, clinical effectiveness and safety, to establish the overall benefit-risk relationship of the investigational drug, and to provide an adequate basis for product approval.

•Phase 4. In some cases, the FDA may condition approval of an NDA for a drug on the company’s agreement to conduct additional clinical studies after approval. In other cases, a sponsor may voluntarily conduct additional clinical studies after approval to gain more information about the drug. We typically refer to such post-approval studies as Phase 4 clinical studies.

A pivotal study is a clinical study that adequately meets regulatory agency requirements to evaluate a drug’s efficacy and safety to justify the approval of the drug. Generally, pivotal studies are Phase 3 studies, but the FDA may accept results from Phase 2 studies if the study design provides a well controlled and reliable assessment of clinical benefit, particularly in situations in which there is an unmet medical need and the results are sufficiently robust.

The FDA, the IRB, or the clinical study sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical study at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Additionally, an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical study sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee, may oversee some clinical studies. This group provides authorization for whether or not a study may move forward at designated checkpoints based on access to certain data from the study. We may also suspend or terminate a clinical study based on evolving business objectives and the competitive climate.

Submission of an NDA

After a company completes the required clinical testing, it can prepare and submit an NDA to the FDA, who must approve the NDA before it can start marketing the drug in the United States. An NDA must include all relevant data available from pertinent preclinical and clinical studies, including negative or ambiguous results as well as positive findings, together with detailed information relating to the drug’s chemistry, manufacturing, controls, and proposed labeling, among other things. Data can come from company-sponsored clinical studies on a drug, or from a number of alternative sources, including studies initiated by investigators or studies not conducted under a U.S. IND. To support marketing authorization, the data we submit must be sufficient in quality and quantity to establish the safety and effectiveness of the investigational drug to the FDA’s satisfaction.

The cost of preparing and submitting an NDA is substantial. The submission of most NDAs is additionally subject to a substantial application user fee, and the manufacturer and/or sponsor under an approved new drug application are also subject to annual program user fees. The FDA typically increases these fees annually. Orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical study costs, tax advantages, and user-fee waivers.

The FDA has 60 days from its receipt of an NDA to determine whether it will accept the application for filing based on the agency’s threshold determination that the application is sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. Once the FDA accepts the filing, the FDA begins an in-depth review. The FDA has agreed to certain performance goals in the review of NDAs. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, the FDA has a goal of responding to standard review NDAs within ten months after the 60-day filing review period, but this timeframe may be extended. The FDA reviews most applications for standard review drugs within ten to 12 months and most applications for priority review drugs within six to eight months. Priority review can be applied to drugs that the FDA determines offer major advances in treatment, or provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists.

The FDA may also refer applications for novel drugs that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy, to an advisory committee. This is typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts that will review, evaluate, and recommend whether the FDA should approve the application. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it generally follows such recommendations. Before approving an NDA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure compliance with GCP, and will inspect the facility or the facilities at which the drug is manufactured. The FDA will not approve the drug unless compliance with cGMP is satisfactory and the NDA contains data that provide evidence that the drug is safe and effective in the indication studied.

The FDA’s decision on an NDA

After the FDA evaluates the NDA and the manufacturing facilities, it issues either an approval letter or a complete response letter. A complete response letter indicates that the FDA has completed its review of the application, and the agency has determined that it will not approve the application in its present form. A complete response letter generally outlines the deficiencies in the submission and may require substantial additional clinical data and/or other significant, expensive, and time-consuming requirements related to clinical studies, preclinical studies and/or manufacturing. The FDA has committed to reviewing resubmissions of the NDA addressing such deficiencies in two or six months, depending on the type of information included. Even if we submit such data, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. Also, the government may establish additional requirements, including those resulting from new legislation, or the FDA’s policies may change, which could delay or prevent regulatory approval of our drugs under development.

An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug with specific prescribing information for specific indications. As a condition of NDA approval, the FDA may require a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS, to help ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh the potential risks. REMS can include communication plans for healthcare professionals, special training or certification for prescribing or dispensing, dispensing only under certain circumstances, special monitoring, and the use of patient registries. The requirement for REMS can materially affect the potential market and profitability of the drug. Moreover, the FDA may condition approval on substantial post-approval testing and surveillance to monitor the drug’s safety or efficacy. Once granted, the FDA may withdraw drug approvals if the company fails to comply with regulatory standards or identifies problems following initial marketing.

Changes to some of the conditions established in an approved application, including changes in indications, labeling, or manufacturing processes or facilities, require submission and FDA approval of a new NDA or NDA supplement before we can implement the change. An NDA supplement for a new indication typically requires clinical data similar to that in the original application, and the FDA uses the same procedures and actions in reviewing NDA supplements as it does in reviewing new

NDAs. As with new NDAs, the FDA often significantly extends the review process with requests for additional information or clarification.

Post-approval requirements

The FDA regulates drugs that are manufactured or distributed pursuant to FDA approvals and has specific requirements pertaining to recordkeeping, periodic reporting, drug sampling and distribution, advertising and promotion and reporting of adverse experiences with the drug. After approval, the FDA must provide review and approval for most changes to the approved drug, such as adding new indications or other labeling claims. There also are continuing, annual user fee requirements for any marketed drugs and the establishments who manufacture its drugs, as well as new application fees for supplemental applications with clinical data.

Drug manufacturers are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and state agencies for compliance with cGMP requirements. There are strict regulations regarding changes to the manufacturing process, and, depending on the significance of the change, it may require prior FDA approval before we can implement it. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMP and impose reporting and documentation requirements upon us and any third-party manufacturers that we may decide to use. 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 withdraw approval if a company does not comply with regulatory requirements and maintain standards or if problems occur after the drug reaches the market. If a company or the FDA discovers previously unknown problems with a drug, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, issues with manufacturing processes, or the company’s failure to comply with regulatory requirements, the FDA may revise the approved labeling to add new safety information; impose post-marketing studies or other clinical studies to assess new safety risks; or impose distribution or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences may include:

•restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the drug, complete withdrawal of the drug from the market or drug recalls;

•fines, warning letters or holds on post-approval clinical studies;

•the FDA refusing to approve pending NDAs or supplements to approved NDAs, or suspending or revoking of drug license approvals;

•drug seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of drugs; or

•injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising, and promotion of drugs that are placed on the market. Drugs may be promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. However, companies may share truthful and not misleading information that is otherwise consistent with the product’s FDA approved labeling. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses. We could be subject to significant liability if we violated these laws and regulations.

Marketing Exclusivity

In addition to patent term (as extended by the Hatch-Waxman Act), the holder of the NDA for a listed drug may be entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, during which the FDA cannot approve an abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA, or 505(b)(2) application that relies on the listed drug. For example, a pharmaceutical manufacturer may obtain five years of non-patent exclusivity upon NDA approval of a new chemical entity, or NCE, which is a drug that contains an active moiety that has not been approved by FDA in any other NDA. An "active moiety" is defined as the molecule or ion responsible for the drug substance's physiological or pharmacological action. During the five year exclusivity period, the FDA cannot accept for filing any ANDA seeking approval of a generic version of that drug or any 505(b)(2) NDA for the same active moiety and that relies on the FDA's findings regarding that drug, except that FDA may accept an application for filing after four years if the follow-on applicant makes a paragraph IV certification.

