Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
You should read the following discussion and analysis together with “Item 6. Selected Financial Data” and our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under the caption “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing engineered monoclonal antibody and cytokine therapeutics to treat patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases who have unmet medical needs. We are advancing a broad portfolio of clinical-stage drug candidates from our proprietary XmAb® technology platforms. We use our protein engineering capabilities to increase our understanding of protein structure and interactions and to design new XmAb technologies and development candidates with improved properties. In contrast to conventional approaches to antibody design, which focus on the segment of antibodies that interact with target antigens, our protein engineering efforts and the XmAb technologies are focused on the Fc domain, the part of an antibody that interacts with multiple segments of the immune system and controls antibody structure. The Fc domain is constant and interchangeable among antibodies, and our engineered Fc domains, the XmAb technology, can be readily substituted for natural Fc domains.
Our protein engineering capabilities and XmAb technologies enable us and our partners to develop antibodies and biotherapeutic drug candidates with improved properties and function, which can provide innovative approaches to treating disease and potential clinical advantage over other treatment options. For example, our capabilities have enabled us to develop an antibody scaffold to rapidly create novel bispecific antibodies that bind two different targets simultaneously, creating entirely new biological mechanisms. Other applications of our XmAb technologies enhance antibody performance by increasing immune inhibitory activity, improving cytotoxicity, extending circulating half-life and stabilizing novel protein structures, such as engineered cytokines. Currently, there are two marketed drugs that have been developed with our XmAb technologies.
Refer to Part I, Item 1, "XmAb Bispecific Technologies" and "Other XmAb Fc Technologies" in the description of our business included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of our core Fc technology platforms.
COVID-19
We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to evaluate its impact on all aspects of our business, including how it will affect our partners, collaborations, supply chains and research and development operations. While the pandemic did not significantly disrupt our business during the year ended December 31, 2020, the evolving nature of the pandemic prevents us from reasonably predicting how the pandemic will affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows due to numerous uncertainties. These uncertainties include the scope, severity and duration of the pandemic, the actions taken to contain the pandemic or mitigate its impacts and the direct
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and indirect economic effects of the pandemic and containment measures, among others. Many states, including California, where we are headquartered and where our principal place of business is located, and cities therein have instituted quarantines, restrictions, rules and guidelines that affect the continued operation of businesses. Other countries and states where we conduct manufacturing of our drug product, testing activities and clinical sites where patients are enrolled in our clinical trials have enacted similar restrictions that could affect our ability to conduct our drug candidate development and clinical operations.
The potential impacts on our business, revenue, clinical studies and research and development activities of the COVID-19 pandemic include:
Our ability to earn revenue from these and other partnerships is dependent on the ability of our partners to generate sales from products, such Ultomiris® and Monjuvi®, the ability of our partners to advance their programs through regulatory approval, and the ability of our partners to advance our partnered programs into later stages of development, which provide us with potential milestone payments. If the pandemic continues for an extended period and adversely affects the sales or clinical, development and regulatory progress of partnered programs, the amount of revenue we could earn would be adversely affected.
Our development activities include initiating a Phase 1 study of XmAb564 in healthy volunteers and conducting IND-enabling studies for XmAb819. Several other bispecific antibody and cytokine programs are in earlier stages of development. During the third quarter of 2020, the manufacturers of our drug supplies notified us of critical shortages of materials used in their manufacturing processes due to pandemic-related reallocation of resources. The shortages will not affect our current clinical programs as we have sufficient drug supply to continue the ongoing trials without interruption. However, the shortages
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have extended the development timelines of early-stage development candidates, including XmAb819, by three to six months based on current information from our vendors. The development timelines for additional early-stage programs and ongoing clinical programs could be affected if the supply interruption extends longer than current estimates.
Advancements in our Clinical Portfolio of XmAb Bispecific Antibodies and Cytokine Candidates
Our modular XmAb bispecific technology and protein engineering capabilities enable us to rapidly advance multiple drug candidates into clinical development. We and our partners are currently enrolling Phase 1 studies for seven wholly owned or co-development candidates to treat patients with many different types of cancer, and an eighth, to be developed for patients with autoimmune disease, is expected to enter clinical development in early 2021.
Plamotamab (CD20 x CD3): At the ASH Annual Meeting in December 2019, we presented preliminary safety and anti-tumor activity from the Phase 1 dose-escalation study of plamotamab in B-cell malignancies, including from patients with relapsed or refractory NHL. The early results indicated that plamotamab was generally well tolerated and demonstrated encouraging clinical activity as a monotherapy. We are currently enrolling patients in the ongoing monotherapy dose-escalation study and plan to initiate additional studies in 2021.
In November 2020, we entered a strategic clinical collaboration with MorphoSys AG to investigate the chemotherapy-free triple combination of plamotamab, tafasitamab and lenalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, first-line DLBCL and relapsed or refractory FL. Plamotamab, which redirects T cells to tumors, and tafasitamab, a CD19-directed XmAb antibody, combine powerful and distinct immune pathways, and this collaboration is designed to generate new clinical insights and accelerate development timelines for the program. MorphoSys and Incyte will provide tafasitamab for the studies, which we will sponsor and fund. Tafasitamab is co-commercialized in the U.S. by MorphoSys and Incyte and is marketed as Monjuvi. Monjuvi, the second product with XmAb technology to be approved for commercial marketing, was approved by the U.S. FDA in July 2020.
XmAb717 (PD-1 x CTLA-4): In November 2020, we presented updated data from the Phase 1 study of XmAb717 in patients with multiple types of advanced solid tumors at the Annual Meeting of SITC. Five cohorts in the expansion portion of the study enrolled patients with melanoma, RCC, NSCLC, CRPC and other cancers without approved checkpoint therapies. XmAb717 was generally well-tolerated, and the most common treatment-related adverse events were irAEs; however, rates of irAEs, including colitis, were lower than typically observed with CTLA-4 blockade. The efficacy analysis included evaluable patients at the recommended dose level, 10.0 mg/kg. A complete response was observed in a patient with melanoma, and partial responses were observed in multiple tumor types, including melanoma, RCC, NSCLC, CRPC and ovarian cancer. The objective response rate across cohorts was 19%. Across the expansion cohorts, approximately half of evaluable patients had at least 10% tumor shrinkage from baseline assessments, and nearly all these reductions occurred in patients with prior checkpoint inhibitor treatment. The median duration of response was 119 days at the time of the data cut off, and 24 patients remained on treatment as of September 30, 2020.
Of nine patients with prostate cancer who had baseline and follow-up PSA assessments, one achieved a PSA reduction of greater than 50 percent. Two additional patients achieved reductions of greater than 30 percent, one of whom had an unconfirmed partial response by RECIST. Six of these nine patients remained on therapy as of the cut-off date. In the first half of 2021, we plan to initiate a Phase 1b study of XmAb717 for patients with certain molecular subtypes of CRPC, as a monotherapy or in combination depending on the subtype, as these patients represent a high unmet medical need.
Vibecotamab (CD123 x CD3): In December 2020, we presented updated data from the Phase 1 study of vibecotamab in patients with relapsed or refractory AML at the ASH Annual Meeting. While CRS was the most common adverse event, the majority was observed in the first dose and was generally manageable with premedication. The efficacy analysis included evaluable patients who received a dose of at least 0.75 mcg/kg, completed at least the first cycle of treatment and had at least one post-treatment disease assessment. Two patients achieved CR, and three patients achieved a CR with incomplete hematologic recovery. Additionally, two patients reached a morphologic leukemia-free state, and one patient experienced partial remission, as assessed by the investigator. The ORR was 15%. Responses
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appeared to be associated with lower baseline disease burden, indicated by patients with lower blast percentages and lower PD1 expression on CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Seven responders had a baseline blast count less than or equal to 25% blasts in bone marrow. The ORR increased to 26% when using this threshold to define the population with low disease burden for the analyses. We are continuing the dose escalation study and are reviewing data with our partner, Novartis, in planning additional studies of vibecotamab.
