10-K
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
OR
For the transition period from ___________ to ___________
Commission File Number: 001-39536
Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (214) 612-0000
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class TradingSymbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $0.00001 per share TSHA The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ̈
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ̈
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
As of June 30, 2024, the aggregate market value of the common stock of the registrant held by non-affiliates was: $370.7 million.
As of February 26, 2025, the registrant had 205,001,632 shares of common stock, $0.00001 par value per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement relating to the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated herein by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the year ended December 31, 2024.
Table of Contents
Page
PART I
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 29
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 80
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 80
Item 2. Properties 81
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 81
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 82
PART II
Item 6. Reserved 83
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 97
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data F-1
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 101
Item 9B. Other Information 101
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdiction that Prevent Inspections 101
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 102
Item 11. Executive Compensation 102
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 102
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 103
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SPECIAL CAUTIONARY NOTICE 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, levels of activity, 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:
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the timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates, including statements regarding the timing of initiation and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available and our research and development programs;
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the timing of our planned Investigational New Drug and Clinical Trial Agreement submissions, initiation of clinical trials and timing of expected clinical results for TSHA-102 for Rett syndrome and any other current and future product candidates that we advance;
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the timing of any submission of filings for regulatory approval of, and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for, our current and future product candidates;
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our ability to identify patients with the diseases treated by our product candidates, and to enroll patients in trials;
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our expectations regarding the size of the patient populations, market acceptance and opportunity for and clinical utility of our product candidates, if approved for commercial use;
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our manufacturing process and strategy, including the scalability and commercial viability of our manufacturing methods and processes;
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our expectations regarding the scope of any approved indication for TSHA-102 or any other current or future product candidate that we advance;
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our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates;
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our ability to leverage our platform, including our next-generation technologies, to identify and develop future product candidates;
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our estimates of our expenses, ongoing losses, future revenue, capital requirements and our need for or ability to obtain additional funding before we can expect to generate any revenue from product sales;
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our ability to establish or maintain collaborations or strategic relationships;
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the costs of litigation and our expectations regarding the outcome of lawsuits and other claims against us and any regulatory or legal proceedings;
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our ability to identify, recruit and retain key personnel;
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our reliance upon intellectual property licensed from third parties and our ability to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms or at all;
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our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property position for our product candidates, and the scope of such protection;
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our ability to comply with the terms of our term loan agreement;
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our financial performance;
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our competitive position and the development of and projections relating to our competitors or our industry;
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our estimates regarding future revenue, expenses and needs for additional financing; and
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our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
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.
You should read this report and the documents that we reference in this report, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
All brand names or trademarks appearing in this Annual Report are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this Annual Report are referred to without the symbols ® and TM, but such references should not be construed as any indication that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto.
Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this report to “Taysha,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries.
PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing AAV-based gene therapies for the treatment of severe monogenic diseases of the central nervous system, or CNS. Our lead clinical program TSHA-102 is in development for the treatment of Rett syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder with no approved disease-modifying therapies that address the genetic root cause of the disease. With a singular focus on developing transformative medicines, we aim to address severe unmet medical needs and dramatically improve the lives of patients and their caregivers. Our management team has proven experience in gene therapy development and commercialization. We leverage this experience, our manufacturing process and a clinically and commercially proven AAV9 capsid in an effort to rapidly translate treatments from bench to bedside.
We are evaluating TSHA-102 in the REVEAL Phase 1/2 adolescent and adult trial, which is a first-in-human, open-label, randomized, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of TSHA-102 as a single lumbar intrathecal administration in adolescent and adult females aged 12 years and older with Rett syndrome due to MECP2 loss-of-function mutation. The trial is taking place in Canada and the United States. We are also evaluating TSHA-102 in the REVEAL Phase 1/2 pediatric trial, which is an open-label, randomized, dose-escalation and dose-expansion study evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of TSHA-102 as a single lumbar intrathecal administration in pediatric females with Rett syndrome due to MECP2 loss-of-function mutation. The trial is taking place in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
We have completed dosing of the 10 patients in Part A of both REVEAL trials, which includes six patients in cohort two (high dose, 1x1015 total vg) and four patients in cohort one (low dose, 5.7x1014 total vg). As of the February 17, 2025 data cutoff, TSHA-102 was generally well tolerated, with no treatment-related serious adverse events, or SAEs, or dose-limiting toxicities, or DLTs, in the 10 patients dosed in Part A of the REVEAL trials. We believe this maturing dataset continues to support advancement toward the Part B registrational trial. We expect to report safety and efficacy data from cohort two of each of the REVEAL trials (high dose; n=3 for each trial) and an update on safety and efficacy data from cohort one of each of the REVEAL trials (low dose; n=2 for each trial), as well as an update on the anticipated pivotal trial design for TSHA-102, in the first half of 2025.
We have received orphan drug designation and rare pediatric disease designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and orphan drug designation from the European Commission for TSHA-102 for the treatment of Rett syndrome. We also received Fast Track Designation from the FDA for TSHA-102 for the treatment of Rett syndrome. We also received CTA clearance from the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, or U.K. MHRA, in early 2024 for pediatric patients with Rett syndrome. In February 2024, we received Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, or ILAP, designation for TSHA-102 from the U.K. MHRA. The ILAP aims to facilitate patient access to novel treatments by accelerating time to market through opportunities for enhanced engagements with U.K. regulatory authorities and other stakeholders. In April 2024, the FDA granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy, or RMAT, designation for TSHA-102 in Rett syndrome following the FDA’s review of available safety and efficacy data from the first three patients with Rett syndrome dosed with the low dose of TSHA-102 (5.7x1014 total vg) across the REVEAL Phase 1/2 adolescent and adult trial and the REVEAL Phase 1/2 pediatric trial.
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Our Pipeline
We are focused on discovering, developing and commercializing gene therapies for the treatment of monogenic diseases of the CNS, in both rare and large patient populations. Our primary focus is advancing our lead TSHA-102 clinical program in Rett syndrome, while our pipeline of CNS programs offers the potential for additional development opportunities in the future. The stage of development of our Rett syndrome program, including the progress in our ongoing clinical trials, is represented in the table below:
TSHA-102 for Rett Syndrome
TSHA-102 is a self-complementary intrathecally delivered AAV9 gene transfer therapy in clinical evaluation for Rett syndrome, a rare progressive neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene encoding methyl CpG-binding protein 2, or MeCP2, which is essential for regulating neuronal and synaptic function in the brain. The disorder is characterized by loss of communication and hand function, slowing and/or regression of development, motor and respiratory impairment, seizures, intellectual disabilities and shortened life expectancy. Rett syndrome progression is divided into four key stages, beginning with early onset stagnation at 6 to 18 months of age followed by rapid regression, plateau and late motor deterioration. Rett syndrome primarily occurs in females and is one of the most common genetic causes of severe intellectual disability.
Designed as a one-time treatment, TSHA-102 aims to address the genetic root cause of the disease by delivering a functional form of MECP2 to cells in the CNS. The vector is delivered directly to the cerebrospinal fluid via intrathecal administration, which facilitates optimal biodistribution and cell transduction within key regions of the CNS. Because of the risks associated with both under- and over-expression of MeCP2, we have combined high-throughput microRNA, or miRNA, profiling and genome mining to create miRNA-Responsive Auto-Regulatory Element, or miRARE, our novel miRNA target panel. The miRARE element includes binding sites for endogenous miRNA, which are responsive to MeCP2 levels to prevent overexpression. By utilizing the miRARE technology, TSHA-102 is designed to mediate levels of MeCP2 in the CNS on a cell-by-cell basis to address risks associated with under- and over-expression. By increasing MECP2 levels in MECP2 deficient cells and maintaining healthy levels of MECP2 output of healthy cells, TSHA-102 has demonstrated the ability to produce and maintain safe transgene expression levels in the CNS.
Currently, there are no approved disease-modifying therapies that treat the genetic root cause of Rett syndrome, and there is a significant unmet medical need. According to the Rett Syndrome Research Trust, Rett syndrome affects more than 350,000 patients worldwide. The estimated addressable patient population with typical Rett syndrome caused by a pathogenic/likely pathogenic MECP2 mutation is between 15,000 and 20,000 patients in the United States, European Union and United Kingdom.
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Phase 1/2 REVEAL Clinical Trials
We currently have two Phase 1/2 clinical trials ongoing for TSHA-102: an adolescent/adult study in the United States and Canada and a pediatric study in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, each as described below:
IT – Intrathecal; MTD – Maximum Tolerated Dose; MAD – Maximum Administered Dose.
The maximum tolerated dose or maximum administered dose established in Part A will be administered during dose expansion in Part B, which is the pivotal phase of the trials. Data from Part A is being assessed by regulatory agencies and the IDMC to determine key elements of Part B of the study, including efficacy endpoints, study duration and the MTD or MAD.
Efficacy endpoints for each trial include patient assessments performed by clinicians, including the use of the Clinical Global Impressions Scale – Improvement, or CGI-I, the Clinical Global Impressions Scale – Severity, or CGI-S, Rett Syndrome Hand Function Scale, or RSHFS, and Revised Motor Behavior Assessment, or R-MBA. Additional efficacy endpoints also include patient assessments by caregivers using Parental Global Impressions Improvement, or PGI-I, Seizure Diaries and other clinical assessment scales. Based on FDA feedback from our ongoing discussions, we intend to focus on objective measures that clinically capture functional gains in Part B of the trials; accordingly, the Rett Syndrome Behavior Questionnaire, or RSBQ, will not be included as a primary or secondary endpoint in Part B of the REVEAL trials, and we continue to advance discussions on the development plan for Part B as part of our conversations with the FDA.
Overview of Part A of the REVEAL Trials
We have completed dosing of the 10 patients in Part A of both REVEAL trials, which includes six patients in cohort two (high dose, 1x1015 total vg) and four patients in cohort one (low dose, 5.7x1014 total vg). As of the February 17, 2025 data cutoff, TSHA-102 was generally well tolerated, with no treatment-related SAEs or DLTs in the 10 patients dosed in Part A of the REVEAL trials. We believe this maturing dataset continues to support advancement toward the pivotal Part B trial.
June 2024 Clinical Update: Low-Dose Cohorts
In June 2024, we announced positive longer-term clinical data from the ongoing REVEAL Phase 1/2 adolescent and adult trial and preliminary clinical data from the ongoing REVEAL Phase 1/2 pediatric trial. In the adolescent and adult trial, we reported that both patients showed sustained and new clinical improvements and functional gains across multiple domains relative to baseline. In the pediatric trial, we reported data from both patients that showed initial clinical improvements and functional gains across multiple domains relative to baseline.
