Item 1A. Risk Factors
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The occurrence of any of the risks described below and elsewhere in this document, including the risk that our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, operating results or prospects and the trading price of our securities. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects and the trading price of our securities.
Factors Affecting Our Business, Financial Condition, Operating Results and Prospects
We will need to raise additional funds to operate our business, but additional funds may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Any inability to raise required capital when needed could harm our liquidity, financial condition, business, operating results and prospects.
We have substantial operating expenses associated with the development of our compounds and the commercialization of PIXUVRI, and we have significant contractual payment obligations. Our available cash and cash equivalents were
$74.7 million
as of June 30, 2017. We believe that our present financial resources, together with payments projected to be received under certain of our contractual agreements and our ability to control costs, will only be sufficient to fund our operations into the third quarter of 2018. Cash forecasts and capital requirements are subject to change as a result of a variety of risks and uncertainties. Developments in and expenses associated with our clinical trials and other research and development activities, including the resumption of primary responsibilities for the development and commercialization of pacritinib as a result of the termination of the Pacritinib License Agreement in October 2016, acquisitions of compounds or other assets, our ability to generate projected sales of PIXUVRI, any expansion of our sales and marketing organization for PIXUVRI, regulatory approval developments, our ability to consummate appropriate collaborations for development and commercialization activities, our ability to reach milestones triggering payments under applicable contractual arrangements, receive the associated payments, litigation and other disputes, competitive market developments and other unplanned expenses or business developments may consume capital resources earlier than planned. Due to these and other factors, any forecast for the period for which we will have sufficient resources to fund our operations, as well as any other operational or business projection we have disclosed, or may, from time to time, disclose, may fail.
As of June 30, 2017, we had an outstanding principal balance under our senior secured term loan agreement of
$15.6 million
. We were required to make monthly interest-only payments in respect thereof in the approximate amount of $0.2 million until March 31, 2016. We are required to make monthly interest plus principal payments through December 1, 2018 in the approximate amount of $0.8 million, with the final principal payment of approximately $3.3 million on December 1, 2018. These borrowings are secured by a first priority security interest on substantially all of our personal property except our intellectual property and subject to certain other exceptions. In addition, the senior secured term loan agreement requires us to comply with restrictive covenants, including those that limit our operating flexibility and ability to borrow additional funds. A
failure to make a required loan payment or an uncured covenant breach could lead to an event of default, and in such case, all amounts then outstanding may become due and payable immediately.
We will need to raise additional funds to operate our business. We may seek to raise such capital through public or private equity financings, partnerships, collaborations, joint ventures, disposition of assets, debt financings or restructurings, bank borrowings or other sources of financing. However, our ability to do so is subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, constraints and consequences, including, but not limited to, the following:
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our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or convertible securities is restricted by the limited number of our residual authorized shares, the potential difficulty of obtaining shareholder approval to increase authorized shares and the restrictive covenants under our senior secured term loan agreement;
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issuance of equity-based securities will dilute the proportionate ownership of existing shareholders;
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our ability to obtain further funds from any potential loan arrangements is limited by our existing senior secured term loan agreement;
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certain financing arrangements may require us to relinquish rights to various assets and/or impose more restrictive terms than any of our existing or past arrangements; and
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we may be required to meet additional regulatory requirements, and we may be subject to certain contractual limitations, which may increase our costs and harm our ability to obtain funding.
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For these and other reasons, additional funding may not be available on favorable terms or at all. If we fail to obtain additional capital when needed, we may be required to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs, reduce our selling, general and administrative expenses, be unable to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, refrain from making our contractually required payments when due (including debt payments) and/or be forced to cease operations, liquidate our assets and possibly seek bankruptcy protection. Any of these consequences could harm our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.
Our audit report for the year ended December 31, 2016 contains an explanatory paragraph on our consolidated financial statements, and we may in the future, receive additional such reports.
Our independent registered public accounting firm included an explanatory paragraph in its reports on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016 regarding their substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a
going concern. We believe that our present financial resources, together with payments projected to be received under certain contractual agreements and our ability to control costs, will only be sufficient to fund our operations into the third quarter of 2018, which does raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The inclusion of a going concern explanatory paragraph in our audit report for the year ended December 31, 2016 and for future years may negatively impact the trading price of our common stock and make it more difficult, time consuming or expensive to obtain necessary financing, and we cannot guarantee that we will not receive such an explanatory paragraph in the future.
We expect to continue to incur net losses, and we may never achieve profitability.
We were incorporated in 1991 and have incurred a net operating loss every year since our formation. As of June 30, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of
$2.2 billion
, and we expect to continue to incur net losses. As part of our business plan, we will need to continue to conduct research, development, testing and regulatory compliance activities with respect to our compounds and ensure the procurement of manufacturing and drug supply services, the costs of which, together with projected general and administrative expenses, is expected to result in operating losses for the foreseeable future. There can be no assurances that we will ever achieve profitability.
In order to develop and commercialize pacritinib, we will need to raise additional financing or seek a new collaboration partner for pacritinib.
We have resumed primary responsibility for the development and commercialization of pacritinib as a result of the termination of the Pacritinib License Agreement in October 2016, and we are no longer eligible to receive cost sharing or milestone payments for pacritinib’s development from Baxalta. Because obtaining regulatory approval requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, the termination of this collaborative partnership could negatively impact our ability to successfully develop and commercialize pacrtinib. We currently have no commitments or arrangements for any additional
financing to fund the development and commercial launch of pacritinib, and we will need to seek additional funding, which may not be available or may not be available on favorable terms. We could also seek another collaborative partnership for the development and commercialization of pacritinib, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all.
If our development and commercialization collaborations are not successful, or if we are unable to enter into additional collaborations, we may not be able to effectively develop and/or commercialize our compounds, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our business is heavily dependent on the success of our development and commercialization collaborations. In particular, under the Restated Agreement with Servier, we rely heavily on Servier to collaborate with us to develop and commercialize PIXUVRI. As a result of our dependence on our relationship with Servier, the success or commercial viability of PIXUVRI is, to a certain extent, beyond our control. We are subject to a number of specific risks associated with our dependence on our collaborative relationship with Servier, including the following: possible disagreements as to the timing, nature and extent of development plans for the respective compound, including clinical trials or regulatory approval strategy; changes in their respective personnel who are key to the collaboration efforts; any changes in their respective business strategies adverse to our interests, whether in connection with a change of control or otherwise; possible disagreements regarding ownership of proprietary rights; the ability to meet our financial and other contractual obligations under the respective agreements; and the possibility that Servier could elect to terminate their agreement with us pursuant to “at-will” termination clauses or breach their agreement with us. Furthermore, the contingent financial returns under our collaboration with Servier depends in large part on the achievement of development and commercialization milestones and the ability to generate applicable product sales to trigger royalty payments. Therefore, our success, and any associated future financial returns to us and our investors, will depend in large part on the performance of Servier. If our existing collaborations fail, or if we do not successfully enter into additional collaborations when needed, we may be unable to further develop and commercialize the applicable compounds, generate revenues to sustain or grow our business or achieve profitability, which would harm our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.
The regulatory approval process for pacritinib has been subject to delay and uncertainty associated with clinical holds placed on pacritinib clinical trials in February 2016 and the withdrawal of the original MAA in Europe. While the full clinical hold on pacritinib trials has been removed and a new MAA has been validated by the EMA, our dose-exploration trial for pacritinib and further clinical trials for pacritinib could be subject to further delay or we could be prevented from further studying pacritinib or seeking its commercialization.