Tidutamab (SSTR2 x CD3): In October 2020, we presented initial dose-escalation data from the ongoing Phase 1 study in patients with NET. Tidutamab was generally well tolerated at the recommended dose identified for the expansion portion of the study. Peripheral blood biomarkers indicated tidutamab induced acute and sustained T-cell activation at this dose, and a dose-dependent increase in proliferation and activation markers of CD8+ T cells was observed, which is consistent with tidutamab’s mechanism of action. The best overall response was stable disease in the analysis to describe clinical activity, and the median duration of treatment was approximately seven months. Completion of enrollment and longer follow-up are required to evaluate progression-free survival and the clinical utility of tidutamab for patients with NETs, which are an indolent, slow-growing tumor type. Considering the biomarker analysis from this study and tidutamab’s encouraging safety profile, we plan to initiate an additional clinical study for patients with Merkel cell carcinoma and small cell lung cancer, SSTR2-expressing tumor types known to be responsive to immunotherapy, in early 2021.
XmAb306/RO7310729 (IL15/IL15Rα-Fc Cytokine):In March 2020, Genentech dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 dose-escalation study evaluating XmAb306, our first cytokine candidate, as a single agent and in combination with atezolizumab for patients with advanced solid tumors. XmAb306 is an IL15/IL15Rα-Fc fusion protein that incorporates our Xtend extended half-life technology, and we are co-developing this program, as well as other potential IL-15 programs, in collaboration with Genentech. We retain the right to perform clinical studies with XmAb306, as well as with other collaboration programs developed in combination with other therapeutic agents, subject to certain restrictions and at our sole expense. Genentech has dosed cohorts of the Phase 1 study of XmAb306 in combination with atezolizumab and at least one additional combination study is currently being planned.
XmAb564 (IL2-Fc Cytokine): XmAb564 is a wholly owned IL2-Fc fusion that we intend to develop for the treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases. In January 2021, the IND application for XmAb564 was allowed by the FDA, and we plan to initiate a Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers in early 2021.
XmAb698 (CD38 x CD3): In 2015, Amgen licensed rights to our preclinical CD38 x CD3 bispecific antibody program and developed AMG 424, which they evaluated in a Phase 1 study. Amgen terminated the program in the second quarter of 2020, indicating it was stopped for adverse events that were likely CD38 target related. Under the terms of the agreement, the rights to the CD38 program, including AMG 424, reverted to us. A new study is currently being planned to start later this year, for the program, which we have renamed XmAb698.
Additional wholly owned XmAb bispecific antibody programs in Phase 1 clinical studies include XmAb841 (CTLA-4 x LAG-3) and XmAb104 (PD-1 x ICOS). We continue enrolling patients with advanced solid tumors to these studies.
Advancements Expanding XmAb Bispecific Platforms
We conduct further research into the function and application of antibody Fc domains in order to expand the scope of our XmAb technology platforms and identify additional XmAb drug candidates. We use the modularity of our XmAb bispecific Fc technology to build bispecific antibodies and cytokines in a variety of formats, and we recently introduced CD3 bispecific antibodies of a mixed valency format, the XmAb 2+1 bispecific antibody. XmAb 2+1 bispecific antibodies may preferentially kill tumor cells with high target expression, which may be especially beneficial in designing antibodies that target solid tumors. This selectivity potentially empowers CD3 bispecifics to address an expanded set of tumor antigens. Our lead XmAb 2+1 bispecific antibody candidate is XmAb819, a first-in-class ENPP3 x CD3 bispecific antibody. ENPP3 is a tumor-associated antigen in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and exhibits low level expression on normal tissues. We presented preclinical data from this program and two other XmAb 2+1 bispecific antibody programs at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting II in June 2020, and we plan to submit an IND application for XmAb819 in 2021.
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Additionally, we have engineered CD28 bispecific antibodies to provide conditional CD28 co-stimulation of T cells, activating them when bound to tumor cells. Targeted CD28 bispecific antibodies may provide conditional co-stimulation of T cells, for example, to T cells recognizing neoantigens or in concert with CD3 T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies. Our CD28 platform is also the subject of our collaboration with Janssen Biotech, Inc., announced in December 2020, where we are creating and characterizing CD28 bispecific antibody candidates against a prostate tumor target specified by Janssen. We are also advancing our wholly owned CD28 candidates including our lead candidate, a B7-H3 x CD28 bispecific antibody designed to be evaluated for the treatment of patients with a range of solid tumors, and it is currently advancing through preclinical development. We presented preclinical data from the CD28 program at the SITC Annual Meeting in November 2020.
Progress Across Partnerships
A key part of our business strategy is to leverage our protein engineering capabilities, XmAb technologies and drug candidates with partnerships, collaborations and licenses. Through these arrangements we generate revenues in the form of upfront payments, milestone payments and royalties. For partnerships for our drug candidates, we aim to retain a major economic interest in the form of keeping major geographic commercial rights; profit-sharing; co-development options; and the right to conduct studies with drug candidates developed in the collaboration. The types of arrangements that we have entered with partners include product licenses, novel bispecific antibody collaborations, technology licensing agreements and strategic collaborations.
Product Licenses
Product licenses are arrangements in which we have internally developed drug candidates and, based on a strategic review, licensed partial or full rights to third parties to continue development and potential commercialization. We seek partners that can provide infrastructure and resources to successfully develop our drug candidates, have a track record of successfully developing and commercializing medicines, or have a portfolio of development-stage candidates and commercialized medicines which could potentially be developed in rational combinations with our drug candidates.
The U.S. FDA approved Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix), the second product with XmAb technology to be approved for commercial marketing, in July 2020. Monjuvi is a CD19-directed cytolytic antibody indicated in combination with lenalidomide for the treatment of certain adult patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, and it was created and initially developed by us. Monjuvi is co-commercialized in the U.S. by MorphoSys and Incyte. The European Marketing Authorization Application for tafasitamab is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency. In 2020, we earned a total of $37.5 million in regulatory milestones and royalties of $1.5 million on net sales of Monjuvi.
In February 2020, we granted Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc., subsequently acquired by Nestlé S.A., an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize the investigational humanized monoclonal antibody XmAb7195, which has been renamed AIMab7195. Aimmune indicated plans to develop AIMab7195 as an adjunctive treatment with its pipeline of oral immunotherapies to explore treatment outcomes in patients with food allergies. Nestlé is solely responsible for costs related to the development and potential commercialization of AIMab7195, and additional studies of AIMab7195 are planned. In 2020, Xencor received an upfront payment of $9.6 million in cash and Aimmune stock.
In October 2020, a second IL-15 cytokine candidate, which is engineered with a target-specific binding arm, was approved for further preclinical exploration under our Genentech collaboration. As a Collaboration Product under the agreement, we share in 45% of development and commercialization costs, while Genentech will pay for commercial launch costs, and we will receive a 45% share of net profits from sales from all collaboration products, while also sharing in the net losses at the same percentage rate. We are eligible to receive up to $180.0 million in clinical milestone payments for this candidate.
