Item 1A. Risk Factors
Risks Related to Our Products and Our Operations
We rely heavily on sales of our treprostinil-based therapies to generate revenues and support our operations.
Sales of our treprostinil-based therapies — Tyvaso, Tyvaso DPI, Remodulin, and Orenitram — comprise the vast majority of our revenues. Substantially decreased sales of any of these products could have a material adverse impact on our operations. A wide variety of events, such as withdrawal of regulatory approvals or substantial changes in prescribing practices or dosing patterns, many of which are described in other risk factors below, could cause sales of these products to materially decline, or to grow more slowly than expected. The current and expected availability of generic versions of our products has decreased and may continue to decrease our revenues. The approval of new therapies may negatively impact sales of our current and potential new products. Sales may decrease if any third party that manufactures, markets, distributes, or sells our commercial products cannot do so satisfactorily, or we cannot manage our internal manufacturing processes. Finally, if demand for Tyvaso DPI does not meet our expectations, the revenue opportunity for our treprostinil products could be significantly lower than we expect.
If our products fail in clinical trials, we will be unable to sell those products.
To obtain approvals from the FDA and international regulatory agencies to sell new products, or to expand the product labeling for our existing products, we must conduct clinical trials demonstrating that our products are safe and effective. Regulators have substantial discretion over the approval process. Regulators may require us to amend ongoing trials or perform additional trials, which have in the past and could in the future result in significant delays and additional costs and may be unsuccessful. Delays and costs associated with regulatory requirements to change or add trials have sometimes caused us to discontinue efforts to develop a particular product, and may do so again in the future. If our clinical trials are not successful, or we fail to address identified deficiencies adequately, we will not obtain required approvals to market the new product or new indication. We cannot predict with certainty how long it will take, or how much it will cost, to complete necessary clinical trials or obtain regulatory approvals of our current or future products. The time and cost needed to complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approvals varies by product, indication, and country. In addition, failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, regulatory approval has in the past and could in the future require us to recognize impairment charges.
Our clinical trials have been (for example, the PERFECT study), and in the future may be, discontinued, delayed, canceled, or disqualified for various reasons, including: (1) the COVID-19 pandemic, which initially caused us to suspend enrollment of most of our clinical studies, and may do so again; (2) the drug is ineffective, or physicians and/or patients believe that the drug is ineffective, or that other therapies are more effective or convenient; (3) patients do not enroll in or complete clinical trials at the rate we expect; (4) we, or clinical trial sites or other third parties do not adhere to trial protocols and required quality controls under good clinical practices (GCP) regulations and similar regulations outside the United States; (5) patients experience severe side effects during treatment or die during our trials because of adverse events; and (6) the results of clinical trials conducted in a particular country are not acceptable to regulators in other countries.
We may not compete successfully with established or newly developed drugs or products.
Competition could negatively impact our operating results. We compete with well-established drug companies for market share, as well as, among other things, funding, licenses, expertise, personnel, clinical trial patients and investigators, consultants, and third-party collaborators. Some of these competitors have substantially greater financial, marketing, manufacturing, sales, distribution, and technical resources, and a larger number of approved products, than we do. Some of these competitors also possess greater experience in areas critical to success such as research and development, clinical trials, sales and marketing, and regulatory matters.
Numerous treatments currently compete with our commercial therapies. For example, for treatment of PAH, we compete with over fifteen branded and generic drugs. Sales of a generic version of Adcirca launched in August 2018 have had a material adverse impact on our sales of Adcirca. The availability of generic versions of Remodulin in the United States could materially impact our revenues, and generic competition has materially impacted our Remodulin revenues outside the United States. Our competitors are also developing new products that may compete with ours. For example, Liquidia and Merck are developing Yutrepia and sotatercept, respectively, which if successful would compete with our treprostinil-based products.
Patients and doctors may discontinue use of our products if they perceive competing products as safer, more effective, less invasive, more convenient, and/or less expensive than ours. Doctors may reduce the prescribed doses of our products if they prescribe them in combination with competing products. In addition, many competing therapies are less invasive or more convenient than our products, and use of these competing therapies often delays or prevents initiation of our therapies.
32 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
The successful commercialization of our products depends on the availability of coverage and adequacy of reimbursement from third-party payers, including governmental authorities and private health insurers. Pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement pressures may negatively impact our sales.
The commercial success of our products depends, in significant part, on coverage by governmental payers such as Medicare and Medicaid, and private insurance companies. A reduction in the availability or extent of reimbursement from domestic or foreign government health care programs could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of our operations. Government payers and third-party payers are increasingly attempting to limit the price of medicinal products and frequently challenge the pricing of new or expensive drugs. In many markets outside the United States, governments control the prices of prescription pharmaceuticals through the implementation of reference pricing, price cuts, rebates, revenue-related taxes, and profit control. Financial pressures may cause United States government payers and/or private health insurers to implement policies that would reduce reimbursement rates for our products, limit future price increases, cap reimbursement rates for pharmaceuticals to rates paid internationally, require the automatic substitution of generic products, demand more rigorous requirements for initial coverage for new products, implement step therapy policies that require patients to try other medicines, including generic products, before using our products, or take other similar steps that could make it more difficult for patients to access our products. See, for example, the discussion of the Inflation Reduction Act in the risk factor below entitled Government healthcare reform and other reforms could adversely affect our revenue, costs, and results of operations.
Our prostacyclin analogue products (Tyvaso, Tyvaso DPI, Remodulin, and Orenitram) and our oncology product (Unituxin) are expensive therapies. Specialty pharmacy distributors may not be able to obtain adequate reimbursement for our products from commercial and government payers to motivate them to support our products. Third-party payers may reduce the amount of reimbursement for our products based on changes in pricing of other therapies for the same disease or the development of new payment methodologies to cover and reimburse treatment costs, such as the use of cost-effectiveness research or value-based payment contracts. Third-party payers often encourage the use of less-expensive generic alternative therapies, which has materially impacted our Adcirca revenues and which may materially impact our Remodulin revenues. If commercial or government payers do not cover our products or limit payment rates, patients and physicians could choose covered competing products and may have lower out-of-pocket costs.
Our manufacturing strategy exposes us to significant risks.
We must be able to manufacture sufficient quantities of our commercial products to satisfy demand. We manufacture Remodulin, Orenitram, Tyvaso, and Unituxin, including the active ingredient in each of these products, at our own facilities and rely on third parties for additional manufacturing capacity for Remodulin and Tyvaso. We rely entirely on MannKind to manufacture Tyvaso DPI, Minnetronix Inc. to manufacture the Tyvaso Inhalation System, and DEKA to manufacture the Remunity Pump for Remodulin, and we rely on a variety of other third-party sole manufacturers for certain elements of our commercial and development-stage products, as detailed under the risk factor below entitled, We rely in part on third parties to perform activities that are critical to our business. If any of our internal or third-party manufacturing and supply arrangements are interrupted for compliance issues, issues related to pandemics, or other reasons, we may not have sufficient inventory to meet future demand. Changes in suppliers and/or service providers could interrupt the manufacturing of our commercial products and impede the progress of our commercial launch plans and clinical trials.
Our internal manufacturing process subjects us to risks as we engage in increasingly complex manufacturing processes. We manufacture our entire supply of Orenitram and Unituxin without an FDA-approved back-up manufacturing site, and do not plan to engage a third party to manufacture these materials. Our long-term organ manufacturing programs will involve exceptionally complicated manufacturing processes, many of which have never been attempted on a clinical or commercial scale. It will take substantial time and resources to develop and implement such manufacturing processes, and we may never be able to do so successfully. Additional risks of our manufacturing strategy include the following:
•We, our third-party manufacturers, and other third parties involved in the manufacturing process, such as third parties that operate testing and storage facilities, are subject to the FDA’s current good manufacturing practices regulations, current good tissue practices, and similar international regulatory standards, and other quality standards related to device manufacturing. Our ability to exercise control over regulatory compliance by our third-party manufacturers is limited.
•We may experience difficulty designing and implementing processes and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable regulations as we develop manufacturing operations for new products.
•Natural and man-made disasters (such as fires, contamination, power loss, hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, terrorist attacks, and acts of war), disease outbreaks, and pandemics such as COVID-19 impacting our internal and third-party manufacturing sites could cause a supply disruption.
•Even if we, our third-party manufacturers, and other third parties involved in the manufacturing process comply with applicable drug and device manufacturing regulations, the sterility and quality of our products could be substandard and such products could not be sold or used or could be subject to recalls.
•The FDA and its international counterparts would require new testing and compliance inspections of new manufacturers of our products, or new manufacturing facilities we operate.
•The FDA and other regulatory agencies may not be able to timely inspect our facilities, or those of our third-party manufacturers, which could result in delays in obtaining necessary regulatory approvals for our products.
•We may be unable to contract with needed manufacturers on satisfactory terms or at all.
•The supply of materials and components necessary to manufacture and package our products may become scarce or unavailable, which could delay the manufacturing and subsequent sale of such products. For example, supply disruptions caused by COVID-19 impacted DEKA’s ability to secure certain components and raw materials necessary to manufacture sufficient quantities of Remunity Pumps and accessories, delaying our ability to commence commercial sales, and ongoing global semiconductor supply disruptions could impact our third-party manufacturers’ ability to secure semiconductor chips necessary to manufacture sufficient quantities of devices required to deliver Tyvaso and Remodulin, which would have a material impact on our operations. Products manufactured with substituted materials or components must be approved by the FDA and applicable international regulatory agencies before they could be sold.
•Our business partners who manufacture the devices to deliver our products are subject to the FDA’s medical device requirements. Any non-compliance, recall, or enforcement action issued against them could adversely impact our sales and operations.
•The infrastructure of our internal manufacturing facilities, along with certain facilities of our third-party manufacturers, is aging. These facilities have highly sophisticated and complex utility systems. If any of these systems require long-term repair or replacement, the impacted facility may not be able to manufacture product for a substantial period of time.
•We, along with our third-party manufacturers, rely upon local municipalities to supply our facilities with clean water, which is processed into high purity water and used as a key ingredient for three of our commercial drug products. If local municipalities are unable to supply water that meets relevant quality standards, we and our third-party manufacturers may be unable to manufacture product until such a situation is remediated.
•Our supply chain for raw materials and consumables extends worldwide and is complex. Suppliers based in China and Taiwan play a substantial role in our supply chain. Political unrest or trade disputes involving China, Taiwan, or other countries in our supply chain could impact our ability and the ability of our third-party manufacturers to source raw materials and consumables. We also have limited visibility into the supply chains on which our primary suppliers rely; as such, we rely on our primary suppliers to have robust risk mitigation strategies to detect issues and prevent supply disruption.
•We are closely monitoring the military conflict in Ukraine. Although we do not directly source any raw materials or consumables from Ukraine, Russia, or Belarus, our European-based suppliers and service providers could be impacted by an extended conflict or an escalation of the conflict into neighboring countries.
Any of these factors could disrupt sales of our commercial products, delay clinical trials or commercialization of new products, result in product liability claims and product recalls, and entail higher costs. Interruptions in our manufacturing process could be significant given the length of time and complexity involved in obtaining necessary regulatory approvals for alternative arrangements, through either third parties or internal manufacturing processes.
We rely in part on third parties to perform activities that are critical to our business.
Third parties assist us in activities critical to our operations, such as: (1) manufacturing our clinical and commercial products; (2) conducting clinical trials, preclinical studies, and other research and development activities; (3) obtaining regulatory approvals; (4) conducting pharmacovigilance and product complaint activities, including drug safety, reporting adverse events, and handling product complaints; (5) obtaining medical device clearances and approvals for the devices used to deliver our drugs; and (6) marketing and distributing our products. Any disruption in the ability of third parties to continue to perform these critical activities, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, could materially adversely impact our business and results of operations. Any change in service providers could interrupt the manufacture and distribution of our products and services, and impede the progress of our clinical trials, commercial launch plans, and related revenues.