A drug, including one approved under Section 505(b)(2), may obtain a three-year period of exclusivity for a particular condition of approval, or change to a marketed product, such as a new formulation for a previously approved product, if one or more new clinical studies (other than bioavailability or bioequivalence studies) was essential to the approval of the application and was conducted/sponsored by the applicant. Should this occur, the FDA would be precluded from approving any ANDA or 505(b)(2)

application for the protected modification until after that three-year exclusivity period has run. However, unlike NCE exclusivity, the FDA can accept an application and begin the review process during the exclusivity period.

Orphan drug designation

The FDA may grant orphan drug designation to sponsors of drugs intended to treat a rare disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or if it affects more than 200,000 individuals in the United States, there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making the drug for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States.

Orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical study costs, tax advantages, and user-fee waivers. In addition, if a drug receives FDA approval for the indication for which it has orphan designation, the drug may be entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve any other application to market the same drug for the same indication for a period of seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority over the drug with orphan exclusivity.

Pediatric information

Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, NDAs or supplements to NDAs must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the drug is safe and effective. The FDA may grant full or partial waivers, or deferrals, for submission of data. Unless otherwise required by regulation, PREA does not apply to any drug for an indication for which the FDA has granted an orphan designation.

Healthcare reform

In the United States and foreign jurisdictions, the legislative landscape continues to evolve. There have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system that could affect the future results of our operations. In particular, there have been and continue to be a number of initiatives at the United States federal and state levels that seek to reform the way in which healthcare is funded and reduce healthcare costs. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or collectively PPACA, was enacted, which included measures that have significantly changed health care financing by both governmental and private insurers. The provisions of PPACA of importance to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry are, among others, the following:

•an annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports certain branded prescription drugs agents, apportioned among these entities according to their market share in certain government healthcare programs;

•an increase in the rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to 23.1% and 13% of the average manufacturer price for branded and generic drugs, respectively;

•a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must now agree to offer 70% point-of-sale discounts to negotiated prices of applicable brand drugs to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs to be covered under Medicare Part D;

•extension of manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability to covered drugs dispensed to individuals who are enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations, unless the drug is subject to discounts under the 340B drug discount program;

•expansion of eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs by, among other things, allowing states to offer Medicaid coverage to additional individuals and by adding new mandatory eligibility categories for certain individuals with income at or below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level, thereby potentially increasing manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability;

•expansion of the entities eligible for discounts under the Public Health Service pharmaceutical pricing program;

•expansion of healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including the federal civil False Claims Act and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, new government investigative powers and enhanced penalties for noncompliance;

•new requirements under the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act for drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value made to physicians, as defined by such law, and

teaching hospitals as well as ownership or investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members; and

•new requirement to annually report certain drug samples that manufacturers and distributors provide to licensed practitioners, or to pharmacies of hospitals or other healthcare entities.

There have been executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the PPACA. While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, several bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under the PPACA have been signed into law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or Tax Act, included a provision that repealed, effective January 1, 2019, the tax based shared responsibility payment imposed by the PPACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” In addition, the 2020 federal spending package permanently eliminated, effective January 1, 2020, the PPACA mandated “Cadillac” tax on high cost employer sponsored health coverage and medical device tax and, effective January 1, 2021, also eliminated the health insurer tax. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, or the BBA, among other things, amended the PPACA, effective January 1, 2019, to increase from 50% to 70% the point of sale discount that is owed by pharmaceutical manufacturers who participate in Medicare Part D and to close the coverage gap in most Medicare drug plans, commonly referred to as the “donut hole.” On December 14, 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the PPACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress as part of the Tax Act. Additionally, on December 18, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld the District Court ruling that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the PPACA are invalid as well. The United States Supreme Court is currently reviewing this case, but it is unknown when a decision will be reached. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the constitutionality of the PPACA, on January 28, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order to initiate a special enrollment period from February 15, 2021 through May 15, 2021 for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the PPACA marketplace. The executive order also instructs certain governmental agencies to review and reconsider their existing policies and rules that limit access to healthcare, including among others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects and waiver programs that include work requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the PPACA. It is unclear how the Supreme Court ruling, other such litigation and the healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration will impact the PPACA.

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the PPACA was enacted. In August 2011, the President signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011, as amended, which, among other things, included aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which began in 2013 and, following passage of subsequent legislation, including the BBA, will continue through 2030 with the exception of a temporary suspension from May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unless additional Congressional action is taken. In January 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was enacted and, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several providers and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.

Further, there has been increasing legislative and enforcement interest in the United States with respect to drug pricing practices. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs. At the federal level, the Trump administration used several means to propose or implement drug pricing reform, including through federal budget proposals, executive orders and policy initiatives. For example, on July 24, 2020 and September 13, 2020, the Trump administration announced several executive orders related to prescription drug pricing that attempted to implement several of the administration’s proposals. As a result, the FDA also released a final rule on September 24, 2020, effective November 30, 2020, implementing a portion of the importation executive order providing guidance for states to build and submit importation plans for drugs from Canada. Further, on November 20, 2020, HHS finalized a regulation removing safe harbor protection for price reductions from pharmaceutical manufacturers to plan sponsors under Part D, either directly or through pharmacy benefit managers, unless the price reduction is required by law. The implementation of the rule has been delayed by the Biden administration from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023 in response to ongoing litigation. The rule also creates a new safe harbor for price reductions reflected at the point-of-sale, as well as a new safe harbor for certain fixed fee arrangements between pharmacy benefit managers and manufacturers, the implementation of which have also been delayed pending review by the Biden administration until March 22, 2021. On November 20, 2020, CMS issued an interim final rule implementing the Trump administration’s Most Favored Nation executive order, which would tie Medicare Part B payments for certain physician-administered drugs to the lowest price paid in other economically advanced countries, effective January 1, 2021. On December 28, 2020, the United States District Court in Northern California issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against implementation of the interim final rule. It is unclear whether the Biden administration will work to reverse these measures or pursue similar policy initiatives. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in

some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. It also possible that governmental action will be taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

European Union-EMA process

In the European Union, our product candidates are also be subject to extensive regulatory requirements. As in the United States, medicinal products can only be marketed if a marketing authorization, or MA, from the competent regulatory agencies has been obtained.

Similar to the United States, the various phases of preclinical and clinical research in the European Union are subject to significant regulatory controls. Clinical trials of medicinal products in the European Union must be conducted in accordance with European Union and national regulations and the International Conference on Harmonization, or ICH, guidelines on Good Clinical Practices, or GCP. Although the EU Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC has sought to harmonize the European Union clinical trials regulatory framework, setting out common rules for the control and authorization of clinical trials in the European Union, the EU Member States have transposed and applied the provisions of the Directive differently. This has led to significant variations in the Member State regimes. To improve the current system, Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use, which repealed Directive 2001/20/EC, was adopted on April 16, 2014 and published in the European Official Journal on May 27, 2014. The Regulation aims to harmonize and streamline the clinical trials authorization process, simplify adverse event reporting procedures, improve the supervision of clinical trials, and increase their transparency. Although the Regulation entered into force on June 16, 2014, it will not be applicable until six months after the full functionality of the IT portal and database envisaged in the Regulation is confirmed by an independent audit, and the European Commission publishes a notice of this confirmation. This is not expected to occur until before 2021 as an audit of the system is intended to commence in December 2020. Until then the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC will still apply.