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In November 2020, we entered into an agreement with a newly formed, privately held biotechnology company to which we licensed the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize three preclinical-stage Fc-engineered drug candidates for autoimmune disease: XmAb6755, XPro9523 and XmAb10717. These programs incorporate an Xtend Fc Domain, a Cytotoxic Fc Domain, or both. We received a 15% equity interest in the company, and we will also receive royalties on net sales of approved products in the mid-single digit to mid-teen percentage range.
Novel Bispecific Antibody Collaborations
Novel bispecific antibody collaborations are arrangements in which our partner seeks to create a bispecific antibody using one or more of our XmAb bispecific technologies. Our partners provide an antibody or a tumor-associated antigen, and we conduct limited research and development to create potential bispecific antibody candidates for further development and commercialization by our partners.
In November 2020, we entered an agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc., focused on the discovery of XmAb bispecific antibodies against CD28, an immune co-stimulatory receptor on T cells, and an undisclosed prostate tumor target, for the potential treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Additionally, we have a right to access select, predefined agents from Janssen’s portfolio of clinical-stage drug candidates and commercialized medicines to evaluate potential combination therapies in prostate cancer with agents in our own pipeline, subject to some limitations. Janssen has the same right with our portfolio to evaluate potential combination therapies in prostate cancer, as well. The ability to study combinations of therapies from both companies’ prostate cancer portfolios leverages our broad clinical pipeline and Janssen's leading prostate cancer therapeutics portfolio. In 2020, we received a $50 million upfront payment from Janssen.
In 2020, we received a $2.5 million milestone payment related to our agreement with Astellas Pharma, Inc., which has advanced an XmAb bispecific candidate into IND enabling studies. Under our March 2019 agreement with Astellas, we applied our XmAb bispecific Fc technology to an antigen pair provided by Astellas and generated bispecific antibody candidates for further development by Astellas. In 2019, we completed delivery of the bispecific candidates to Astellas for further development and potential commercialization.
Other XmAb bispecific antibodies being developed by our partners include Amgen's AMG 509, a STEAP1 x CD3 XmAb 2+1 bispecific antibody, which being evaluated in a Phase 1 study for patients with prostate cancer, and an undisclosed bispecific antibody candidate being developed by Novartis, which is also in Phase 1 development.
Technology License Agreements
We enter into technology licensing agreements in which we license access to one or more of our XmAb Fc technologies on a restricted basis, typically to an XmAb Cytotoxic Fc Domain and/or the Xtend Fc Domain. Our partners are responsible for all research, development and commercialization activities of the drug candidates. The plug-and-play nature of XmAb technologies allows us to license access to our platforms with limited or no internal research and development activities.
Alexion’s Ultomiris uses Xtend Fc technology for longer half-life. Ultomiris has received marketing authorizations from regulatory agencies in the U.S., Europe and Japan for the treatment of adult patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and for patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Alexion is also evaluating Ultomiris in a broad late-stage development program across many indications in neurology and nephrology. In 2020, we earned $16.2 million in royalties and $10.0 million in sales-based milestone payments from Alexion.
In January 2020, we entered an agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc., under which Gilead has access to our Xtend and Cytotoxic XmAb Fc technologies for developing and commercializing elipovimab (GS-9722), Gilead’s effector-enhanced broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibody, as well as up to three additional anti-HIV antibodies. In 2020, Gilead exercised all three options. Gilead has advanced elipovimab and GS-9723 into Phase 1 clinical studies. In 2020, we received $13.5 million in upfront and option payments from Gilead.
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In March 2020, we entered a second agreement with Vir Biotechnology, Inc., under which Vir has non-exclusive access to our Xtend Fc technology to extend the half-life of novel antibodies being investigated as potential treatments for patients with COVID-19, as well as prophylactic use against infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Vir has commenced a Phase 3 clinical study of VIR-7831 for the early treatment of COVID-19 patients who are at high risk of hospitalization and has indicated plans to initiate a clinical study of VIR-7832 in the near future.
In August 2020, we entered into an agreement with Omeros Corporation, under which we provided Omeros a non-exclusive license to access our Xtend Fc technology, an exclusive license to apply Xtend Fc technology to an identified antibody and options to apply Xtend Fc technology to three additional antibodies. In 2020, we received an upfront payment of $5.0 million from Omeros.
In December 2020, we entered into an agreement with MiRagen Therapeutics, Inc., in which we provided MiRagen a non-exclusive license to our Xtend Fc technology and an exclusive license to apply our Xtend Fc technology to antibodies targeting IGF-1R. MiRagen subsequently changed its name to Viridian Therapeutics, Inc. We received an upfront payment of 322,407 shares of Viridian common stock valued at $6.0 million.
Strategic Collaborations
We enter into strategic collaborations where we can create synergies between our partners' strengths and assets and our own protein engineering capabilities, XmAb technologies and XmAb drug candidates. Through these arrangements we seek to create new drug candidates, investigate novel combination therapies and potentially identify additional indications for our portfolio of XmAb drug candidates.
In July 2020, we entered an agreement with Atreca, Inc., to research, develop and commercialize novel CD3 bispecific antibodies as potential therapeutics in oncology. We are conducting a three-year research program in which Atreca will provide antibodies against novel tumor targets through its discovery platform from which we will engineer XmAb bispecific antibodies that bind to the CD3 receptor on T cells. Up to two joint programs are eligible to be mutually selected for further development and commercialization, with each partner sharing 50% of costs and profits. Each company has the option to lead development, regulatory and commercialization activities for one of the two joint programs. In addition, the agreement allows each partner the option to pursue up to two programs independently, with a mid- to high-single digit percent royalty payable on net sales to the other partner.
In September 2020, we entered an agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, under which we will design and execute new investigator-sponsored clinical studies with our portfolio of XmAb drug candidates. We are committing $10.0 million in funding and supporting these studies over an initial five-year term.
In November 2020, we entered the clinical collaboration with MorphoSys and Incyte to investigate the combination of plamotamab, tafasitamab and lenalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, first-line DLBCL and relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL).
In December 2020, we entered into a second agreement with MD Anderson to develop novel CD3 bispecific antibody therapeutics for the potential treatment of patients with cancer. MD Anderson will work to identify and develop potential antibodies, and we will apply its our Fc bispecific technology to create therapeutic candidates. MD Anderson will then conduct and fund all preclinical activities to advance candidates toward clinical studies. We have certain exclusive options to license worldwide rights to develop and commercialize potential new medicines arising from the collaboration.
Refer to Part IV, Item 15, Note 10, "Collaboration and Licensing Agreements" of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of the key terms of our arrangements.
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Financial Operations Overview
Revenues
Our revenues to date have been generated primarily from our collaboration agreements, our product licensing agreements, and our technology licensing agreements. Revenue recognized from our collaboration and product licensing agreements includes non-refundable upfront payments, milestone payments and royalties on net sales of approved products while revenue from our technology licensing agreements includes upfront payments, option payments to obtain commercial licenses, milestone payments and royalties on net sales of approved products. Since our inception through December 31, 2020, we have generated $545.6 million in revenues under the various product development partnership and technology license arrangements. Several of our product development partnership and technology license agreements provide us the opportunity to earn future milestone payments, royalties on product sales and option exercise payments.