We rely on various distributors to market, distribute, and sell our commercial products. If they are unsuccessful in, or reduce or discontinue, their sales efforts, our revenues may decline materially. Outside the United States, we rely substantially on our international distributors to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our products and to market and sell our products in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. In the United States, we derive all of our treprostinil-based revenues from sales to two distributors, Accredo and CVS Specialty. If either of these two distributors places significantly larger or smaller orders in a given time period, our revenues can be materially impacted in a way that does not reflect patient demand.
We rely entirely on third parties to supply pumps and other supplies necessary to deliver Remodulin. There are a limited number of pumps available in the market, and the discontinuation of any particular pump could have a material, adverse impact on our Remodulin revenues if a viable supply of an alternate pump is not available. Smiths Medical discontinued manufacturing the MS-3 system used to deliver subcutaneous Remodulin, and specialty pharmacy distributors have informed us that supplies of MS-3 pumps are nearly exhausted. Smiths Medical has also announced plans to discontinue the CADD Legacy system used to deliver intravenous Remodulin. Historically, these are the pumps primarily used to deliver Remodulin to patients in the United States. In 2021, we launched the Remunity Pump to deliver subcutaneous Remodulin, and Smiths Medical plans to make an alternative pump, the CADD Solis, available for intravenous Remodulin. We are also engaged in further efforts to develop alternative pumps to deliver Remodulin. However, if these alternative systems are not seen as adequate substitutes, or are not developed on a timely basis, our sales of Remodulin could be materially, adversely impacted.
Lilly manufactures and supplies Adcirca for us. We use Lilly’s pharmaceutical wholesaler network to distribute Adcirca. If Lilly is unable to manufacture or supply Adcirca or its distribution network is disrupted, it could delay, disrupt, or prevent us from selling
34 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Adcirca. We rely entirely on Minnetronix Inc. as the sole manufacturer of the Tyvaso Inhalation System. As Tyvaso is a drug-device combination, we cannot sell Tyvaso without the Tyvaso Inhalation System.
We rely entirely on MannKind to manufacture Tyvaso DPI for us. If MannKind is unable to manufacture Tyvaso DPI for us for any reason, our commercial sales of Tyvaso DPI would be materially and adversely impacted.
We rely entirely on DEKA and its affiliates for the manufacture of the Remunity Pump for Remodulin. Finally, we also rely on various sole-source suppliers for manufacturing activities related to ralinepag, RemoPro, and other pumps we are developing for Remodulin. For a further discussion of risks created by the use of third-party contract manufacturers, see the risk factor above entitled, Our manufacturing strategy exposes us to significant risks.
We rely heavily on third-party contract research organizations, contract laboratories, clinical investigative sites, and other third parties to conduct our clinical trials, preclinical studies, and other research and development activities. In addition, the success of certain products we are developing will depend on clinical trials sponsored by third parties. Third-party failure to conduct or assist us in conducting clinical trials in accordance with study protocols, quality controls, GCP, or other applicable requirements or to submit associated regulatory filings, could limit or prevent our ability to rely on results of those trials in seeking regulatory approvals.
Reports of actual or perceived side effects and adverse events associated with our products could cause our sales to decrease or regulatory approvals to be revoked.
Reports of side effects and adverse events associated with our products could affect a physician’s decision to prescribe or a patient’s willingness to use our products, which may have a significant adverse impact on sales of our products. An example of a known risk associated with the delivery system used for intravenous Remodulin is sepsis, which is a serious and potentially life-threatening infection of the bloodstream caused by a wide variety of bacteria. In addition, Unituxin is associated with severe side effects, and its label contains a boxed warning related to potential infusion reactions and neurotoxicity. We are required to report certain adverse events to the FDA. Development of new products, and new formulations and indications for existing products, could result in new side effects and adverse events which may be serious in nature. If the use of our products harms patients or is perceived to harm patients, regulatory approvals could be revoked or otherwise negatively impacted.
Negative attention from special interest groups may impair our business.
Our early-stage research and development involves animal testing required by regulatory authorities, which we conduct both directly and through contracts with third parties. Our xenotransplantation and regenerative medicine programs rely heavily on the use of animals to manufacture and test our products. Certain special interest groups categorically object to the use of animals for research purposes. Any negative attention, threats or acts of vandalism directed against our animal research activities could impede the operation of our business.
We may not maintain adequate insurance coverage to protect us against significant product liability claims.
The testing, manufacturing, marketing, and sale of drugs and diagnostics involve product liability risks. We may not be able to maintain our current product liability insurance at an acceptable cost, if at all. In addition, our insurance coverage may not be adequate for all potential claims. If losses significantly exceed our liability insurance coverage, we may experience financial hardship or potentially be forced out of business. Clinical testing and eventual marketing and sale of new products, reformulated versions of existing products, or use of existing products in new indications could expose us to new product liability risks that are not covered by our existing policies.
If we fail to attract and retain key management and qualified scientific and technical personnel, we may not be able to achieve our business objectives.
Members of our management team, including our founder, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Martine Rothblatt, play a critical role in defining our business strategy and maintaining our corporate culture. The loss of the services and leadership of Dr. Rothblatt or any other members of our senior management team could have an adverse effect on our business. We do not maintain key person life insurance on our senior management team members. Failure to identify, hire, and retain suitable successors for members of our senior management team and to transfer knowledge effectively could impede the achievement of our business objectives. Our future success also depends on our ability to attract and retain qualified scientific and technical personnel. Competition for such personnel in our industries is intense. If we fail to attract and retain such employees, whom we call “Unitherians”, we may not be successful in developing and commercializing new therapies.
Risks Related to Legal Compliance
We must comply with extensive laws and regulations in the United States and other countries. Failure to obtain approvals on a timely basis or to comply with these requirements could delay, disrupt, or prevent commercialization of our products.
The products we develop must be approved for marketing and sale by regulatory agencies. Our research and development efforts must comply with extensive regulations, including those promulgated by the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The process of obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals for new drugs, biologics, and medical devices is lengthy, expensive, and uncertain. The regulatory approval process is particularly uncertain for our transplantation programs, which include the development of xenotransplantation, regenerative medicine, 3-D organ bioprinting, and cell-based products. Once approved, the
manufacture, distribution, advertising, and marketing of our products are subject to extensive regulation, including product labeling, strict pharmacovigilance and adverse event and medical device reporting, complaint processing, storage, distribution, and record-keeping requirements. Our product candidates have in the past and may in the future fail to receive regulatory approval. If granted, product approvals can be conditioned on the completion of post-marketing clinical studies, accompanied by significant restrictions on the use or marketing of a given product and withdrawn for failure to comply with regulatory requirements, such as post-marketing requirements and post-marketing commitments, or upon the occurrence of adverse events subsequent to commercial introduction. Our ability to obtain FDA approval for our products has been, and in the future may be, materially impacted by the outcome and quality of our clinical trials and other data submitted to regulators, as well as the quality of our manufacturing operations and those of our third-party contract manufacturers and contract laboratories. In addition, third parties may submit citizen petitions to the FDA seeking to delay approval of, or impose additional approval conditions for, our products. If successful, citizen petitions can significantly delay, or even prevent, the approval of our products. For example, a third party submitted a citizen petition to the FDA requesting that the FDA refuse to approve Tyvaso DPI, and/or impose additional requirements in order to approve the product. While the petition was denied by the FDA, it delayed the FDA’s approval of our NDA for Tyvaso DPI.
Regulatory approval for our currently marketed products is limited by the FDA and other regulators to those specific indications and conditions for which clinical safety and efficacy have been demonstrated.
Any regulatory approval of our products is limited to specific diseases and indications for which our products have been deemed safe and effective by the FDA. FDA approval is also required for new formulations and new indications for an approved product. While physicians may prescribe drugs for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and for uses that differ from those approved by regulatory authorities (called “off-label” uses), our ability to promote our products is limited to those indications that are specifically approved by the FDA. Failure to follow FDA rules and guidelines related to promotion and advertising can result in the FDA’s refusal to approve a product, suspension or withdrawal of an approved product from the market, product recalls, enforcement action, civil lawsuits, or criminal prosecution.
We must comply with various laws in jurisdictions around the world that restrict certain marketing practices.
Our business activities may be subject to challenge under laws in jurisdictions around the world restricting particular marketing practices, such as:
•Anti-kickback and false claim statutes, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the United Kingdom Bribery Act. In the United States, the AKS prohibits, among other activities, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration (i.e., anything of value) to induce, or in return for, the purchase, lease, order or arranging the purchase, lease or order of any health care product or service reimbursable under any federally financed healthcare program like Medicare or Medicaid. This statute is interpreted broadly to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers and prescribers, purchasers, specialty pharmacies, formulary managers, patients, and others. Our practices may not always qualify for safe harbor protection under this statute.
•The Federal False Claims Act, which prohibits any person from knowingly presenting or causing to be presented a false or fraudulent claim for payment of government funds, or making or causing a false statement material to a false or fraudulent claim. Pharmaceutical and health care companies have faced liability under this law for causing false claims to be submitted because they marketed a product for unapproved and non-reimbursable uses.
•Analogous state laws and regulations, including anti-kickback and false claims laws, which apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid or, in several states, regardless of the payer, including private payers.
Compliance with these and similar laws on a state-by-state basis is difficult, time consuming, and requires substantial resources. Any investigation, inquiry, or other legal proceeding under these laws related to our operations, even if we successfully defend against it, or any penalties imposed upon us for failure to comply, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition or reputation. Sanctions under these federal and state laws may include treble civil monetary penalties, payment of damages, fines, exclusion of our products from reimbursement under federal health care programs, imprisonment, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.
Government healthcare reform and other reforms could adversely affect our revenue, costs, and results of operations.
Our industry is highly regulated and changes in law or government health care programs may adversely impact our business, operations, or financial results. We cannot predict how future federal or state legislative or administrative changes related to healthcare reform will affect our business.
Political, economic, and regulatory influences may lead to fundamental changes in the U.S. healthcare industry, particularly given the current atmosphere of mounting criticism of prescription drug costs in the U.S. We expect there will continue to be legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that could impact our ability to commercialize and to sell our products profitably.
At the federal level, there have been and continue to be a number of healthcare-related legislative and regulatory initiatives and reforms that significantly affect the pharmaceutical industry. For example, the PPACA, enacted in 2010, substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and commercial payers, and has significantly impacted the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The PPACA is a broad measure intended to expand healthcare coverage within the United States,
36 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
primarily through the imposition of health coverage-related mandates on employers and individuals and expansion of the Medicaid program.
Additionally, there has been increasing legislative, regulatory, and enforcement interest in the United States regarding drug pricing practices. Among other things, there have been several U.S. Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things: bring more transparency to drug pricing; reduce the cost of prescription drugs under government payer programs; review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs; and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs.
Significantly, on August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the IRA into law. This statute marks the most significant action by Congress with respect to the pharmaceutical industry since adoption of the PPACA in 2010. Among other things, the IRA requires manufacturers of certain drugs to engage in price negotiations with Medicare (beginning in 2026), with prices that can be negotiated subject to a cap; imposes rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation (first due in 2023); and replaces the Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program with a new discounting program (beginning in 2025). The IRA permits the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. For that and other reasons, it is currently unclear how the IRA will be effectuated, and while the impact of the IRA on the pharmaceutical industry cannot yet be fully determined, it is likely to be significant.
Orenitram and Tyvaso DPI are both reimbursed under Medicare Part D. We anticipate paying increased rebates for Part D utilization of Tyvaso DPI and Orenitram when the Part D discounting program under the IRA is fully implemented in 2025, principally driven by the requirement for manufacturers to pay a 20 percent rebate on Part D drugs in the so-called “catastrophic phase” (the phase after the patient incurs costs above the initial phase out-of-pocket threshold, which will be $2,000 beginning in 2025). This will have an industry-wide impact on the cost of Part D drugs, including Tyvaso DPI and Orenitram. This could be offset, to some degree or to a large degree, by an expansion in the number of patients able to afford these medicines, but these impacts are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict.