In addition, the transitory provisions of the new Regulation offer the sponsors the possibility to choose between the requirements of the Directive and the Regulation for one year from the entry into application of the Regulation.

Under the current regime, before a clinical trial can be initiated it must be approved in each of the EU Member States where the trial is to be conducted by two distinct bodies: the National Competent Authority, or NCA, and one or more Ethics Committees, or ECs. Under the current regime all suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions, or SUSARs, to the investigated drug that occur during the clinical trial have to be reported to the NCA and ECs of the Member State where they occurred and would also be reported in all countries where the drug is being used in a clinical trial.

Approval Process

Under the centralized procedure, after the EMA issues an opinion, the European Commission issues a single marketing authorization valid across the European Union, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The centralized procedure is compulsory for human drugs that are: derived from biotechnology processes, such as genetic engineering; contain a new active substance indicated for the treatment of certain diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders diseases or autoimmune diseases and other immune dysfunctions; advanced-therapy medicines, such as gene-therapy, somatic cell-therapy or tissue-engineered medicines; and officially designated orphan drugs. For drugs that do not fall within these categories, an applicant has the option of submitting an application for a centralized marketing authorization to the EMA, as long as the drug concerned contains a new active substance; is a significant therapeutic, scientific or technical innovation; or if its authorization would be in the interest of public health.

There are also three other possible routes to authorize medicinal products in the European Union, which are available for products that fall outside the scope of the centralized procedure:

•National procedure. National MAs, issued by the competent authorities of the Member States of the EEA, are available however these only cover their respective territory;

•Decentralized procedure. Using the decentralized procedure, an applicant may apply for simultaneous authorization in more than one European Union country of a medicinal product that has not yet been authorized in any European Union country; and

•Mutual recognition procedure. In the mutual recognition procedure, a medicine is first authorized in one European Union Member State, in accordance with the national procedures of that country. Thereafter, further marketing authorizations can be sought from other European Union countries in a procedure whereby the countries concerned agree to recognize the validity of the original, national marketing authorization.

Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1901/2006, all applications for marketing authorization for new medicines must include the results of all studies performed and details of all information collected in compliance with as described in a pediatric investigation plan, or PIP, agreed between regulatory authorities, the EMA’s Pediatric Committee, and the applicant, unless the medicine is exempt because of a deferral or waiver (e.g., because the relevant disease or condition occurs only in adults). Applicants are encouraged to submit pediatric investigation plans early during product development, in time for studies to be conducted in the pediatric population, where appropriate, before marketing authorization applications are submitted. Before the EMA is able to begin its assessment of a centralized procedure MA application, it will validate that the applicant has complied with an agreed pediatric investigation plan, or an application for a waiver has been submitted. The applicant and the EMA may, where such a step is adequately justified, agree to modify a pediatric investigation plan to assist validation. Modifications are not always possible; may take longer to agree than the period of validation permits; and may still require the applicant to withdraw its marketing authorization application, or MA, and to conduct additional non-clinical and clinical studies. Products that are granted a MA on the basis of the pediatric clinical trials conducted in accordance with the PIP are eligible for a six month extension of the protection under a supplementary protection certificate or a patent qualifying for a supplementary protection (if any is in effect at the time of approval) or certificate or, in the case of orphan medicinal products, a two year extension of the orphan market exclusivity. This pediatric reward is subject to specific conditions and is not automatically available when data in compliance with the PIP are developed and submitted.

Orphan drug designation

In the European Union, Regulation (EC) No 141/2000, as amended, states that a drug will be designated as an orphan drug if its sponsor can establish:

•that it is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting not more than five in ten thousand persons in the European Union when the application is made, or that it is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening, seriously debilitating or serious and chronic condition in the European Union and that without incentives it is unlikely that the marketing of the drug in the European Union would generate sufficient return to justify the necessary investment; and

•that there exists no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of the condition in question that has been authorized in the European Union or, if such method exists, that the drug will be of significant benefit to those affected by that condition.

Regulation (EC) No 847/2000 sets out further provisions for implementation of the criteria for designation of a drug as an orphan drug. An application for the designation of a drug as an orphan drug may be submitted at any stage of development of the drug before submission of a MA application. However, an application for designation as an orphan drug may be submitted for a new therapeutic indication for an already authorized medicinal product.

If a centralized procedure MA in respect of an orphan drug is granted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 726/2004, regulatory authorities will not, for a period of 10 years, accept another application for a MA, or grant a MA or accept an application to extend an existing MA, for the same therapeutic indication, in respect of a similar drug. This period may however be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established, in respect of the drug concerned, that the criteria for orphan drug designation are no longer met, for example, when it is shown on the basis of available evidence that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity. The exclusivity period may increase to 12 years if, among other things, the MA includes the results of studies from an agreed pediatric investigation plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a MA may be granted for the same therapeutic indication to a similar drug if:

•the holder of the MA for the original orphan drug has given its consent to the second applicant;

•the holder of the MA for the original orphan drug is unable to supply sufficient quantities of the drug; or

•the second applicant can establish in the application that the second drug, although similar to the orphan drug already authorized, is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior.

Regulation (EC) No 847/2000 lays down definitions of the concepts ‘similar drug’ and ‘clinical superiority’. Other incentives available to orphan drugs in the European Union include financial incentives such as a reduction of fees or fee waivers and protocol assistance. Orphan drug designation does not shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.

Good manufacturing practices

Like the FDA, the EMA, the competent authorities of the European Union Member States and other regulatory agencies regulate and inspect equipment, facilities and processes used in the manufacturing of drugs intended for the EU market to ensure that certain minimum standards are met. These requirements apply, no matter where in the world the manufacturing process takes place and are designed to ensure that products intended for the EU market are of consistent high quality, are appropriate for their intended use and meet the requirements of the marketing authorization or clinical trial authorization. If, after receiving clearance from regulatory agencies, a company makes a material change in manufacturing equipment, location, or process, additional regulatory review and approval may be required. A company and its partners will be required to continue to comply with cGMP, and drug-specific regulations enforced by, the European Commission, the EMA and the competent authorities of European Union Member States following drug approval. Also like the FDA, the EMA, the competent authorities of the European Union Member States and other regulatory agencies also conduct regular, periodic visits to reinspect equipment, facilities, and processes following the initial approval of a drug. If, as a result of these inspections, the regulatory agencies determine that a company or its partners’ equipment, facilities, or processes do not comply with applicable regulations and conditions of drug approval, they may seek civil, criminal or administrative sanctions and/or remedies against us, including the suspension of its manufacturing operations or the withdrawal of our drug from the market.

Post-Approval Controls

The holder of a European MA must establish and maintain a pharmacovigilance system and appoint an individual qualified person for pharmacovigilance, or QPPV, who is responsible for oversight of that system. Key obligations include expedited reporting of suspected serious adverse reactions and submission of periodic safety update reports, or PSURs.

All new MAs must include a risk management plan, or RMP, describing the risk management system that the company will put in place, recording the product’s safety profile and documenting the effectiveness of risk-minimization measures. The regulatory authorities may also impose specific obligations as a condition of the MA. Such risk-minimization measures or post-authorization obligations may include additional safety monitoring, more frequent submission of PSURs, or the conduct of additional clinical trials or post-authorization safety studies. RMPs and PSURs are routinely available to third-parties requesting access, subject to limited redactions. All advertising and promotional activities for the product must be consistent with the approved summary of product characteristics, and therefore all off-label promotion is prohibited. Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines is also prohibited in the European Union. Although general requirements for advertising and promotion of medicinal products are established under EU directives, the details are governed by regulations in each EU Member State and can differ from one country to another.