Summary of Collaboration and Licensing Revenue by Partner
The following is a comparison of collaboration, product licensing and technology licensing revenue for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 (in millions):
Year Ended
December 31,
Aimmune $ 9.6 $ — $ —
Amgen — 5.0 0.6
Astellas 3.5 14.0 —
Genentech 3.5 113.9 —
Gilead 13.5 — —
MiRagen/Viridian 6.0 — —
MorphoSys 39.0 — —
Novartis — 10.0 20.0
Omeros 5.0 — —
Vir 0.3 0.8 —
Private BioCo 16.1 — —
Research and Development Expenses
The following is a comparison of research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 (in millions):
Year Ended
December 31,
External research and development expenses $ 94.2 $ 52.2 $ 48.2
Internal research and development expenses 54.7 43.4 36.5
Stock based compensation 20.9 23.0 12.8
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Internal research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits, related personnel costs, supplies, and allocated overhead including facility costs. External research and development expenses include preclinical testing costs, clinical trial costs and fees paid to external service providers. External service providers include contract research organizations (CRO) and contract manufacturing organizations (CMO) to conduct clinical trials, manufacturing and process development, IND-enabling toxicology testing and formulation of clinical drug supplies. We expense research and development expenses as incurred. We account for nonrefundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities as expense when the service has been performed or when the goods have been received. We estimate contract manufacturing, preclinical study and clinical trial expenses based on the services performed pursuant to the contracts with manufacturing, research institutions and clinical research organizations that manufacture and conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical trials on our behalf based on the actual time and expenses incurred by them. We accrue expenses related to clinical trials based on the level of patient enrollment and activity according to the related agreement. We monitor patient enrollment levels and related activity to the extent reasonably possible and adjust estimates accordingly. Our estimates of clinical trial expense have fluctuated on a period-to-period basis due to changes in the stage of the clinical trials and patient enrollment levels. We expect to experience a continuing pattern of fluctuations in clinical trial expenses as current clinical trials are completed and as we initiate additional and later stage clinical trials. To date, we have not experienced significant differences between our periodic estimates of clinical trial expense and the actual costs incurred. We expect changes in future clinical trial expenses to be driven by changes in service provider costs and changes in clinical stage and patient enrollment.
We expect that our future research and development expenses will increase overspending levels in recent years if we are successful in advancing our current clinical-stage drug candidates or any of our preclinical programs into later stages of clinical development. The process of conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials necessary to obtain regulatory approval is costly and time-consuming. We or our partners may never succeed in achieving marketing approval for any of our product candidates. Numerous factors may affect the probability of success for each product candidate, including preclinical data, clinical data, competition, manufacturing capability, approval by regulatory authorities and commercial viability.
Our research and development operations are conducted such that design, management and evaluation of results of all of our research and development is performed internally, while the execution of certain phases of our research and development programs, such as toxicology studies in accordance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), and manufacturing in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), is accomplished using CROs and CMOs. We account for research and development costs on a program-by-program basis except in the early stages of research and discovery, when costs are often devoted to identifying preclinical candidates and improving our discovery platform and technologies, which are not necessarily allocable to a specific development program. We assign costs for such activities to distinct projects for preclinical pipeline development and new technologies. We allocate research management, overhead, commonly used laboratory supplies and equipment, and facility costs based on the percentage of time of full-time research personnel efforts on each program.
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The following is a comparison of research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 (in millions):
Year Ended
December 31,
Product programs:
Bispecific programs:
CD3 programs:
Tumor microenvironment (TME) activator programs:
Total TME activator programs 50.3 28.2 33.1
Cytokine programs:
Total cytokine programs 27.4 22.0 7.7
Subtotal bispecific programs 146.2 86.0 63.5
Other, research and early stage programs 20.7 15.1 11.0
Total research and development expenses $ 169.8 $ 118.6 $ 97.5
*Includes net payments to, and reimbursements from our partners pursuant to agreements that include cost-sharing arrangements.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related benefits, including stock-based compensation related to our executive, finance, business development, and support functions. Other general and administrative expenses include intellectual property costs, facility costs, and professional fees for auditing, tax and legal services.
Other Income, Net
For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, other income, net consists primarily of interest income from our investments during the years.
Critical Accounting Policies, Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP). The preparation of our financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts and disclosures reported in the financial statements and
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accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Our management believes judgment is involved in determining revenue recognition, the fair value-based measurement of stock-based compensation, the fair value estimate of marketable securities, the capitalization and recoverability of intellectual property costs, valuation of deferred tax assets and accruals. Our management evaluates estimates and assumptions as facts and circumstances dictate. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ from these estimates and assumptions, and those differences could be material to the financial statements. If our assumptions change, we may need to revise our estimates, or take other corrective actions, either of which may also have a material adverse effect on our statements of operations, liquidity and financial condition.
While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 1 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we believe the following accounting policies to be critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.
Revenue Recognition
We have, to date, earned revenue from research and development collaborations, which may include research and development services, licenses of our internally developed technologies, licenses of our internally developed drug candidates, or combinations of these.
The terms of our license and research and development and collaboration agreements generally include non-refundable upfront payments, research funding, co-development reimbursements, license fees, and milestone and other contingent payments to us for the achievement of defined collaboration objectives and certain clinical, regulatory and sales-based events, as well as royalties on sales of any commercialized products.
The terms of our licensing agreements include non-refundable upfront fees, contractual payment obligations for the achievement of pre-defined preclinical, clinical, regulatory and sales-based events by our partners. The licensing agreements also include royalties on sales of any commercialized products by our partners.
In certain transactions for licensing of our technologies or our product candidates, we may receive an equity interest from our partners as full or partial consideration for an upfront payment due under the arrangement. We record the initial equity at its fair value and mark the value to market quarterly for publicly traded securities and review for impairment for equity that is not publicly traded on a national exchange.
Capitalized Intellectual Property Costs
We capitalize and amortize third-party intellectual property costs such as amounts paid to outside patent counsel for filing, prosecuting and obtaining patents for our internally developed technologies and product candidates, to the extent such patents are deemed to have probable future economic benefit. We also capitalize amounts paid to third parties for licenses that we acquire for intellectual property or for research and development purposes where the technology has alternative uses. The net capitalized patents, licenses and other intangible assets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 was $16.0 million and $14.4 million, respectively. We believe that these costs should be capitalized as the intellectual property portfolio creates the underlying property right to our technologies and product candidates and supports the upfront payments, licensing fees, milestone payments and royalties made by our collaboration partners for licensing our technologies and product candidates.
We begin amortization of capitalized patent costs during the period that we obtain a patent relating to the capitalized cost over the shorter of the patent life or the estimated economic useful life. Capitalized licensing costs are amortized beginning in the period that access to the license or technology is available and is amortized over the shorter of the license term or the estimated economic useful life of the licensed asset. Such amortization is recorded as general and administrative expenses.
On a regular basis we review the capitalized intellectual property portfolio and determine if there have been changes in the scientific or patent landscape that leads us to decide to abandon an in-process patent application or abandon a previously issued patent. While we confer with outside patent counsel, the decision to continue prosecuting
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certain patent claims or abandon other claims are made by us based on our judgment and existing knowledge of our technology, current U.S. and foreign patent authority rulings and expected rulings, and scientific advances and patent filings by competitors operating in our technology or drug development field. We record an expense for the write-off of capitalized intangible assets in the period that the decision to abandon a claim or license is made. We also review the carrying value of capitalized licensing costs on a regular basis to determine if there have been any changes to the useful life or estimated amortization period over which the costs should be amortized. We recorded a charge for abandoned intangible assets of $0.5 million, $0.2 million and $0.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Such charges are reflected as general and administrative expenses.
We determine if there has been an impairment of our intangible assets which include the capitalized patent and licensing costs whenever events such as recurring operating losses or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable.
Accrued Research and Development Expenses
As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued research and development expenses. This process involves reviewing contracts and purchase orders, reviewing the terms of our license agreements, communicating with our applicable personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf, and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual cost. The majority of our service providers invoice us monthly in arrears for services performed. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of our estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees to:
● CROs and other service providers in connection with clinical studies;
● vendors in connection with preclinical development activities.