On February 8, 2016, the FDA notified us that a full clinical hold had been placed on pacritinib and we subsequently withdrew our NDA for pacritinib until we determine next steps. A full clinical hold is a suspension of the clinical work requested under an investigational new drug application. Under the full clinical hold, all patients currently on pacritinib were required to discontinue pacritinib, and we are not permitted to enroll any new patients or start pacritinib as initial or crossover treatment. In its written notification, the FDA noted interim overall survival results from PERSIST-2 showing a detrimental effect on survival consistent with the results from PERSIST-1, and that deaths in PERSIST-2 in pacritinib-treated patients include intracranial hemorrhage, cardiac failure and cardiac arrest. On January 3, 2017, the full clinical hold was removed. Our complete response submission included, among other items, final Clinical Study Reports for both PERSIST-1 and 2 trials and the dose-exploration clinical trial protocol requested by the FDA. In July 2017, we enrolled the first patient in the PAC203 trial. We plan to enroll up to approximately 105 patients in our PAC203 trial with primary myelofibrosis who have failed prior ruxolitinib therapy to evaluate the dose response relationship for safety and efficacy (spleen volume reduction at 12 or 24 weeks) of three dose regimens: 100 mg once-daily, 100 mg twice-daily (BID) and 200 mg BID. The 200 mg BID dose regimen was used in PERSIST-2. The results of PAC203 may not address all of the FDA’s concerns regarding appropriate safe and efficacious dosage for pacritinib, and the FDA may again request additional information or require us to pursue new clinical safety trials with changes to, among other things, protocol, study design or sample size.
Further, in the EMA’s initial assessment report regarding our original MAA, the CHMP determined that the current application was not approvable because of major objections in the areas of efficacy, safety (hematological and cardiovascular toxicity) and the overall risk-benefit profile of pacritinib. Subsequent to the filing of the original MAA, data from the second phase 3 trial of pacritinib, PERSIST-2, were reported. These data suggest that pacritinib may show clinical benefit in patients who have failed or are intolerant to ruxolinitib therapy, a population for which there is no approved therapy. Following discussions with the EMA about how PERSIST-2 data might address the major objections and how to integrate the data into the current application, we withdrew our original MAA, and we submitted a new MAA that seeks to address the major objections by including data from PERSIST-2.
The new application is
for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis who have thrombocytopenia (platelet counts less than 100,000 per microliter). The new MAA was validated by the EMA in July 2017.
The submission of new marketing applications, complying with any additional requests for information from the FDA or EMA or making any changes to protocol, study design, or sample size may be time-consuming, expensive and delay or prevent our ability to continue to study pacritinib. If we are unable to address any further recommendations, requests, or objections in a manner satisfactory to the FDA or EMA, as applicable, in a timely manner, or at all, we could be delayed or prevented from seeking commercialization of pacritinib. Delays in the commercialization of pacritinib would prevent us from receiving future milestone or royalty payments, and otherwise significantly harm our business.
Compounds that appear promising in research and development may fail to reach later stages of development for a number of reasons, including, among others, that clinical trials may take longer to complete than expected or may not be completed at all, and top-line or preliminary clinical trial data reports may ultimately differ from actual results once existing data are more fully evaluated.
Successful development of anti-cancer and other pharmaceutical products is highly uncertain, and obtaining regulatory approval to market drugs to treat cancer is expensive, difficult and speculative. Compounds that appear promising in research and development may fail to reach later stages of development for several reasons, including, but not limited to:
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delay or failure in obtaining necessary U.S. and international regulatory approvals, or the imposition of a partial or full regulatory hold on a clinical trial;
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difficulties in formulating a compound, scaling the manufacturing process, timely attaining process validation for particular drug products and obtaining manufacturing approval;
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pricing or reimbursement issues or other factors that may make the product uneconomical to commercialize;
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production problems, such as the inability to obtain raw materials or supplies satisfying acceptable standards for the manufacture of our products, equipment obsolescence, malfunctions or failures, product quality/contamination problems or changes in regulations requiring manufacturing modifications;
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inefficient cost structure of a compound compared to alternative treatments;
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obstacles resulting from proprietary rights held by others with respect to a compound, such as patent rights;
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lower than anticipated rates of patient enrollment as a result of factors, such as the number of patients with the relevant conditions, the proximity of patients to clinical testing centers, eligibility criteria for tests and competition with other clinical testing programs;
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preclinical or clinical testing requiring significantly more time than expected, resources or expertise than originally expected and inadequate financing, which could cause clinical trials to be delayed or terminated;
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failure of clinical testing to show potential products to be safe and efficacious, and failure to demonstrate desired safety and efficacy characteristics in human clinical trials;
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suspension of a clinical trial at any time by us, an applicable collaboration partner or a regulatory authority on the basis that the participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or for other reasons;
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delays in reaching or failing to reach agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs, and trial sites; and
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failure of third parties, such as CROs, academic institutions, collaborators, cooperative groups and/or investigator sponsors, to conduct, oversee and monitor clinical trials and results.
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In addition, from time to time we report top-line data for clinical trials. Such data are based on a preliminary analysis of then-available efficacy and safety data, and such findings and conclusions are subject to change following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial. Top-line or preliminary data are based on important assumptions, estimations, calculations and information then available to us to the extent we have had, at the time of such reporting, an opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate such information in light of all surrounding facts, circumstances, recommendations and analyses. As a result, top-line results may differ from future results, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results once existing data have been more fully evaluated. In addition, third parties, including regulatory agencies, may not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimations, calculations or analyses or may interpret or
weigh the importance of data differently, which could impact the value of the particular program, the approvability or commercialization of the particular compound and our business in general.
If the development of our compounds is delayed or fails, or if top-line or preliminary clinical trial data reported differ from actual results, our development costs may increase and the ability to commercialize our compounds may be harmed, which could harm our business, financial condition, operating results or prospects.
We or our collaboration partners may not obtain or maintain the regulatory approvals required to develop or commercialize some or all of our compounds.
We are subject to rigorous and extensive regulation by the FDA in the U.S. and by comparable agencies in other jurisdictions, including the EMA in the E.U. Some of our other product candidates are currently in research or development and, other than conditional marketing authorization for PIXUVRI in the E.U., we have not received marketing approval for our compounds. Our products may not be marketed in the U.S. until they have been approved by the FDA and may not be marketed in other jurisdictions until they have received approval from the appropriate foreign regulatory agencies. Each product candidate requires significant research, development and preclinical testing and extensive clinical investigation before submission of any regulatory application for marketing approval. Obtaining regulatory approval requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we may not be able to obtain approval of any of our products on a timely basis, or at all. For instance, on February 8, 2016, the FDA placed pacritinib on full clinical hold and the clinical hold was not removed until January 3, 2017. The number, size, design and focus of preclinical and clinical trials that will be required for approval by the FDA, the EMA or any other foreign regulatory agency varies depending on the compound, the disease or condition that the compound is designed to address and the regulations applicable to any particular compound. Preclinical and clinical data can be interpreted in different ways, which could delay, limit or preclude regulatory approval. The FDA, the EMA and other foreign regulatory agencies can delay, limit or deny approval of a compound for many reasons, including, but not limited to:
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a compound may not be shown to be safe or effective;
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the clinical and other benefits of a compound may not outweigh its safety risks;
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clinical trial results may be negative or inconclusive, or adverse medical events may occur during a clinical trial;
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the results of clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical significance required by regulatory agencies for approval;
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such regulatory agencies may interpret data from pre-clinical and clinical trials in different ways than we do;
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such regulatory agencies may not approve the manufacturing process of a compound or determine that a third party contract manufacturers manufactures a compound in accordance with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMPs;
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a compound may fail to comply with regulatory requirements; or
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such regulatory agencies might change their approval policies or adopt new regulations.
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If our compounds are not approved at all or quickly enough to provide net revenues to defray our operating expenses, our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects could be harmed.
In the event that we seek and the FDA does not grant accelerated approval or priority review for a drug candidate, we would experience a longer time to commercialization in the U.S., if commercialized at all, our development costs may increase and our competitive position may be harmed.