Data and market exclusivity

Similar to the United States, there is a process to authorize generic versions of innovative drugs in the European Union. Generic competitors can, where data exclusivity has expired, submit abridged applications to authorize generic versions of drugs authorized by the EMA through the centralized procedure referencing the innovator’s data and demonstrating bioequivalence to the reference drug, among other things. If a marketing authorization is granted for a medicinal product containing a new active substance, that product benefits from eight years of data exclusivity, during which generic marketing authorization applications referring to the data of that product may not be accepted by the regulatory authorities, and a further two years of market exclusivity, during which such generic products may not be placed on the market. The two-year period may be extended to three years if during the first eight years a new therapeutic indication with significant clinical benefit over existing therapies is approved. This system is usually referred to as “8+2”. There is also a special regime for biosimilars, or biological medicinal products that are similar to a reference medicinal product but that do not meet the definition of a generic medicinal product, for example, because of differences in raw materials or manufacturing processes. For such products, the results of appropriate preclinical or clinical trials must be provided, and guidelines from the EMA detail the type of quantity of supplementary data to be provided for different types of biological product. In addition, there are certain circumstances, such as where the innovator company is granted a marketing authorization for a significant new indication for the relevant medicinal product, where an additional one year of marketing exclusivity may be granted. As referenced above, orphan medicinal products are subject to separate marketing exclusivity arrangements.

Other international markets-drug approval process

In some international markets (such as China or Japan), although data generated in United States or European Union trials may be submitted in support of a marketing authorization application, regulators may require additional clinical studies conducted in the host territory, or studying people of the ethnicity of the host territory, prior to the filing or approval of marketing applications within the country.

Pricing and reimbursement

Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any drugs for which companies may obtain regulatory approval. In the United States and markets in other countries, sales of any drugs for which companies receive regulatory approval for commercial sale will depend in part on the availability of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors. Third-party payors include government authorities, managed care plans, private health insurers and other organizations. The process for determining whether a third-party payor will provide coverage for a drug may be separate from the process for setting the reimbursement rate that the payor will pay for the drug. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific drugs on an approved list, or formulary, which might not include all of the FDA-approved drugs for a particular indication. Moreover, a third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Additionally, coverage and reimbursement for drugs can differ significantly from payor to payor. One third-party payor’s decision to cover a particular drug does not ensure that other payors will also provide coverage for the drug, or will provide coverage at an adequate reimbursement rate. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on its investment in drug development.

Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of drugs and services, in addition to their safety and efficacy. To obtain coverage and reimbursement for any drug that might be approved for sale, we may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our drug. These studies will be in addition to the studies required to obtain regulatory approvals. If third-party payors do not consider a drug to be cost-effective compared to other available therapies, they may not cover the drug after approval as a benefit under their plans or, if they do, the level of payment may not be sufficient to allow a company to sell its drugs at a profit.

The U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid health care costs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic drugs for branded prescription drugs. By way of example, PPACA contains provisions that may reduce the profitability of drugs, including, for example, increased rebates for drugs sold to Medicaid programs, extension of Medicaid rebates to Medicaid managed care plans, mandatory discounts for certain Medicare Part D beneficiaries and annual fees based on pharmaceutical companies’ share of sales to federal health care programs. Adoption of government controls and measures, and tightening of restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could limit payments for our drugs.

In the European Community, governments influence the price of drugs through their pricing and reimbursement rules and control of national health care systems that fund a large part of the cost of those drugs to consumers. Some jurisdictions operate positive and negative list systems under which drugs may only be marketed once a reimbursement price has been agreed to by the government. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval, some of these countries may require the completion of clinical studies that compare the cost effectiveness of a particular drug candidate to currently available therapies. Other member states allow companies to fix their own prices for medicines, but monitor and control company profits. The downward pressure on health care costs in general, particularly prescription drugs, has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new drugs. In addition, in some countries, cross border imports from low-priced markets exert a commercial pressure on pricing within a country.

The marketability of any drugs for which companies receive regulatory approval for commercial sale may suffer if government and other third-party payors fail to provide coverage and adequate reimbursement. In addition, the focus on cost containment measures in the United States and other countries has increased and we expect will continue to increase the pressure on pharmaceutical pricing. Coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time.

Other healthcare laws impacting sales, marketing, and other company activities

Numerous regulatory authorities in addition to the FDA, including, in the United States, CMS, other divisions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, the U.S. Department of Justice, and similar foreign, state, and local government authorities, regulate and enforce laws and regulations applicable to sales, promotion and other activities of pharmaceutical manufacturers. These laws and regulations may impact, among other things, our clinical research programs, proposed sales and marketing and education activities, and financial and business relationships with future prescribers of our product candidates, once approved. These laws and regulations include U.S. federal, U.S. state and foreign anti-kickback, false claims, and data privacy and security laws, which are described below, among other legal requirements that may affect our current and future operations.

The FDA regulates all advertising and promotion activities for drugs under its jurisdiction both prior to and after approval. Only those claims relating to safety and efficacy that the FDA has approved may be used in labeling once the drug is approved. Physicians may prescribe legally available drugs for uses that are not described in the drug’s labeling and that differ from those we tested and the FDA approved. Such off-label uses are common across medical specialties, and often reflect a physician’s belief that the off-label use is the best treatment for the patients. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments, but FDA regulations do impose stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label uses. If we do not comply with applicable FDA requirements we may face adverse publicity, enforcement action by the FDA, corrective advertising, consent decrees and the full range of civil and criminal penalties available to the FDA. Promotion of off-label uses of drugs can also implicate the false claims laws described below.

Anti-kickback laws including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute that applies to items and services reimbursable under governmental healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, make it illegal for a person or entity to, among other things, knowingly and willfully solicit, receive, offer or pay remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce, or in return for, purchasing, leasing, ordering, or arranging for or recommending the purchase, lease, or order of any good, facility, item, or service reimbursable, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program. Due to the breadth of the statutory provisions and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available, it is possible that our practices might be challenged under anti-kickback or similar laws. Moreover, recent healthcare reform legislation has strengthened these laws. For example, PPACA among other things, amends the intent requirement of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and certain other criminal healthcare fraud statutes to clarify that a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of these statutes or specific intent to violate them in order to have committed a crime. In addition, PPACA clarifies that the government may assert that a claim that includes items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act.

False claims laws, including, without limitation, the federal civil False Claims Act, and civil monetary penalty laws prohibit, among other things, anyone from knowingly and willingly presenting, or causing to be presented for payment, to the federal government (including Medicare and Medicaid) claims for reimbursement for, among other things, drugs or services that are false or fraudulent, claims for items or services not provided as claimed, or claims for medically unnecessary items or services. Our activities relating to the sales and marketing of its drugs may be subject to scrutiny under these laws, as well as civil monetary penalties laws and the criminal healthcare fraud provisions enacted as part of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA.

HIPAA imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement, in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.

HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and their implementing regulations governs the conduct of certain electronic healthcare transactions and imposes requirements with respect to safeguarding the security and privacy of protected health information on HIPAA covered entities and their business associates who provide services involving HIPAA protected health information to such covered entities.