In addition, Congress has recently enacted other statutes that could adversely affect our ability to successfully commercialize our products. Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, effective January 1, 2024, the statutory cap on Medicaid Drug Rebate program rebates that manufacturers pay to state Medicaid programs will be eliminated, which could increase our Medicaid rebate liability.
Individual states in the United States have also increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement limitations, marketing cost disclosure, and transparency measures, and, in some cases, measures designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs.
We anticipate that the IRA and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future may result in additional downward pressure on coverage and the payment that we receive for any approved product, and adversely impact our business. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare and other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payment from commercial payers. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our products. Further state and federal healthcare reform measures adopted in the future could limit the amounts that state and federal governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our products or additional pricing pressure.
In October 2020, the HHS and the FDA issued a final rule and guidance concerning two new pathways for importing lower-cost drugs into the United States. The final rule allows certain prescription drugs to be imported from Canada, and the guidance describes procedures for drug manufacturers to facilitate the importation of FDA-approved drugs and biologics manufactured abroad and originally intended for sale in a foreign country into the United States. More recently, the Biden administration reaffirmed its goal of taking further action with respect to the pharmaceutical industry, beyond implementation of the IRA. It is difficult to predict the impact, if any, of any such legislation or executive actions on the use of and reimbursement for our products in the United States, including the potential for the importation of generic versions of our products.
If we fail to comply with our reporting and payment obligations under the Medicaid Drug Rebate program or other governmental pricing programs, we could be subject to additional reimbursement requirements, penalties, sanctions, and fines, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
We participate in, and have certain price reporting obligations to, the Medicaid Drug Rebate program and other governmental programs that require us to pay rebates or offer discounts on our products. Certain programs, such as the 340B program and the VA FSS pricing program, impose limits on the price we are permitted to charge certain entities for our products or for any future products for which we receive regulatory approval. Statutory and regulatory changes regarding these programs and their requirements could negatively affect the coverage and reimbursement by these programs of our products or any future products for which we receive regulatory approval and could negatively impact our results of operations. Our failure to comply with these price reporting, rebate payment, or pricing requirements could adversely impact our financial results. Applicable laws and regulations, including the IRA, could affect our obligations in ways we cannot anticipate.
Pricing and rebate calculations vary among products and programs. The calculations are complex and are often subject to interpretation by us, governmental or regulatory agencies, and the courts. If we must restate or recalculate information provided under these programs, our costs of compliance could increase. Additionally, we could be held liable for errors associated with our submission of pricing data, including retroactive rebates and program refunds. We may incur significant civil monetary penalties if we are found to have knowingly submitted false average manufacturer price or best price information to the government, to have made a misrepresentation in our reporting of average sales price figures, to have knowingly provided false information in connection with a non-federal average manufacturing price filing, or to have charged 340B covered entities more than the statutorily mandated ceiling price. Certain failures to timely submit required data also could result in a civil monetary penalty for each day the information is late. We could also become subject to allegations under the False Claims Act and other laws and regulations. In addition, misreporting and failure to timely report data to CMS also can be grounds for CMS to terminate our Medicaid drug rebate agreement, pursuant to which we participate in the Medicaid Drug Rebate program. In the event that CMS terminates our rebate agreement, no federal payments would be available under Medicaid or Medicare Part B for our covered outpatient drugs.
CMS, the VA, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (OIG), and other governmental agencies have pursued manufacturers that were alleged to have failed to report data to the government in a timely manner. Governmental agencies may also make changes in program interpretations, requirements or conditions of participation, some of which may have implications for amounts previously estimated or paid. We cannot assure you that any submissions we are required to make under governmental drug pricing programs will not be found to be incomplete or incorrect.
Similar political, economic, and regulatory developments are occurring in other countries, including within the EU, and may affect the ability of pharmaceutical companies to profitably commercialize their products. In particular in the EU, and in addition to continuing pressure on prices and cost containment measures, legislative developments at the EU or member state level may result in significant additional requirements or obstacles that may increase operating costs. The delivery of healthcare in the EU, including the establishment and operation of health services and the pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical devices, is almost exclusively a matter for national, rather than EU, law and policy. National governments and health service providers have different priorities and approaches to the delivery of health care and the pricing and reimbursement of products in that context. In general, however, the healthcare budgetary constraints in most EU member states have resulted in restrictions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical devices by relevant health service providers. Coupled with ever-increasing EU and national regulatory burdens on those wishing to develop and market products, this could prevent or delay marketing approval or certification of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities, and affect our ability to commercialize our product candidates, if approved or certified. In markets outside of the United States and EU, reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary significantly by country, and many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific products and therapies.
We may be subject to enforcement action or penalties in connection with the contract pharmacy policy we have implemented pursuant to the 340B program.
We participate in the 340B program and have implemented a policy regarding the distribution of our drugs at 340B ceiling prices through third-party pharmacies that contract with 340B covered entities, known as “340B contract pharmacies”. Our policy responds to the increasing use of 340B contract pharmacies which, coupled with a lack of oversight and transparency, has resulted in increased risks of 340B statutory violations by 340B covered entities, such as the diversion of 340B-purchased drugs to individuals who are not patients of the 340B covered entity, and prohibited “duplicate discounts” when 340B-purchased drugs trigger a Medicaid rebate. These program integrity risks have been exacerbated by the exponential growth in the use of 340B contract pharmacies over the past decade. Under our 340B contract pharmacy policy, which we adopted to address these risks, our drugs are only shipped at the 340B ceiling price to those 340B contract pharmacies that meet certain criteria. Our policy has no impact on 340B purchases by 340B covered entities themselves. Our contract pharmacy policy preserves patient access, while addressing compliance and integrity concerns resulting from the proliferation of contract pharmacies. Nonetheless, certain 340B covered entities and the HHS, in a non-binding (and now-retracted) Advisory Opinion, stated that, in their view, manufacturers in the 340B program are obligated to sell 340B drugs at the 340B ceiling prices to all contract pharmacies acting as agents of a covered entity.
We and certain other manufacturers initiated litigation challenging the Advisory Opinion and HRSA’s position on contract pharmacies generally. HHS subsequently withdrew the Advisory Opinion, but HRSA issued letters to manufacturers, including us, threatening enforcement action if the manufacturers do not abandon their 340B contract pharmacy policies. We filed suit against HHS and HRSA on June 23, 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. On September 22, 2021, HRSA sent to us, along with the other manufacturers challenging HRSA’s 340B interpretation, letters stating that HRSA was referring this issue to the OIG for potential enforcement action. We have not had any communication from the OIG regarding our 340B contract pharmacy policy. On November 5, 2021, the court granted our motion for summary judgment, ruling that the letters threatening enforcement action “contain legal reasoning that rests upon an erroneous reading of Section 340B.” HRSA filed a notice of appeal on December 28, 2021. That appeal has been fully briefed, and we are awaiting the court’s decision. If HRSA prevails on appeal or develops a new theory of liability, we may face enforcement action or penalties as well as adverse publicity. We expect the compliance of policies like ours will continue to be litigated.
If we are unable to curb the proliferation of abuses caused by 340B contract pharmacies, we could see increased sales at 340B ceiling prices, which could have a material adverse impact on our revenues.
38 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Patient assistance programs for pharmaceutical products have come under increasing scrutiny by governments, legislative bodies, and enforcement agencies. These activities may result in actions that effectively reduce prices or demand for our products, harm our business or reputation, or subject us to fines or penalties.
Company-sponsored patient assistance programs, including insurance premium and co-pay assistance programs and manufacturers’ donations to third-party charities that provide such assistance, are subject to heightened scrutiny. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken enforcement action against pharmaceutical companies alleging violations of the Federal False Claims Act and other laws in connection with patient assistance programs. In December 2017, we entered into a civil Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Government to resolve a DOJ investigation of our support of non-profit patient assistance programs and paid $210.0 million, plus interest, to the U.S. Government upon settlement. We also entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement (the CIA) with the OIG, which required us to maintain our corporate compliance program and to undertake a set of defined corporate integrity obligations for five years ending December 2022.
Members of Congress have called upon the OIG to issue revised guidance about patient assistance programs. Actions taken by the OIG, the DOJ or other agencies as a result of this industry-wide inquiry could reduce demand for our products and/or coverage of our products by federal and state health care. If any or all of these events occur, our business, prospects, and stock price could be materially and adversely affected.
Payers and pharmacy benefit managers have developed mechanisms to limit the benefits patients receive under co-pay assistance programs through imposing so-called co-pay accumulator or maximizer programs. These programs do not allow a patient using co-pay assistance to count the manufacturer’s co-payment contribution toward their annual out-of-pocket payment maximum/deductible. Once the co-pay benefit has been exhausted, patients are faced with paying the full out-of-pocket maximum/deductible. Some states have passed legislation to limit the use of co-pay accumulator programs, while some other states have indicated that these programs should be allowed to limit cost of care and encourage patients to use lower cost generics. In addition, some states have imposed restrictions on manufacturer co-pay programs when therapeutic equivalents are available. Growing use of such programs, or new laws limiting manufacturer ability to provide co-pay assistance, could affect patient access to our products and limit product utilization, which may, in turn, adversely affect our business, prospects, and stock price.
Improper handling of hazardous materials used in our activities could expose us to significant remediation liabilities.
Our research and development and manufacturing activities involve the controlled use of chemicals and hazardous substances. We are expanding these activities in both scale and location. Patients may dispose of our products using means we do not control. Such activities subject us to numerous federal, state, and local environmental and safety laws and regulations that govern the management, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials. Compliance with current and future environmental laws and regulations can require significant costs. The risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be completely eliminated. Once chemical and hazardous materials leave our facilities, we cannot control the manner in which such hazardous waste is disposed of by our contractors. We could be liable for substantial civil damages or costs associated with the cleanup of the release of hazardous materials and such liability could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The increasing use of social media platforms presents new risks and challenges.
Social media is increasingly being used to communicate information about our products and the diseases that our therapies are designed to treat. Social media practices in our industry continue to evolve and regulations related to such use are not always clear. This evolution creates uncertainty and risk of noncompliance. For example, patients and others may use social media channels to comment on the effectiveness of a product or to report an alleged adverse event. When such disclosures occur, we may fail to monitor and comply with applicable adverse event reporting obligations or we may not be able to defend against political and market pressures generated by social media due to restrictions on what we may say about our products. There is also a risk of inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information or negative or inaccurate comments about us on any social networking website. If any of these events occur or we otherwise fail to comply with applicable regulations, we could incur liability, face overly restrictive regulatory actions, or incur other harm to our business.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property and Data Privacy
If any of the agreements under which we license or acquired intellectual property rights are breached or terminated, we could lose our rights to continue to develop, manufacture, and sell the products covered by such agreements.
Our business depends upon our continuing ability to exploit our intellectual property rights acquired from third parties under product license and purchase agreements covering drugs or other products or technology. We may be required to license additional intellectual property owned by third parties to continue to develop and commercialize our products. This dependence on intellectual property developed by others involves the following risks:
•We may be unable to obtain rights to intellectual property that we need for our business at a reasonable cost or at all;
•If any of our product licenses or purchase agreements are terminated, we may lose our rights to develop, make, and sell the products to which such licenses or agreements relate;
•Our rights to develop and market products to which the intellectual property relates are frequently limited to specific territories and fields of use (such as treatment of particular diseases); and
•If a licensor of intellectual property fails to maintain the intellectual property licensed, we may lose any ability to prevent others from developing or marketing similar products covered by such intellectual property. In addition, we may be forced to incur substantial costs to maintain the intellectual property ourselves or take legal action seeking to force the licensor to do so.
Our intellectual property rights may not effectively deter competitors from developing competing products that, if successful, could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profits.