Adolescent and Adult Trial (n=2, low dose cohort)
TSHA-102 was generally well-tolerated in this cohort, with no treatment-related SAEs or DLTs as of the February 17, 2025 data cut.
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The baseline characteristics of the two patients in the low-dose cohort of the adolescent and adult trial are shown below:
In the two adult patients with different clinical severity and genetic mutations, we observed improvements and functional gains as early as four weeks post-treatment across multiple domains, including motor skills, communication/socialization, autonomic function and seizures, that persisted and strengthened over time through week 52 (patient one) and week 25 (patient two) following completion of the steroid taper, as shown below:
Clinical observations made by the Principal Investigator are based on post-treatment assessments, pre-treatment observations, baseline assessments, pre-screening visits and patient’s medical history. Video evidence was also obtained. Subject to change as the trial progresses.
*Seizure data for adult patient two is based on Seizure Diary and caregiver reports as of week 36 post-TSHA-102.
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Further, we observed improvements across multiple efficacy measures as early as four weeks post-treatment, with sustained and new improvements across multiple efficacy measures at week 52 (patient one) and week 25 (patient two) following completion of the steroid taper, as shown below:
Pediatric Trial (n=2, low dose cohort)
TSHA-102 was generally well-tolerated in this cohort, with no treatment-related SAEs or DLTs as of the February 17, 2025 data cutoff.
The baseline characteristics of the two patients in the low-dose cohort of the pediatric trial are shown below:
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In the two pediatric patients with different clinical severity and genetic mutations, we observed improvements and functional gains as early as four weeks post-treatment across multiple domains, including motor skills, communication/socialization, autonomic function and seizures, through week 12 (patient one) and week 8 (patient two) as shown below:
Clinical observations made by the Principal Investigator are based on post-treatment assessments, pre-treatment observations, baseline assessments, pre-screening visits and patient’s medical history. Video evidence was also obtained. Subject to change as the trial progresses.
Further, we observed improvements across multiple efficacy measures as early as four weeks post-treatment, with sustained and new improvements across multiple efficacy measures week 12 (patient one) and week 8 (patient two) as shown below:
Clinical Development Plan for TSHA-102
We have completed dosing of the 10 patients in Part A of the REVEAL trials. We believe this maturing dataset continues to support advancement toward the pivotal Part B trial. We are in ongoing discussions with the FDA, including as part of our RMAT designation, with respect to the regulatory pathway for TSHA-102. We expect to report safety and efficacy data from cohort two of each of the REVEAL trials (high dose; n=6) and an update on safety and efficacy data from cohort one of each of the REVEAL trials (low dose; n=4), as well as an update on the anticipated pivotal trial design for TSHA-102, in the first half of 2025.
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We completed a CMC-focused Type D with the FDA in the fourth quarter of 2024. The FDA endorsed our intended Good Manufacturing Practice, or GMP, commercial manufacturing process, proposed analytical methods, and corresponding qualification and validation plans, including key mechanism of action potency release assays. We also established analytical comparability between the clinical product and the product derived from the final commercial manufacturing process, and received FDA permission to use the GMP product in future clinical studies of TSHA-102.
Deprioritized Programs
We have previously deprioritized the evaluation of our clinical product candidates TSHA-105 for SLC13A5, TSHA-118 for CLN1 and TSHA-121 for CLN7. Although we are not currently evaluating the potential of TSHA-105, TSHA-118 and TSHA-121, we may again evaluate any of these in the future as a product candidate as a component of our pipeline expansion plans, or pursue partnerships to advance these programs.
TSHA-118 for CLN1 Disease
CLN1 disease (one of the forms of Batten disease), a lysosomal storage disorder, is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease with early childhood onset that has an estimated incidence of approximately 1 in 138,000 live births worldwide. The estimated prevalence of CLN1 disease is 1,000 patients in the United States and European Union. CLN1 disease is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the CLN1 gene that encodes the enzyme palmitoyl-protein thioesterase-1, a small glycoprotein involved in the degradation of certain lipid-modified proteins. Loss of function mutations in the CLN1 gene causes accumulation of these lipid-modified proteins in cells, eventually leading to aggregation, neuronal cellular dysfunction and ultimately neuronal cell death.
In the infantile-onset form of CLN1 disease, clinical symptoms appear between six to 24 months and include rapid deterioration of speech and motor function, refractory epilepsy, ataxia and visual failure. Infantile-onset CLN1 patients are typically poorly responsive by five years of age and remain noncommunicative until their death, which usually occurs by seven years of age. Late-infantile-onset CLN1 disease begins between two to four years of age with initial visual and cognitive decline followed by the development of ataxia and myoclonus, or quick, involuntary muscle jerks. Juvenile-onset CLN1 disease patients present between the ages of five to ten years old, with vision loss as a first symptom followed by cognitive decline, seizures and motor decline. Approximately 60% of the children diagnosed with CLN1 disease in the United States present with early-onset infantile forms, with the remaining 40% experiencing later-onset childhood forms.
All currently available therapeutic approaches for patients with CLN1 disease are targeted towards the treatment of symptoms, and no disease-modifying therapies have been approved. Gene therapy has shown promise in correcting forms of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses diseases that involve mutations in soluble enzymes, in part, due to cross-correction of neighboring non-transduced cells.
We believe that the introduction of a functional CLN1 gene using an AAV9 vector delivered intrathecally to the CNS offers the potential of a disease-modifying therapeutic approach for this disease. TSHA-118 is a self-complementary AAV9 viral vector that expresses human codon-optimized CLN1 complementary deoxyribonucleic acid under control of the chicken ß-actin hybrid promoter. We acquired exclusive worldwide rights to certain intellectual property rights and know-how relating to the research, development and manufacture of TSHA-118 (formerly ABO-202) in August 2020 pursuant to a license agreement with Abeona Therapeutics Inc., or Abeona.
TSHA-118 has been granted orphan drug designation, rare pediatric disease designation and fast track designation from the FDA and orphan drug designation from the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of CLN1 disease.
There is currently an open IND for the CLN1 program. We submitted a CTA filing for TSHA-118 which was approved by Health Canada in 2021. Clinical trial material has been manufactured and released and is now ready for use in a clinical trial setting. We provided investigational clinical trial material for TSHA-118 in CLN1 to support an individual-patient investigator-initiated IND request from RUSH University Medical Center for the treatment of a patient with CLN1 disease.
TSHA-105 for SLC13A5 Deficiency
TSHA-105 is a gene replacement therapy in development for the treatment of SLC13A5 deficiency, a rare autosomal recessive epileptic encephalopathy characterized by the onset of seizures within the first few days of life. SLC13A5 deficiency is caused by bi-allelic loss-of function mutations in the SLC13A5 gene, which codes for a sodium dependent citrate transporter, or NaCT, that is largely expressed in the brain and liver. To date, all tested mutations result in no or a greatly reduced amount of the citrate in the cells. Diminished NaCT function leads to loss of neuronal uptake of citrate and other metabolites such as succinate that are critical to brain energy metabolism and function. Affected children have impairments in gross motor function and speech production with relative preservation of fine motor skills and receptive speech. Currently, there are no approved therapies for
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SLC13A5 deficiency, and treatment is largely to address symptoms. The estimated prevalence of SLC13A5 deficiency is 1,900 patients in the United States and European Union.
TSHA-105 is constructed from a codon-optimized human SLC13A5 gene packaged in a self-complementary AAV9 capsid.
We have received orphan drug designation and rare pediatric disease designation from the FDA and orphan drug designation from the European Commission for TSHA-105 for the treatment of epilepsy caused by SLC13A5 deficiency. Clinical trial material has been manufactured and released and is now ready for use in a clinical trial setting.
Other Programs
We have a pipeline of early-stage gene therapy programs targeting CNS diseases that we may progress in the future or advance through potential partnerships.
TSHA-113 for Tauopathies
We are developing TSHA-113 for the treatment of tauopathies. Tauopathies comprise a large subset of neurodegenerative diseases involving the aggregation of microtubule associated protein tau, or MAPT, protein into neurofibrillary or gliofibrillary tangles in the human brain. These include MAPT-associated frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, corticobasal degeneration, or CD, and Alzheimer’s disease. There are an estimated 11,000 patients in United States and Europe affected by MAPT mediated FTD and 2,000 to 2,500 are affected with MAPT-mediated PSP. and CD, and Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 6.2 million Americans and 7.8 million Europeans.
Intrathecal delivery of an antisense oligonucleotide, or ASO, targeting Tau mRNA by Biogen/Ionis in a Phase 1 study demonstrated durable, robust, time and dose dependent lowering of tau protein and phospho-tau in cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Buoyed by these results, in August 2022, Biogen started a Phase 2 trial in people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. This ASO target validation paved the way for other approaches targeting intercellular tau mRNA (reduce tau protein production), for treating Tauopathies.
Unlike an ASO treatment, which would require repeat lifelong administration, we are developing a one-time treatment for Tauopathies. TSHA-113 is an AAV9 capsid that packages a tau-specific miRNA and is delivered in the cerebrospinal fluid for the treatment of tauopathies. This miRNA targets all six isoforms of tau mRNA.
We tested the efficacy of TSHA-113 in PS19 mice, a validated mouse model for tauopathies. These mice express human MAPT, and they exhibit significant tau pathology, neurodegeneration, loss of body weight and progressive hind-limb paralysis around nine to 12 months of age. We tested the efficacy of our treatment by delivering TSHA-113 to PS19 mice at three months, six months and nine months of age via intracisterna magna injection. We found that the tau mRNA and protein levels were significantly reduced by TSHA-113 treatment. Consistently, the tau seeding assay showed reduced levels of pathological tau in brains from PS19 mice treated with TSHA-113. In addition, TSHA-113 treatment was able to rescue the survival rate, loss in body weight, and the hind limb clasping phenotype in the PS19 mice when treated at three months, six months and nine months of age. Taken together, these results demonstrate that a one-time, vectorized delivery of a tau-specific miRNA is a promising approach for treatment for tauopathies. Ongoing and future work is focused on optimal dose determination for IND-enabling studies.
TSHA-106 for Angelman syndrome
We are developing TSHA-106 for the treatment of Angelman syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a maternal deficiency of the UBE3A gene. Angelman syndrome is characterized by profound developmental delay, ataxia and gait disturbance, sleep disorder, seizures, heightened anxiety, aggression and severe speech impairments. Angelman syndrome affects approximately one per 12,000 to 20,000 patients worldwide.
Angelman syndrome is an imprinting disorder in which the maternal gene is deficient and the paternal copy of UBE3A is intact but silenced by a long non-coding RNA, UBE3A antisense transcript, or UBE3A-ATS. Delivery of an ASO targeting UBE3A-ATS showed promising results in ameliorating Angelman syndrome symptoms in a transgenic mouse model.