The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, information related to payments or other transfers of value made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), and teaching hospitals, and applicable manufacturers and applicable group purchasing organizations to report annually to CMS ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Beginning in 2022, applicable manufacturers also will be required to report such information regarding payments and other transfers of value to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, anesthesiologist assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives provided during the previous year.

In addition, companies may be subject to state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback, self-referral, and false claims laws which may apply to our business practices, including but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and submitting claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers; state laws that require pharmaceutical manufacturers to comply with the industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the applicable compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government that otherwise restricts payments that may be made to healthcare providers; state laws that require pharmaceutical manufacturers to file reports with states regarding marketing information, such as the tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation and other remuneration

and items of value provided to healthcare professionals and entities; state laws that require the reporting of information related to drug pricing; state and local laws requiring the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives; and state laws governing the privacy and security of personal data and protected health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways, thus complicating compliance efforts.

Violations of these laws may result in significant criminal, civil and administrative sanctions, including fines and civil monetary penalties, the possibility of exclusion from federal healthcare programs (including Medicare and Medicaid), disgorgement, contractual damages, reputational harm and the imposition of corporate integrity agreements or other similar agreements with governmental entities, which may impose, among other things, rigorous operational and monitoring requirements on companies. Similar sanctions and penalties, as well as imprisonment, also can be imposed upon executive officers and employees, including criminal sanctions against executive officers under the so-called “responsible corporate officer” doctrine, even in situations where the executive officer did not intend to violate the law and was unaware of any wrongdoing. Given the significant penalties and fines that can be imposed on companies and individuals if convicted, allegations of such violations often result in settlements even if the company or individual being investigated admits no wrongdoing. Settlements often include significant civil sanctions and additional corporate integrity obligations.

Similar rigorous restrictions are imposed on the promotion and marketing of drugs in the European Union and other countries.

Employees

As of March 15, 2021, we had 13 employees, 12 of whom were full-time employees and one of whom was a part-time employee. As of March 15, 2021, one of our employees was engaged in research and development activities and 12 of our employees were engaged in business development, finance, information systems, facilities, human resources or administrative support. As of March 15, 2021, we had 12 employees located in the United States and one employee located in France. None of our U.S. employees are represented by any collective bargaining agreements. Our French employee is represented by a collective bargaining agreement.

In connection with the Plan, our Board determined to reduce our workforce by up to 85%, with the majority of the reduction in personnel expected to be completed by April 15, 2021.

OvaScience Merger

On December 7, 2018, OvaScience, Inc., or OvaScience, now known as Millendo Therapeutics, Inc., completed its reverse merger or, the OvaScience Merger, with what was then known as “Millendo Therapeutics, Inc.,” or Private Millendo, in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization dated as of August 8, 2018, as amended on September 25, 2018 and November 1, 2018. OvaScience’s shares of common stock listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, previously trading through the close of business on Friday, December 7, 2018 under the ticker symbol “OVAS,” commenced trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market, under the ticker symbol “MLND,” on Monday, December 10, 2018.

Immediately following the OvaScience Merger, Private Millendo became a wholly-owned subsidiary of OvaScience. Upon consummation of the OvaScience Merger, OvaScience adopted the business plan of Private Millendo and discontinued the pursuit of OvaScience’s business plan pre-Closing.

Available Information

Our internet website address is www.millendo.com. In addition to the information about us and our subsidiaries contained in this Annual Report, information about us can be found on our website. Our website and information included in or linked to our website are not part of this Annual Report.

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Additionally the SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information. The address of the SEC’s website is www.sec.gov.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as general economic and business risks and the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The occurrence of any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects or cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements we have made in this report and those we may make from time to time. In these circumstances, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. We cannot assure you that any of the events discussed below will not occur. Such risks may be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on our business and the global economy.

Risks Related to Our Proposed Merger and Retention of Key Employees

Our merger with Tempest may not be consummated or may not deliver the anticipated benefits we expect.

In 2020, we undertook a strategic review process, which was intended to result in an actionable plan that leverages our assets, capital and capabilities to maximize stockholder value. Following an extensive process of evaluating strategic alternatives and identifying and reviewing potential candidates for a strategic acquisition or other transaction, on March 29, 2021, we entered into a merger agreement with Tempest Therapeutics, Inc. (“Tempest”), under which the privately held Tempest will merge with a wholly owned subsidiary of Millendo (the “Merger”). Pre-Merger Millendo shareholders will own approximately 18.5% of the combined company and pre-Merger Tempest stockholders will own approximately 81.5% of the combined company (assuming the financing transaction described in the Merger Agreement results in gross proceeds of approximately $30 million). We are devoting substantially all of our time and resources to consummating this transaction, however, there can be no assurance that such activities will result in the consummation of this transaction or that such transaction will deliver the anticipated benefits or enhance stockholder value.

Certain provisions of the Merger Agreement may discourage third-parties from submitting alternative acquisition proposals, including proposals that may be superior to the arrangements contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

The terms of the Merger Agreement prohibit each party from soliciting or engaging in discussions with third parties regarding alternative acquisition proposals, except in limited circumstances when such party’s board of directors determines in good faith that an unsolicited acquisition proposal constitutes or could reasonably be expected to lead to a superior proposal and that failure to take such action would reasonably be expected to be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under applicable law. In addition, if the Merger Agreement is terminated by us or Tempest under certain circumstances, including because of a decision of our board of directors to accept a superior proposal, we would be required to pay Tempest a termination fee of $1.4 million or reimburse Tempest's expenses up to a maximum of $1.0 million. This termination fee may discourage third parties from submitting alternative takeover proposals to us or our stockholders, and may cause our board of directors to be less inclined to recommend an alternative proposal.

The announcement and pendency of the Merger, whether or not consummated, may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock and our business prospects.

The announcement and pendency of the Merger, whether or not consummated, may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock and our business prospects. In the event that the Merger is not completed, the announcement of the termination of the Merger Agreement may also adversely affect the trading price of our common stock and our business prospects.

Failure to consummate the Merger may result in us paying a termination fee to Tempest and could harm our common stock price and our future business and operations.

The Merger will not be consummated if the conditions precedent to the consummation of the transaction are not satisfied or waived, or if the Merger Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms. If the Merger is not consummated, we are subject to the following risks:

•if the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances, we will be required to pay Tempest a termination fee of $1.4 million or reimburse Tempest's expenses up to a maximum of $1.0 million; and

•the price of our common stock may decline and remain volatile.

If the Merger does not close for any reason, our board of directors may elect to, among other things, attempt to complete another strategic transaction, attempt to sell or otherwise dispose of our various assets, dissolve or liquidate our assets or seek to continue to operate our business. If we seek another strategic transaction or attempt to sell or otherwise dispose of our various assets, there is no assurance that we will be able to do so, that the terms would be equal to or superior to the terms of the Merger or as to the timing of such transaction. If we decide to dissolve and liquidate our assets, we would be required to pay all of our

debts and contractual obligations, and to set aside certain reserves for potential future claims, and there can be no assurance as to the amount or timing of available cash left to distribute to stockholders after paying our debts and other obligations and setting aside funds for reserves.

If we were to seek to continue our business, we would need to determine whether to acquire one or more other product candidates. We would also need to raise funds to support continued operations and re-assess our workforce requirements in consideration of our reduced workforce.

If the Merger is not consummated, we may be unable to retain the services of key remaining members of our management team and, as a result, may be unable to seek or consummate another strategic transaction, properly dissolve and liquidate our assets or continue our business.