We were seeking accelerated approval and requested Priority Review of our NDA for pacritinib. However, on February 8, 2016, the FDA notified us that a full clinical hold had been placed on pacritinib and we subsequently withdrew our NDA for pacritinib. On January 3, 2017, the full clinical hold was removed. In July 2017, we enrolled the first patient in a new trial, PAC203, and we plan to enroll up to approximately 105 patients with primary myelofibrosis who have failed prior ruxolitinib therapy to evaluate the dose response relationship for safety and efficacy (spleen volume reduction at 12 and 24 weeks) of three dose regimens: 100 mg once-daily, 100 mg twice-daily (BID) and 200 mg BID. The 200 mg BID dose regimen was used in PERSIST-2.
We may in the future decide to seek accelerated approval pathway for our compounds. The FDA may grant accelerated approval to a product designed to treat a serious or life-threatening condition that provides meaningful therapeutic benefit over available therapies upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint or intermediate clinical endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. A surrogate endpoint under an accelerated approval pathway may be used in cases in which the advantage of a new drug over available therapy may not be a direct therapeutic advantage, but is a clinically important improvement from a patient and public health perspective. There can be no assurance that the FDA will agree that any endpoint we suggest with respect to any of our drug candidates is an appropriate surrogate endpoint. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that any application will be accepted or that approval will be granted. Even if a product candidate is granted accelerated approval, such accelerated approval is contingent on the sponsor’s agreement to conduct one or more post-approval confirmatory trials. Such confirmatory trial(s) must be completed with due diligence and, in some cases, the FDA may require that the trial(s) be designed and/or initiated prior to approval. Moreover, the FDA may withdraw approval of a product candidate or indication approved under the accelerated approval pathway for a variety of reasons, including if the trial(s) required to verify the predicted clinical benefit of a product candidate fail to verify such benefit or do not demonstrate sufficient clinical benefit to justify the risks associated with the drug, or if the sponsor fails to conduct any required post-approval trial(s) with due diligence.
In the event of priority review, the FDA has a goal to (but is not required to) take action on an application within a total of eight months (rather than a goal of twelve months for a standard review). The FDA grants priority review only if it determines that a product treats a serious condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness when compared to a standard application. The FDA has broad discretion whether to grant priority review, and, while the FDA has granted priority review to other oncology product candidates, our drug candidates may not receive similar designation. Moreover, receiving priority review from the FDA does not guarantee completion of review or approval within the targeted eight-month cycle or thereafter.
A failure to obtain accelerated approval or priority review would result in a longer time to commercialization of the applicable compound in the U.S., if commercialized at all, could increase the cost of development and could harm our competitive position in the marketplace.
Even if our compounds are successful in clinical trials and receive regulatory approvals, we or our collaboration partners may not be able to successfully commercialize them.
The development and ongoing clinical trials for our compounds may not be successful and, even if they are, the resulting products may never be successfully developed into commercial products. Even if we are successful in our clinical trials and in obtaining other regulatory approvals, the respective products may not reach or remain in the market for a number of reasons including:
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they may be found ineffective or cause harmful side effects;
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they may be difficult to manufacture on a scale necessary for commercialization;
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they may experience excessive product loss due to contamination, equipment failure, inadequate transportation or storage, improper installation or operation of equipment, vendor or operator error, inconsistency in yields or variability in product characteristics;
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they may be uneconomical to produce;
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political and legislative changes emerging after the recent election of the President of the United States may make the commercialization of our product candidates more difficult;
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we may fail to obtain reimbursement approvals or pricing that is cost effective for patients as compared to other available forms of treatment or that covers the cost of production and other expenses;
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they may not compete effectively with existing or future alternatives;
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we may be unable to develop commercial operations and to sell marketing rights;
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they may fail to achieve market acceptance; or
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we may be precluded from commercialization of a product due to proprietary rights of third parties.
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In particular, with respect to the commercialization of PIXUVRI, we will be heavily dependent on our collaboration partner, Servier. The failure of Servier (or any other applicable collaboration partner) to fulfill its commercialization obligations with respect to a compound, or the occurrence of any of the events in the list above, could adversely affect the commercialization of our products. Additionally, uncertainty and speculation regarding the possible repeal of all or a portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has emerged after the recent election of the President of the United States. Members of the Trump administration, including the President, have made statements suggesting the administration plans to seek repeal of all or portions of the Affordable Care Act, and have stated that they will ask Congress to replace the current legislation with new legislation. The uncertainty this causes for the healthcare industry could also adversely affect the commercialization of our products. If we fail to commercialize products or if our future products do not achieve significant market acceptance, we will not likely generate significant revenues or become profitable.
The pharmaceutical business is subject to increasing government price controls and other restrictions on pricing, reimbursement and access to drugs, which could adversely affect our future revenues and profitability.
To the extent our products are developed, commercialized and successfully introduced to market, they may not be considered cost-effective and third-party or government reimbursement might not be available or sufficient. Globally, governmental and other third-party payors are becoming increasingly aggressive in attempting to contain health care costs by strictly controlling, directly or indirectly, pricing and reimbursement and, in some cases, limiting or denying coverage altogether on the basis of a variety of justifications, and we expect pressures on pricing and reimbursement from both governments and private payors inside and outside the U.S. to continue. In the U.S., we are subject to substantial pricing, reimbursement and access pressures from state Medicaid programs, private insurance programs and pharmacy benefit managers, and implementation of U.S. health care reform legislation is increasing these pricing pressures. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act instituted comprehensive health care reform, which includes provisions that, among other things, reduce and/or limit Medicare reimbursement, require all individuals to have health insurance (with limited exceptions) and impose new and/or increased taxes. In addition, members of the Trump administration, including the President, have made public statements criticizing pricing practices within the pharmaceutical industry, indicating that they may seek to increase pricing pressures on the pharmaceutical industry.
In almost all European markets, pricing and choice of prescription pharmaceuticals are subject to governmental control. Therefore, the price of our products and their reimbursement in Europe is and will be determined by national regulatory authorities. Reimbursement decisions from one or more of the European markets may impact reimbursement decisions in other European markets. A variety of factors are considered in making reimbursement decisions, including whether there is sufficient evidence to show that treatment with the product is more effective than current treatments, that the product represents good value for money for the health service it provides and that treatment with the product works at least as well as currently available treatments. The continuing efforts of government and insurance companies, health maintenance organizations and other payors of health care costs to contain or reduce costs of health care may affect our future revenues and profitability or those of our potential customers, suppliers and collaborative partners, as well as the availability of capital.
We may never be able to generate significant product revenues from the sale of PIXUVRI.
We anticipate that, for at least the next several years, our ability to generate revenues and become profitable will depend, in part, on our ability and that of our collaborator, Servier, to successfully commercialize our only currently marketed product, PIXUVRI. PIXUVRI is not approved for marketing in the U.S., is presently available only in a limited number of countries and is reimbursed in even fewer countries.
In addition, the successful commercialization of PIXUVRI depends heavily on the ability to obtain and maintain favorable reimbursement rates for users of PIXUVRI, as well as on various additional factors, including, without limitation, the ability to:
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obtain an annual renewal of our conditional marketing authorization for PIXUVRI;
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increase demand for and sales of PIXUVRI and obtain greater acceptance of PIXUVRI by physicians and patients;
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establish and maintain agreements with wholesalers and distributors on reasonable terms;
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maintain, and where necessary, enter into additional, commercial manufacturing arrangements with third parties, cost-effectively manufacture necessary quantities and secure distribution, managerial and other capabilities; and
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further develop and maintain a commercial organization to market PIXUVRI.
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If we are unable to successfully commercialize PIXUVRI as planned, our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects could be harmed.
Post-approval or authorization regulatory reviews and obligations often result in significant expense and marketing limitations, and any failure to satisfy such ongoing obligations, including, in particular, our post-authorization commitment trial for PIXUVRI, could negatively affect our business, financial condition, operating results or prospects.