We base our expenses related to clinical studies on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with multiple research institutions and contract research organizations that conduct and manage clinical studies on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract, and may result in uneven payment flows and expense recognition. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of patients and the completion of clinical trial milestones. In accruing these costs, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed for which we have not been invoiced and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from our estimate, we adjust the accrual accordingly. Our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in our reporting changes in estimates in any particular period.
Income Taxes
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized as income in the period that such tax rate changes are enacted. The measurement of a deferred tax asset is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. Financial statement recognition of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return is determined based on a more-likely-than not threshold of that position being sustained. If the tax position meets this threshold, the benefit to be recognized is measured as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. Our policy is to record interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as a component of
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income tax expense. We have concluded that there are no material uncertain tax positions and have not recorded an income tax expense or liability for uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2020.
On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) was enacted into law, which beginning in 2018, made several changes to U.S. corporate income tax provisions including a reduction in the U.S. corporate rate from a maximum rate of 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. The TCJA also allowed net operating losses incurred after January 1, 2018 to be carried forward indefinitely.
The other material change in our tax provision from the TCJA is elimination of the U.S. corporate alternative minimum tax (AMT) system and allowance for a tax refund for AMT credit carryovers as of December 31, 2017, which do not expire. We received a tax refund of $0.8 million in each of 2019 and 2020 related to federal AMT credit carryovers.
We recorded net deferred tax assets of $106.0 million as of December 31, 2020, which was fully offset by a valuation allowance due to uncertainties surrounding our ability to realize these tax benefits. The deferred tax assets are primarily comprised of deferred revenue, federal and state tax net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards and research and development tax credit carryforwards. As of December 31, 2020, we had cumulative net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of approximately $213.6 million; $68.0 million of such losses were incurred prior to December 31, 2017 and $145.6 million were incurred in the years ending on or after December 31, 2018. We also had available tax credit carryforwards of $26.7 million for federal tax purposes. We had cumulative state tax loss carryforwards at December 31, 2020 of $161.4 million, and available state tax credit carryforwards of approximately $14.3 million, which can be carried forward to offset future taxable income, if any.
Our federal net operating loss carryforwards incurred prior to January 1, 2018 expire starting in 2026; state net operating loss carryforwards expire starting in 2035; and federal tax credit carryforwards begin to expire starting in 2020. Approximately $0.3 million of federal tax credits will expire if unused from 2020 through 2024.
No income tax expense or benefit was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2020. We recorded an income tax expense of $0.3 million related to state AMT for the year ended December 31, 2019, and no income tax expense or benefit was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Valuation of Stock-Based Compensation
We record the fair value of stock options and shares issued under our Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) to employees as of the grant date as compensation expense over the service period, which is generally the vesting period. For non-employees, we also record the fair value of stock options as of the grant date as compensation expense over the service period. We then periodically re-measure the awards to reflect the current fair value at each reporting period until the non-employee completes the performance obligation or the date on which a performance commitment is reached. Expense is recognized over the related service period.
We calculate the fair value of stock-based compensation awards using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires the use of subjective assumptions, including volatility of our common stock, the expected term of our stock options, the risk-free interest rate for a period that approximates the expected term of our stock options and the fair value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant.
Common Stock Options Fair Value
We recognize stock-based compensation expense in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation. The use of a Black-Scholes model requires us to apply judgment and make assumptions and estimates that include the following:
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Results of Operations
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in millions):
Year ended
December 31,
Revenues:
Research collaboration $ 4.5 $ 16.3 $ (11.8)
Operating expenses:
General and administrative 29.7 24.3 5.4
Other income, net 7.5 13.4 (5.9)
Income tax expense — 0.3 (0.3)
Net income (loss) $ (69.3) $ 26.9 $ (96.2)
Revenues
Research collaboration revenues in 2020 and 2019 represent revenue recognized under our Genentech and Astellas agreements.
Milestone payments increased by $27.0 million in 2020 over 2019 amounts primarily due to receiving milestones from Alexion, Astellas, and MorphoSys in 2020 compared to milestones received from Amgen, Alexion, and Novartis in 2019.
Licensing revenues in 2020 primarily consist of revenues recognized from various technology and product license agreements entered throughout the year, and licensing revenues in 2019 primarily consist of revenues recognized from our Genentech agreement.
Royalty revenues for 2020 represent revenue recognized from our Alexion and MorphoSys agreements while royalty revenues in 2019 represent royalties from our Alexion agreement.
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Research and Development Expenses
The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in millions):
Year Ended
December 31,
Product programs:
Bispecific programs:
CD3 programs:
Tumor microenvironment (TME) activator programs:
Total TME activator programs 50.3 28.2 22.1
Cytokine programs:
Total cytokine programs 27.4 22.0 5.4
Subtotal bispecific programs 146.2 86.0 60.2
Other, research and early stage programs 20.7 15.1 5.6
Total research and development expenses $ 169.8 $ 118.6 $ 51.2
*Includes net reimbursements from our partners pursuant to agreements that include cost-sharing arrangements.
Research and development expenses increased by $51.2 million in 2020 over 2019 amounts as we continue to expand our pipeline of bispecific antibody and cytokine candidates. Increased research and development spending in 2020 was driven by increased spending on our plamotamab, XmAb819, XmAb717 and XmAb564 programs and was partially offset by lower spending on our obexelimab program during the year.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses increased by $5.4 million in 2020 over 2019 amounts primarily due to an increase in staffing, professional expenses and spending on intellectual property and licenses.
Other Income, Net
Other income, net decreased by $5.9 million in 2020 over 2019 amounts reflecting decreases in interest income earned on our investments in marketable securities, due to declining in interest rates in 2020.
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Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 (in millions):
Year Ended
December 31,
Revenues:
Research collaboration $ 16.3 $ 20.1 $ (3.8)
Royalties 5.0 — 5.0
Operating expenses:
General and administrative 24.3 22.5 1.8
Other income, net 13.4 9.0 4.4
Income tax benefit 0.3 — 0.3
Net income (loss) $ 26.9 $ (70.4) $ 97.3
Revenues
Research collaboration revenues in 2019 represent revenue recognized under our Genentech and Astellas agreements while the research collaboration revenues in 2018 represent revenue recognized under our Novartis Agreement.
Milestone payments increased by $2.7 million in 2019 over 2018 amounts primarily due to receiving contractual milestones in 2019 from Amgen, Alexion and Novartis compared to contractual milestones received primarily from Alexion in 2018.
Licensing revenues in 2019 primarily consist of revenues recognized from our Genentech agreement.
Royalty revenues for 2019 represent royalty revenue recognized from our Alexion agreement.
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Research and Development Expenses
The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 (in millions):
Year Ended
December 31,
Product programs:
Bispecific programs:
CD3 programs:
Vibecotamab* 11.6 9.3 2.3
Tumor microenvironment (TME) activator programs:
Total TME activator programs 28.2 33.1 (4.9)
Cytokine programs:
Total cytokine programs 22.0 7.7 14.3
Subtotal bispecific programs 86.0 63.5 22.5
Other, research and early stage programs 15.1 11.0 4.1
Total research and development expenses $ 118.6 $ 97.5 $ 21.1
*Includes net payments from our partners pursuant to agreements that include cost-sharing arrangements.
Research and development expenses increased by $21.1 million in 2019 over 2018 amounts as we continue to expand our pipeline of bispecific antibody and cytokine candidates. Increased spending on our CD3 bispecific and our cytokine programs offset reduced spending on our TME activator candidates during the year.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses increased by $1.8 million in 2019 over 2018 amounts primarily due to an increase in facility costs, staffing and intellectual property costs.