We have in-licensed a novel gene replacement therapy from University of North Carolina. This novel construct is designed to express two isoforms of UBE3A mRNA from the same codon optimized transgene cassette and could potentially be a one-time treatment for the disease. The unique design feature allows short and long hUBE3A isoforms expression at a near-endogenous 3:1 (short/long) ratio, a feature that could help to support optimal therapeutic outcomes. Additionally, this construct uses human Synapsin 1 promoter, to limit UBE3A expression primarily in neurons, the primary therapeutic target for treating Angelman syndrome.
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In a published study, this dual isoform expressing cassette was packaged into PHP.B capsids and administered by intracerebroventricular injections in neonatal mice models. This treatment significantly improved motor learning and innate behaviors in Angelman syndrome mice (PMID: 34676830). It rendered Angelman syndrome mice resilient to epileptogenesis and associated hippocampal neuropathologies induced by seizure kindling. These results demonstrated the feasibility, tolerability, and therapeutic potential for dual-isoform hUBE3A gene transfer in the treatment of AS in mice.
To advance these findings into translatable interventions, our collaborators packaged the dual isoform expressing cassette into AAV9 capsids and undertook animal proof of concept studies. Overall, these results are highly consistent with the published data describing neonatal ICV delivery of a similar dose of the PHP.B/hUBE3Aopt vector (PMID: 34676830) and support continued development. Ongoing and future work is focused on optimal dose and route of administration determination for IND enabling studies.
There are an estimated 55,000 patients with Angelman syndrome in the United States and Europe.
TSHA-114 for Fragile X Syndrome
We are developing TSHA-114 for the treatment of Fragile X syndrome, the most common single gene cause of autism and cognitive impairment, affecting about one in 6,000 individuals worldwide. Fragile X syndrome is diagnosed around three years of age and characterized by anxiety, aggression, hyperactivity, attention deficits and sleep and communication disruption.
Fragile X syndrome is caused by a pathological expansion of a CGG triplet repeat in the 5’ untranslated region of the FMR1 gene. Expansion of the triplet above the normal 5–55 repeats to 200 or more causes hypermethylation of the gene promoter, and shutdown of transcription and translation of the encoded protein, fragile X mental retardation protein, or FMRP. The expanded repeat also induces formation of RNA: DNA heteroduplexes that induces epigenetic gene silencing. Although most patients with Fragile X syndrome do not express FMRP, some individuals with the full mutation produce low amounts of the protein (less than 10% of normal levels). FMRP expression in unaffected persons varies greatly from person to person. Current pharmacotherapeutic treatments for Fragile X syndrome are solely directed towards symptom relief.
We conducted proof of concept studies in animal models of Fragile X (Fmr1 KO) with TSHA-114. No significant adverse effects were observed in behavioral, serological or pathohistological markers up to 12 months after intrathecal administration of TSHA-114 in wild-type mice. TSHA-114 treated FMRKO showed widespread FMRP expression was observed throughout brain post administration. TSHA-114 treated FMRKO mice showed robust suppression of audiogenic seizures and normalization of fear conditioning behavior. In addition, assessment of circadian locomotor activity revealed restoration of hyperactivity and sleep. Assessment of transgene expression and behavioral responses in individual mice demonstrated correlations between the level of FMRP expression and potential drug efficacy.
The results from the study support continued development. Ongoing and future work is focused on optimal dose and route of administration determination for IND enabling studies.
There are an estimated 75,000 patients with Fragile X syndrome in the United States and Europe.
License Agreements
Research, Collaboration and License Agreement with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
In November 2019, we entered into a research, collaboration and license agreement, or the UT Southwestern Agreement, with The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System on behalf of UT Southwestern, as amended in April 2020.
In connection with the UT Southwestern Agreement, we obtained an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain patent rights of UT Southwestern and a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain know-how of UT Southwestern, in each case to make, have made, use, sell, offer for sale and import licensed products for use in certain specified indications. Additionally, we obtained a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under certain patents and know-how of UT Southwestern for use in all human uses, with a right of first refusal to obtain an exclusive license under certain of such patent rights and an option to negotiate an exclusive license under other of such patent rights. We are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and commercialize at least one licensed product.
In connection with the UT Southwestern Agreement, we issued to UT Southwestern 2,179,000 shares of our common stock. We do not have any future milestone or royalty obligations to UT Southwestern under the UT Southwestern Agreement, other than costs related to the maintenance of patents.
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The UT Southwestern Agreement expires on a country-by-country and licensed product-by-licensed product basis upon the expiration of the last valid claim of a licensed patent in such country for such licensed product. After the initial research term, we may terminate the agreement, on an indication-by-indication and licensed product-by-licensed product basis, at any time upon specified written notice to UT Southwestern. Either party may terminate the agreement upon an uncured material breach of the agreement or insolvency of the other party. In December 2023, we transferred rights to specific indications back to UT Southwestern.
License Agreement with Abeona (CLN1 Disease)
In August 2020, we entered into a license agreement, or the Abeona CLN1 Agreement, with Abeona Therapeutics Inc., or Abeona. In connection with the Abeona CLN1 Agreement, we obtained an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license, with the right to grant sublicenses under certain patents, know-how and materials originally developed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Abeona to research, develop, manufacture, have manufactured, use, and commercialize licensed products for gene therapy for the prevention, treatment, or diagnosis of CLN1 Disease (one of the forms of Batten disease) in humans.
Subject to certain obligations of Abeona, we are obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop at least one product and commercialize at least one product in the United States.
In connection with the license grant, we paid Abeona a one-time upfront license fee of $3.0 million during fiscal year 2020. We are obligated to pay Abeona up to $26.0 million in regulatory-related milestones and up to $30.0 million in sales-related milestones per licensed product and high single-digit royalties on net sales of licensed products. Royalties are payable on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis until the latest of the expiration or revocation or complete rejection of the last licensed patent covering such licensed product in the country where the licensed product is sold, the loss of market exclusivity in such country where the product is sold, or, if no licensed product exists in such country and no market exclusivity exists in such country, ten years from first commercial sale of such licensed product in such country. In addition, concurrent with the Abeona CLN1 Agreement, we entered into a purchase and reimbursement agreement with Abeona, pursuant to which we purchased specified inventory from Abeona and reimbursed Abeona for certain research and development costs previously incurred for total consideration of $4.0 million paid in fiscal year 2020.
In December 2021 our CTA filing for TSHA-118 for the treatment of CLN1 disease was approved by Health Canada and therefore triggered a regulatory milestone payment in connection with the Abeona CLN1 Agreement. We recorded $3.0 million within research and development expenses in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021. The milestone fee was paid in January 2022 and has been classified as an investing outflow in the consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022. No additional milestone payments were made or triggered during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024.
The Abeona CLN1 Agreement expires on a country-by-country and licensed product-by-licensed product basis upon the expiration of the last royalty term of a licensed product in such country. Either party may terminate the agreement upon an uncured material breach of the agreement or insolvency of the other party. We may terminate the agreement for convenience upon specified prior written notice to Abeona.
License Agreement with Abeona (Rett Syndrome)
In October 2020, we entered into a license agreement, or the Abeona Rett Agreement, with Abeona pursuant to which we obtained an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license, with the right to grant sublicenses under certain patents, know-how and materials originally developed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Edinburgh and Abeona to research, develop, manufacture, have manufactured, use, and commercialize licensed products for gene therapy and the use of related transgenes for Rett syndrome.
Subject to certain obligations of Abeona, we are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop at least one licensed product and commercialize at least one licensed product in the United States.
In connection with the Abeona Rett Agreement, we paid Abeona a one-time upfront license fee of $3.0 million during fiscal year 2020. We are obligated to pay Abeona up to $26.5 million in regulatory-related milestones and up to $30.0 million in sales-related milestones per licensed product and high single-digit royalties on net sales of licensed products. Royalties are payable on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis until the latest of the expiration or revocation or complete rejection of the last licensed patent covering such licensed product in the country where the licensed product is sold, the loss of market exclusivity in such country where the product is sold, or, if no licensed product exists in such country and no market exclusivity exists in such country, ten years from first commercial sale of such licensed product in such country.
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In March 2022, our CTA filing for TSHA-102 for the treatment of Rett Syndrome was approved by Health Canada and therefore triggered a regulatory milestone payment in connection with the Rett Agreement. We recorded $1.0 million within research and development expenses in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022. This milestone fee was paid in July 2022. In May 2023, we dosed the first patient with TSHA-102 in the Phase 1/2 REVEAL trial evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of TSHA-102 in adult patients with Rett syndrome and therefore triggered a milestone payment in connection with this agreement. We recorded $3.5 million within research and development expenses in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023. This milestone fee was paid in August 2023 and has been classified as an investing cash outflow in the consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023. No additional milestone payments were made or triggered in connection with this agreement during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2024.
The Abeona Rett Agreement expires on a country-by-country and licensed product-by-licensed product basis upon the expiration of the last royalty term of a licensed product in such country. Either party may terminate the agreement upon an uncured material breach of the agreement or insolvency of the other party. We may terminate the agreement for convenience upon specified prior written notice to Abeona.
Option Agreement with Astellas
On October 21, 2022, or the Effective Date, we entered into an Option Agreement, or the Option Agreement with Audentes Therapeutics, Inc. (d/b/a Astellas Gene Therapy), or Astellas.
TSHA-120 Giant Axonal Neuropathy
Under the Option Agreement, we granted to Astellas an exclusive option to obtain an exclusive, worldwide, royalty and milestone-bearing right and license (A) to research, develop, make, have made, use, sell, offer for sale, have sold, import, export and otherwise exploit, or, collectively, Exploit or the Exploitation, the product known, as of the Effective Date, as TSHA-120, or the 120 GAN Product, and any backup products with respect thereto for use in the treatment of GAN or any other gene therapy product for use in the treatment of GAN that is controlled by us or any of our affiliates or with respect to which we or any of our affiliates controls intellectual property rights covering the Exploitation thereof, or a GAN Product, and (B) under any intellectual property rights controlled by us or any of our affiliates with respect to such Exploitation, or the GAN Option. In January 2024, the Company initiated the return of the FDA Investigational New Drug application and transfer of the investigational clinical trial material for TSHA-120 in GAN to NINDS, enabling an opportunity for continued clinical evaluation of TSHA-120 in GAN after the Company discontinued development of TSHA-120 in GAN in September 2023. In January 2024, we gave notice of termination of the GAN License Agreement, and such termination became effective in July 2024 when all licensed rights under the GAN License Agreement reverted to HHF.