Even if a product receives regulatory approval or authorization, as applicable, we are and will continue to be subject to numerous regulations and statutes regulating the manner of obtaining reimbursement for and selling the product, including limitations on the indicated uses for which a product may be marketed. Approved or authorized products, including PIXUVRI, are subject to extensive manufacturing, labeling, packaging, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and record-keeping regulations. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports. In addition, such products are subject to ongoing maintenance of product registration and continued compliance with cGMPs, good clinical practices, or GCPs, and good laboratory practices, or GLPs. Further, distribution of products must be conducted in accordance with good distribution practices, or GDPs. The distribution process and facilities of our third-party distributors are subject to, and our wholesale distribution authorization by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency subjects us to, continuing regulation by applicable regulatory authorities with respect to the distribution and storage of products. Regulatory authorities may also impose new restrictions on continued product marketing or may require the withdrawal of a product from the market if adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency are discovered following approval. In addition, regulatory agencies may impose post-approval/post-authorization clinical trials, such as our ongoing PIX306 trial of PIXUVRI required by the EMA. We cannot predict the outcome of PIX306 or whether we will be able to complete the associated requirements in a timely manner. If we are unable to submit the requisite PIX306 clinical study report by the due date in December 2018 and are unable to obtain an extension of such deadline, or if we are otherwise unable to satisfy all applicable requirements, our conditional marketing authorization for PIXUVRI may be revoked.
Any other failure to comply with applicable regulations could result in warning or untitled letters, product recalls, interruption of manufacturing and commercial supply processes, withdrawal or seizure of products, suspension of an applicable wholesale distribution authorization and/or distribution of products, operating restrictions, injunctions, suspension of licenses, revocation of the applicable product’s approval or authorization, other administrative or judicial sanctions (including civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution) and/or unanticipated related expenditure to resolve shortcomings, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition, operating results or prospects.
We may not be able to maintain our listings on The NASDAQ Capital Market and the Mercato Telematico Azionario, or MTA, in Italy, or trading on these exchanges may otherwise be halted or suspended, which may make it more difficult for investors to sell shares of our common stock and consequently may negatively impact the price of our common stock.
We regained compliance in January 2017 with the minimum $1.00 bid price requirement by effecting a 1-for-10 reverse stock split on January 1, 2017, after receiving notice of non-compliance from NASDAQ in March 2016.
We have in the past and may in the future fail to comply with the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC, or NASDAQ. If our common stock ceases to be listed for trading on The NASDAQ Capital Market for failure to comply with the minimum $1.00 per share closing bid price requirement or for any other reason, it may harm our stock price, increase the volatility of our stock price, decrease the level of trading activity and make it more difficult for investors to buy or sell shares of our common stock. Our failure to maintain a listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market may constitute an event of default under our senior secured term loan and any future indebtedness, which would accelerate the maturity date of such debt or trigger other obligations. In addition, certain institutional investors that are not permitted to own securities of non-listed companies may be required to sell their shares adversely affecting the market price of our common stock. If we are not listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market or if our public float falls below $75 million, we will be limited in our ability to file new shelf registration statements on SEC Form S-3 and/or to fully use one or more registration statements on SEC Form S-3. We have relied significantly on shelf registration statements on SEC Form S-3 for most of our financings in recent years, so any such limitations may harm our ability to raise the capital we need. Delisting from The NASDAQ Capital Market could also affect our ability to maintain our listing or trading on the MTA in Italy. Trading in our common stock has been halted or suspended on both The NASDAQ Capital Market and MTA in the past and may also be halted or suspended in the future due to market or trading conditions at the discretion of The NASDAQ Stock Market, CONSOB or the Borsa Italiana (which ensures the development of the managed markets in Italy). Any halt or suspension in the trading in our common stock may negatively impact the market price of our common stock.
We may be unable to obtain a quorum for meetings of our shareholders or obtain requisite shareholder approval and, consequently, be unable to take certain corporate actions, including financing activities.
Failure to meet the requisite quorum or obtain requisite shareholder approval can prevent us from raising capital through equity financing or otherwise taking certain actions that may be in our best interest and that of our shareholders. We have experienced such difficulties in the past.
We are required under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules to obtain shareholder approval for any issuance of additional equity securities that would comprise more than 20% of the total shares of our common stock outstanding before the issuance of such securities sold at a discount to the greater of book or market value in an offering that is not deemed to be a “public offering” by the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, as well as under certain other circumstances. We have in the past and may in the future issue additional equity securities that would comprise more than 20% of the total shares of our common stock outstanding in order to fund our operations. However, we might not be successful in obtaining the required shareholder approval for any future issuance that requires shareholder approval pursuant to applicable rules and regulations, particularly in light of difficulties we have had in the past in obtaining a quorum and obtaining the requisite vote. If we are unable to obtain financing or our financing options are limited due to shareholder approval difficulties, such failure may harm our ability to continue operations.
Additionally, a portion of our common shares are held by Italian institutions and, under Italian laws and regulations, it is difficult to communicate with the beneficial holders of those shares to obtain votes. In recent years, certain depository banks in Italy holding shares of our common stock have facilitated book-entry transfers of their share positions at Monte Titoli, S.p.A., the Italian central clearing agency, to their U.S. correspondent bank, who would then transfer the shares to an account of the Italian bank at a U.S. broker-dealer that is an affiliate of that bank. Certain of the banks we contacted to facilitate these arrangements agreed to make the share transfers pursuant to these arrangements as of the record date of the shareholder meeting, subject to the relevant beneficial owner being given notice before such record date and taking no action to direct the voting of such shares. Obtaining a quorum and necessary shareholder approvals at shareholder meetings may depend in part upon the willingness of the Italian depository banks to continue participating in the custody transfer arrangements, and we cannot be assured that those banks that have participated in the past will continue to do so in the future.
As a result of the foregoing or for other reasons, we may be unable to obtain a quorum at annual or special meetings of shareholders. Even if we are able to obtain a quorum at our shareholder meetings, we may not obtain enough votes to approve matters to be resolved upon at those meetings. Any failure to obtain a quorum or the requisite vote on a proposal in question could harm us.
We are subject to Italian regulatory requirements, which limit our ability to issue additional shares of our common stock, could result in administrative and other challenges and additional expenses and/or could limit our ability to undertake other business initiatives.
Because our common stock is traded on the MTA in Italy, we are required to also comply with the rules and regulations of the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa, or CONSOB, and the Borsa Italiana S.p.A., or Borsa Italiana, which regulate companies listed on Italy’s public markets. Compliance with these regulations and responding to periodic information requests from Borsa Italiana and CONSOB requires us to devote additional time and resources to regulatory compliance matters and to incur additional expenses of engaging additional outside counsel, accountants and other professional advisors. Actual or alleged failure to comply with Italian regulators can also subject us to regulatory investigations and fines or other sanctions from time to time.
Additionally, compliance with Italian regulatory requirements may restrict additional issuances of our common stock or other business initiatives. Under Italian law, in order to have newly issued shares listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, we must publish a registration document, securities note and summary (which jointly compose a listing prospectus) that have to be approved by CONSOB prior to issuing common stock that is equal to or exceeds, in any twelve-month period, 20% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding at the beginning of that period, subject to certain exceptions. If we are unable to obtain and maintain a registration document, securities note or summary for the listing of the newly issued shares and to cover general financing efforts under Italian law, we may be required to raise money using alternative forms of securities. In the past, we have issued convertible preferred stock in numerous prior offerings because the common stock resulting from the conversion of such securities, subject to the provisions of European Directive No. 71/2003, was not subject to the then-existing 10% limitation imposed by E.U. and Italian law. However, the European Union Parliament and the European Council recently published regulation proposals, which became effective in July 2017, that raised the limitation to 20% and significantly limited the scope of the exception to the listing prospectus requirement in relation to the stock resulting from the conversion or exchange of securities. This new regulation proposal may limit our ability to issue
convertible securities or impose additional costs on future issuances.
Any of such regulatory requirements of CONSOB and the Borsa Italiana could result in administrative and other challenges and additional expenses, limit our ability to undertake other business initiatives and negatively affect our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.
We will incur a variety of costs for, and may never realize the anticipated benefits of, acquisitions, collaborations or other strategic transactions.