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Other Income, Net
Other income, net increased by $4.4 million in 2019 over 2018 amounts reflecting additional interest income earned on our investments in marketable securities, which is due to higher investment balances as a result of our upfront proceeds received from our Genentech and Astellas agreements in March 2019.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Since our inception, our operations have been primarily financed through proceeds from public offering, private sales of our equity, and payments received under our collaboration and development partnerships and licensing arrangements. We have devoted our resources to funding research and development programs, including discovery research, preclinical and clinical development activities.
We have incurred substantial operating losses since our inception, and we expect to continue to incur operating losses into the foreseeable future as we advance the ongoing development of our bispecific antibody and cytokine product candidates, evaluate opportunities for the potential clinical development of our other preclinical programs, and continue our research efforts.
In 2020, we received a total of $165 million in upfront payments, milestones and royalties in connection with licensing of our technologies and products.
In March 2019, we received a total of $135.0 million in upfront payment in connection with our Genentech and Astellas collaboration agreements.
In March 2018, we completed the sale of 8,395,000 shares of common stock which included shares that we issued pursuant the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option pursuant to a follow-on public offering. We received net proceeds of $245.5 million, after deducting underwriters’ discounts and offering expenses.
At December 31, 2020, we had $604.0 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable debt securities compared to $601.3 million at December 31, 2019. We expect to continue to receive additional payments from our collaborators for research and development services rendered, additional milestone, contingent payments, opt-in and royalty payments. Our ability to receive milestone payments and contingent payments from our partners is dependent upon either our ability or our partners’ abilities to achieve certain levels of research and development activities and is therefore uncertain at this time.
Funding Requirements
We have not generated any revenue from product sales and do not expect to do so until we obtain regulatory approval and commercialize one or more of our product candidates. As we are currently in the early clinical stages of development, it will be some time before we expect to achieve this, and it is uncertain that we ever will. We expect that our operating expenses will continue to increase in connection with ongoing as well as additional planned clinical and preclinical development of product candidates in our pipeline. We expect to continue our collaboration arrangements and will look for additional collaboration and licensing opportunities.
Although it is difficult to predict our funding requirements, based upon our current operating plan, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, together with interest thereon and expected milestone and royalty payments will be sufficient to fund our operations into 2024. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our capital resources sooner than we currently expect.
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Cash Flows
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for each of the periods presented below (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Net cash provided by (used in):
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents $ 113,232 $ 24,066 $ 9,718
Operating Activities
Net cash used by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 reflects that upfront and milestone payments and royalties received in the year funded a majority of the operating expenses incurred during the year. Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 reflects upfront and milestone payments received in excess of operating expenses, while net cash used in operations for the years ended December 31, 2018 reflects operating expenses in excess of milestone payments primarily for advancing our pipeline of bispecific antibody candidates during such years.
Investing Activities
Investing activities consist primarily of proceeds from maturities of marketable securities offset by purchases of marketable securities available-for-sale, acquisition of intangible assets and purchases of property and equipment. In 2020, we redeemed $114.0 million of marketable securities, net of $643.7 million of purchase. In 2019, we purchased $39.9 million of marketable securities, net of $456.9 million of proceeds from sales and maturities. In 2018, we purchased $155.7 million in marketable securities, net of $222.1 million of proceeds from sale and maturities. We acquired $3.2 million, $3.7 million and $1.9 million of intangible assets in the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We purchased $10.5 million, $7.4 million and $7.2 million of capital equipment for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 respectively. The increase in capital expenditure in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2018 is primarily due to facility improvements for our laboratory facilities.
Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 consists primarily of cash from stock option exercises and the sales of shares under the ESPP.
Net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2018 consists primarily of net proceeds from our March 2018 follow-on public offering and cash from stock option exercises and the sale of shares under the ESPP.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
The following table summarizes our contractual obligations at December 31, 2020 (in thousands):
Payments due by period
Less More
than 1 - 3 3 - 5 than
Total 1 year Years Years 5 years
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We are obligated to make future payments to third parties under in-license agreements, including sublicense fees, royalties, and payments that become due and payable on the achievement of certain development and commercialization milestones. We have also entered into agreements with third party vendors which will require us to make future payments upon the delivery of goods and services in future periods.
In February 2015, we entered into a license agreement with BIO-TECHNE Corporation (BIO-TECHNE) for a non-exclusive license to certain antibody technology including monoclonal antibodies which recognize human somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2). The variable domain of this antibody is incorporated in our tidutamab drug candidate. Under this license agreement, we may be required to make $3.8 million in additional contingent payments which include $800,000 of clinical milestones and $3.0 million of regulatory milestones, in addition to royalties upon commercial sales of products of less than 1%. We made an upfront payment of $200,000 in connection with this license and made a Phase 1 milestone payment of $100,000 in 2018. We have not made any additional milestone payments under this arrangement.
We entered into a second agreement with BIO-TECHNE, effective February 2018, for a non-exclusive license to a certain recombinant monoclonal antibody reactive with human programmed death protein, PD-1. Under this license agreement, we may be required to make $22.0 million in additional contingent payments which include $1.5 million of clinical milestones, $4.5 million of regulatory milestones and milestones on the achievement of certain sales of $16.0 million, in addition to royalties upon commercial sales of products of 1%. We made an upfront payment in connection with this license in 2019 and have not made any additional payments under this license agreement.
In November 2015, we entered into a worldwide exclusive commercial license agreement with Selexis SA to develop and commercialize products produced from the Selexis cell line that was manufactured in connection with our vibecotamab drug candidate. We made an upfront payment of 50,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) in connection with the license and may be required to make CHF 1.7 million in additional contingent obligations which include CHF 500,000 in development milestones, CHF 400,000 in regulatory milestones and CHF 800,000 in sales milestones, in addition to royalties upon commercial sales of products of less than 1%. During 2016, we made a CHF 100,000 milestone payment in connection with an IND submission. There were no additional milestone payments made under this license agreement.
In February 2016, we entered into a worldwide exclusive commercial license agreement with Selexis SA to develop and commercialize products produced from the Selexis cell line that was manufactured in connection with our plamotamab drug candidate. In connection with the license, we may be required to make CHF 1.7 million in additional contingent obligations which include CHF 500,000 in development milestones, CHF 400,000 in regulatory milestones and CHF 800,000 in sales milestones, in addition to royalties upon commercial sales of products of less than 1%. During 2016, we made a CHF 100,000 milestone payment in connection with an IND submission. There were no additional milestone payments made under this license agreement.
In December 2017, we entered into worldwide exclusive commercial license agreements with Selexis to develop and commercialize products produced from the Selexis cell line that was manufactured for each of our bispecific antibody and cytokine drug candidates: tidutamab, XmAb717, XmAb841, XmAb104, XmAb306, XmAb564 and XmAb819. The terms for each agreement are identical and for each licensed cell line we may be required to make up to CHF 1.4 million in total development, regulatory and sales milestones which include CHF 425,000 in development milestones, CHF 340,000 in regulatory milestones and CHF 680,000 in sales milestones. In addition, we may be obligated to pay royalties upon commercial sales of approved products of less than 1%. In 2018, we made three milestone payments of CHF 85,000 each in connection with three separate IND submissions. In 2019, we made a milestone payment of CHF 75,000 in connection with an IND submission, and in 2020, we recorded a milestone payment due of CHF 75,000 in connection with an IND submission.