The period under which our commercial and developmental therapies are protected by our patent rights is limited. Three of our U.S. patents covering our current methods of synthesizing and producing treprostinil, the active ingredient in Tyvaso, Tyvaso DPI, Remodulin, and Orenitram, expired in October 2017, and three more will expire in 2028. Our patents related to our individual treprostinil-based products expire at various times between 2024 and 2035. We entered into settlement agreements with a number of generic drug companies permitting certain companies to launch generic versions of Remodulin in the United States and other companies to launch generic versions of Orenitram and Tyvaso in the United States. A U.S. patent for Adcirca for treatment of pulmonary hypertension expired in November 2017, and FDA-conferred regulatory exclusivity expired in May 2018, leading to the launch of a generic version of Adcirca in August 2018. We have no issued patents or pending patent applications covering Unituxin. For further details, please see Part I, Item 1.—Business—Patents and Other Proprietary Rights, Strategic Licenses, and Market Exclusivity—Generic Competition and Challenges to our Intellectual Property Rights.
We cannot be sure that our existing or any new patents will effectively deter or delay competitors’ efforts to bring new products to market, or that additional patent applications will result in new patents. When our patents expire, competitors may develop generic versions of our products and market them at a lower price to compete with our products. Competitors may also seek to design around our patents or exclude patented methods of treatment, such as patent-protected indications, from the label for generic versions of our products in an effort to develop competing products that do not infringe our patents. In addition, patent laws of foreign jurisdictions may not protect our patent rights to the same extent as the patent laws of the United States.
Third parties have challenged, and may in the future challenge, the validity of our patents, through patent litigation and/or initiating proceedings, including re-examinations, IPRs, post-grant reviews, and interference proceedings, before the USPTO or other applicable patent filing offices, or other means. For example, Liquidia is challenging various patents related to Tyvaso and our other treprostinil-related patents.
Patent litigation can be time consuming, distracting, and costly, and the outcome may be difficult to predict and unfavorable to us. If we are unsuccessful in the defense of our patents, our business could be negatively impacted. Even if our patents are determined to be valid or enforceable, a competitor could circumvent our patents by effectively designing around the claims of our patents. Accordingly, our patents may not provide us with any competitive advantage.
We also rely on trade secrets to protect our proprietary know-how and other technological advances that we do not publicly disclose. Our confidentiality agreements with our Unitherians and others to whom we disclose trade secrets and confidential information may not necessarily prevent our trade secrets from being used or disclosed without our authorization. These agreements may be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to enforce or may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure. If our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent such third party, or those to whom they communicate such technology or information, from using that technology or information to compete with us, and our business and competitive position could be harmed.
Third parties may allege that our products or services infringe their patents and other intellectual property rights, which could result in the payment of royalties that negatively affect our profits, subject us to costly and time-consuming litigation, or cause us to lose the ability to sell the related products.
To the extent third-party patents to which we currently do not hold licenses are necessary for us to manufacture, use, or sell our products, we would need to obtain necessary licenses to prevent infringement. For products or services that utilize intellectual property of strategic collaborators or other suppliers, such suppliers may have an obligation to secure the needed license to these patents at their cost; if not, we would be responsible for the cost of these licenses. Royalty payments and other fees under these licenses would erode our profits from the sale of related products and services. Moreover, we may be unable to obtain these licenses on acceptable terms or at all. If we fail to obtain a required license or are unable to alter the design of the product to avoid infringing a third-party patent, we would be unable to continue to manufacture or sell related products.
If a third party commences legal action against us for infringement, we may incur significant costs to defend the action and our management’s attention could be diverted from our day-to-day business operations, whether or not the action has merit. An adverse judgment or settlement resulting from the action could require us to pay substantial amounts in damages for infringement or to obtain a license to continue to use the intellectual property that is the subject of the infringement claim, or could result in injunctive relief limiting our ability to develop, manufacture, or sell our products.
Information technology security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to legal responsibility which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.
We are increasingly dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure, much of which is outsourced to third parties including in “cloud” based platforms. We collect, store, and use sensitive or confidential data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our suppliers, customers, and business partners, and personally identifiable information. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. We are
40 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
subject to laws and regulations in the United States and abroad, such as HIPAA and EU regulations related to data privacy, which require us to protect the privacy and security of certain types of information. Our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers, breached due to employee error, malfeasance, or other disruptions, or subject to system failures. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable, or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may be difficult to detect for long periods of time, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures. Any breaches or failures could compromise sensitive and confidential information stored on our networks or those of third parties and expose such information to public disclosure, loss, or theft. Any actual or alleged unauthorized access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, disruption of our operations, and damage to our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Costs we may incur as a result of any of the foregoing, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Financing Capacity, Indebtedness, and Investments
If we need additional financing and cannot obtain it, our product development and sales efforts may be limited.
We may be required to seek additional sources of financing to meet unplanned or planned expenditures. Unplanned expenditures could be significant and may result from necessary modifications to product development plans or product offerings in response to difficulties encountered with clinical trials. We may also face unexpected costs in preparing products for commercial sale, or in maintaining sales levels of our currently marketed therapeutic products. Our 2022 Credit Agreement contains affirmative and negative covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness. If we are unable to obtain additional funding on commercially reasonable terms or at all, we may be compelled to delay clinical studies, curtail operations, or obtain funds through collaborative arrangements that may require us to relinquish rights to certain products or potential markets.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service or repay our indebtedness, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.
We may borrow up to $2.0 billion under our 2022 Credit Agreement, which matures in March 2027. Currently, our outstanding principal balance is $800.0 million. Our ability to repay or refinance our debt obligations under our 2022 Credit Agreement and any future debt that we may incur will depend on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to a number of factors beyond our control. We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal and interest on our indebtedness. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flows to satisfy our debt obligations would materially and adversely affect our financial position and results of operations. If we cannot repay or refinance our debt as it becomes due, we may be forced to take disadvantageous actions, including reducing or delaying investments and capital expenditures, disposing of material assets or operations, seeking additional debt or equity capital, or restructuring or refinancing our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, such actions may not enable us to meet any such debt service obligations. In addition, our ability to withstand competitive pressures and to react to changes in our industry could be impaired.
Our portfolio of investments is subject to market, interest, operational, and credit risk that may reduce its value.
We maintain a portfolio of investments that includes: (1) corporate debt securities; (2) strategic investments in publicly-traded equity securities; and (3) strategic debt and equity investments in privately-held companies. These investments are subject to general economic conditions, volatility in the financial marketplace, market- and industry-wide dynamics, changes in interest rates, industry- and company-specific developments impacting the business, prospects, and credit ratings of the issuer of the securities, and other factors, each of which has affected, and may in the future affect, the income that we receive from our investments, the net realizable value of our investments, and our ability to sell them. These factors have caused, and could in the future cause, us to: (a) experience a decline in our investment income; (b) record impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of our investment portfolio; or (c) sell investments for less than our acquisition cost; each of which in turn could negatively impact our liquidity and our earnings. Our efforts to mitigate these risks through diversification of our investments and monitoring of our portfolio’s overall risk profile may not be successful and the value of our investments may decline. The privately-held companies we have invested in may be particularly susceptible to the factors described above as these companies are typically in the early stages of developing technologies or products that may never materialize, which could result in a loss of all or a substantial part of our investment in these companies.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
The price of our common stock can be highly volatile and may decline.
The price of common stock can be highly volatile within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. Consequently, significant price and volume fluctuations in the market may not relate to operating performance. The price of our common stock could decline sharply due to general market conditions as well as the following factors, among others:
•quarterly and annual financial results and any failure to meet our expectations or those of securities analysts;
•timing of enrollment and results of our clinical trials;
•announcements regarding generic or other challenges to the intellectual property related to our products, the launch of generic versions of our products or other competitive products, such as sotatercept or Yutrepia, and the impact of competition from generic and other products on our revenues;
•announcements regarding litigation matters, including our ongoing patent litigation with Liquidia related to its NDA for Yutrepia, among others;
•announcements regarding our efforts to obtain FDA approval of, and to launch commercial sales of, new products;
•physician, patient, investor, or public concerns regarding the efficacy and/or safety of products marketed or being developed by us or by others;
•changes in, or new laws and regulations affecting reimbursement of, our therapeutic products by government payers, changes in reimbursement policies of private insurance companies, and negative publicity surrounding the cost of high-priced therapies;
•announcements of technological innovations or new products or announcements regarding our existing products, including in particular the development of new, competing therapies;
•substantial sales of our common stock by us or our existing shareholders, or concerns that such sales may occur;
•future issuances of common stock by us or other activity which could be viewed as being dilutive to our shareholders;
•rumors or incorrect statements by investors and/or analysts concerning our company, our products, or our operations;
•failures or delays in our efforts to obtain or maintain domestic or international regulatory approvals;
•discovery of previously unknown problems with our marketed products, or problems with our manufacturing, regulatory, compliance, promotional, marketing or sales activities that result in regulatory penalties or restrictions on our products, up to the withdrawal of our products from the market; and
•accumulation of significant short positions in our common stock by hedge funds or other investors or the significant accumulation of our common stock by hedge funds or other institutional investors with investment strategies that may lead to short-term holdings.
Provisions of Delaware law, our charter, bylaws and employment and license agreements, among other things, could prevent or delay a change of control or change in management that may be beneficial to our public shareholders.
Certain provisions of Delaware law, our restated certificate of incorporation, and our ninth amended and restated bylaws may prevent, delay, or discourage a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest; the assumption of control by a holder of a large block of our securities; and/or the replacement or removal of current management by our shareholders. For example, as a result of our conversion to a PBC, our Board is required to consider and balance the financial interests of shareholders, the interests of stakeholders materially affected by our conduct, and the pursuit of our specific public benefit purpose when evaluating takeover offers. This requirement of Delaware PBC law may make our company a less attractive takeover target than a traditional for-profit corporation.
Non-competition and all other restrictive covenants in most of our employment agreements will terminate upon a change of control that is not approved by our Board. Similarly, a change of control, under certain circumstances, could accelerate the vesting of outstanding stock options, and restricted stock units. Any increase in our stock price resulting from the announcement of a change of control, and our broad-based change of control severance program, under which Unitherians may be entitled to severance benefits if they are terminated without cause (or they terminate their employment for good reason) following a change of control, could make an acquisition of our company significantly more expensive to the purchaser.
We enter into certain license agreements that generally prohibit our counterparties or their affiliates from taking necessary steps to acquire or merge with us, directly or indirectly throughout the term of the agreements, plus a specified period thereafter. We are also party to certain license agreements that restrict our ability to assign or transfer the rights licensed to us to third parties, including parties with whom we wish to merge, or those attempting to acquire us. These agreements often require that we obtain prior consent of the counterparties if we contemplate a change of control. If these counterparties withhold consent, related agreements could be terminated and we would lose related license rights. For example, Lilly and MannKind have the right to terminate our license agreements related to Adcirca and Tyvaso DPI, respectively, in the event of certain change of control transactions. These restrictive change of control provisions could impede or prevent mergers or other transactions that could benefit our shareholders.
Our shareholders must rely on stock appreciation for any return on their investment in us.
We have never paid, and do not intend to pay, cash dividends. Our 2022 Credit Agreement may restrict us from doing so. As a result, the return on an investment in our common stock depends entirely upon the future appreciation, if any, in the price of our common stock.
42 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Our exclusive forum bylaw may limit our shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other Unitherians.
Our bylaws provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, unless we agree in writing to an alternative forum, (a) the Delaware Court of Chancery (or, if such court does not have, or declines to accept, jurisdiction, another state court or a federal court located in Delaware) will be the exclusive forum for any complaint asserting any internal corporate claims, including claims in the right of the corporation based upon a violation of a duty by a current or former director, officer, Unitherian, or stockholder in such capacity, or as to which the Delaware General Corporation Law confers jurisdiction upon the Court of Chancery, and (b) the federal district courts will be the exclusive forum for any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The choice of forum provision may limit our shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other Unitherians, and may discourage such lawsuits. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision. If a court ruled the choice of forum provision was inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs to resolve such action in other jurisdictions. Our choice of forum provision is intended to apply to the fullest extent permitted by law to the above-specified types of actions and proceedings, including any derivative actions asserting claims under state law or the federal securities laws. Our shareholders will not be deemed, by operation of the choice of forum provision, to have waived our obligation to comply with all applicable federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
In 2021, we converted to a Delaware PBC. Conversion may not result in the benefits that we anticipate, requires our directors to balance the interest of shareholders with other interests, and may subject us to additional litigation and other risks.