We evaluate and undertake acquisitions, collaborations and other strategic transactions from time to time. The process of negotiating these transactions, as well as integrating any acquisitions and implementing any strategic alliances, may result in operating difficulties and expenditures. In addition, these transactions may require significant management attention that would otherwise be available for ongoing development of our business, whether or not any such transaction is ever consummated. These undertakings could also result in potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities and/or amortization expenses related to intangible assets, and we may never realize the anticipated benefits. In addition, following the consummation of a transaction, our results of operations and the market price of our common stock may be affected by factors different from those that affected our results of operations and the market price of our common stock prior to such acquisition. Any of the foregoing consequences resulting from transactions of the type described above could harm our business, financial condition, operating results or prospects.
We may be subject to fines, penalties, injunctions and other sanctions if we are deemed to be promoting the use of our products for non-FDA-approved, or off-label, uses.
Our business and future growth depend on the development, ultimate sale and use of products that are subject to FDA, EMA and or other regulatory agencies regulation, clearance and approval. Under the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other laws, we are prohibited from promoting our products for off-label uses. This means that in the U.S., we may not make claims about the safety or effectiveness of our products and may not proactively discuss or provide information on the use of our products, except as allowed by the FDA.
Government investigations concerning the promotion of off-label uses and related issues are typically expensive, disruptive and burdensome, generate negative publicity and may result in fines or payments of settlement awards. If our promotional activities are found to be in violation of applicable law or if we agree to a settlement in connection with an enforcement action, we would likely face significant fines and penalties and would likely be required to substantially change our sales, promotion, grant and educational activities.
A failure to comply with the numerous laws and regulations that govern our business, including those related to cross-border conduct, health care fraud and abuse, anti-corruption and false claims and the protection of health information, could result in substantial penalties and prosecution.
We are subject to risks associated with doing business outside of the U.S., which exposes us to complex foreign and U.S. regulations. For example, we are subject to regulations imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, the Bribery Act 2010 and other anti-corruption laws. These laws generally prohibit U.S. companies and their intermediaries from offering, promising, authorizing or making improper payments to foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The SEC and U.S. Department of Justice have increased their enforcement activities with respect to the FCPA. Internal control policies and procedures and employee training and compliance programs that we have implemented to deter prohibited practices may not be effective in prohibiting our employees, contractors or agents from violating or circumventing our policies and the law.
In addition, we are subject to various state and federal fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and federal False Claims Act. There are similar laws in other countries. These laws may impact, among other things, the sales, marketing and education programs for our products. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons from knowingly and willingly soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing or arranging for a good or service, for which payment may be made under a federal health care program. The federal False Claims Act prohibits persons from knowingly filing, or causing to be filed, a false claim to, or the knowing use of false statements to obtain payment from the federal government. Suits filed under the False Claims Act can be brought by any individual on behalf of the government and such individuals, commonly known as “whistleblowers,” may share in any amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or settlement. Many states have also adopted laws similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act.
We may also be subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and their respective implementing regulations, or HIPAA, which established uniform standards for certain “covered entities” (health care providers, health plans and health care clearinghouses) governing the conduct of certain electronic health care transactions and protecting the security and privacy of protected health information. Among other things, HIPAA’s privacy and security standards are directly applicable to “business associates” - independent contractors or agents of covered entities that create, receive, maintain or transmit protected health information in connection with providing a service for or on behalf of a covered entity. In addition to possible civil and criminal penalties for violations, state attorneys general are authorized to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce HIPAA and seek attorney’s fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions. In addition, state laws govern the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.
We are unable to predict whether we could be subject to actions under any of the foregoing or similar laws and regulations, or the impact of such actions. If we were to be found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from government health care reimbursement programs and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We are dependent on third-party service providers for a number of critical operational activities including, in particular, for the manufacture, testing and distribution of our compounds and associated supply chain operations, as well as for clinical trial activities. Any failure or delay in these undertakings by third parties could harm our business.
Our business is dependent on the performance by third parties of their responsibilities under contractual relationships. In particular, we rely heavily on third parties for the manufacture and testing of our compounds. We do not have internal analytical laboratory or manufacturing facilities to allow the testing or production of compounds in compliance with GLP and cGMP. As a result, we rely on third parties to supply us in a timely manner with manufactured products/product candidates. We may not be able to adequately manage and oversee the manufacturers we choose, they may not perform as agreed or they may terminate their agreements with us. In particular, we depend on third-party manufacturers to conduct their operations in compliance with GLP and cGMP or similar standards imposed by the U.S. and/or applicable foreign regulatory authorities, including the FDA and EMA. Any of these regulatory authorities may take action against a contract manufacturer who violates GLP and cGMP. Failure of our manufacturers to comply with FDA, EMA or other applicable regulations may cause us to curtail or stop the manufacture of such products until we obtain regulatory compliance.
We may not be able to obtain sufficient quantities of our compounds if we are unable to secure manufacturers when needed, or if our designated manufacturers do not have the capacity or otherwise fail to manufacture compounds according to our schedule and specifications or fail to comply with cGMP regulations. In particular, in connection with the transition of the manufacturing of PIXUVRI and pacritinib drug supply to successor vendors, respectively, we could face logistical, scaling or other challenges that may adversely affect supply. Furthermore, in order to ultimately obtain and maintain applicable regulatory approvals, any manufacturers we utilize are required to consistently produce the respective compounds in commercial quantities and of specified quality or execute fill-finish services on a repeated basis and document their ability to do so, which is referred to as process validation. In order to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of a compound, the applicable regulatory authority must consider the result of the applicable process validation to be satisfactory and must otherwise approve of the manufacturing process. Even if our compound manufacturing processes obtain regulatory approval and sufficient supply is available to complete clinical trials necessary for regulatory approval, there are no guarantees we will be able to supply the quantities necessary to effect a commercial launch of the applicable drug, or once launched, to satisfy ongoing demand. Any compound shortage could also impair our ability to deliver contractually required supply quantities to applicable collaborators, as well as to complete any additional planned clinical trials.
We also rely on third-party service providers for certain warehousing, transportation, sales, order processing, distribution and cash collection services. With regard to the distribution of our compounds, we depend on third-party distributors to act in accordance with GDP, and the distribution process and facilities are subject to continuing regulation by applicable regulatory authorities with respect to the distribution and storage of products.
In addition, we depend on medical institutions and CROs (together with their respective agents) to conduct clinical trials and associated activities in compliance with GCP and in accordance with our timelines, expectations and requirements. To the extent any such third parties are delayed in achieving or fail to meet our clinical trial enrollment expectations, fail to conduct our trials in accordance with GCP or study protocol or otherwise take actions outside of our control or without our consent, our business may be harmed. Furthermore, we conduct clinical trials in foreign countries, subjecting us to additional risks and
challenges, including, in particular, as a result of the engagement of foreign medical institutions and foreign CROs, who may be less experienced with regard to regulatory matters applicable to us and may have different standards of medical care.
With regard to certain of the foregoing clinical trial operations and stages in the manufacturing and distribution chain of our compounds, we rely on single vendors. In particular, our current business structure contemplates, at least in the foreseeable future, use of a single commercial supplier for PIXUVRI drug substance. In addition, in the event pacritinib is approved, we are initially preparing to have only one commercial supplier for pacritinib. We may in the future seek to qualify an additional manufacturer of pacritinib, but the process for qualifying a manufacturer can be lengthy and may not occur on a timely basis or at all. The use of single vendors for core operational activities, such as clinical trial operations, manufacturing and distribution, and the resulting lack of diversification, expose us to the risk of a material interruption in service related to these single, outside vendors. As a result, our exposure to this concentration risk could harm our business.