If we do not successfully consummate the transaction with Tempest, our board of directors may dissolve or liquidate our assets to pursue a dissolution and liquidation. In such an event, the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders will depend heavily on the timing of such transaction or liquidation.

If the Merger does not close for any reason, our board of directors may elect to, among other things, dissolve or liquidate our assets, which may include seeking protection from creditors in a bankruptcy proceeding. If we decide to dissolve and liquidate our assets, we would be required to pay all of our debts and contractual obligations, and to set aside certain reserves for potential future claims, and there can be no assurances as to the amount or timing of available cash left to distribute to stockholders after paying our debts and other obligations and setting aside funds for reserves.

In the event of a dissolution and liquidation, the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders will depend heavily on the timing of such decision and, ultimately, such liquidation, since the amount of cash available for distribution continues to decrease as we fund our operations in preparation for the consummation of the Merger. Further, the Merger Agreement contains certain termination rights for each party, and provides that, upon termination under specified circumstances, we may be required to pay Tempest a termination fee of $1.4 million or reimburse Tempest's expenses up to a maximum of $1.0 million, which would further decrease our available cash resources. If our board of directors were to approve and recommend, and our stockholders were to approve, a dissolution and liquidation, we would be required under Delaware corporate law to pay our outstanding obligations, as well as to make reasonable provision for contingent and unknown obligations, prior to making any distributions in liquidation to our stockholders. Our commitments and contingent liabilities may include (i) regulatory and clinical obligations remaining under our clinical trials; (ii) obligations under our employment, separation and retention agreements with certain employees that provide for severance and other payments following a termination of employment occurring for various reasons, including a change in control of us; and (iii) potential litigation against us, and other various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. As a result of this requirement, a portion of our assets may need to be reserved pending the resolution of such obligations. In addition, we may be subject to litigation or other claims related to a dissolution and liquidation of us. If a dissolution and liquidation were pursued, our board of directors, in consultation with our advisors, would need to evaluate these matters and make a determination about a reasonable amount to reserve. Accordingly, holders of our common stock could lose all or a significant portion of their investment in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up.

As a result of our decision to discontinue further investment in MLE-301 and the reductions in our workforce, we have only 12 employees remaining as of the date of this filing. If we are unable to retain certain of our remaining employees, our ability to consummate the planned Merger transaction may be delayed or seriously jeopardized.

On January 28, 2021, we announced workforce reductions, and current headcount has been reduced to 12 employees as of the date of this filing. Our cash conservation activities may yield unintended consequences, such as attrition beyond the planned workforce reductions and reduced employee morale, which may cause the remaining employees to seek alternate employment. Competition among biotechnology companies for qualified employees is intense, and the ability to retain the remaining employees is critical to our ability to effectively manage our business and to consummate the planned Merger transaction. Additional attrition could have a material adverse effect on our business and ability to consummate the Merger. In addition, as a result of the reduction in our workforce, we face an increased risk of employment litigation.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

Since inception, we have incurred significant operating losses and negative operating cash flows and there is no assurance that we will ever achieve or sustain profitability. Our net loss was $36.4 million and $44.6 million and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $245.1 million. We

expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. We have devoted substantially all of our efforts to the acquisition of and preclinical and clinical development of MLE-301, in which we decided to discontinue our investment in January 2021, nevanimibe, in which we ceased investing in June 2020, and livoletide, of which we discontinued development in April 2020, as well as to building our management team and infrastructure. The net losses we incur may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses may increase if we resume drug development activities. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease our value and could impair our ability to raise capital, continue our operations. A decline in our value also could cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

We have a limited operating history and have never generated any revenue from product sales, which may make it difficult to assess our future viability.

We are a biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. Our operations to date, with respect to the development of our product candidates, have been limited to organizing and staffing the business, business planning, raising capital, acquiring our product candidates and other assets and conducting preclinical and clinical development of our product candidates. We have not demonstrated an ability to successfully complete clinical development of a product candidate, obtain marketing approval, manufacture a commercial-scale drug (or arrange for a third-party to do so on our behalf), or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful commercialization. Consequently, our predictions about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had more experience developing product candidates.

If the Merger is not completed, we would need to raise substantial additional funding to the extent we resume our drug development efforts, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed may force us to delay, limit or terminate our drug development efforts or other operations.

If the Merger is not completed, we may require substantial additional capital to fund any research and development and expenses related to our business. We had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $38.7 million at December 31, 2020. In the event that the Merger is not completed, we may pursue a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the company, or may seek to complete an alternate strategic transaction or may elect to resume investment in other product candidates. Based on our current operating plan, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash will be sufficient to allow us to fund our current operating plan for at least the next 12 months.

We cannot predict to what extent we will resume drug development activities for any other drug product candidates. If we resume drug development activities, only a small minority of all research and development programs ultimately result in commercially successful drugs. Clinical failure can occur at any stage of clinical development and clinical trials may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical or preclinical trials. In addition, data obtained from trials are susceptible to varying interpretations, and regulators may not interpret our data as favorably as we do, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will generate the same results or otherwise provide adequate data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a drug candidate. Further, even if we complete the development for a drug product candidate and gain marketing approvals from the FDA, and comparable foreign regulatory authorities in a timely manner, we cannot be sure that such drug product candidate will be commercially successful in the pharmaceutical market. If the results of clinical trials, the anticipated or actual timing of marketing approvals, or the market acceptance of any drug product candidate, if approved, do not meet the expectations of investors or public market analysts, the market price of our common stock would likely decline. Further, if we resume drug development activities, we will need substantial additional financing to complete the development of any other drug product candidates we may develop.

We expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future. Our ability to achieve profitability in the future is dependent upon achieving a level of revenues adequate to support our cost structure. We may never achieve profitability, and unless and until we do, we will continue to need to raise additional capital. If we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of those securities could result in substantial dilution for our current stockholders and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our current stockholders, further diminishing current stockholders' ability to realize any value for their stock holdings. Furthermore, the issuance of additional securities, whether equity or debt, by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline further and existing stockholders may not agree with our financing plans or the terms of such financings. There can be no assurances, however, that additional funding will be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

We will require additional capital to finance our operations, which may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. Failure to obtain capital when needed may force us to delay, limit or terminate certain of our development programs, future commercialization efforts or other operations.

We expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities and expect to continue to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company. As of December 31, 2020, our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were $38.7 million. Our existing cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash are currently expected to be sufficient to fund our current operating plans through at least the next 12 months. This cash runway guidance is based on our current operational plans and excludes any additional funding that may be received and business development activities that may be undertaken. In addition, our operating plans may change as a result of many factors currently unknown to us, including the short- and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned, through public or private equity or debt financings, third-party funding, and marketing and distribution arrangements, as well as other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements, or a combination of these approaches. In any event, we will require additional capital to pursue preclinical and clinical activities, regulatory approval and the commercialization of our current and future product candidates. Even if we believe we have sufficient capital for our current operating plans, we may seek additional capital if market conditions are favorable or if we have specific strategic considerations. If we elect to do so, additional capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. Our ability to access additional capital, and as a result our operating results and liquidity needs, could be negatively affected by market fluctuations and economic downturn. The COVID-19 pandemic has already resulted in a significant disruption of global financial markets. If the disruption persists and deepens, we could experience an inability to access additional capital, which could negatively affect our business. Any additional capital raising efforts may divert our management from its day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize our current and future product candidates.