TSHA-102 Rett Syndrome
Under the Option Agreement, we also granted to Astellas an exclusive option to obtain an exclusive, worldwide, royalty and milestone- bearing right and license (A) to Exploit any Rett Product (as defined below), and (B) under any intellectual property rights controlled by us or any of our affiliates with respect to such Exploitation, or the Rett Option, and together with the GAN Option, each, an Option. Subject to certain extensions, the Rett Option is exercisable from the Effective Date through a specified period of time following Astellas’ receipt of (1) certain clinical data from the female pediatric trial and (2) certain specified data with respect to TSHA-102, or the Rett Option Period related to (i) the product known, as of the Effective Date, as TSHA-102 and any backup products with respect thereto for use in the treatment of Rett syndrome, and (ii) any other gene therapy product for use in the treatment of Rett syndrome that is controlled by us or any of our affiliates or with respect to which we or any of our affiliates controls intellectual property rights covering the Exploitation thereof, or a Rett Product.
The parties have agreed that, if Astellas exercises an Option, the parties will, for a specified period, negotiate a license agreement in good faith on the terms and conditions outlined in the Option Agreement, including payments by Astellas of a to-be-determined upfront payment, certain to-be-determined milestone payments, and certain to-be-determined royalties on net sales of GAN Products and/or Rett Products, as applicable.
Intellectual Property
We actively seek to protect our proprietary technology, inventions, and other intellectual property that is commercially important to the development of our business by a variety of means, for example seeking, maintaining, and defending patent rights, whether developed internally or licensed from third parties. We also may rely on trade secrets and know-how relating to our proprietary technology platform, on continuing technological innovation and on in-licensing opportunities to develop, strengthen and maintain the strength of our position in the field of gene therapy that may be important for the development of our business. We also intend to seek patent protection or rely upon trade secret rights to protect other technologies that may be used to discover and validate
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targets, and that may be used to manufacture and develop novel gene therapy products. We are a party to license agreements that give us rights to use specific technologies in our gene therapy products and in manufacturing our products. Additional regulatory protection may also be afforded through data exclusivity, market exclusivity and patent term extensions where available.
As of February 24, 2024, we in-license five U.S. patents, 14 foreign patents, 54 pending foreign patent applications and 13 pending United States utility patent applications. Our policy is to file patent applications to protect technology, inventions and improvements to inventions that may be commercially important to the development of our business. Patent applications and patents directed to specific product candidates are summarized below:
TSHA-102
We in-license from The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System five pending patent applications worldwide directed to a minigene encoding MECP2 packaged into an AAV vector, and methods of using that vector to treat Rett syndrome. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2040, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees. We also in-license from The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System one issued U.S. patent with claims to an AAV vector comprising a MecP2 transgene and a regulatory region, as well as methods of using the same to treat Rett Syndrome. The issued U.S. Patent will expire on October 27, 2041, assuming all maintenance fees are timely paid.
We also in-license from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow 10 pending patent applications worldwide directed to MECP2 expression cassettes for gene therapy. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2038, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees. We also in-license from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow two Japanese patents, one Australian patent, one Korean patent and one U.S. patent, each with claims to a MECP2 expression cassette and vector comprising the same, as well as their use for treating Rett Syndrome. The Japanese, Australian and Korean patents will expire in 2038 assuming all maintenance fees are timely paid. The U.S. patent expires on October 11, 2040, assuming all maintenance fess are timely paid.
We also in-license from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 10 pending patent applications worldwide directed to feedback-enabled synthetic genes that inhibit MECP2 expression and use of these synthetic genes for treating Rett Syndrome. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2039, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees. We also in-license from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill one Chinese patent with claims to feedback-enabled synthetic genes that inhibit MECP2 expression and use of these synthetic genes for treating Rett Syndrome. This patent will expire in 2039, assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees.
TSHA-118
We in-license certain patent rights directed to a palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1-encoding transgene packaged into an AAV vector, and methods of using that vector to treat CLN1 disease (one of the forms of Batten disease). Specifically, pursuant to our license agreement with Abeona Therapeutics, Inc. we have in-licensed seven pending patent applications worldwide assigned to Abeona Therapeutics, Inc and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2040, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees.
In addition, pursuant to the Abeona CLN1 agreement, we have sublicensed five pending patent applications worldwide assigned to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Any patents based on these patent applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2037, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees. We have also licensed one Korean patent, one Israeli patent, one Indian patent and one Australian patent with claims to a CLN1 expression cassettes and vector comprising the same, which will expire in 2038 assuming all maintenance fees are timely paid. We have also licensed one U.S. patent with claims to a CLN1 expression cassettes and vector comprising the same, which will expire on January 12, 2039 assuming all maintenance fees are timely paid.
TSHA-105
We in-license from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill four pending patent applications worldwide directed to SLC13A5-encoding transgene packaged in an AAV vector and methods of using that vector to treat SLC13A5 deficiency. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2041, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees.
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We also in-license from The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System six pending patent applications worldwide directed to SLC13A5-encoding transgene packaged in an AAV vector and methods of using that vector to treat SLC13A5 deficiency. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2042, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees.
TSHA-106
We in-license from The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System two pending patent applications worldwide directed to RNA interference (RNAi) constructs targeting UBE3A and methods of using these constructs for the treatment of Angelman Syndrome. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2042, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees.
We also in-license from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 8 pending patent applications worldwide directed to UBE3A-encoding transgene packaged in an AAV vector and methods of using that vector to Angelman Syndrome. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2040, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees. We have also licensed one Chinese patent and one Japanese patent with claims to UBE3A-encoding transgene packaged in an AAV vector and methods of using that vector to Angelman Syndrome, which will expire in 2040 assuming all maintenance fees are timely paid.
TSHA-113
We in-license from The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System five pending patent applications worldwide directed to RNA interference (RNAi) constructs targeting MAPT and methods of using these constructs for the treatment of Tauopathies. Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2042, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees.
Fragile X Syndrome
We in-license from The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System three pending patent application worldwide directed to FMR1-encoding transgene packaged in an AAV vector and methods of using that vector to treat disorders associated with aberrant FMR1 expression (such as Fragile X Syndrome). Any patents based on these applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2043, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees.
Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease and LaFora Disease
We in-license from The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System one pending U.S. patent application directed to RNA interference (RNAi) constructs targeting GYS1 and methods of using these constructs for the treatment of LaFora Disease and Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease. Any patents based on this application, if issued, is expected to expire in 2042, without taking into account any possible patent term adjustment, regulatory extensions, or terminal disclaimers, and assuming payment of all annuity and/or maintenance fees.
Government Regulation
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and other regulatory authorities at federal, state and local levels, as well as in foreign countries, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, import, export, safety, effectiveness, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, record keeping, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring and post-approval reporting of biologics such as those we are developing.
Biological products are subject to regulation under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and the Public Health Service Act, or PHSA, and other federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations. We, along with third-party contractors, will be required to navigate the various preclinical, clinical and commercial approval requirements of the governing regulatory agencies of the countries in which we wish to conduct studies or seek approval or licensure of our product candidates.
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U.S. Biologics Regulation
The process required by the FDA before biological product candidates may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
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completion of extensive preclinical laboratory tests and animal studies performed in accordance with applicable regulations, including the good laboratory practice, or GLP, regulations;
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submission to the FDA of an IND application, which must become effective before clinical trials may begin;
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approval by an independent institutional review board, or IRB, or ethics committee at each clinical site before the trial is commenced;
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performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety, purity and potency of the proposed biological product candidate for its intended purpose;
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preparation of and submission to the FDA of a biologics license application, or BLA after completion of all pivotal clinical trials;
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a determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of a BLA to file the application for review;
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satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the proposed product is produced to assess compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements, or cGMPs, and to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the biological product’s continued safety, purity and potency, and of selected clinical investigation sites to assess compliance with the FDA’s good clinical practices, or GCPs;
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satisfactory completion of an FDA Advisory Committee review, if applicable; and
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FDA review and approval, or licensure, of a BLA to permit commercial marketing of the product for particular indications for use in the United States.
Preclinical and Clinical Development
Prior to beginning the first clinical trial with a product candidate, we must submit an IND to the FDA. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational new drug product to humans. The central focus of an IND submission is on the general investigational plan and the protocol or protocols for preclinical studies and clinical trials. The IND also includes results of animal and in vitro studies assessing the toxicology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and pharmacodynamic characteristics of the product, chemistry, manufacturing and controls information, and any available human data or literature to support the use of the investigational product. An IND must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day period, raises safety concerns or questions about the proposed clinical trial. In such a case, the IND may be placed on clinical hold and the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns or questions before the clinical trial can begin. Submission of an IND therefore may or may not result in FDA authorization to begin a clinical trial.
In addition to the submission of an IND to the FDA before initiation of a clinical trial in the United States, certain human clinical trials involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules are subject to oversight at the local level as set forth in the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, Guidelines. Specifically, under the NIH Guidelines, supervision of human gene transfer trials includes evaluation and assessment by an Institutional Biosafety Committee, or IBC, a local institutional committee that reviews and oversees research utilizing recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules at that institution. The IBC assesses the safety of the research and identifies any potential risk to public health or the environment, and such review may result in some delay before initiation of a clinical trial. While the NIH Guidelines are not mandatory unless the research in question is being conducted at or sponsored by institutions receiving NIH funding of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecule research, many companies and other institutions not otherwise subject to the NIH Guidelines voluntarily follow them.
Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational product to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with GCPs, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical study. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. A separate submission to the existing IND must be made for each successive clinical trial conducted during product development and for any subsequent protocol amendments. Furthermore, an independent IRB for each site proposing to conduct the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial and its informed consent form before the clinical trial begins at that site, and must monitor the study until completed. Regulatory authorities, the IRB or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a
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finding that the subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk or that the trial is unlikely to meet its stated objectives. Some studies also include oversight by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical study sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board, which provides authorization for whether or not a study may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the study and may halt the clinical trial if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing preclinical studies and clinical trials and clinical study results to public registries.
For purposes of BLA approval of a product candidate, human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
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Phase 1. For gene therapies, the investigational product is initially introduced into patients with the target disease or condition. These studies are designed to test the safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism and distribution of the investigational product in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness.
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Phase 2. The investigational product is administered to a limited patient population to evaluate the preliminary efficacy, optimal dosages and dosing schedule and to identify possible adverse side effects and safety risks.
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Phase 3. The investigational product is administered to an expanded patient population to further evaluate dosage, to provide statistically significant evidence of clinical efficacy and to further test for safety, generally at multiple geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk/benefit ratio of the investigational product and to provide an adequate basis for product approval.