Although we monitor the compliance of our third-party service providers performing the aforementioned services, we cannot be certain that such service providers will consistently comply with applicable regulatory requirements or that they will otherwise timely satisfy their obligations to us. Any such failure and/or any failure by us to monitor their services and to plan for and manage our short and long term requirements underlying such services could result in shortage of the compound, delays in or cessation of clinical trials, failure to obtain or revocation of product approvals or authorizations, product recalls, withdrawal or seizure of products, suspension of an applicable wholesale distribution authorization and/or distribution of products, operating restrictions, injunctions, suspension of licenses, other administrative or judicial sanctions (including civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution) and/or unanticipated related expenditures to resolve shortcomings. Such consequences could have a significant impact on our business, financial condition, operating results or prospects.
If we are unable to recruit, retain, integrate and motivate senior management, other key personnel and directors, or if such persons are unable to perform effectively, our business could suffer.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to attract and retain senior management, other key personnel and directors to enable the execution of our business plan and to identify and pursue new opportunities. Additionally, our productivity and the quality of our operations are dependent on our ability to integrate and train our new personnel quickly and effectively. In February 2017, we announced the appointment of Adam Craig, M.D., Ph.D., as President and Chief Executive Officer effective March 2017, and also in March 2017, we announced the appointment of Bruce J. Seeley as Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial and Administrative Officer and Secretary. Leadership transitions and management changes can be difficult to manage and may create uncertainty or disruption to our business or increase the likelihood of turnover in our other officers and employees. We may not be able to effectively manage our transition to a new president and chief executive officer.
Directors and management of publicly traded corporations are increasingly concerned with the extent of their personal exposure to lawsuits and shareholder claims, as well as governmental, creditor and other claims that may be made against them. Due to these and other reasons, such persons are also becoming increasingly concerned with the availability of directors and officers liability insurance to pay on a timely basis the costs incurred in defending such claims. We currently carry directors and officers liability insurance. However, directors and officers liability insurance is expensive and can be difficult to obtain. If we are unable to continue to provide directors and officers sufficient liability insurance at affordable rates or at all, or if directors and officers perceive our ability to do so in the future to be limited, it may become increasingly more difficult to attract and retain management and qualified directors to serve on our Board of Directors.
The loss of the services of senior management, other key personnel or directors and/or the inability to timely attract or integrate such persons could significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our development and strategic objectives and may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
We face direct and intense competition from our competitors in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and we may not compete successfully against them.
Competition in the oncology market is intense and is accentuated by the rapid pace of technological and product development. We anticipate that we will face increased competition in the future as new companies enter the market. Our competitors in the U.S. and elsewhere are numerous and include, among others, major multinational pharmaceutical companies, specialized biotechnology companies and universities and other research institutions. Specifically:
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In Europe, PIXUVRI faces competition from existing treatments for adults with multiply relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell NHL. For example, patients are currently being treated with ibrutinib, idelalisib, lenolidimide, bendamustine, oxaliplatin and gemcitabine, although these particular agents do not have regulatory approval in Europe
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for the foregoing indication. If we were to pursue bringing PIXUVRI to market in the U.S. (which is not currently part of our near-term plan), PIXUVRI would face similar competition.
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If we are successful in bringing pacritinib to market, pacritinib will face competition from the currently approved JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor, Jakafi®.
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If we are successful in bringing tosedostat to market, we will face competition from currently marketed products, such as cytarabine, Dacogen®, Vidaza®, Clolar®, Revlimid® and Thalomid®.
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In addition to the specific competitive factors discussed above, new anti-cancer drugs that may be under development or developed and marketed in the future could compete with our various compounds.
Many of our competitors, particularly multinational pharmaceutical companies, either alone or together with their collaborators, have substantially greater financial and technical resources and substantially larger development and marketing teams than us, as well as significantly greater experience than we do in developing, commercializing, manufacturing, marketing and selling products. As a result, products of our competitors might come to market sooner or might prove to be more effective, less expensive, have fewer side effects or be easier to administer than ours. In any such case, sales of PIXUVRI or any potential future product would likely suffer and we might never recoup the significant investments we have made and will continue to make to develop and market these compounds.
If any of our license agreements for intellectual property underlying our compounds are terminated, we may lose the right to develop or market that product.
We have acquired or licensed intellectual property from third parties, including patent applications and patents relating to intellectual property for PIXUVRI, pacritinib and tosedostat. Some of our product development programs depend on our ability to maintain rights under these arrangements. Each licensor has the power to terminate its agreement with us if we fail to meet our obligations under these licenses. We may not be able to meet our obligations under these licenses. If we default under any license agreement, we may lose our right to market and sell any products based on the licensed technology and may be forced to cease operations, liquidate our assets and possibly seek bankruptcy protection. Bankruptcy may result in the termination of agreements pursuant to which we license certain intellectual property rights.
If we are unable to in-license or acquire additional product candidates, our future product portfolio and potential profitability could be harmed.
One component of our business strategy is the in-licensing and acquisition of drug compounds developed by other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies or academic research laboratories. PIXUVRI, pacritinib and tosedostat have all been in-licensed or acquired from third parties. Competition for new promising compounds and commercial products can be intense. If we are not able to identify future in-licensing or acquisition opportunities and enter into arrangements on acceptable terms, our future product portfolio and potential profitability could be harmed.
We hold rights under numerous patents that we have acquired or licensed or that protect inventions originating from our research and development, and the expiration of any of these patents may allow our competitors to copy the inventions that are currently protected.
We dedicate significant resources to protecting our intellectual property, which is important to our business. We have filed numerous patent applications in the U.S. and various other countries seeking protection of inventions originating from our research and development, and we have also obtained rights to various patents and patent applications under licenses with third parties and through acquisitions. Patents have been issued on many of these applications. We have pending patent applications or issued patents in the U.S. and foreign countries directed to PIXUVRI, pacritinib, tosedostat and other product candidates. However, the lives of these patents are limited. Patents for the individual products extend for varying periods according to the date of the patent filing or grant and the legal term of patents in the various countries where patent protection is obtained.
Our PIXUVRI-directed patents currently in force in Europe began to expire in late March 2015 and will continue to expire through a portion of 2023. Some of these European patents are also subject to Supplementary Protection Certificates such that the extended patents will expire from 2020 to 2027. In the United States, our PIXUVRI-directed U.S. patent will expire in 2024. Our PIXUVRI-directed patents outside of Europe and the U.S. began to expire in 2015 and will continue to expire through 2023.
Our U.S. and various foreign pacritinib-directed patents expire from 2026 through 2030. Our U.S. and various foreign tosedostat-directed patents expire from 2017 to 2018.
In the absence of a patent, we would, to the extent possible, need to rely on unpatented technology, know-how and confidential information. Ultimately, the lack or expiration at any given time of a patent to protect our compounds may allow our competitors to copy the underlying inventions and better compete with us.
If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property, our competitive position and the potential for long-term success could be harmed.
Development and protection of our intellectual property are critical to our business. If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, competitors may be able to practice our technologies. Our success depends in part on our ability to:
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obtain and maintain patent protection for our products or processes both in the U.S. and other countries;
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protect trade secrets; and
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prevent others from infringing on our proprietary rights.
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The patent position of pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, including ours, generally is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has not established a consistent policy regarding the breadth of claims that it will allow in biotechnology patents. If it allows broad claims, the number and cost of patent interference proceedings in the U.S. and the risk of infringement litigation may increase. If it allows narrow claims, the risk of infringement may decrease, but the value of our rights under our patents, licenses and patent applications may also decrease. Patent applications in which we have rights may never issue as patents, and the claims of any issued patents may not afford meaningful protection for our technologies or products. In addition, patents issued to us or our licensors may be challenged and subsequently narrowed, invalidated or circumvented. Litigation, interference proceedings or other governmental proceedings that we may become involved in with respect to our proprietary technologies or the proprietary technology of others could result in substantial cost to us.
We also rely upon trade secrets, proprietary know-how and continuing technological innovation to remain competitive. Third parties may independently develop such know-how or otherwise obtain access to our technology. While we require our employees, consultants and corporate partners with access to proprietary information to enter into confidentiality agreements, these agreements may not be honored.