In 2021, our shareholders approved an amendment to our restated certificate of incorporation to become a PBC, and we completed the conversion to a PBC that same day. While our Board believes that our conversion to a PBC is in the best interest of shareholders, our status as a PBC may not result in the benefits that we anticipate. For example, we may not be able to achieve our public benefit purpose or realize the expected positive impacts from being a PBC.
One of the primary distinctions between a PBC and a traditional Delaware for-profit corporation is that, in making decisions, the directors of a PBC have an obligation to balance the financial interests of shareholders, the interests of stakeholders materially affected by the PBC’s conduct, and the pursuit of the corporation’s specific public benefit purpose. The application of this balancing obligation may allow our directors to make decisions that they could not have made pursuant to the fiduciary duties applicable prior to PBC conversion. There is no guarantee that our Board will resolve conflicts among the financial interests of our shareholders, our specific public benefit purpose, or stakeholders materially affected by our conduct, in favor of our shareholders’ financial interests. For instance, in a sale of control transaction, our Board would be required to consider and balance the factors listed above and might choose to accept an offer that does not maximize short-term shareholder value due to its consideration of other factors. This requirement of Delaware PBC law may make our company a less attractive takeover target than a traditional for-profit corporation.
A Delaware PBC must also provide its shareholders with a statement, at least every other year, as to the PBC’s assessment of the success of its efforts to promote its public benefit purpose and the best interests of those materially affected by the PBC's conduct. If the public perceives that we are not successful in promoting our public benefit purpose, or that our pursuit of our public benefit purpose is having a negative effect on the financial interests of our shareholders, that perception could negatively affect our reputation, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and stock price. In addition, Delaware's PBC statute may be amended to require more explicit or burdensome reporting requirements that could increase the time and expense required to comply.
As a Delaware PBC, we may be subject to increased litigation risk.
Shareholders of a Delaware PBC (if they, individually or collectively, own the lesser of (1) two percent of the PBC’s outstanding shares; or (2) shares with a market value of $2 million or more on the date the lawsuit is instituted) can file a derivative lawsuit claiming the directors failed to balance shareholder and public benefit interests. Traditional Delaware for-profit corporations are not subject to this potential liability. As a PBC, we may be subject to increased derivative litigation, which may be costly and require management’s attention, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, there is currently limited case law involving PBCs (including case law interpreting and applying the balancing obligation of PBC directors), which may expose us to additional litigation risk generally until additional case law develops or additional legislative action is taken.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
Maryland—We own a 415,000 square foot combination laboratory and office building complex in Silver Spring, Maryland that serves as our co-headquarters, is used to manufacture our products, and houses one of our ex vivo lung perfusion centers. These manufacturing activities include the synthesis of treprostinil, the active ingredient in Tyvaso, Tyvaso DPI, and Remodulin, and treprostinil diolamine, the active ingredient in Orenitram, as well as dinutuximab, the active ingredient in Unituxin. We also manufacture Tyvaso, Remodulin, and Unituxin drug product in our Silver Spring complex.In 2019, we completed construction of a new cell culture and purification facility. In early 2021, we decided to repurpose this facility to produce manufactured lungs for clinical studies.
North Carolina—We own a 380,000 square foot combination manufacturing facility and office building in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (RTP facility), which serves as our co-headquarters and is occupied by our clinical research and development, commercialization, and our logistics and manufacturing personnel. We manufacture Orenitram drug product and we package, warehouse, and distribute Tyvaso, Remodulin, Orenitram, and Unituxin at this location. We also own a 170-acre site containing approximately 217,000 square feet of building space adjacent to our RTP facility, which we use for our research, development, and manufacturing facilities related to our lung regeneration program, office space, and for future expansion.
We believe that these facilities, along with various other owned and leased facilities, are adequate for our current operations and that additional land and facilities for future expansion are reasonably available.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Currently, and from time to time, we are subject to claims in legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. While we presently believe that the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, will not materially harm our financial position, cash flows or results of operations, legal proceedings are inherently uncertain, and unfavorable rulings could, individually or in aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results. Please refer to Note 14—Litigation, to our consolidated financial statements, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “UTHR”.
Number of Holders
As of February 15, 2023, there were 32 holders of record of our common stock.
Dividend Policy
We have never paid and have no present intention to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, and our 2022 Credit Agreement contains covenants that may restrict us from doing so. We intend to retain any earnings for use in our business operations.
44 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
We did not repurchase any of our outstanding equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Comparison of Five-Year Total Cumulative Shareholder Return
The following chart shows the performance from December 31, 2017 through December 31, 2022 of our common stock, compared with an investment in the stocks represented in each of the Nasdaq U.S. Benchmark TR Index and the Nasdaq U.S. Benchmark Pharmaceuticals TR Index, assuming the investment of $100 at the beginning of the period and the reinvestment of dividends, if any.
Item 6. [Reserved]
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes to our consolidated financial statements. All statements in this filing are made as of the date this Report is filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and other sections of this Report contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, which are based on our beliefs and expectations about future outcomes and on information available to us through the date this Report on Form 10-K is filed with the SEC, include, among others, statements related to the following:
•Expectations of revenues, expenses, profitability, cash flows, and growth in the number of patients being treated with our products, including anticipated growth in the number of Tyvaso patients as a result of the expansion of its label to include pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD) and anticipated growth in revenues following the recent commercial launch of Tyvaso DPI;
•The sufficiency of our cash on hand to support operations;
•Our ability to obtain financing on terms favorable to us or at all;
•Our ability to obtain and maintain domestic and international regulatory approvals;
•Our ability to maintain attractive pricing and reimbursement levels for our products, in light of increasing competition, including from generic products, pressure from government and other payers to decrease the costs associated with healthcare, including the potential impact of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) on our business;
•The expected volume and timing of sales of our commercial products, as well as potential future commercial products, including the anticipated effect of various research and development efforts on sales of these products;
•The timing and outcome of clinical studies, other research and development efforts, and related regulatory filings and approvals;
•The outcome of pending and potential future legal and regulatory actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory and government enforcement agencies, and the anticipated duration of regulatory exclusivity for our products;
•The timing and outcome of ongoing litigation, including the lawsuit filed against us by Sandoz, Inc. and Liquidia PAH, LLC (formerly known as RareGen, LLC); our patent and trade secret litigation with Liquidia Technologies, Inc. (Liquidia) related to its new drug application (NDA) for Yutrepia; our litigation with Humana Inc., United Healthcare Services, Inc., MSP Recovery Claims, Series LLC, and related entities; and our litigation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Health Resource Services Administration related to the Public Health Service’s 340B drug pricing program;
•The impact of competing therapies on sales of our commercial products, including the impact of generic versions of Adcirca and Remodulin; established therapies such as Uptravi; and newly-developed therapies such as Merck’s sotatercept and Liquidia’s Yutrepia;
•The expectation that we will be able to manufacture sufficient quantities and maintain adequate inventories of our commercial products, through both our in-house manufacturing capabilities and third-party manufacturing sites, and our ability to obtain and maintain related approvals by the FDA and other regulatory agencies;
•The adequacy of our intellectual property protection and the validity and expiration dates of the patents we own or license, as well as the regulatory exclusivity periods for our products;
•The effect of our recent conversion to a Delaware public benefit corporation;
•Any statements that include the words “believe,” “seek,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” “project,” “intend,” “estimate,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “plan,” or similar expressions; and
•Other statements contained or incorporated by reference in this Report that are not historical facts.
We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous evolving risks and uncertainties that we may not be able to accurately predict or assess, and that may cause our actual results to differ materially from anticipated results, including the risks and uncertainties we describe in Part I, Item 1A—Risk Factors of this Report and factors described in other cautionary statements, cautionary language, and risk factors set forth in our other filings with the SEC.
46 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Overview of Marketed Products
We market and sell the following commercial products:
•Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI. Tyvaso is an inhaled formulation of the prostacyclin analogue treprostinil, approved by the FDA and regulatory authorities in Argentina, Israel, and Japan to improve exercise ability in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Tyvaso was also approved by the FDA in March 2021 and by regulators in Israel in December 2022 to improve exercise ability in patients with PH-ILD. In May 2022, we also obtained FDA approval of Tyvaso DPI to treat PAH and PH-ILD, and we initiated commercial shipments of Tyvaso DPI to our distributors in June 2022.
•Remodulin, a continuously-infused formulation of treprostinil, approved by the FDA for subcutaneous and intravenous administration to diminish symptoms associated with exercise in patients with PAH. Remodulin has also been approved in various countries outside of the United States. In February 2021, we launched U.S. sales of the Remunity Pump, a new subcutaneous delivery system for Remodulin.
•Orenitram, a tablet dosage form of treprostinil, approved by the FDA to delay disease progression and improve exercise capacity in PAH patients.
•Unituxin, a monoclonal antibody approved in the United States, Canada, and Japan for treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma.
•Adcirca, an oral PDE-5 inhibitor approved by the FDA to improve exercise ability in PAH patients.
For additional detail regarding our commercial products, see Part I, Item 1—Business—Our Commercial Products.
Research and Development
We are engaged in research and development of new indications and delivery devices for our existing products. We recently developed a new pump for Remodulin, called the Remunity Pump, and are currently developing a new version of the Remunity Pump.We are also working with a medical device manufacturer to develop new delivery systems for Remodulin. We are studying Tyvaso in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (the TETON studies).
In addition, we are developing new products to treat PAH (RemoPro and ralinepag). We are also heavily engaged in early-stage research and development of a number of organ transplantation-related technologies including regenerative medicine, 3-D organ bioprinting, xenotransplantation, and ex vivo lung perfusion. For additional detail regarding our research and development programs, see Part I, Item 1—Business—Research and Development.
Revenues
Our total revenues consist primarily of sales of the commercial products noted above, together with associated sales of delivery devices (in the case of Remodulin, Tyvaso, and Tyvaso DPI). We have entered into separate, non-exclusive distribution agreements with Accredo Health Group, Inc. and its affiliates and Caremark, L.L.C. to distribute Tyvaso, Tyvaso DPI, Remodulin, the Remunity Pump, and Orenitram in the United States, and we have entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with ASD Specialty Healthcare, Inc., an affiliate of AmerisourceBergen Corporation, to distribute Unituxin in the United States. We also sell Tyvaso, Remodulin, and Unituxin to distributors internationally. We sell Adcirca through the pharmaceutical wholesale network of Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly). To the extent we have increased the price of any of these products, increases have typically been in the single-digit percentages per year, except for Adcirca, the price of which is set solely by Lilly.
We require our specialty pharmaceutical distributors to maintain reasonable levels of inventory reserves for our treprostinil-based therapies because the interruption of these therapies can be life threatening. Our specialty pharmaceutical distributors typically place monthly or semi-monthly orders based on current utilization trends and contractual minimum and maximum inventory requirements. As a result, sales of our treprostinil-based therapies can vary depending on the timing and magnitude of these orders and do not precisely reflect changes in patient demand.
Operating Expenses
We devote substantial resources to our various clinical trials and other research and development efforts, which are conducted both internally and through third parties. From time to time, we also license or acquire additional technologies and compounds to be incorporated into our development pipeline. Our operating expenses include the costs described below.
Cost of Sales
Our cost of sales primarily includes costs to manufacture our products, royalty and sales-based milestone payments under license agreements granting us rights to sell related products, direct and indirect distribution costs incurred in the sale of our products, and the costs of inventory reserves for current and projected obsolescence. These costs also include share-based
compensation and salary-related expenses for direct manufacturing and indirect support personnel, quality review and release for commercial distribution, direct materials and supplies, depreciation, facilities-related expenses, and other overhead costs.