In December 2012, we entered into a Cross-License Agreement with MedImmune, LLC (MedImmune) for a non-exclusive license to certain MedImmune patents related to half-life technology. Under the terms of the agreement, we may be obligated to make contingent payments in connection with the use of our XtendTM technology, including use
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by us in our development candidates and also for use by our licensees. These contingent payments total $250,000 per program and include $150,000 in clinical milestones and $100,000 in regulatory milestones. In addition, we may be obligated to make contingent payments for tiered sales milestones on the sale of approved products from $20,000 per year to $1.0 million per year. Our obligations to make payments under this agreement expire in December 2021. We made milestone payments under this agreement of $125,000, $75,000 and $375,000 for 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively.
As the amount and timing of sublicense fees and the achievement and timing of these milestones are not probable and estimable, such commitments have not been included on our balance sheet or in the contractual obligations and commitment tables above.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We did not have during the periods presented, and we do not currently have, any off-balance sheet arrangements.
New Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 - Recent Accounting Pronouncements in the accompanying financial statements for information regarding recent accounting pronouncements.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Our primary exposure to market risk is interest income sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates. Due to the short-term duration of our investment portfolio and the low risk profile of our investments, an immediate 10.0% change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market value of our portfolio. Accordingly, we would not expect our operating results or cash flows to be affected to any significant degree by the effect of a sudden change in market interest rates on our investment portfolio.
We do not believe that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities have significant risk of default or illiquidity. While we believe our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities do not contain excessive risk, we cannot provide absolute assurance that in the future our investments will not be subject to adverse changes in market value. In addition, we maintain significant amounts of cash and cash equivalents at one or more financial institutions that are in excess of federally insured limits.
Inflation generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor and clinical trial costs. We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our results of operations during the periods presented.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Xencor, Inc.
Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 76
Balance Sheets 79
Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) 80
Statements of Stockholders’ Equity 81
Statements of Cash Flows 82
Notes to Financial Statements 83
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Xencor, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Xencor, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related statements of comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes to the financial statements. In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We have also 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, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013, and our report, dated February 23, 2021, expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
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 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 audits 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 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 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 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 Recognition—Collaboration and Licensing Agreements
As discussed in Note 10 to the financial statements, the Company entered into collaboration and licensing agreements during the year ended December 31, 2020. These contracts contain multiple performance obligations. Management’s identification of the performance obligations requires significant judgment, including whether the performance obligations are distinct and capable of being distinct, which requires management to evaluate whether the customer can benefit from the good or service on its own, or together with other resources readily available to the customer. Management applies significant judgment in determining the revenue recognition for these collaboration and licensing contracts including the identification of and accounting for all performance obligations and the calculation of the standalone selling price (SSP) for each identified performance obligation. The Company’s estimate of SSP for each performance obligation within these customer contracts requires management to consider many factors, including
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external market data as well as an estimate of future profitability. For each performance obligation identified, the Company recognizes revenue upon transfer of control of promised intellectual property and technology licenses or upon delivery of research and development services to its collaboration and licensing partners in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those licenses or services.
We identified the Company’s revenue recognition related to the collaboration and licensing agreements as a critical audit matter because auditing the identification and accounting for performance obligations, and the calculation of the SSP for each performance obligation, required significant audit effort and a high degree of auditor judgment and subjectivity to perform our audit procedures and evaluate the audit evidence obtained.
Our audit procedures related to the Company’s collaboration and licensing contracts included the following, among others:
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.
/s/ RSM US LLP
Los Angeles, California
February 23, 2021
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Xencor, Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited Xencor, Inc.’s (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013. In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related statements of comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, of the Company and our report, dated February 23, 2021, expressed an unqualified opinion.
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 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 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, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included 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 accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). 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 U.S. GAAP, 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/ RSM US LLP
Los Angeles, California
February 23, 2021
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Xencor, Inc.
Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
December 31,
Assets
Current assets
Equity securities 5,303 —
Income tax receivable — 502
Contract asset 12,500 —
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 10,726 6,547
Patents, licenses, and other intangible assets, net 15,977 14,421
Marketable securities - long term 1,030 71,526
Equity securities - long term 16,071 —
Income tax receivable — 402
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Current liabilities
Lease liabilities, net of current portion 9,739 8,565
Deferred revenue, net of current portion — 1,926
Commitments and contingencies (see note 9)
Stockholders’ equity
Accumulated other comprehensive income 74 1,161
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 703,244 $ 670,250
See accompanying notes to the financial statements.
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Xencor, Inc.
Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Year ended December 31,
Revenue
Operating expenses
Other income (expense)
Other income (expense) 200 (256) (125)
Income tax expense — 312 —
Other comprehensive income (loss)
See accompanying notes to the financial statements.
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Xencor, Inc.
Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
(in thousands, except share data)
Accumulated
Additional Other Total
Common Stock Paid Comprehensive Accumulated Stockholders’
Comprehensive loss — — — 837 (70,409) (69,572)
Stock-based compensation — — 20,548 — — 20,548
Issuance of restricted stock units 11,311 — — —
Stock-based compensation — — 31,851 — — 31,851
Issuance of restricted stock units 62,355 1 (1) — — —
Comprehensive loss — — — (1,087) (69,333) (70,420)
Stock-based compensation — — 31,619 — — 31,619
See accompanying notes to the financial statements.
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Xencor, Inc.
Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
Year ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities
Abandonment of capitalized intangible assets 535 221 239
Loss on disposal of assets 4 8 102
Equity received in connection with license agreement (26,660) — —
Change in fair value of equity security (105) — —
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Interest receivable 1,190 (387) (535)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets (4,170) 3,828 (4,769)
Income tax receivable 895 704 (84)
Contract asset and deposits (12,401) — (46)
Deferred rent — (1,513) 398
Income tax payable — — (157)
Lease liabilities and ROU assets (325) 1,354 —
Cash flows from investing activities
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 1 — 9
Purchase of intangible assets (3,229) (3,685) (1,935)
Purchase of property and equipment (10,539) (7,353) (7,212)
Proceeds from repayment of loan receivable — — 86
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of common stock — — 260,245
Common stock issuance costs — — (14,741)
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information
Cash paid for:
Interest $ 15 $ 11 $ 16
Supplemental Schedule of Noncash Investing Activities
See accompanying notes to the financial statements.
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1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Description of Business
Xencor, Inc. (we, us, our, or the Company) was incorporated in California in 1997 and reincorporated in Delaware in September 2004. We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing engineered monoclonal antibody and cytokine therapeutics to treat patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases who have unmet medical needs. We create our product candidates using our proprietary XmAb technology platforms, which focus on the portion of an antibody that interacts with multiple segments of the immune system, referred to as the Fc domain, which is constant and interchangeable among antibodies. Our engineered Fc domains, the XmAb technology, can increase antibody immune inhibition, improve cytotoxicity, extend half-life and most recently are used to create bispecific antibodies and cytokines.
Our operations are based in Monrovia, California and San Diego, California.
Basis of Presentation
The Company’s financial statements as of December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 and for the years then ended have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S.).
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates include useful lives of long-lived assets, the periods over which certain revenues and expenses will be recognized including collaboration revenue recognized from non-refundable upfront licensing payments, the amount of non-cash compensation costs related to share-based payments to employees and non-employees and the period over which these costs are expensed.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Pronouncements adopted in 2020
Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, as well as ASU No, 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses. The standard amends guidance on reporting credit losses for assets held at amortized cost basis and also provides an available-for-sale (AFS) debt security impairment model that is a modified version of the other-than-temporary-impairment (OTTI) model. The AFS debt security impairment model no longer allows consideration of the length of time during which the fair value has been less than its amortized cost when determining whether a credit loss exists. The adoption of this standard did not have any impact on the Company’s financial statements.
Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which modifies the disclosures for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, modifies the Level 3 disclosure requirements for non-public entities and requires additional disclosure for Level 3 fair value hierarchy. The adoption of this standard did not have any impact on the Company’s financial statements.
Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASU No. 2018-18, Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808): Clarifying the Interaction Between Topic 808 and Topic 606, which provides guidance on how to assess whether certain transactions between collaborative arrangement participants should be accounted for within the revenue recognition standard. The adoption of this standard did not have any impact on the Company’s financial statements.
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Pronouncements not yet effective
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The standard removes specific exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and simplifies the accounting for income taxes. The Company does not anticipate that the standard will have a significant impact on its financial statements.
In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-01, which clarifies that a company should consider observable transactions that require a company to either apply or discontinue the equity method of accounting under Topic 323, Investment – Equity Method and Joint Ventures, for the purposes of applying the measurement alternative in accordance with Topic 321, Investments – Equity Securities immediately before applying or upon discontinuing the equity method. The amendment is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company does not anticipate that the standard will have a significant impact on its financial statements.
In October 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-10, Codification Improvements, which amends a variety of topics in the Accounting Standards Codification to improve consistency and clarify guidance. The amendment is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the amendment and does not anticipate that it will have an impact on its financial statements.
Revenue Recognition
We have, to date, earned revenue from research and development collaborations, which may include research and development services, licenses of our internally developed technologies, licenses of our internally developed drug candidates, or combinations of these.
The terms of our license, research and development and collaboration agreements generally include non-refundable upfront payments, research funding, co-development payments and reimbursements, license fees, and milestone and other contingent payments to us for the achievement of defined collaboration objectives and certain clinical, regulatory and sales-based events, as well as royalties on sales of any commercialized products.
The terms of our licensing agreements include non-refundable upfront fees, annual licensing fees, and contractual payment obligations for the achievement of pre-defined preclinical, clinical, regulatory and sales-based events by our partners. The licensing agreements also include royalties on sales of any commercialized products by our partners.
We recognize revenue through the five-step process in accordance with ASC 606 Revenue Recognition when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.
Deferred Revenue
Deferred revenue arises from payments received in advance of the culmination of the earnings process. We have classified deferred revenue for which we stand ready to perform within the next 12 months as a current liability. We recognize deferred revenue as revenue in future periods when the applicable revenue recognition criteria have been met. The total amounts reported as deferred revenue were $92.6 million and $47.1 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses include costs we incur for our own and for our collaborators’ research and development activities. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. These costs consist primarily of salaries and benefits, including associated stock-based compensation, laboratory supplies, facility costs, and applicable overhead expenses of personnel directly involved in the research and development of new technology and products, as
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well as fees paid to other entities that conduct certain research development activities on our behalf. We estimate preclinical study and clinical trial expenses based on the services performed pursuant to the contracts with research institutions and clinical research organizations that conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical trials on our behalf based on the actual time and expenses incurred by them. Further, we accrue expenses related to clinical trials based on the level of patient enrollment and activity according to the related agreement. We monitor patient enrollment levels and related activity to the extent reasonably possible and adjust estimates accordingly.
We capitalize acquired research and development technology licenses and third-party contract rights where such assets have an alternative use and amortize the costs over the shorter of the license term or the expected useful life. We review the license arrangements and the amortization period on a regular basis and adjust the carrying value or the amortization period of the licensed rights if there is evidence of a change in the carrying value or useful life of the asset.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
We consider cash equivalents to be only those investments which are highly liquid, readily convertible to cash and which mature within three months from the date of purchase.
Marketable and Equity Securities
The Company has an investment policy that includes guidelines on acceptable investment securities, minimum credit quality, maturity parameters and concentration and diversification. The Company invests its excess cash primarily in marketable debt securities issued by investment grade institutions.
The Company considers its marketable debt securities to be available-for-sale and does not intend to sell these securities, and it is not more likely than not the Company will be required to sell the securities before recovery of the amortized cost basis. These assets are carried at fair value and any impairment losses and recoveries related to the underlying issuer’s credit standing are recognized within other income (expense), while non-credit related impairment losses and recoveries are recognized within accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). There were no impairment losses or recoveries recorded for the years ended in December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Accrued interest on marketable debt securities is included in marketable securities’ carrying value. Accrued interest was $1.4 million and $2.7 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Each reporting period, the Company reviews its portfolio of marketable debt securities, using both quantitative and qualitative factors, to determine if each security’s fair value has declined below its amortized cost basis.
The Company receives equity securities in connection with certain licensing transactions with its partners. These investments in an equity security are carried at fair value with changes in fair value recognized each period and reported within other income (expense). For equity securities with a readily determinable fair value, the Company remeasures these equity investments at each reporting period until such time that the investment is sold or disposed. If the Company sells an investment, any realized gains or losses on the sale of the securities will be recognized within other income (expense) in the Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss) in the period of sale.
The Company also has an investment in an equity security without a readily determinable fair value, where the Company elects the measurement alternative to record at its initial cost minus impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer.
Concentrations of Risk
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable debt securities are financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of risk. We invest our cash in corporate debt securities and U.S. sponsored agencies with strong credit ratings. We have established guidelines relative to diversification and maturities that are designed to help ensure safety and liquidity. These guidelines are periodically reviewed to take advantage of trends in yields and interest rates.
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Cash and cash equivalents are maintained at financial institutions, and at times, balances may exceed federally insured limits. We have never experienced any losses related to these balances. Amounts on deposit in excess of federally insured limits at December 31, 2020 and 2019 approximated $163.3 million and $50.0 million, respectively.
We have payables with one service provider that represent 49% of our total payables and with two service providers that represented 48% of our total payables at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We rely on three critical suppliers for the manufacture of our drug product for use in our clinical trials. While we believe that there are alternative vendors available, a change in manufacturing vendors could cause a delay in the availability of drug product and result in a delay of conducting and completing our clinical trials. No other vendor accounted for more than 10% of total payables at December 31, 2020 or 2019.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Our financial instruments primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, marketable debt securities, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses. Marketable debt securities and cash equivalents are carried at fair value. The fair value of the other financial instruments closely approximate their fair value due to their short maturities.
The Company accounts for recurring and non-recurring fair value measurements in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (ASC 820). ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a fair value hierarchy for assets and liabilities measured at fair value, and requires expanded disclosure about fair value measurements. The ASC 820 hierarchy ranks the quality of reliable inputs, or assumptions, used in the determination of fair value and requires assets and liabilities carried at fair value to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:
Level 1—Fair value is determined by using unadjusted quoted prices that are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2—Fair value is determined by using inputs other than Level 1 quoted prices that are directly or indirectly observable. Inputs can include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. Related inputs can also include those used in valuation or other pricing models, such as interest rates and yield curves that can be corroborated by observable market data.
Level 3—Fair value is determined by inputs that are unobservable and not corroborated by market data. Use of these inputs involves significant and subjective judgments to be made by the reporting entity –e.g. determining an appropriate discount factor for illiquidity associated with a given security.
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The Company measures the fair value of financial assets using the highest level of inputs that are reasonably available as of the measurement date. The assets recorded at fair value are classified within the hierarchy as follows for the periods reported (in thousands):
Total
Fair Value Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Total
Fair Value Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
The Company holds equity securities without readily determinable fair value as of December 31, 2020. The Company elects the measurement alternative to record at its initial cost minus impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred, while renewals and improvements are capitalized. Useful lives by asset category are as follows:
Computers, software and equipment 3 - 5 years
Furniture and fixtures 5 - 7 years
Leasehold improvements 5 - 7 years or remaining