Patent litigation is widespread in the biotechnology industry, and any patent litigation could harm our business.
Costly litigation might be necessary to protect a patent position or to determine the scope and validity of third-party proprietary rights, and we may not have the required resources to pursue any such litigation or to protect our patent rights. Any adverse outcome in litigation with respect to the infringement or validity of any patents owned by third parties could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from third parties or require us to cease using a product or technology. With respect to our in-licensed patents, if we attempt to initiate a patent infringement suit against an alleged infringer, it is possible that our applicable licensor will not participate in or assist us with the suit and as a result we may not be able to effectively enforce the applicable patents against the alleged infringers.
We may be unable to obtain or protect our intellectual property rights and we may be liable for infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others, which may cause us to engage in costly litigation and, if unsuccessful, could cause us to pay substantial damages and prohibit us from selling our products.
At times, we may monitor patent filings for patents that might be relevant to some of our products and product candidates in an effort to guide the design and development of our products to avoid infringement, but may not have conducted an exhaustive search. We may not be able to successfully challenge the validity of third-party patents and could be required to pay substantial damages, possibly including treble damages, for past infringement and attorneys’ fees if it is ultimately determined that our products infringe such patents. Further, we may be prohibited from selling our products before we obtain a license, which, if available at all, may require us to pay substantial royalties.
Moreover, third parties may challenge the patents that have been issued or licensed to us. We do not believe that PIXUVRI, pacritinib or any of the other compounds we are currently developing infringe upon the rights of any third parties nor are they materially infringed upon by third parties; however, there can be no assurance that our technology will not be
found in the future to infringe upon the rights of others or be infringed upon by others. In such a case, others may assert infringement claims against us, and should we be found to infringe upon their patents, or otherwise impermissibly utilize their
intellectual property, we might be forced to pay damages, potentially including treble damages, if we are found to have willfully infringed on such parties’ patent rights. In addition to any damages we might have to pay, we may be required to obtain licenses from the holders of this intellectual property, enter into royalty agreements or redesign our compounds so as not to utilize this intellectual property, each of which may prove to be uneconomical or otherwise impossible. Conversely, we may not always be able to successfully pursue our claims against others that infringe upon our technology and the technology exclusively licensed from any third parties. Thus, the proprietary nature of our technology or technology licensed by us may not provide adequate protection against competitors.
Even if infringement claims against us are without merit, or if we challenge the validity of issued patents, lawsuits take significant time, may, even if resolved in our favor, be expensive and divert management attention from other business concerns. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could limit our ability to continue our operations.
The illegal distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit versions of a product or stolen product could have a negative impact on our reputation and business.
Third parties might illegally distribute and sell counterfeit or unfit versions of a product that do not meet our rigorous manufacturing and testing standards. A patient who receives a counterfeit or unfit product may be at risk for a number of dangerous health consequences. Our reputation and business could suffer harm as a result of counterfeit or unfit product sold under our brand name. In addition, thefts of inventory at warehouses, plants or while in-transit, which are not properly stored and which are sold through unauthorized channels, could adversely impact patient safety, our reputation and our business.
We may owe additional amounts for VAT
related to our operations in Europe.
Our European operations are subject to the VAT which is usually applied to all goods and services purchased and sold throughout Europe. The VAT receivable was
$4.6 million
and
$4.4 million
as of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. On April 14, 2009, December 21, 2009 and June 25, 2010, the ITA issued notices of assessment to CTI (Europe) based on the ITA’s audit of CTI (Europe)’s VAT returns for the years 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The ITA audits concluded that CTI (Europe) did not collect and remit VAT on certain invoices issued to non-Italian clients for services performed by CTI (Europe). The assessments, including interest and penalties, for the years 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 are €0.5 million, €5.5 million, €2.5 million and €0.8 million, respectively. While we are defending ourselves against the assessments both on procedural grounds and on the merits of the case, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in such defense. Further information pertaining to these cases can be found in Part II, Item 1, "Legal Proceedings," and is incorporated by reference herein. If the final decision of the Italian Supreme Court is unfavorable to us, or if, in the interim, the ITA were to make a demand for payment and we were to be unsuccessful in suspending collection efforts, we may be requested to pay to the ITA an amount up to
€9.4 million
(or approximately
$10.7 million
upon conversion from euros as of June 30, 2017) plus collection fees, notification expenses and additional interest for the period lapsed between the date in which the assessments were issued and the date of effective payment.
We are currently subject to certain regulatory and legal proceedings, and may in the future be subject to additional proceedings and/or allegations of wrong-doing, which could harm our financial condition and operating results.
We are currently, and may in the future be, subject to regulatory matters and legal claims, including possible securities, derivative, consumer protection and other types of proceedings pursued by individuals, entities or regulatory bodies. As described in Part II, Item 1, "Legal Proceedings," we are currently engaged in certain pending legal proceedings, including the purported class action lawsuits filed against us and certain of our current and former directors and officers in February 2016 and the four derivative lawsuits filed against us in March, May, June and August 2016. In addition, we are in the process of supplying documents in response to a subpoena from the SEC in connection with an investigation into potential federal securities law violations as described in Part II, Item 1, "Legal Proceedings." Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and we have had and may in the future have unfavorable rulings and settlements. Adverse outcomes may result in significant monetary damages or injunctive relief against us. It is possible that our financial condition and operating results could be harmed in any period in which the effect of an unfavorable final outcome becomes probable and reasonably estimable. If an unfavorable ruling were to occur in any of the legal proceedings we are or may be subject to, our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects could be harmed. The ultimate outcome of litigation and other claims is subject to inherent uncertainties, and our view of these matters may change in the future.
We cannot predict with certainty the eventual outcome of pending litigation. In addition, negative publicity resulting from any allegations of wrong-doing could harm our business, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether there is a finding of liability. Furthermore, we may have to incur substantial time and expense in connection with such lawsuits and
management’s attention and resources could be diverted from operating our business as we respond to the litigation. Our insurance is subject to high deductibles and there is no guarantee that the insurance will cover any specific claim that we currently face or may face in the future, or that it will be adequate to cover all potential liabilities and damages. In the event of negative publicity resulting from allegations of wrong-doing and/or an adverse outcome under any currently pending or future lawsuit, our business could be materially harmed.
If we fail to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, which could adversely effect on investor confidence, our business and the trading prices of our securities.
If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we may be unable to provide financial information in a timely and reliable manner within the time periods required for our financial reporting under SEC rules and regulations. Internal controls over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements or omissions in our financial statements because of their inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of controls or fraud. We have recently implemented a reduction in force, and expect changes to occur in our internal controls over financial reporting. The changes could relate to different employees performing internal control activities than those who have previously performed those activities or revisions to our actual control activities as we evaluate the appropriate internal control structure after our workforce reduction. A changing internal control environment increases the risk that our system of internal controls is not designed effectively or that internal control activities will not occur as designed. In addition, our management is conducting an internal investigation regarding certain expense reimbursements. We are currently seeking to recover certain amounts that we determined were not reimbursable to an executive under the policy applicable to the executive management team. We are in the process of completing our investigation, and may seek reimbursement of additional amounts. The outcome of the investigation could result in the identification of significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of our internal controls over financial reporting or the identification of deficiencies in our expense reimbursement procedures. The occurrence of or failure to remediate a significant deficiency material weakness may adversely affect our reputation and business and the market price of shares of our common stock.
Our net operating losses may not be available to reduce future income tax liability.
We have substantial tax loss carryforwards for U.S. federal income tax purposes, but our ability to use such carryforwards to offset future income or tax liability is limited under section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, as a result of prior changes in the stock ownership of the Company. Moreover, future changes in the ownership of our stock, including those resulting from issuance of shares of our common stock upon exercise of outstanding warrants, may further limit our ability to use our net operating losses.
Due to the fact that we have European branches and subsidiaries conducting operations, together with the fact that we are party to certain contractual arrangements denoting monetary amounts in foreign currencies, we are subject to risk regarding currency exchange rate fluctuations.