Research and Development
Our research and development expenses primarily include costs associated with the research and development of products and post-marketing research commitments. These costs also include share-based compensation and salary-related expenses for research and development functions, professional fees for preclinical and clinical studies, costs associated with clinical manufacturing, facilities-related expenses, regulatory costs, and costs associated with payments to third-party contract manufacturers before FDA approval of the relevant product. Expenses also include costs for third-party arrangements, including upfront fees and milestone payments required under license arrangements for therapies under development. We do not track fully-burdened research and development expenses by individual product candidate.
Selling, General, and Administrative
Our selling, general, and administrative expenses primarily include costs associated with the commercialization of approved products and general and administrative costs to support our operations. Selling expenses also include share-based compensation, salary-related expenses, product marketing and sales operations costs, and other costs incurred to support our sales efforts. General and administrative expenses also include our core corporate support functions such as human resources, finance and legal, and external costs to support our core business such as insurance premiums, legal fees, and other professional service fees.
Share-Based Compensation
Historically, we granted stock options under our Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan and awards under our Share Tracking Awards Plan (the STAP). Issuance of awards under both of these plans was discontinued in 2015. Currently, we grant stock options and restricted stock units under the United Therapeutics Corporation Amended and Restated 2015 Stock Incentive Plan (as amended to date, the 2015 Plan), which provides for the issuance of up to 11,500,000 shares of our common stock, including the 500,000 shares added pursuant to an amendment and restatement of the 2015 Plan approved by our shareholders in June 2022. In February 2019, our Board of Directors approved the 2019 Inducement Stock Incentive Plan (the 2019 Inducement Plan), which provides for the issuance of up to 99,000 shares of our common stock pursuant to awards granted to newly-hired Unitherians. Currently, we grant equity-based awards to Unitherians and members of our Board of Directors in the form of stock options and restricted stock units under the 2015 Plan, and we may grant restricted stock units to newly-hired Unitherians under the 2019 Inducement Plan. The grant date fair values of stock options and restricted stock units are recognized as share-based compensation expense ratably over their vesting periods.
The fair value of STAP awards and stock options is measured using inputs and assumptions under the Black-Scholes-Merton model. The fair value of restricted stock units is measured using our stock price on the date of grant. Although we no longer grant STAP awards, we had approximately 0.6 million STAP awards outstanding as of December 31, 2022. We account for STAP awards as liabilities because they are settled in cash. As such, we must re-measure the fair value of STAP awards at the end of each financial reporting period until the awards are no longer outstanding. Changes in our liability associated with outstanding STAP awards as a result of such re-measurements are recorded as adjustments to share-based compensation expense (benefit) and can create substantial volatility within our operating expenses from period to period. The following factors, among others, have a significant impact on the amount of share-based compensation expense (benefit) recognized in connection with STAP awards from period to period: (1) volatility in the price of our common stock (specifically, increases in the price of our common stock will generally result in an increase in our liability and related compensation expense, while decreases in our stock price will generally result in a reduction in our liability and related compensation expense); and (2) decreases in the number of outstanding awards.
Future Prospects
We anticipate that overall revenue growth over the near-term will be driven primarily by: (1) growth in sales of Tyvaso as a result of the expansion of its label to include PH-ILD; (2) growth in sales of the newly-launched Tyvaso DPI; (3) continued growth in the number of patients prescribed Orenitram following our expansion of the Orenitram label to reflect the results of the FREEDOM-EV study; and (4) modest price increases for some of our products; partially offset by further generic erosion of Adcirca sales. We believe that additional revenue growth in the medium- and longer-term will be driven by new products and new indications for existing products being developed in our pipeline, as described above under Part I, Item 1—Business—Research and Development.
Our ability to achieve our objectives, grow our business, and maintain profitability will depend on many factors, including among others: (1) the timing and outcome of preclinical research, clinical trials, and regulatory approval applications for products we develop; (2) the timing and degree of our success in commercially launching new products; (3) the demand for our products; (4) the price of our products and the reimbursement of our products by public and private health insurance organizations, including the impact on such prices and reimbursement amounts as a result of the IRA; (5) the competition we face within our industry,
48 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
including competition from generic companies and new PAH therapies; (6) our ability to effectively manage our business in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment; (7) our ability to defend against challenges to our patents; and (8) the risks identified in Part I, Item 1A—Risk Factors, included in this Report.
We operate in a highly competitive market in which a small number of large pharmaceutical companies control a majority of available PAH therapies. These pharmaceutical companies are well established in the market and possess greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than we do. In addition, there are a number of investigational products in late-stage development that, if approved, may erode the market share of our existing commercial therapies and make market acceptance more difficult to achieve for any therapies we attempt to market in the future.
Results of Operations
This section of this Report generally discusses 2022, 2021, and 2020 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2022 and 2021. Discussions of year-to-year comparisons between 2021 and 2020 that are not included in this Report can be found in Part II, Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations of our Form 10-K filed on February 24, 2022 (our 2021 Annual Report).
Revenues
The table below presents the components of total revenues (dollars in millions):
Year Ended December 31, Dollar Change Percentage Change
Net product sales:
(1) Net product sales include both the drug product and the respective inhalation devices for both Tyvaso and Tyvaso DPI.
(2) Net product sales include sales of infusion devices, such as the Remunity Pump.
(3) Calculation is not meaningful.
Net product sales from our treprostinil-based products (Tyvaso, Remodulin, and Orenitram) grew by $271.0 million in 2022, as compared to 2021.
Tyvaso net product sales increased in 2022, as compared to 2021, primarily due to an increase in quantities sold and, to a lesser extent, the impact of a price increase and lower gross-to-net deductions. The increase in quantities sold was driven by the commercial launch of Tyvaso DPI in June 2022 and continued growth in the number of patients following the PH-ILD label expansion in March 2021.
Remodulin net product sales decreased in 2022, as compared to 2021, due to a $15.9 million decrease in U.S. Remodulin net product sales, partially offset by a $2.4 million increase in international Remodulin net product sales. The decrease in U.S. Remodulin net product sales was driven by a decrease in quantities sold, partially offset by lower gross-to-net deductions.
Orenitram net product sales increased in 2022, as compared to 2021, primarily due to a price increase and lower gross-to-net deductions.
Unituxin net product sales decreased in 2022, as compared to 2021, primarily due to a decrease in quantities sold, partially offset by a price increase.
Adcirca net product sales decreased in 2022, as compared to 2021, due to a decline in quantities sold as a result of generic competition for Adcirca and higher gross-to-net deductions.
Gross-to-Net Deductions
We recognize revenues net of: (1) rebates and chargebacks; (2) prompt pay discounts; (3) allowance for sales returns; and (4) distributor fees. These are referred to as gross-to-net deductions and are primarily based on estimates reflecting historical experiences as well as contractual and statutory requirements. We currently estimate our allowance for sales returns using reports from our distributors and available industry data, including our estimate of inventory remaining in the distribution channel. The tables below include a reconciliation of the liability accounts associated with these deductions (in millions):
Provisions attributed to sales in:
Payments or credits attributed to sales in:
Provisions attributed to sales in:
Payments or credits attributed to sales in:
Provisions attributed to sales in:
Prior periods (0.2) — — (0.3) (0.5)
Payments or credits attributed to sales in:
50 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Cost of Sales
The table below summarizes cost of sales by major category (dollars in millions):
Year Ended December 31, Dollar Change Percentage Change
Category:
(1)Refer to Share-Based Compensation section below for discussion.
Cost of sales, excluding share-based compensation. The increase in cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, was primarily due to an increase in royalty expense and product costs for Tyvaso DPI following the commercial launch of the product in June 2022.
Research and Development
The table below summarizes the nature of research and development expense by major expense category (dollars in millions):
Year Ended December 31, Dollar Change Percentage Change
Category:
(1)External research and development primarily includes fees paid to third parties (such as clinical trial sites, contract research organizations, and contract laboratories) for preclinical and clinical studies and payments to third-party contract manufacturers before FDA approval of the relevant product.
(2)Internal research and development primarily includes salary-related expenses for research and development functions, internal costs to manufacture product candidates before FDA approval, and internal facilities-related expenses, including depreciation, related to research and development activities.
(3)Refer to Share-Based Compensation section below for discussion.
(4)Impairments primarily includes impairment charges to write-down the carrying value of in-process research and development (IPR&D) and of certain property, plant, and equipment as a result of research and development activities.
(5)Other primarily includes upfront fees and milestone payments to third parties under license agreements related to development-stage products, adjustments to the fair value of our contingent consideration obligations, and a one-time expense associated with the redemption of a pediatric disease priority review voucher in 2021.
(6)Calculation is not meaningful.
Research and development, excluding share-based compensation. The decrease in research and development expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, was due to: (1) a $107.3 million IPR&D impairment charge related to our March 2021 decision to discontinue the U.S. development of Trevyent; (2) a $105.0 million purchase of a pediatric disease priority review voucher in January 2021, which we redeemed upon submission of our NDA for Tyvaso DPI; and (3) impairment charges related to property, plant, and equipment during 2021.
Selling, General, and Administrative
The table below summarizes selling, general, and administrative expense by major category (dollars in millions):
Year Ended December 31, Dollar Change Percentage Change
Category:
(1)Refer to Share-Based Compensation section below for discussion.
General and administrative, excluding share-based compensation. The increase in general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, was primarily due to: (1) an increase in branded prescription drug fee expense associated with sales of Tyvaso; and (2) impairment charges related to property, plant, and equipment. The branded prescription drug fee is a required fee imposed under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which became applicable to Tyvaso in 2021, and is now applicable to Tyvaso DPI, as a result of their approval for treatment of PH-ILD, an indication that currently does not have orphan designation from the FDA.
Share-Based Compensation
The table below summarizes share-based compensation expense by major category (dollars in millions):
Year Ended December 31, Dollar Change Percentage Change
Category:
Employee stock purchase plan 1.8 1.8 1.5 — 0.3 — % 20 %
The table below summarizes share-based compensation expense by line item in our consolidated statements of operations (dollars in millions):
Year Ended December 31, Dollar Change Percentage Change
The decrease in share-based compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, was primarily due to: (1) a decrease in STAP expense driven by a 29 percent increase in our stock price during 2022, as compared to a 42 percent increase in our stock price during 2021; and (2) a decrease in stock option expense due to fewer awards granted and remaining outstanding in 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, partially offset by an increase in restricted stock unit expense. Refer to Note 8—Share-Based Compensation, to our consolidated financial statements for more information.
52 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Other (Expense) Income, Net
The change in other (expense) income, net for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, was primarily due to net unrealized and realized gains and losses on equity securities. Refer to Note 4—Investments and Note 5—Fair Value Measurements, to our consolidated financial statements for more information.
Income Tax Expense
Income tax expense was $223.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $118.1 million for the same period in 2021. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, our effective income tax rates (ETR) were approximately 23 percent and 20 percent, respectively. Our ETR for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased, as compared to our ETR for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to an increase in valuation allowance in the current year compared to a decrease in the prior year, and an increase in the reserve for uncertain tax positions, partially offset by an increase in excess tax benefits from share-based compensation. For additional details, refer to Note 10—Income Taxes to our consolidated financial statements.
Financial Condition, Liquidity, and Capital Resources
We have funded our operations principally through sales of our commercial products and, from time-to-time, third-party financing arrangements. We believe that our current sources of liquidity are sufficient to fund ongoing operations and future business plans as we expect aggregate growth in revenues from our commercial products. Furthermore, our customer base remains stable and we believe that it presents minimal credit risk. However, any projections of future cash flows are inherently subject to uncertainty and we may seek other forms of financing. In March 2022, we entered into a credit agreement (the 2022Credit Agreement), which provides for unsecured revolving credit facilities of up to $2.0 billion in the aggregate. Our aggregate outstanding balance under the 2022 Credit Agreement, which matures in 2027, was $800.0 million and classified as a non-current liability in our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2022. See Unsecured Revolving Credit Facilities below for further details.
For information regarding the fluctuation explanations between 2021 and 2020, refer to our 2021 Annual Report.