Raising additional capital by issuing equity or debt securities may cause dilution to our existing stockholders, and raising funds through lending and licensing arrangements may restrict our operations or require us to relinquish proprietary rights.

Until such time as we can generate substantial revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity and debt financings, strategic alliances and license and development agreements in connection with any future collaborations. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our existing stockholders’ ownership may experience substantial dilution, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. Equity and debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as redeeming our shares, making investments, incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends.

The incurrence of indebtedness could result in increased fixed payment obligations and we may be required to agree to certain restrictive covenants therein, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.

If we raise additional capital through collaborations, strategic alliances or third-party licensing arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our intellectual property, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional capital through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise develop and market ourselves.

Risks Related to Development and Commercialization

We have never obtained marketing approval for a product candidate and we may be unable to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approval for any future product candidates that we may develop.

We have never obtained marketing approval for a product candidate. It is possible that the FDA may refuse to accept for substantive review any NDAs that we submit for any future candidates we may choose to develop or may conclude after review of our data that our application is insufficient to obtain marketing approval of our product candidates. If the FDA does not accept or approve our NDAs for any of our future product candidates, it may require that we conduct additional clinical trials, preclinical studies or manufacturing validation studies and submit that data before it will reconsider our applications. Depending on the extent of these or any other FDA-required trials or studies, approval of any NDA or application that we submit may be delayed by several years or may require us to expend more resources than we have available. It is also possible that additional trials or studies, if performed and completed, may not be considered sufficient by the FDA to approve our NDAs.

Any delay in obtaining, or an inability to obtain, marketing approvals would prevent us from commercializing our product candidates, generating revenues and achieving and sustaining profitability. If any of these outcomes occurs, we may be forced to abandon our development efforts for our product candidates, which could significantly harm our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition.

We are exposed to a variety of risks associated with our international operations.

Since the closing date of the merger we completed with OvaScience in 2018 (“the OvaScience Merger”), we have been engaged in the process of winding up various subsidiaries of OvaScience, some or all of which are in foreign jurisdictions. We are also in the process of closing all other international subsidiaries. We expect to incur additional costs to complete these processes. Moreover, even if we successfully wind up these entities, we may be exposed to liability in these foreign jurisdictions as a result of their historical operations.

In addition, in December 2017, we acquired Alizé Pharma SAS (“Alizé”), a biopharmaceutical company based in Lyon, France. As of March 15, 2021, we had 12 employees located in the United States and one employee located in France. Our past and current global operations expose us to numerous and sometimes conflicting legal, tax and regulatory requirements, and violations or unfavorable interpretation by the respective authorities of these regulations could harm our business. Risks associated with international operations include the following, and these risks may be more pronounced if we seek to commercialize any future product candidates outside of the United States:

•reduced protection for intellectual property rights;

•unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements;

•economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;

•compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad;

•foreign currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue, and other obligations incident to doing business in another country;

•foreign reimbursement, pricing and insurance regimes;

•workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States;

•changes in diplomatic and trade relationships;

•anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA, and its equivalent in foreign jurisdictions, such as the UK Bribery Act;

•production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and

•business interruptions resulting from pandemics and public health emergencies, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism or natural disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires.

In addition, there are complex regulatory, tax, labor, and other legal requirements imposed by both the European Union and many of the individual countries in and outside of Europe, with which we may need to comply.

Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and could limit commercialization of any future product candidate that we may develop.

We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to our historical testing of product candidates. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that any such product candidates caused injuries, we could incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

•decreased demand for any product candidate that we may develop;

•loss of revenue;

•substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;

•significant time and costs to defend the related litigation;

•withdrawal of clinical trial participants;

•the inability to commercialize any product candidate that it may develop;

•injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention; and

•increased marketing costs to attempt to overcome any injury to our reputation or negative media attention.

In addition, we face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to OvaScience’s prior use of fertility treatments in humans. Product liability claims involving OvaScience’s activities may be brought for significant amounts because OvaScience’s potential fertility treatments involved mothers and children. For example, it is possible that we will be subject to product liability claims that assert that OvaScience’s potential fertility treatments have caused birth defects in children or that such defects are inheritable. These claims could be made many years into the future based on effects that were not observed or observable at the time of birth. If we cannot successfully defend against claims that OvaScience’s potential fertility treatments caused injuries, we will incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in, among other things, significant costs to defend the related litigation; substantial monetary awards or payments to trial participants or patients; loss of revenue; and the diversion of management’s resources.

Although we maintain product liability insurance coverage, such insurance may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We anticipate that we will need to increase our insurance coverage each time we commence a clinical trial and if we successfully commercialize any product candidate. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.

If OvaScience failed to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.

OvaScience was subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. OvaScience’s prior operations involved the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials. OvaScience’s prior operations also produced hazardous waste products. OvaScience generally contracted with third-parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from OvaScience’s use of hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties.

We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us in connection with OvaScience’s storage or disposal of biological, hazardous or radioactive materials.

Risks Related to Regulatory Compliance

Regulatory, legislative or self-regulatory/standard developments regarding privacy and data security matters could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.

We are subject to and affected by laws, rules, regulations and industry standards related to data privacy and security, and restrictions or technological requirements regarding the collection, use, storage, security, retention or transfer of data. In the United States, the rules and regulations to which we may be subject include federal laws and regulations enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, HHS, and state privacy, data security, and breach notification laws, as well as regulator enforcement positions and expectations. Internationally, governments and agencies have adopted and could in the future adopt, modify, apply or enforce additional laws, policies, regulations, and standards covering privacy and data security that may apply to our business. New regulation or legislative actions regarding data privacy and security (together with applicable industry standards) may increase our costs of doing business. In addition to privacy and data security regulations currently in force in the jurisdictions where we operate, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), went into effect in May 2018. The GDPR contains numerous requirements and changes from existing European Union (“EU”), law, including more robust obligations on data processors and data controllers and heavier documentation requirements for data protection compliance programs. Specifically, the GDPR will introduce numerous privacy-related changes for companies operating in the EU, including greater control over personal data-by-data subjects (e.g., the “right to be forgotten”), increased data portability

for EU consumers, data breach notification requirements, and increased fines. The GDPR requirements apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between us and our subsidiaries, including employee information. However, despite our ongoing efforts to bring our practices into compliance before the effective date of the GDPR, we may not be successful either due to various factors within our control, such as limited financial or human resources, or other factors outside our control. It is also possible that local data protection authorities may have different interpretations of the GDPR, leading to potential inconsistencies amongst various EU member states. Any failure or alleged failure (including as a result of deficiencies in our policies, procedures, or measures relating to privacy, data security, marketing, or communications) by us to comply with laws, regulations, policies, legal or contractual obligations, industry standards, or regulatory guidance relating to privacy or data security, may result in governmental investigations and enforcement actions, litigation, fines and penalties, additional regulatory oversight and reporting obligations or adverse publicity. Further, because of the work-from-home policies we implemented due to COVID-19, information that is normally protected, including company confidential information, may be less secure.

We expect that there will continue to be new proposed laws, regulations and industry standards relating to privacy and data protection in the United States, the European Union, and in other jurisdictions, and we cannot determine the impact such future laws, regulations and standards may have on our business. Future laws, regulations, standards and other obligations or any changed interpretation of existing laws or regulations could impair our ability to operate our business and negatively impact our results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technology and products, or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.