We are exposed to risks associated with the translation of euro-denominated financial results and accounts into U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes. The carrying value of the assets and liabilities, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses, in our European branches and subsidiaries will be affected by fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar as compared to the euro. Any expansion of our commercial operations in Europe (including with regard to sales of PIXUVRI) may increase our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. In addition, certain of our contractual arrangements, such as the Restated Agreement with Servier, denote monetary amounts in foreign currencies, and consequently, the ultimate financial impact to us from a U.S. dollar perspective is subject to significant uncertainty. Furthermore, the referendum in the United Kingdom in June 2016, in which the majority of voters voted in favor of an exit from the European Union has resulted in increased volatility in the global financial markets and caused severe volatility in global currency exchange rate fluctuations that resulted in the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro. Changes in the value of the U.S. dollar as compared to foreign currencies (in particular, the euro) might have an adverse effect on our reported operating results and financial condition.
We may be unable to obtain the raw materials necessary to produce a particular product or product candidate.
We may not be able to purchase the materials necessary to produce a particular product or product candidate in adequate volume and quality. If any raw material required to produce a product or product candidate is insufficient in quantity or quality,
if a supplier fails to deliver in a timely fashion or at all or if these relationships terminate, we may not be able to qualify and obtain a sufficient supply from alternate sources on acceptable terms, or at all.
Because there is a risk of product liability associated with our compounds, we face potential difficulties in obtaining insurance, and if product liability lawsuits were to be successfully brought against us, our business may be harmed.
Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks inherent in the testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of human pharmaceutical products. In particular, as a result of the commercialization of PIXUVRI, our risk with respect to potential product liability has increased. If our insurance covering a compound is not maintained on acceptable terms or at all, we might not have adequate coverage against potential liabilities. Our inability to obtain sufficient insurance coverage at an acceptable cost or otherwise to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or limit the commercialization of any products we develop. A successful product liability claim could also exceed our insurance coverage and could harm our financial condition and operating results.
We may be subject to claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of hazardous materials.
Our research and development activities involve the controlled use of hazardous materials, chemicals and various radioactive compounds. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations, both internationally and domestically, governing the use, manufacture, storage, handlings, treatment, transportation and disposal of such materials and certain waste products and employee safety and health matters. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of such materials comply with applicable law and regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be eliminated completely. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for any damages that result and any such liability not covered by insurance could exceed our resources. Compliance with environmental, safety and health laws and regulations may be expensive, and current or future environmental regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts.
We depend on sophisticated information technology systems to operate our business and a cyber-attack or other breach of these systems could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We rely on information technology systems to process, transmit and store electronic information in our day-to-day operations. The size and complexity of our information technology systems makes them vulnerable to a cyber-attack, malicious intrusion, breakdown, destruction, loss of data privacy or other significant disruption. Any such successful attacks could result in the theft of intellectual property or other misappropriation of assets, or otherwise compromise our confidential or proprietary information and disrupt our operations. Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and frequent. We have invested in our systems and the protection of our data to reduce the risk of an intrusion or interruption, and we monitor our systems on an ongoing basis for any current or potential threats. There can be no assurance that these measures and efforts will prevent future interruptions or breakdowns. If we fail to maintain or protect our information technology systems and data integrity effectively or fail to anticipate, plan for or manage significant disruptions to these systems, we could have difficulty preventing, detecting and controlling fraud, have disputes with customers, physicians and other health care professionals, have regulatory sanctions or penalties imposed, have increases in operating expenses, incur expenses or lose revenues or suffer other adverse consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, prospects and cash flows.
Risks Related to the Securities Markets
Shares of our common stock are subordinate to existing and any future indebtedness and to any preferred stock we may issue.
Shares of our common stock rank junior to our existing indebtedness, including under our senior secured term loan agreement and any future indebtedness we may incur, as well as to all creditor claims and other non-equity claims against us and our assets available to satisfy claims on us, including claims in a bankruptcy or similar proceeding. Our senior secured term loan agreement restricts, and any future indebtedness and preferred stock may restrict, payment of dividends on our common stock. Shares of our common stock will also rank junior to any shares of our preferred stock that we may issue in the future.
Additionally, unlike indebtedness, where principal and interest customarily are payable on specified due dates, in the case of our common stock, (i) dividends are payable only when and if declared by our Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee of our Board of Directors and (ii) as a corporation, we are restricted to making dividend payments and redemption payments out of legally available assets. We have never paid a dividend on our common stock and have no current intention to pay dividends in the future. Furthermore, our common stock places no restrictions on our business or operations or on our
ability to incur indebtedness or engage in any transactions, subject only to the voting rights available to our shareholders generally.
The market price of shares of our common stock is extremely volatile, which may affect our ability to raise capital in the future and may subject the value of your investment in our securities to sudden decreases.
The market price for securities of biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including ours, historically has been highly volatile, and the market from time to time has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of such companies. For example, during the 12-month period ended July 27, 2017, our stock price ranged from a low of $2.70 to a high of $6.48. Fluctuations in the market price or liquidity of our common stock may harm the value of your investment in our common stock. Factors that may have an impact, which, depending on the circumstances, could be significant, on the market price and marketability of our securities include:
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announcements by us or others of results of clinical trials and regulatory actions, such as the imposition of a clinical trial hold;
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announcements by us or others of serious adverse events that have occurred during administration of our products to patients;
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announcements by us or others relating to our ongoing development and commercialization activities;
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halting or suspension of trading in our common stock on The NASDAQ Capital Market or on the MTA;
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announcements of technological innovations or new commercial therapeutic products by us, our collaborative partners or our present or potential competitors;
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our issuance of debt or equity securities, which we expect to pursue to generate additional funds to operate our business, or any perception from time to time that we will issue such securities;
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our quarterly operating results;
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liquidity, cash position or financing needs;
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developments or disputes concerning patent or other proprietary rights;
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developments in relationships with collaborative partners;
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acquisitions or divestitures;
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our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of our compounds;
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litigation and government proceedings;
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adverse legislation, including changes in governmental regulation;
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third party reimbursement policies;
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changes in securities analysts’ recommendations;
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short selling of our securities;
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changes in health care policies and practices;
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a failure to achieve previously announced goals and objectives as or when projected; and
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general economic and market conditions.
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Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents, in our shareholder rights agreement, or rights plan, under Washington law and in other applicable instruments could make removal of incumbent management or an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our shareholders, more difficult.
Provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of deterring or delaying attempts by our shareholders to remove or replace management, to commence proxy contests or to effect changes in control. These provisions include:
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elimination of cumulative voting in the election of directors;
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procedures for advance notification of shareholder nominations and proposals;
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the ability of our Board of Directors to amend our bylaws without shareholder approval; and
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the ability of our Board of Directors to issue shares of preferred stock without shareholder approval upon the terms and conditions and with the rights, privileges and preferences as our Board of Directors may determine.
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Pursuant to our rights plan, an acquisition of 20% or more of our common stock by a person or group, subject to certain exceptions, could result in the exercisability of the preferred stock purchase right accompanying each share of our common stock (except those held by a 20% shareholder, which become null and void), thereby entitling the holder to receive upon exercise, in lieu of a number of units of preferred stock, that number of shares of our common stock having a market value of two times the exercise price of the right. The existence of our rights plan could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a third party from making an acquisition proposal for us and may inhibit a change in control that some, or a majority, of our shareholders might believe to be in their best interest or that could give our shareholders the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market prices for their shares.
In addition, as a Washington corporation, we are subject to Washington’s anti-takeover statute, which imposes restrictions on some transactions between a corporation and certain significant shareholders. Other existing provisions applicable to us that could have an anti-takeover effect include our executive employment agreements and certain provisions of our outstanding equity-based compensatory awards that allow for acceleration of vesting in the event of a change in control.
The foregoing provisions, alone or together, could have the effect of deterring or delaying changes in incumbent management, proxy contests or changes in control.