In some cases, the FDA may require, or companies may voluntarily pursue, additional clinical trials after a product is approved to gain more information about the product. These so-called Phase 4 studies may be made a condition to approval of the BLA. Concurrent with clinical trials, companies may complete additional animal studies and develop additional information about the characteristics of the product candidate, and must finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final product, or for biologics, the safety, purity and potency. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
During all phases of clinical development, regulatory agencies require extensive monitoring and auditing of all clinical activities, clinical data, and clinical study investigators. The FDA or the sponsor or its data safety monitoring board may suspend a clinical study at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research patients or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical study at its institution if the clinical study is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the biological product candidate has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing clinical trials and completed clinical trial results to public registries. Sponsors of clinical trials of FDA-regulated products, including biologics, are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information, which is publicly available at www.clinicaltrials.gov.
BLA Submission and Review
Assuming successful completion of all required testing in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements, the results of product development, nonclinical studies and clinical trials are submitted to the FDA as part of a BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. The BLA must include all relevant data available from pertinent preclinical studies and clinical trials, including negative or ambiguous results as well as positive findings, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacturing, controls, and proposed labeling, among other things. The submission of a BLA requires payment of a substantial application user fee to the FDA, unless a waiver or exemption applies. The FDA has sixty days from the applicant’s submission of a BLA to either issue a refusal to file letter or accept the BLA for filing, indicating that it is sufficiently complete to permit substantive review.
Once a BLA has been accepted for filing, the FDA’s goal is to review standard applications within ten months after it accepts the application for filing, or, if the application qualifies for priority review, six months after the FDA accepts the application for filing. In both standard and priority reviews, the review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA reviews a BLA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe, pure and potent for its intended use, and whether the facility in which it is manufactured, processed, packed or held meets standards designed to assure and preserve the product’s identity, safety, strength, quality, potency and purity. The FDA may convene an advisory committee to provide clinical insight on application review questions. Before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities
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are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure compliance with GCPs. If the FDA determines that the application, manufacturing process or manufacturing facilities are not acceptable, it will outline the deficiencies in the submission and often will request additional testing or information. Notwithstanding the submission of any requested additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.
After the FDA evaluates a BLA and conducts inspections of manufacturing facilities where the investigational product and/or its drug substance will be manufactured, the FDA may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A Complete Response letter will describe all of the deficiencies that the FDA has identified in the BLA, except that where the FDA determines that the data supporting the application are inadequate to support approval, the FDA may issue the Complete Response letter without first conducting required inspections, testing submitted product lots and/or reviewing proposed labeling. In issuing the Complete Response letter, the FDA may recommend actions that the applicant might take to place the BLA in condition for approval, including requests for additional information or clarification, which may include the potential requirement for additional clinical studies. The FDA may delay or refuse approval of a BLA if applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied, require additional testing or information and/or require post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor safety or efficacy of a product.
If regulatory approval of a product is granted, such approval will be granted for particular indications and may entail limitations on the indicated uses for which such product may be marketed. For example, the FDA may approve the BLA with a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, to ensure the benefits of the product outweigh its risks. A REMS is a safety strategy to manage a known or potential serious risk associated with a product and to enable patients to have continued access to such medicines by managing their safe use, and could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. The FDA also may condition approval on, among other things, changes to proposed labeling or the development of adequate controls and specifications. Once approved, the FDA may withdraw the product approval if compliance with pre- and post-marketing requirements is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the marketplace. The FDA may require one or more Phase 4 post-market studies and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization, and may limit further marketing of the product based on the results of these post-marketing studies.
Expedited Development and Review Programs
The FDA offers a number of expedited development and review programs for qualifying product candidates. The fast track program is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new products that meet certain criteria. Specifically, new products are eligible for fast track designation if they are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the disease or condition. Fast track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a fast track product has opportunities for frequent interactions with the review team during product development and, once a BLA is submitted, the product may be eligible for priority review. A fast track product may also be eligible for rolling review, where the FDA may consider for review sections of the BLA on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted, if the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the BLA, the FDA agrees to accept sections of the BLA and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the BLA.
A product intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition may also be eligible for breakthrough therapy designation to expedite its development and review. A product can receive breakthrough therapy designation if preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs or biologics, may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The designation includes all of the fast track program features, as well as more intensive FDA interaction and guidance beginning as early as Phase 1 and an organizational commitment to expedite the development and review of the product, including involvement of senior managers.
A regenerative medicine advanced therapy, or RMAT, is defined as cell therapies, therapeutic tissue engineering products, human cell and tissue products, and combination products using any such therapies or products. Gene therapies, including genetically modified cells that lead to a durable modification of cells or tissues may meet the definition of a Regenerative Medicine Therapy. The RMAT program is intended to facilitate efficient development and expedite review of RMATs, which are intended to treat, modify, reverse, or cure a serious or life-threatening disease or condition. A new drug application or a BLA for an RMAT may be eligible for priority review or accelerated approval through (1) surrogate or intermediate endpoints reasonably likely to predict long-term clinical benefit or (2) reliance upon data obtained from a meaningful number of sites. Benefits of such designation also include early interactions with FDA to discuss any potential surrogate or intermediate endpoint to be used to support accelerated approval. A
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Regenerative Medicine Therapy that is granted accelerated approval and is subject to post-approval requirements may fulfill such requirements through the submission of clinical evidence, clinical studies, patient registries, or other sources of real-world evidence, such as electronic health records; the collection of larger confirmatory data sets; or post-approval monitoring of all patients treated with such therapy prior to its approval.
Any marketing application for a biologic submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with a fast track designation and/or breakthrough therapy designation, may be eligible for other types of FDA programs intended to expedite the FDA review and approval process, such as priority review and accelerated approval. A product is eligible for priority review if it has the potential to provide a significant improvement in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a serious disease or condition. For original BLAs, priority review designation means the FDA’s goal is to take action on the marketing application within six months of the 60-day filing date.
Additionally, products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions may receive accelerated approval upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of accelerated approval, the FDA will generally require the sponsor to perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical studies to verify and describe the anticipated effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. In addition, the FDA currently requires as a condition for accelerated approval pre-approval of promotional materials, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the product.
Fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation, RMAT designation, priority review and accelerated approval do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the development or approval process. Even if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.
Orphan Drug Designation
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or 200,000 or more than individuals in the United States for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug or biologic for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug or biologic. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting a BLA. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. The orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review or approval process.
If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusive approval (or exclusivity), which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including a full BLA, to market the same biologic for the same indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or if the holder of the orphan drug exclusivity cannot assure the availability of sufficient quantities of the orphan drug to meet the needs of patients with the disease or condition for which the drug was designated. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug or biologic for the same disease or condition, or the same drug or biologic for a different disease or condition. Among the other benefits of orphan drug designation are tax credits for certain research and a waiver of the BLA application fee.
A designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received orphan designation. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.
Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and Priority Review Vouchers
Under the FDCA, as amended, the FDA incentivizes the development of drugs and biologics that meet the definition of a “rare pediatric disease,” defined to mean a serious or life-threatening disease in which the serious of life-threatening manifestations primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years and the disease affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States or affects 200,000 or more in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making in the United States a drug for such disease or condition will be received from sales in the United States of such drug. The sponsor of a product candidate for a rare pediatric disease may be eligible for a voucher that can be used to obtain a priority review for a
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subsequent human drug or biologic application after the date of approval of the rare pediatric disease drug product, referred to as a priority review voucher, or PRV. A sponsor may request rare pediatric disease designation from the FDA prior to the submission of its NDA or BLA. A rare pediatric disease designation does not guarantee that a sponsor will receive a PRV upon approval of its NDA or BLA. Moreover, a sponsor who chooses not to submit a rare pediatric disease designation request may nonetheless receive a PRV upon approval of their marketing application if they request such a voucher in their original marketing application and meet all of the eligibility criteria. If a PRV is received, it may be sold or transferred an unlimited number of times. Congress has extended the PRV program until December 20, 2024, with the potential for PRVs to be granted until September 30, 2026.
Post-Approval Requirements
Any products manufactured or distributed by us pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to record-keeping, reporting of adverse experiences, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution, and advertising and promotion of the product. After approval, most changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications or other labeling claims, are subject to prior FDA review and approval. There also are continuing user fee requirements, under which the FDA assesses an annual program fee for each product identified in an approved BLA. Biologic manufacturers and their subcontractors are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMPs, which impose certain procedural and documentation requirements upon us and our third-party manufacturers. Changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated, and, depending on the significance of the change, may require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMPs and impose reporting 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 cGMPs and other aspects of regulatory compliance.
The FDA may withdraw approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical studies to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution restrictions or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:
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restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of a product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls;
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fines, warning or untitled letters or holds on post-approval clinical studies;
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refusal of the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications, or suspension or revocation of existing product approvals;
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product seizure or detention, or refusal of the FDA to permit the import or export of products;
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consent decrees, corporate integrity agreements, debarment or exclusion from federal healthcare programs;
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mandated modification of promotional materials and labeling and the issuance of corrective information;
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the issuance of safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases and other communications containing warnings or other safety information about the product; or
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injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
The FDA closely regulates the marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of biologics. A company can make only those claims relating to safety and efficacy, purity and potency that are approved by the FDA and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. However, companies may share truthful and not misleading information that is otherwise consistent with a product’s FDA approved labeling. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in, among other things, adverse publicity, warning letters, corrective advertising and potential civil and criminal penalties. Physicians may prescribe legally available products for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and that differ from those tested by us and approved by the FDA. Such off-label uses are common across medical specialties. Physicians may believe that such off-label uses are the best treatment for many patients in varied
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circumstances. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments. The FDA does, however, restrict manufacturer’s communications on the subject of off-label use of their products.
Biosimilars and Reference Product Exclusivity
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or collectively the ACA, includes a subtitle called the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act, or BPCIA, which created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-approved reference biological product. The FDA has issued several guidance documents outlining an approach to review and approval of biosimilars.
Biosimilarity, which requires that there be no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency, can be shown through analytical studies, animal studies, and a clinical study or studies. Interchangeability requires that a product is biosimilar to the reference product and the product must demonstrate that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for products that are administered multiple times to an individual, the biologic and the reference biologic may be alternated or switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic.
Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product containing that applicant’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of its product. The BPCIA also created certain exclusivity periods for biosimilars approved as interchangeable products.
The BPCIA is complex and continues to be interpreted and implemented by the FDA. In addition, government proposals have sought to reduce the 12-year reference product exclusivity period. Other aspects of the BPCIA, some of which may impact the BPCIA exclusivity provisions, have also been the subject of litigation. As a result, the ultimate impact of the BPCIA is subject to significant uncertainty.