To the extent we resume drug development activities, we will rely upon a combination of patents, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect the intellectual property related to our product candidates. The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner.

The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, or vice versa. For example, European patent law restricts the patentability of methods of treatment of the human body more than United States law does. Further, we may not be aware of all third-party intellectual property rights potentially relating to our product candidates. Publications of discoveries in scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically published 18 months after filing, or in some cases, not at all. Therefore, we cannot know with certainty whether we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain. Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued which protect our technology or product candidates, in whole or in part, or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and drugs. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection.

Recent patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. On September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (the “Leahy-Smith Act”), was signed into law. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to United States patent law. These include provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and may also affect patent litigation. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), recently developed new regulations and procedures to govern administration of the Leahy-Smith Act, and many of the substantive changes to patent law associated with the Leahy-Smith Act, and in particular, the first to file provisions, only became effective on March 16, 2013. Accordingly, it is not clear what, if any, impact the Leahy-Smith Act will have on the operation of our business. However, the Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Any further changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents and patent applications or narrow the scope of our potential patent protection.

Moreover, we may be subject to a third-party pre-issuance submission of prior art to the USPTO or become involved in opposition, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review, post-grant review or interference proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the

scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third-parties to commercialize our technology or product candidates and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize product candidates without infringing third-party patent rights. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future product candidates.

The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. Such challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or freedom to operate or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, in whole or in part, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and product candidates, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and product candidates. Moreover, patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from the earliest filing date of a non-provisional patent application. Various extensions may be available; however, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Without patent protection for our current or future product candidates, we may be open to competition from generic versions of such drugs. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, we owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide it with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing drugs similar or identical to that of us.

We jointly own patents and patent applications with third-parties. Our ability to exploit or enforce these patent rights, or to prevent the third-party from granting licenses to others with respect to these patent rights, may be limited in some circumstances.

We jointly own certain patents and patent applications with third-parties. In the absence of an agreement with each co-owner of jointly owned patent rights, we will be subject to default rules pertaining to joint ownership. Some countries require the consent of all joint owners to exploit, license or assign jointly owned patents, and if we are unable to obtain that consent from the joint owners, we may be unable to exploit the invention or to license or assign our rights under these patents and patent applications in those countries. For example, we secured exclusive rights from the University of Michigan for certain patents and patent applications that they jointly own with us related to nevanimibe. Additionally, in the United States, each co-owner may be required to be joined as a party to any claim or action we may wish to bring to enforce these patent rights, which may limit our ability to pursue third-party infringement claims.

We have in-licensed patents and patent applications from third-parties. Our ability to exploit or enforce these patent rights, or to prevent the third-party from granting licenses to others with respect to these patent rights, may be limited in some circumstances.

We have in-licensed certain patents and patent applications from third-parties. In the absence of an agreement with each patent rights owner, we will be subject to default rules pertaining to ownership. Some countries require the consent of all owners to exploit, license or assign owned patents, and if we are unable to obtain that consent from the owners, we may be unable to exploit the invention or to license or assign our rights under these patents and patent applications in those countries. For example, we secured exclusive rights from Roche for certain patents and patent applications that they own related to MLE-301. Additionally, in the United States, each owner may be required to be joined as a party to any claim or action we may wish to bring to enforce these patent rights, which may limit our ability to pursue third-party infringement claims.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other government fees on patents and/or applications will be due to be paid to the USPTO and various government patent agencies outside of the United States in several stages over the lifetime of our owned and licensed patents and/or applications and any patent rights it may own or license in the future. We rely on our outside counsel or our licensing partners to pay these fees due to non-U.S. patent agencies. The USPTO and various non-U.S. government patent agencies require compliance with several procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. We employ reputable law firms and other professionals to help us comply and we are also dependent on our licensors to take the necessary action to comply with these requirements with respect to our licensed intellectual property. In many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules.

There are situations, however, in which non-compliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction.

In such an event, potential competitors might be able to enter the market and this circumstance would have a material adverse effect on our business.

Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our product candidates for an adequate amount of time.

Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. We have in the past sought, and in the future may seek, extensions of patent terms in the United States and, if available, in other countries where we are prosecuting patents. In the United States, the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 permits extension of the term of one U.S. patent that includes at least one claim covering the composition of matter of an FDA-approved drug, an FDA-approved method of treatment using the drug. The extended patent term cannot exceed the shorter of five years beyond the non-extended expiration of the patent or 14 years from the date of the FDA approval of the drug. However, the applicable authorities, including the FDA and the USPTO in the United States, and any equivalent regulatory authority in other countries, may not agree with our assessment of whether such extensions are available, and may refuse to grant extensions to our patents, or may grant more limited extensions than we request. Further, we may not elect to extend the most beneficial patent to us or the claims underlying the patent that we choose to extend could be invalidated. If any of the foregoing occurs, our competitors may be able to take advantage of our investment in development and clinical trials by referencing its clinical and preclinical data and launch their drug earlier than might otherwise be the case.

Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our business.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations and may not adequately protect our business. The following examples are illustrative:

•others may be able to make compounds or formulations that are similar to our formulation but that are not covered by the claims of the patents that we own or control;

•we or any strategic partners might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by the issued patents or pending patent applications that we own or control;

•we might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of our inventions;

•others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;

•it is possible that our pending patent applications will not lead to issued patents;

•issued patents that we own or control may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be held invalid or unenforceable as a result of legal challenges;

•our competitors might conduct research and development activities in the United States and other countries that provide a safe harbor from patent infringement claims for certain research and development activities, as well as in countries where we do not have patent rights and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive drugs for sale in our major commercial markets;

•we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; and

•the patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business.

Third-parties may initiate legal proceedings, which are expensive and time consuming, alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain and could have a material adverse impact on the success of our business.

The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are characterized by extensive and complex litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights. We may in the future become party to, or be threatened with, adversarial proceedings or

litigation regarding intellectual property rights with respect to any future product candidates and technology, including interference proceedings, post grant review and inter partes review before the USPTO. Third-parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing patents or patents that may be granted in the future, regardless of their merit. There is a risk that third-parties may choose to engage in litigation with us to enforce or to otherwise assert their patent rights against us. Even if we believe such claims are without merit, a court of competent jurisdiction could hold that these third-party patents are valid, enforceable and infringed, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to commercialize any future product candidates. In order to successfully challenge the validity of any such U.S. patent in federal court, we would need to overcome a presumption of validity. As this burden is a high one requiring us to present clear and convincing evidence as to the invalidity of any such U.S. patent claim, there is no assurance that a court of competent jurisdiction would invalidate the claims of any such U.S. patent. If we are found to infringe a third-party’s valid and enforceable intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third-party to continue developing, manufacturing and marketing our product candidate and technology. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors and other third-parties access to the same technologies licensed to us, and it could require us to make substantial licensing and royalty payments. We could be forced, including by court order, to cease developing, manufacturing and commercializing the infringing technology or product candidate. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent or other intellectual property right. A finding of infringement could prevent us from manufacturing and commercializing any future product candidates or force us to cease some or all of our business operations, which would have a material adverse effect on our business. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third-parties could have a similar material adverse effect on our business. Even if we prevail in such infringement claims, patent litigation can be expensive and time consuming, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, the patents of our licensors or our other intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.

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