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Marketable Investments
Cash and cash equivalents and marketable investments comprise the following (dollars in millions):
Year Ended December 31, Dollar Change Percentage Change
Cash Flows
Cash flows comprise the following (dollars in millions):
Year Ended December 31, Dollar Change Percentage Change
Operating Activities
Our operating assets and liabilities consist primarily of accounts receivable, inventories, accounts payable, accrued expenses, liabilities for our STAP awards, and tax-related payables and receivables.
The increase of $204.3 million in net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, was primarily due to: (1) a $105.0 million purchase of a pediatric disease priority review voucher during the year ended December 31, 2021; and (2) a $12.9 million decrease in cash paid to settle STAP awards. The remainder of the increase in cash provided by operating activities was due to other changes in assets and liabilities.
Investing Activities
The increase of $324.6 million in net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, was primarily due to: (1) a $317.2 million increase in cash used for total purchases, sales, and maturities of marketable investments; and (2) a $18.0 million increase in cash paid to purchase property, plant, and equipment.
Financing Activities
The increase of $30.6 million in net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, was primarily due to a $38.4 million increase in proceeds from the exercise of stock options, partially offset by a $7.5 million increase in payments of debt issuance costs related to the 2022 Credit Agreement.
Unsecured Revolving Credit Facilities
In March 2022, we entered into the 2022 Credit Agreement, which provides for unsecured revolving credit facilities of up to $2.0 billion in the aggregate. On March 31, 2022, we borrowed $800.0 million under the facilities and used the funds to repay outstanding indebtedness under our then-existing credit agreement (the 2018 Credit Agreement). The aggregate balance of $800.0 million under our 2022 Credit Agreement remained outstanding as of both December 31, 2022 and February 22, 2023. Refer to Note 7—Debt, to our consolidated financial statements.
Contractual Obligations
As of December 31, 2022, we had the following contractual obligations (in millions):
Payments Due by Period
Total Less than 1 year 2-3 Years 4-5 Years More than 5 Years
Obligations under the STAP(2) 76.4 76.4 — — —
(1)Long-term debt obligations include future principal and interest payments on our adjusted variable rate obligations under the 2022 Credit Agreement, assuming contractual maturity of the 2022 Credit Agreement. The 2022 Credit Agreement will mature in March 2027. As of December 31, 2022, we have classified the entire $800.0 million outstanding balance as a non-current liability because we do not intend to repay any portion of this amount within one year. Refer to Note 7—Debt to our consolidated financial statements for further details.
(2)Estimated based on the intrinsic value of exercisable outstanding STAP awards as of December 31, 2022. Refer to Note 8—Share-Based Compensation—STAP Awards to our consolidated financial statements for further details.
(3)Consists of actuarially derived, undiscounted, estimated future payouts of benefits. Refer to Note 11—Employee Benefit Plans—Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan to our consolidated financial statements for further details.
(4)Purchase obligations primarily include: (1) commitments related to research and development (including clinical trials) for new and existing products; (2) open purchase orders for capital expenditures primarily related to our continued investment in construction of additional facilities to support the development and commercialization of our products and technologies; and (3) open purchase orders for the acquisition of goods and services in the ordinary course of business. The timing and amount of our obligations may differ based on certain future events.
(5)In addition to amounts in the table above, we are contractually obligated to make payments upon the achievement of various development, regulatory, and commercial milestones for agreements we have entered into with third parties. These payments are contingent upon the occurrence of various future events, some of which have a high degree of uncertainty of occurring. These contingent payments have not been included in the table above, and, except with respect to the fair value of the contingent consideration obligations, are not recorded in our consolidated balance sheets. Refer to Note 12—Commitments and Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements for further details.
(6)As of December 31, 2022, our other non-current liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets includes a liability of $15.9 million for unrecognized tax benefits, including related interest and penalties. Due to the high degree of uncertainty on the timing of future events that could extinguish these unrecognized tax benefits, we are unable to estimate the period of settlement and therefore we have excluded these unrecognized tax benefits from the table above. Refer to Note 10—Income Taxes to our consolidated financial statements for further details.
54 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Obligations Under License Agreements
We pay Lilly a royalty equal to ten percent of our net product sales of Adcirca, as well as milestone payments of $325,000 for each $1,000,000 in Adcirca net product sales. We pay a single-digit percentage royalty based on net product sales of Orenitram under our license agreement with Supernus. We also pay The Scripps Research Institute a one percent royalty on sales of Unituxin. We have entered into other license agreements under which we are required to make milestone payments upon the achievement of certain developmental and commercialization objectives and royalty payments upon the commercialization of products covered by the license agreements. Refer to Note 12—Commitments and Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements for further details.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We hold an interest in an unconsolidated variable interest entity (VIE). We determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of this entity. As a result, we do not consolidate this VIE. Refer to Note 4—Investments—Variable Interest Entities. We do not have any other off-balance sheet arrangements within the meaning of Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation S-K.
Summary of Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). GAAP requires that we make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts and timing reported in our consolidated financial statements. As we become aware of updated information or new developments, these estimates and assumptions may change and materially impact reported amounts. We consider the following accounting policies to be critical to our consolidated financial statements because they require the use of our judgment and estimates (including those that are forward-looking) in their application.
Revenue Recognition
We generate revenues from the sale of our commercial products: Tyvaso, Tyvaso DPI, Remodulin, Orenitram, Unituxin, and Adcirca. Revenue is recognized when we transfer control of our products to our distributors, as our contracts have a single performance obligation (delivery of our product). These revenues are subject to various product sales allowances, referred to as gross-to-net deductions, which are deducted from revenues to determine net product sales. For a description of our related accounting policies, refer to Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Revenue Recognition to our consolidated financial statements.
The following category of gross-to-net deductions involves the use of significant estimates and judgments and information obtained from external sources.
Rebates and Chargebacks
Our most significant rebates relate to our participation in state Medicaid programs, contractual rebates to certain of our domestic distributors, and contractual rebates offered to managed care organizations covering Medicare Part D and commercial plans. Chargebacks relate to our participation in programs with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and 340B covered entities. Although we accrue for our allowance for rebates and chargebacks in the same period that we recognize revenue, the actual rebate or chargeback on the sale of our product to a distributor is not invoiced to us until a future period, generally within six months from the date of sale. Due to this time lag, we must estimate the amount of rebates and chargebacks to accrue. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had a liability of $81.3 million and $67.8 million, respectively, related to rebates and chargebacks.
Estimates associated with our participation in state Medicaid programs are particularly susceptible to adjustment given the extensive time lag that may occur between our recording of an accrual and its ultimate invoicing by individual state Medicaid programs, which can occur up to several years after the sale of our product. Because of the time lag for Medicaid and other rebates, in any particular quarter, our adjustments may incorporate revisions of accruals for prior quarters. Historically, adjustments to our estimates to reflect actual results or updated expectations have not been material to our overall financial results. Provisions attributed to sales in prior periods have been less than one percent of our total revenues for each of the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020.
For a roll-forward of the liability accounts associated with our gross-to-net deductions, see the section above entitled Results of Operations—Gross-to-Net Deductions.
Share-Based Compensation
Our share-based awards are classified as either liabilities (STAP awards) or as equity (stock options, restricted stock units, and rights to purchase stock under our employee stock purchase plan). We recognize related share-based compensation expense based on (1) the fair value of outstanding STAP awards on the grant date and at the end of each reporting period; (2) the grant date fair value of stock options and restricted stock units; and (3) the purchase date fair value of stock under our employee stock purchase plan. With the exception of restricted stock units, we estimate the fair value of all share-based awards using the Black-Scholes-Merton valuation model. We measure the fair value of restricted stock units using the stock price on the grant date. Valuation models, like the Black-Scholes-Merton model, require the use of subjective assumptions that could materially impact the estimation of fair value and related compensation expense to be recognized. These assumptions include the expected volatility of our stock price and the expected term of awards. Developing these assumptions requires the use of judgment. For additional information on the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes-Merton valuation model, see Note 8—Share-Based Compensation, to our consolidated financial statements.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
See Note 3—Recently Issued Accounting Standards, to our consolidated financial statements for information on our anticipated adoption of recently issued accounting standards.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Investment Risk
As of December 31, 2022, we have invested $3.2 billion in corporate debt securities and U.S. government and agency securities. The market value of these investments varies inversely with changes in prevailing market interest rates. In general, as interest rates increase, the market value of a debt investment would be expected to decrease. Conversely, as interest rates decrease, the market value of a debt investment would be expected to increase. During 2022, we experienced significant volatility in the value of these investments as a direct result of the current interest rate environment. To address market risk, we invest in debt securities with terms no longer than three years and typically hold these investments to maturity so that they can be redeemed at their stated or face value. Many of our investments may be called by their respective issuers prior to maturity. The following table summarizes the expected maturities and weighted average interest rates as of December 31, 2022 (dollars in millions):
Expected Maturity
Weighted average interest rate 1.1 % 1.7 % 3.2 %
During sustained periods of instability and uncertainty in the financial markets, we may be subjected to additional investment-related risks that could materially affect the value and liquidity of our investments. In light of these risks, we actively monitor market conditions and developments specific to the securities and security classes in which we invest. In addition, we believe that we maintain a conservative investment approach in that we invest exclusively in unstructured, highly-rated securities with relatively short maturities that we believe reduce our exposure to undue risks. While we believe that we take prudent measures to mitigate investment related risks, such risks cannot be fully eliminated, as circumstances can occur that are beyond our control.
Interest Rate Risk
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had $800.0 million aggregate principal amounts outstanding under our 2022 Credit Agreement and 2018 Credit Agreement, respectively, which bears interest at a variable rate. As a result, we are subject to interest rate risk with respect to such floating-rate debt. A 100 basis point increase in the variable interest rate component of our borrowings would increase our annual interest expense by approximately $8.0 million or 25 percent, and $8.0 million or 43 percent, for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Refer to Note 7—Debt, to our consolidated financial statements.
56 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Stock Price Risk
As of both December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had 0.6 million and 1.1 million awards outstanding under our Share Tracking Awards Plan, respectively. These awards are referred to as STAP awards. STAP awards convey the right to receive in cash an amount equal to the appreciation of our common stock, which is measured as the increase in the closing price of our common stock between the dates of grant and exercise. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the aggregate STAP awards liability balance was $80.8 million and $102.4 million, respectively. Estimating the fair value of STAP awards requires the use of certain inputs that can materially impact the determination of fair value and the amount of share-based compensation expense (benefit) we recognize. Inputs used in estimating fair value include the price of our common stock, the expected volatility of the price of our common stock, the risk-free interest rate, the expected term of STAP awards, and the expected dividend yield. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, a one dollar change in our stock price would, holding other factors constant, increase or decrease the fair value of our STAP awards liability by approximately $0.5 million and $1.0 million, respectively.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we held investments in equity securities with readily determinable fair values of $30.7 million and $70.4 million, respectively, which are included in current marketable investments in our consolidated balance sheets. Our investments in these publicly-traded equity securities are recorded at fair value and are subject to market price volatility. Changes in the fair value of these investments are recorded in our consolidated statements of operations within other (expense) income, net. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, a price change of 10 percent would increase or decrease the fair value of these investments by $3.1 million and $7.0 million, respectively.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
United Therapeutics Corporation
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 42) F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 F-5
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-10
F-1 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of United Therapeutics Corporation:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of United Therapeutics Corporation (the Company) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a)(2) (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 22, 2023, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements; and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Revenue Reductions — Accounting for Rebates
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2003.