Foreign Regulation
In order to market any product outside of the United States, we would need to comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries and jurisdictions regarding quality, safety, and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials, marketing authorization, commercial sales and distribution of our products. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we would need to obtain the necessary approvals by the comparable foreign regulatory authorities before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of the product in foreign countries and jurisdictions. Although many of the issues discussed above with respect to the United States apply similarly in the context of the European Union, the approval process varies between countries and jurisdictions and can involve additional product testing and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain approval in other countries and jurisdictions might differ from and be longer than that required to obtain FDA approval. Regulatory approval in one country or jurisdiction does not ensure regulatory approval in another, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country or jurisdiction may negatively impact the regulatory process in others.
EU Regulation of medicinal products
Clinical Trials in the European Union
Similarly to the United States, the various phases of non-clinical and clinical research in the European Union are subject to significant regulatory controls. In the European Union, clinical trials are governed by the Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014, or CTR, which entered into application on January 31, 2022 repealing and replacing the former Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20, or CTD.
The CTR is intended to harmonize and streamline clinical trial authorizations, simplify adverse-event reporting procedures, improve the supervision of clinical trials and increase transparency. Specifically, the Regulation, which is directly applicable in all EU Member States, introduces a streamlined application procedure through a single-entry point, the "EU portal", the Clinical Trials Information System, or CTIS; a single set of documents to be prepared and submitted for the application; as well as simplified reporting procedures for clinical trial sponsors. A harmonized procedure for the assessment of applications for clinical trials has been introduced and is divided into two parts. Part I assessment is led by the competent authorities of a reference Member State selected by the trial sponsor and relates to clinical trial aspects that are considered to be scientifically harmonized across EU Member States. This
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assessment is then submitted to the competent authorities of all concerned Member States in which the trial is to be conducted for their review. Part II is assessed separately by the competent authorities and Ethics Committees in each concerned EU Member State. Individual EU Member States retain the power to authorize the conduct of clinical trials on their territory. The CTR foresaw a three-year transition period that ended on January 31, 2025. Since this date, all new or ongoing trials are subject to the provisions of the CTR.
In all cases, clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with GCP and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki. Medicines used in clinical trials, including ATMPs, must be manufactured in accordance with the guidelines on cGMP and in a GMP licensed facility, which can be subject to GMP inspections.
EU Review and approval process
In the European Union, medicinal products can only be commercialized after a related marketing authorization, or MA, has been granted. To obtain an MA for a product in the European Union, an applicant must submit a Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, either under a centralized procedure administered by the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, or one of the procedures administered by the competent authorities of EU Member States (decentralized procedure, national procedure or mutual recognition procedure). An MA may be granted only to an applicant established in the European Union.
The centralized procedure provides for the grant of a single MA by the European Commission that is valid throughout the EEA (which is comprised of the 27 EU Member States plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 726/2004, the centralized procedure is compulsory for specific products, including for (i) medicinal products derived from biotechnological processes, (ii) products designated as orphan medicinal products, (iii) advanced therapy medicinal products, or ATMPs, and (iv) products with a new active substance indicated for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, auto-immune and other immune dysfunctions and viral diseases. For products with a new active substance indicated for the treatment of other diseases and products that are highly innovative or for which a centralized process is in the interest of patients, authorization through the centralized procedure is optional on related approval.
Under the centralized procedure, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, conducts the initial assessment of a product. The CHMP is also responsible for several post-authorization and maintenance activities, such as the assessment of modifications or extensions to an existing MA. The maximum timeframe for the evaluation of an MAA under the centralized procedure is 210 days, excluding clock stops when additional information or written or oral explanation is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions of the CHMP. Accelerated assessment may be granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases, when a medicinal product targeting an unmet medical need is expected to be of major interest from the point of view of public health and, in particular, from the viewpoint of therapeutic innovation. If the CHMP accepts a request for accelerated assessment, the time limit of 210 days will be reduced to 150 days (excluding clock stops). The CHMP can, however, revert to the standard time limit for the centralized procedure if it considers that it is no longer appropriate to conduct an accelerated assessment.
Unlike the centralized authorization procedure, the decentralized MA procedure requires a separate application to, and leads to separate approval by, the competent authorities of each EU Member State in which the product is to be marketed. This application is identical to the application that would be submitted to the EMA for authorization through the centralized procedure. The reference EU Member State prepares a draft assessment and drafts of the related materials within 120 days after receipt of a valid application. The resulting assessment report is submitted to the concerned EU Member States who, within 90 days of receipt, must decide whether to approve the assessment report and related materials. If a concerned EU Member State cannot approve the assessment report and related materials due to concerns relating to a potential serious risk to public health, disputed elements may be referred to the Heads of Medicines Agencies’ Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralised Procedures – Human, or CMDh, for review. The subsequent decision of the European Commission is binding on all EU Member States.
The mutual recognition procedure allows companies that have a medicinal product already authorized in one EU Member State to apply for this authorization to be recognized by the competent authorities in other EU Member States. Like the decentralized procedure, the mutual recognition procedure is based on the acceptance by the competent authorities of the EU Member States of the MA of a medicinal product by the competent authorities of other EU Member States. The holder of a national MA may submit an application to the competent authority of an EU Member State requesting that this authority recognize the MA delivered by the competent authority of another EU Member State.
An MA has, in principle, an initial validity of five years. The MA may be renewed after five years on the basis of a re-evaluation of the risk-benefit balance by the EMA or by the competent authority of the EU Member State in which the original MA was granted. To support the application, the MA holder must provide the EMA or the competent authority with a consolidated version of the Common Technical Document providing up-to-date data concerning the quality, safety and efficacy of the product, including all variations introduced since the MA was granted, at least nine months before the MA ceases to be valid. The European Commission or
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the competent authorities of the EU Member States may decide on justified grounds relating to pharmacovigilance, to proceed with one further five-year renewal period for the MA. Once subsequently definitively renewed, the MA shall be valid for an unlimited period. Any authorization which is not followed by the actual placing of the medicinal product on the EU market (for a centralized MA) or on the market of the authorizing EU Member State within three years after authorization ceases to be valid (the so-called sunset clause).
Innovative products that target an unmet medical need and are expected to be of major public health interest may be eligible for a number of expedited development and review programs, such as the Priority Medicines, or PRIME, scheme, which provides incentives similar to the breakthrough therapy designation in the U.S. PRIME is a voluntary scheme aimed at enhancing the EMA’s support for the development of medicinal products that target unmet medical needs. Eligible products must target conditions for which there is an unmet medical need (there is no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment in the European Union or, if there is, the new medicinal product will bring a major therapeutic advantage) and they must demonstrate the potential to address the unmet medical need by introducing new methods of therapy or improving existing ones. Benefits accrue to sponsors of product candidates with PRIME designation, including but not limited to, early and proactive regulatory dialogue with the EMA, frequent discussions on clinical trial designs and other development program elements, and potentially accelerated MAA assessment once a dossier has been submitted.
In the European Union, a “conditional” MA may be granted in cases where all the required safety and efficacy data are not yet available. The European Commission may grant a conditional MA for a medicinal product if it is demonstrated that all of the following criteria are met: (i) the benefit-risk balance of the medicinal product is positive; (ii) it is likely that the applicant will be able to provide comprehensive data post-authorization; (iii) the medicinal product fulfils an unmet medical need; and (iv) the benefit of the immediate availability to patients of the medicinal product is greater than the risk inherent in the fact that additional data are still required. The conditional MA is subject to conditions to be fulfilled for generating the missing data or ensuring increased safety measures. It is valid for one year and must be renewed annually until all related conditions have been fulfilled. Once any pending studies are provided, the conditional MA can be converted into a traditional MA. However, if the conditions are not fulfilled within the timeframe set by the EMA and approved by the European Commission, the MA will cease to be renewed.
An MA may also be granted “under exceptional circumstances” where the applicant can show that it is unable to provide comprehensive data on efficacy and safety under normal conditions of use even after the product has been authorized and subject to specific procedures being introduced. These circumstances may arise in particular when the intended indications are very rare and, in the state of scientific knowledge at that time, it is not possible to provide comprehensive information, or when generating data may be contrary to generally accepted ethical principles. Like a conditional MA, an MA granted in exceptional circumstances is reserved to medicinal products intended to be authorized for treatment of rare diseases or unmet medical needs for which the applicant does not hold a complete data set that is required for the grant of a standard MA. However, unlike the conditional MA, an applicant for authorization in exceptional circumstances is not subsequently required to provide the missing data. Although the MA “under exceptional circumstances” is granted definitively, the risk-benefit balance of the medicinal product is reviewed annually, and the MA will be withdrawn if the risk-benefit ratio is no longer favorable.
Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products in the European Union
Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, or ATMPs, include gene therapy products as well as somatic cell therapy products and tissue engineered products. The grant of marketing authorization in the European Union for products containing viable human tissues or cells such as gene therapy medicinal products is governed by Regulation (EC) No. 1394/2007 on ATMPs, read in combination with Directive (EC) No. 2001/83 of the European Parliament and of the Council, commonly known as the Community code on medicinal products. Regulation (EC) No. 1394/2007 establishes specific rules concerning the authorization, supervision and pharmacovigilance of gene therapy medicinal products, somatic cell therapy medicinal products and tissue engineered products. Manufacturers of advanced therapy medicinal products must demonstrate the quality, safety and efficacy of their products to the EMA which is required to provide an opinion regarding the application for marketing authorization. The European Commission grants or refuses marketing authorization in light of the opinion delivered by the EMA.
Products made from substances of human origin must also comply with Regulation (EU) 2024/1938 on standards of quality and safety for substances of human origin intended for human application. This Regulation describes the conditions and quality requirements which must be applied when sourcing the substances of human origin intended for manufacturing of such medicinal products and removed divergences between EU Member States that were present under the (now repealed) Directive (EC) No. 2004/23.
Pediatric Development
In the European Union, Regulation (EC) No 1901/2006 provides that all MAAs for new medicinal products have to include the results of trials conducted in the pediatric population, in compliance with a pediatric investigation plan, or PIP, agreed with the
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EMA’s Pediatric Committee, or PDCO. The PIP sets out the timing and measures proposed to generate data to support a pediatric indication of the medicinal product for which MA is being sought. The PDCO can grant a deferral of the obligation to implement some or all of the measures provided in the PIP until there are sufficient data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the product in adults. Further, the obligation to provide pediatric clinical trial data can be waived by the PDCO when these data are not needed or appropriate because the product is likely to be ineffective or unsafe in children, the disease or condition for which the product is intended occurs only in adult populations, or when the product does not represent a significant therapeutic benefit over existing treatments for pediatric patients. Once the MA is obtained in all EU Member States and study results are included in the product information, even when negative, the product is eligible for a six-month extension to the Supplementary Protection Certificate, or SPC, if any is in effect at the time of authorization or, in the case of orphan medicinal products, a two-year extension of orphan market exclusivity.