Tysons, Virginia
February 22, 2023
F-3 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of United Therapeutics Corporation:
Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited United Therapeutics Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, United Therapeutics Corporation (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022 and the related notes and financial statement schedule of the Company listed in the Index at Item 15(a)(2) and our report dated February 22, 2023, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Tysons, Virginia
February 22, 2023
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In millions, except share and per share data)
December 31,
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 961.2 $ 894.8
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net 44.5 44.6
Property, plant, and equipment, net 861.5 780.9
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 229.9 $ 174.6
Share tracking awards plan 80.8 102.4
Other current liabilities 32.5 28.4
Other non-current liabilities 104.6 104.8
Commitments and contingencies—Note 12
Stockholders’ equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (55.5) (23.0)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 6,044.5 $ 5,169.1
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-5 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In millions, except per share data)
Year Ended December 31,
Operating expenses:
Impairments of investments in privately-held companies (1.7) (2.3) (9.1)
Total other (expense) income, net (29.1) 38.0 45.3
Net income per common share:
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
(In millions)
Year Ended December 31,
Other comprehensive (loss) income:
Defined benefit pension plan:
Actuarial gain (loss) arising during period, net of tax 18.7 5.6 (8.0)
Total defined benefit pension plan, net of tax 19.3 6.2 (6.7)
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax (32.5) (8.8) —
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-7 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
(In millions)
Shares Amount
Unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities — — — 6.7 — — 6.7
Defined benefit pension plan — — — (6.7) — — (6.7)
Shares issued under employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) 0.1 — 4.7 — — — 4.7
Common stock issued for restricted stock units (RSUs) vested 0.1 — — — — — —
RSUs withheld for taxes — — (3.7) — — — (3.7)
Exercise of stock options 0.4 — 33.8 — — — 33.8
Share-based compensation — — 66.0 — — — 66.0
Cumulative effect of accounting change — — — — — (0.8) (0.8)
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities — — — (15.0) — — (15.0)
Defined benefit pension plan — — — 6.2 — — 6.2
Shares issued under ESPP 0.1 — 5.6 — — — 5.6
Common stock issued for RSUs vested 0.1 — — — — — —
RSUs withheld for taxes — — (10.8) — — — (10.8)
Exercise of stock options 0.4 — 50.0 — — — 50.0
Share-based compensation — — 51.9 — — — 51.9
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities — — — (51.8) — — (51.8)
Defined benefit pension plan — — — 19.3 — — 19.3
Shares issued under ESPP 0.1 — 5.9 — — — 5.9
Common stock issued for RSUs vested 0.1 — — — — — —
RSUs withheld for taxes — — (11.4) — — — (11.4)
Exercise of stock options 0.8 — 88.4 — — — 88.4
Share-based compensation — — 60.1 — — — 60.1
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In millions)
Year Ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities:
Impairments of investments in privately-held companies 1.7 2.3 9.1
Impairments of property, plant, and equipment 11.2 19.2 5.4
Intangible asset impairment charges — 113.4 —
Realized gain on sale of investment in privately-held company (6.2) — —
Realized gain on sale of equity securities (0.9) (92.6) (3.4)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses 44.5 (12.5) 38.6
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant, and equipment (138.8) (120.8) (59.3)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant, and equipment — — 2.4
Purchases of available-for-sale debt securities (1,708.6) (1,895.3) (2,308.8)
Sales of available-for-sale debt securities — 47.6 76.5
Sales of investments in equity securities 3.8 111.5 27.3
Sale of investment in privately-held company 8.6 — —
Proceeds from note receivable 3.5 — —
Purchase of investment in privately-held company (1.5) — —
Net cash used in investing activities (811.5) (486.9) (738.5)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from line of credit 800.0 — —
Repayment of line of credit (800.0) — (50.0)
Payments of debt issuance costs (7.5) — (1.7)
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options 88.4 50.0 33.8
Proceeds from the issuance of stock under ESPP 5.9 5.6 4.7
RSUs withheld for taxes (11.4) (10.8) (3.7)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 75.4 44.8 (16.9)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents $ 66.4 $ 156.1 $ 0.3
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 894.8 738.7 738.4
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year $ 961.2 $ 894.8 $ 738.7
Supplemental cash flow information:
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
Non-cash additions to property, plant, and equipment $ 14.5 $ 3.7 $ 3.5
Receivable from maturity of available-for-sale debt securities $ 70.0 $ — $ —
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-9 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
1.Organization and Business Description
United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening conditions. On September 30, 2021, we converted to a Delaware public benefit corporation (PBC), with the express public benefit purpose to provide a brighter future for patients through (a) the development of novel pharmaceutical therapies; and (b) technologies that expand the availability of transplantable organs.
We have approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the following therapies: Tyvaso® (treprostinil) Inhalation Solution (Tyvaso), Tyvaso DPI® (treprostinil) Inhalation Powder (Tyvaso DPI), Remodulin® (treprostinil) Injection (Remodulin), Orenitram® (treprostinil) Extended-Release Tablets (Orenitram), Unituxin® (dinutuximab) Injection (Unituxin), and Adcirca® (tadalafil) Tablets (Adcirca). We also derive revenues outside the United States from sales of Tyvaso, Remodulin, and Unituxin.
As used in these notes to our consolidated financial statements, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “we”, “us”, “our”, and similar terms refer to United Therapeutics Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements of United Therapeutics Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. In Note 10—Income Taxes, we reclassified certain prior period amounts between the various components of the reconciliation of income tax expense to conform with the current period presentation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of our consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We base our estimates on assumptions regarding historical experience, currently available information, and anticipated developments that we believe are reasonable and appropriate. However, because the use of estimates involves an inherent degree of uncertainty, actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates are used for, but not limited to, revenue recognition, share-based compensation, determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations, marketable investments, fair value measurements (including those related to contingent consideration), inventory reserves, investments in privately-held companies, income taxes, goodwill and other intangible assets, and obligations related to our Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement. The objective of a fair value measurement is to estimate the price to sell an asset or transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. Such transactions to sell an asset or transfer a liability are assumed to occur in the principal market for that asset or liability, or in the absence of the principal market, the most advantageous market for the asset or liability.
Assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurement disclosures are required to be classified according to a three-level fair value hierarchy with respect to the inputs (or assumptions) used to determine fair value. The level in which an asset or liability is disclosed within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the related fair value measurement in its entirety. The guidance under the fair value measurement framework applies to other existing accounting guidance in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) codification that requires or permits fair value measurements. Refer to related disclosures in Note 5—Fair Value Measurements.
Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less from the date of acquisition.
Marketable Investments
Our marketable investments are primarily debt securities that we classify as available-for-sale. If we have both the positive intent and the ability to hold the securities until maturity, we have the option to classify the securities as held-to-maturity. We determine the appropriate classification of the securities at the time they are acquired and evaluate the appropriateness of such classifications at each balance sheet date. Available-for-sale debt securities are recorded at fair value, with the portion of the unrealized gains and losses that are not credit-related included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity, until realized. Held-to-maturity debt securities are recorded at amortized cost, adjusted for the amortization of discounts or premiums. Related discounts and premiums are amortized over the term of these securities as an adjustment to the yield using the effective interest method. Marketable investments are classified as either current or non-current assets in our consolidated balance sheets based on their contractual maturity dates.
We monitor our available-for-sale debt securities for impairment quarterly or more frequently if circumstances warrant. In the event that the carrying value of a debt security exceeds its fair value, we evaluate whether any impairment is a result of credit loss or other factors. For investments in an unrealized loss position, we determine whether a credit loss exists by considering information about the collectibility of the instrument, current market conditions, the investment issuer’s financial condition and business outlook, and reasonable and supportable forecasts of economic conditions. An allowance for credit losses would be recorded in our consolidated statements of operations in the event the decline in the investment’s fair value was a result of credit loss, and unrealized losses not related to credit losses would be recorded in other comprehensive income (loss).
Our marketable investments also include investments in publicly-traded companies. The equity securities we own in these companies are recorded at fair value. Changes in the fair value of publicly-traded equity securities are recorded in our consolidated statements of operations within other (expense) income, net.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out method) or net realizable value and consist of the following, net of reserves (in millions):
As of December 31,
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
The carrying amount of goodwill is not amortized but is subject to annual impairment testing. We conduct our impairment testing of goodwill annually during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if impairment indicators exist. Initially, we evaluate various pertinent qualitative factors to assess whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit to which goodwill has been assigned is less than its carrying value. Such qualitative factors can include, among others: (1) industry and market conditions; (2) present and anticipated sales and cost factors; and (3) overall financial performance. If we conclude based on our qualitative assessment that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we then measure the fair value of the reporting unit and compare its fair value to its carrying value (Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test). Following adoption of ASU 2017-04 on January 1, 2020, we are no longer required to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. The impairment charge is limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit, thus, the new standard eliminates the requirement to calculate a goodwill impairment charge using Step 2. We performed a qualitative assessment for our goodwill impairment testing for 2022, 2021, and 2020. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 our evaluation of goodwill did not result in any impairment losses.
Indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are evaluated annually or more frequently for impairment if impairment indicators exist. Our indefinite-lived intangible assets include purchased in-process research and development (IPR&D) assets, which were measured at their estimated fair values as of their acquisition dates. There were no impairment losses related to indefinite-lived intangible assets during the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we recognized IPR&D impairment charges of $113.4 million related to our decision to discontinue the U.S. development of Trevyent® and our decision to discontinue our research and development efforts related to biomechanical lungs, described in footnotes 1 and 2, respectively, to the Goodwill table below. There were no impairment losses related to indefinite-lived intangible assets during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Intangible assets subject to amortization are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an intangible asset may not be recoverable. Impairment losses are measured and recognized to the extent the carrying value of such assets exceeds their fair value. We recorded no impairment losses during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 related to intangible assets subject to amortization.
F-11 United Therapeutics, a public benefit corporation
Goodwill and other intangible assets comprise the following (in millions):
Gross Accumulated Amortization Net Gross Accumulated Amortization Net
Other intangible assets:
Technology, patents, and trade names 6.7 (5.7) 1.0 6.7 (5.6) 1.1
(1)In March 2021, we decided to discontinue the U.S. development of Trevyent due to written comments provided by the FDA in February 2021. The FDA provided these written comments following a meeting between us and the FDA to discuss our planned resubmission of our NDA for Trevyent in light of a complete response letter issued by the FDA in April 2020. We determined these FDA comments to be a potential indicator of impairment of our IPR&D asset related to Trevyent and fully impaired the $107.3 million IPR&D asset during 2021. The impairment charge was recorded within research and development in our consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021.
(2)In January 2021, we decided to discontinue our research and development efforts related to biomechanical lungs. As a result of the decision, we fully impaired the IPR&D asset related to these efforts, which had a carrying value of $6.1 million, during 2021. The impairment charge was recorded within research and development in our consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Related amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, was $0.1 million, $0.1 million, and $0.2 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, aggregate amortization expense related to definite-lived intangible assets for each of the five succeeding years and thereafter is estimated at less than $1.0 million per year.
Property, Plant, and Equipment
Property, plant, and equipment (PP&E) is recorded at cost and depreciated over its estimated useful life using the straight-line method. The estimated useful lives of PP&E by major category are as follows:
Land improvements 15 Years
Buildings 25-39 Years
Building improvements 10-39 Years
Furniture, equipment, and vehicles 3-25 Years
PP&E consists of the following (in millions):
As of December 31,
Land and land improvements $ 142.7 $ 132.6
Buildings, building improvements, and leasehold improvements 636.7 612.7
Buildings under construction 110.9 55.1
Furniture, equipment, and vehicles 353.9 322.9
Less—accumulated depreciation (382.7) (342.4)
Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, was $51.2 million, $49.8 million, and $49.7 million, respectively.
Buildings under construction consists of direct costs related to our construction projects.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded $11.2 million of PP&E impairment charges in the aggregate, which was recorded within selling, general, and administrative in our consolidated statements of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded $19.2 million of PP&E impairment charges in the aggregate, of which $16.7 million was recorded within research and development in our consolidated statements of operations and $2.5 million was recorded within selling, general, and administrative in our consolidated statements of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a $5.4 million PP&E impairment charge, which was recorded within selling, general, and administrative in our consolidated statements of operations.
In October 2021, we acquired a 141,960 square foot commercial building located in Silver Spring, Maryland for future expansion. The total purchase price was $50.9 million, inclusive of taxes, closing costs, and other related expenses, the majority of which was capitalized as land and land improvements based on our intended use of the property.
Investments in Privately-Held Companies