Manufacturing Regulation in the European Union
In addition to an MA, various other requirements apply to the manufacturing and placing on the EU market of medicinal products. The manufacturing of medicinal products in the European Union requires a manufacturing authorization and import of medicinal products into the European Union requires a manufacturing authorization allowing for import. The manufacturing authorization holder must comply with various requirements set out in the applicable EU laws, regulations and guidance, including EU cGMP standards. Similarly, the distribution of medicinal products within the European Union is subject to compliance with the applicable EU laws, regulations and guidelines, including the requirement to hold appropriate authorizations for distribution granted by the competent authorities of EU Member States. Marketing authorization holders and/or manufacturing and import authorization, or MA holders and/or distribution authorization holders may be subject to civil, criminal or administrative sanctions, including suspension of manufacturing authorization, in case of non-compliance with the EU or EU Member States’ requirements applicable to the manufacturing of medicinal products.
Data and Market Exclusivity in the European Union
The European Union provides opportunities for data and market exclusivity related to MAs. Upon receiving an MA, innovative medicinal products are generally entitled to receive eight years of data exclusivity and 10 years of market exclusivity. Data exclusivity, if granted, prevents regulatory authorities in the European Union from referencing the innovator’s data to assess a generic application or biosimilar application for eight years from the date of authorization of the innovative product, after which a generic or biosimilar MAA can be submitted, and the innovator’s data may be referenced. The market exclusivity period prevents a successful generic or biosimilar applicant from commercializing its product in the European Union until 10 years have elapsed from the initial MA of the reference product in the European Union. The overall ten-year period may, occasionally, be extended for a further year to a maximum of 11 years if, during the first eight years of those ten years, the MA holder obtains an authorization for one or more new therapeutic indications which, during the scientific evaluation prior to their authorization, are held to bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies. However, there is no guarantee that a product will be considered by the European Union’s regulatory authorities to be a new chemical/biological entity, and products may not qualify for data exclusivity.
In the European Union, there is 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 such products, the results of appropriate preclinical or clinical trials must be provided in support of an application for MA. Guidelines from the EMA detail the type of quantity of supplementary data to be provided for different types of biological product.
Orphan Designation in the European Union
In the European Union, Regulation (EC) No. 141/2000, as implemented by Regulation (EC) No. 847/2000 provides that a medicinal product can be designated as an orphan medicinal product by the European Commission if its sponsor can establish that: (i) the product is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of life-threatening or chronically debilitating conditions; (ii) either (a) such conditions affect not more than 5 in 10,000 persons in the European Union when the application is made, or (b) the product without the benefits derived from orphan status, would not generate sufficient return in the European Union to justify the necessary investment in developing the medicinal product; and (iii) there exists no satisfactory authorized method of diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of the condition that has been authorized in the European Union, or even if such method exists, the product 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 medicinal product as an orphan medicinal product. An application for the designation of a medicinal product as an orphan medicinal product must be submitted at any stage of development of the medicinal product but before filing of an MAA. An MA for an orphan medicinal product may only include indications designated as orphan. For non-orphan indications treated with the same active pharmaceutical ingredient, a separate marketing authorization has to be sought.
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Orphan medicinal product designation entitles an applicant to incentives such fee reductions or fee waivers, protocol assistance, and access to the centralized marketing authorization procedure. Upon grant of a marketing authorization, orphan medicinal products are entitled to a ten-year period of market exclusivity for the approved therapeutic indication, which means that the EMA cannot accept another marketing authorization application or accept an application to extend for a similar product and the European Commission cannot grant a marketing authorization for the same indication for a period of ten years. The period of market exclusivity is extended by two years for orphan medicinal products that have also complied with an agreed PIP. No extension to any supplementary protection certificate can be granted on the basis of pediatric studies for orphan indications. Orphan medicinal product designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.
The period of market exclusivity may, however, be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the product no longer meets the criteria on the basis of which it received orphan medicinal product destination, including where it can be demonstrated on the basis of available evidence that the original orphan medicinal product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity or where the prevalence of the condition has increased above the threshold. Additionally, an MA may be granted to a similar medicinal product with the same orphan indication during the 10 year period if: (i) if the applicant consents to a second original orphan medicinal product application, (ii) if the manufacturer of the original orphan medicinal product is unable to supply sufficient quantities; or (iii) if the second applicant can establish that its product, although similar, is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior to the original orphan medicinal product. A company may voluntarily remove a product from the register of orphan products.
Post-authorization Requirements
Where an MA is granted in relation to a medicinal product in the European Union, the holder of the MA is required to comply with a range of regulatory requirements applicable to the manufacturing, marketing, promotion and sale of medicinal products. Similar to the United States, both MA holders and manufacturers of medicinal products are subject to comprehensive regulatory oversight by the EMA, the European Commission and/or the competent regulatory authorities of the individual EU Member States. The holder of an MA must establish and maintain a pharmacovigilance system and appoint an individual qualified person for pharmacovigilance 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 MAAs must include a risk management plan, or RMP, describing the risk management system that the company will put in place and documenting measures to prevent or minimize the risks associated with the product. 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.
In the European Union, the advertising and promotion of medicinal products are subject to both European Union and EU Member States’ laws governing promotion of medicinal products, interactions with physicians and other healthcare professionals, misleading and comparative advertising and unfair commercial practices. General requirements for advertising and promotion of medicinal products, such as direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicinal products are established in EU law. However, the details are governed by regulations in individual EU Member States and can differ from one country to another. For example, applicable laws require that promotional materials and advertising in relation to medicinal products comply with the product’s Summary of Product Characteristics, or SmPC, which may require approval by the competent national authorities in connection with an MA. The SmPC is the document that provides information to physicians concerning the safe and effective use of the product. Promotional activity that does not comply with the SmPC is considered off-label and is prohibited in the European Union.
Other Healthcare Laws and Compliance Requirements
Pharmaceutical companies are subject to additional healthcare regulation and enforcement by the federal government and by authorities in the states and foreign jurisdictions in which they conduct their business. Such laws include, without limitation: the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the civil False Claims Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, and similar foreign, federal and state fraud and abuse, transparency and privacy laws.
The U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, to induce, or in return for, either the referral of an individual, or the purchase or recommendation of an item or service for which payment may be made under any federal healthcare program. The term remuneration has been interpreted broadly to include anything of value, including stock options. The U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on one hand and prescribers, purchasers, and others on the other hand. There are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution, but they are drawn narrowly, and practices that involve remuneration, such as consulting agreements, that may be alleged
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to be intended to induce prescribing, purchasing or recommending may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all of its facts and circumstances. Our practices may not in all cases meet all of the criteria for protection under a statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor. 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. In addition, a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the civil False Claims Act.
Civil and criminal false claims laws, and civil monetary penalty laws, including the civil False Claims Act, which can be enforced through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment to the federal government, including federal healthcare programs, that are false or fraudulent. For example, the civil False Claims Act prohibits any person or entity from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to the federal government or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. A claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the U.S. government. Several pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for the product.
HIPAA created additional federal civil and criminal liability for, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any healthcare benefit program, regardless of the payor (e.g., public or private) and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing, or covering up by any trick or device a material fact or making any materially false statements in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services relating to healthcare matters. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity can be found guilty of violating HIPAA without actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, and their respective implementing regulations, impose certain requirements on HIPAA covered entities, which include certain healthcare providers, healthcare clearing houses and health plans, and individuals and entities that provide services on their behalf that involve individually identifiable health information, known as business associates, relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information, as well as their covered subcontractors. HITECH also created new tiers of civil monetary penalties, amended HIPAA to make civil and criminal penalties directly applicable to business associates, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorneys’ fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions.
The U.S. 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 annually report to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, information related to payments or other transfers of value made to physicians (currently defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), other health care professionals (such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members.
We are also subject to additional similar U.S. state and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third party payors, including private insurers, or that apply regardless of payor, state and foreign laws which require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the government, state, local and foreign laws which require pharmaceutical companies to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures, state and foreign laws which require the reporting of information related to drug pricing, state, local and foreign laws requiring the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives, and state and foreign laws governing the privacy and security of health information which, in some cases, differ from each other in significant ways, and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of such laws or any other governmental regulations that apply, we may be subject to penalties, including, without limitation, significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, imprisonment damages, fines, exclusion from government-funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid or similar programs in other countries or jurisdictions, integrity oversight and reporting obligations to resolve allegations of non-compliance, disgorgement, imprisonment, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.
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Coverage and Reimbursement
Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any pharmaceutical or biological product for which we obtain regulatory approval. Sales of any product, if approved, depend, in part, on the extent to which such product will be covered by third-party payors, such as federal, state, and foreign government healthcare programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations, and the level of reimbursement, if any, for such product by third-party payors. Decisions regarding whether to cover any of our product candidates, if approved, the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided are made on a plan-by-plan basis. Further, no uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement exists in the United States, and coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor.
Nonetheless, product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost effective. A decision by a third-party payor not to cover any product candidates we may develop could reduce physician utilization of such product candidates once approved and have a material adverse effect on our sales, results of operations and financial condition. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates, but also have their own methods and approval process apart from Medicare determinations. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our product candidates to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance.
For products administered under the supervision of a physician, obtaining coverage and adequate reimbursement may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with such drugs. Additionally, separate reimbursement for the product itself or the treatment or procedure in which the product is used may not be available, which may impact physician utilization.
In addition, the U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have continued implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on coverage and reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and services, examining the medical necessity and reviewing the cost effectiveness of pharmaceutical or biological products, medical devices and medical services, in addition to questioning safety and efficacy. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit sales of any product that receives approval. Decreases in third-party reimbursement for any product or a decision by a third-party not to cover a product could reduce physician usage and patient demand for the product.
Outside the United States, ensuring adequate coverage and payment for any biological candidates we may develop will face challenges. Pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control in many countries. Pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can extend well beyond the receipt of regulatory marketing approval for a product and may require us to conduct a clinical study that compares the cost effectiveness of any product candidates we may develop to other available therapies. The conduct of such a clinical study could be expensive and result in delays in our commercialization efforts. In the European Union, pricing and reimbursement schemes vary widely from country to country. Some countries provide that products may be marketed only after a reimbursement price has been agreed. Some countries may require the completion of additional studies that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular product candidate to currently available therapies (so called health technology assessments) in order to obtain reimbursement or pricing approval. This HTA process is the procedure according to which the assessment of the public health impact, therapeutic impact and the economic and societal impact of use of a given medicinal product in the national healthcare systems of the individual country is conducted. The outcome of HTA regarding specific medicinal products will often influence the pricing and reimbursement status granted to these medicinal products by the competent authorities of individual EU Member States. For example, the European Union provides options for its member states to restrict the range of products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. European Union member states may approve a specific price for a product or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the product on the market. Other member states allow companies to fix their own prices for products but monitor and control prescription volumes and issue guidance to physicians to limit prescriptions. Recently, many countries in the European Union have increased the amount of discounts required on pharmaceuticals and these efforts could continue as countries attempt to manage healthcare expenditures, especially in light of the severe fiscal and debt crises experienced by many countries in the European Union. The downward pressure on healthcare costs in general, particularly prescription products, has become intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. Political, economic, and regulatory developments may further complicate pricing negotiations, and pricing negotiations may continue after reimbursement has been obtained. Reference pricing used by various European Union member states, and parallel trade (arbitrage between low-priced and high-priced member states), can further reduce prices. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our products, if approved in those countries.
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Healthcare Reform
The United States and some foreign jurisdictions are considering or have enacted a number of reform proposals to change the healthcare system. There is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality or expanding access. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by federal and state legislative initiatives, including those designed to limit the pricing, coverage, and reimbursement of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products, especially under government-funded healthcare programs, and increased governmental control of drug pricing.
The ACA, which was enacted in March 2010, substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers in the United States, and significantly affected the pharmaceutical industry. The ACA contains a number of provisions of particular import to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including, but not limited to, those governing enrollment in federal healthcare programs, a new methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated for drugs that are inhaled, infused, instilled, implanted or injected, and annual fees based on pharmaceutical companies’ share of sales to federal healthcare programs. Since its enactment, there have been judicial, Congressional and executive branch challenges to certain aspects of the ACA, and we expect there will be additional challenges and amendments to the ACA in the future. For example, on August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or IRA, was signed into law, which among other things, extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. The IRA also eliminates the “donut hole” under the Medicare Part D program beginning in 2025 by significantly lowering the beneficiary maximum out-of-pocket cost and creating a new manufacturer discount program. It is possible that the ACA will be subject to judicial or Congressional challenges in the future. It is also unclear how such challenges and the healthcare reform measures of the second Trump administration will impact the ACA and our business.
Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted, including aggregate reductions of Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year and reduced payments to several types of Medicare providers. These reductions went into effect in April 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, will remain in effect through 2032 unless additional action is taken by Congress. Additionally, on March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law, which eliminates the statutory Medicaid drug rebate cap, currently set at 100% of a drug’s average manufacturer price, for single source and innovator multiple source drugs, effective January 1, 2024.
Moreover, there has recently been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. For example, the IRA, among other things, (i) directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, to negotiate the price of certain high-expenditure, single-source biologics that have been on the market for at least 11 years covered under Medicare, or the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation and subject drug manufacturers to civil monetary penalties and a potential excise tax by offering a price that is not equal to or less than the negotiated “maximum fair price” for such drugs and biologics under the law, and (ii) imposes rebates with respect to certain drugs and biologics covered under Medicare Part B or Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation. The IRA permits HHS to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. These provisions began to take effect progressively starting in fiscal year 2023. On August 15, 2024, HHS announced the agreed-upon price of the first ten drugs that were subject to price negotiations, although the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program is currently subject to legal challenges. On January 17, 2025, HHS selected fifteen additional products covered under Part D for price negotiation in 2025. Each year thereafter more Part B and Part D products will become subject to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. Further, on December 7, 2023, an initiative to control the price of prescription drugs through the use of march-in rights under the Bayh-Dole Act was announced. On December 8, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology published for comment a Draft Interagency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights which for the first time includes the price of a product as one factor an agency can use when deciding to exercise march-in rights. While march-in rights have not previously been exercised, it is uncertain if that will continue under the new framework.
In December 2021, Regulation No 2021/2282 on Health Technology Assessment, or HTA Regulation, was adopted. The HTA Regulation is intended to boost cooperation among EU Member States in assessing health technologies, including new medicinal products, and providing the basis for cooperation at EU level for joint clinical assessments in these areas. The HTA Regulation entered into application on January 12, 2025 through a phased implementation and is intended to harmonize the clinical benefit assessment of HTA across the European Union.
Additional state, federal and foreign healthcare reform measures may be adopted in the future. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical product pricing, including price
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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.
Data privacy and security
In the ordinary course of our business, we may process personal or sensitive data. Accordingly, we are subject to numerous data privacy and security obligations, including federal, state, local, and foreign laws, regulations, guidance, and industry standards related to data privacy, security, and protection. Such obligations may include, without limitation, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or the CCPA, the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, or the EU GDPR, the EU GDPR as it forms part of UK law by virtue of section 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, or the UK GDPR, and the ePrivacy Directive. Several states within the United States have enacted or proposed data privacy laws.
The CCPA and EU GDPR are examples of the increasingly stringent and evolving regulatory frameworks related to personal data processing that may increase our compliance obligations and exposure for any noncompliance. For example, the CCPA imposes obligations on covered businesses to provide specific disclosures related to a business’s collecting, using, and disclosing personal data and to respond to certain requests from California residents related to their personal data (for example, requests to know of the business’s personal data processing activities, to delete the individual’s personal data, and to opt out of certain personal data disclosures). Also, the CCPA provides for civil penalties and a private right of action for data breaches which may include an award of statutory damages.
Foreign data privacy and security laws (including but not limited to the EU GDPR and UK GDPR) impose significant and complex compliance obligations on entities that are subject to those laws. As one example, the EU GDPR applies to any company established in the EEA and to companies established outside the EEA that process personal data in connection with the offering of goods or services to data subjects in the EEA or the monitoring of the behavior of data subjects in the EEA. These obligations may include limiting personal data processing to only what is necessary for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes; requiring a legal basis for personal data processing; requiring the appointment of a data protection officer in certain circumstances; increasing transparency obligations to data subjects; requiring data protection impact assessments in certain circumstances; limiting the collection and retention of personal data; increasing rights for data subjects; formalizing a heightened and codified standard of data subject consents; requiring the implementation and maintenance of technical and organizational safeguards for personal data; mandating notice of certain personal data breaches to the relevant supervisory authority(ies) and affected individuals; and mandating the appointment of representatives in the UK and/or the EU in certain circumstances.
See the section titled “Risk Factors – General Risks” for additional information about the laws and regulations to which we may become subject and about the risks to our business associated with such laws and regulation.
Human Capital Resources
Our human capital is integral to helping us achieve our mission of eradicating monogenic diseases of the CNS. We have built a culture of high performance based on our core values:
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Developing cutting-edge technologies and medicines;
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Being an ally to the rare disease community;
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Uncovering never-before-seen scientific discoveries;
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Having a true sense for the term “partnership”; and
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Exploring uncharted territory.
Our human capital objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and additional employees. The principal purposes of our equity incentive plans are to attract, retain and motivate selected employees, consultants and directors through the granting of stock-based compensation awards.
As of December 31, 2024, we had 73 employees, all of whom were full-time. All of our employees are located in the United States. None of our employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.
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Corporate Information
We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Texas in September 2019. In February 2020, we converted to a Delaware corporation. Our principal executive offices are located at 3000 Pegasus Park Drive Ste 1430, Dallas, Texas 75247 and our telephone number is (214) 612-0000.
Available Information
Our internet website address is www.tayshagtx.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.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors.
The following information sets forth risk factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements we have made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and those we may make from time to time. You should carefully consider the risks described below, in addition to the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other public filings. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be harmed by any of these risks. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or other factors not perceived by us to present significant risks to our business at this time also may impair our business operations.
Selected Risks Affecting Our Business
Our business is subject to a number of risks of which you should be aware before making a decision to invest in our common stock. These risks are more fully described in this “Risk Factors” section, including the following:
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We have incurred significant losses since our inception. We expect to incur losses over the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability.
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We will need substantial additional funding to meet our financial obligations and to pursue our business objectives. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to curtail our planned operations and the pursuit of our growth strategy.
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We have a limited operating history and no history of commercializing products, which may make it difficult for an investor to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.
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All of our product candidates are in preclinical or clinical development. If we are unable to successfully develop, receive regulatory approval for and commercialize our product candidates for these or any other indications, or successfully develop any other product candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be harmed.
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Because gene therapy is novel and the regulatory landscape that governs any product candidates we may develop is rigorous, complex, uncertain and subject to change, we cannot predict the time and cost of obtaining regulatory approval, if we receive it at all, for any product candidates we may develop.
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We intend to identify and develop novel gene therapy product candidates, which makes it difficult to predict the time, cost and potential success of product candidate development.
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The regulatory approval processes of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, the European Commission and comparable foreign authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable. If we are not able to obtain required regulatory approval for our product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.
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We have not yet completed testing of any product candidates in clinical trials. Success in preclinical studies or earlier clinical trials may not be indicative of results in future clinical trials.
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We may not be successful in our efforts to build a pipeline of additional product candidates or our next-generation platform technologies.
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Unfavorable conditions in our industry or the global economy could limit our ability to grow our business and negatively affect our results of operations.
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Gene therapies are novel, complex and difficult to manufacture. We could experience manufacturing problems that result in delays in the development or commercialization of our product candidates or otherwise harm our business.
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We and our contract manufacturers for AAV9 are subject to significant regulation with respect to manufacturing our products. The third-party manufacturing facilities on which we rely, and any manufacturing facility that we may have in the future, may have limited capacity or fail to meet the applicable stringent regulatory requirements.
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We currently rely exclusively on our collaboration with UT Southwestern for our preclinical research and development programs, including for discovering, preclinically developing and conducting all IND-enabling studies for our lead product candidates and our near-term future pipeline. Failure or delay of UT Southwestern to fulfill all or part of its obligations to us under the agreement, a breakdown in collaboration between the parties or a complete or partial loss of this relationship would materially harm our business.
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UT Southwestern has entered into collaborations with third parties, including certain of our competitors, addressing targets and disease indications outside the scope of our collaboration. As a result, UT Southwestern may have competing interests with respect to their priorities and resources.
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Negative public opinion of gene therapy and increased regulatory scrutiny of gene therapy and genetic research may adversely impact the development or commercial success of our current and future product candidates.
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We face significant competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and our operating results will suffer if we fail to compete effectively.
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Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain.
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We may be subject to legal proceedings from time to time which seek material damages.
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Our term loan agreement contains restrictions that potentially limit our flexibility in operating our business, and we may be required to make a prepayment or repay our outstanding indebtedness earlier than we expect.
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If we are unable to obtain or protect intellectual property rights related to any of our product candidates, we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.
Risks Related to our Financial Position and Capital Needs
We have incurred significant losses since our inception. We expect to incur losses over the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability.