UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
☒ |
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED March 31, 2021
or
☐ |
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM ______________ TO ____________.
Commission file number 033-80623
Achieve Life Sciences, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware |
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95-4343413 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of |
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(I.R.S. Employer |
Incorporation or Organization) |
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Identification Number) |
1040 West Georgia Street, Suite 1030, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6E 4H1
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(604) 210-2217
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: |
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Title of each class |
Trading Symbol |
Name of exchange on which registered |
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Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share |
ACHV |
The NASDAQ Capital Market |
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer |
☐ |
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Accelerated filer |
☐ |
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Non-accelerated filer |
☒ |
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Smaller reporting company |
☒ |
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Emerging growth company |
☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
As of May 13, 2021, there were 6,164,360 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.
Achieve Life Sciences, Inc.
Index to Form 10-Q
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Page
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3 |
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Item 1 |
3 |
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Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2021 (unaudited) and December 31, 2020 |
3 |
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4 |
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5 |
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6 |
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7 |
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Item 2. |
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
17 |
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Item 4. |
25 |
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26 |
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Item 1A. |
27 |
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Item 6. |
51 |
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Items 2, 3 and 4 are not applicable and therefore have been omitted. |
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52 |
2
Achieve Life Sciences, Inc.
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share and share amounts)
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March 31, |
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December 31, |
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2021 |
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2020 |
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ASSETS |
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Current assets: |
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|
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Cash and cash equivalents [note 5] |
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$ |
29,637 |
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$ |
35,853 |
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Prepaid expenses and other assets |
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|
802 |
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1,122 |
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Total current assets |
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30,439 |
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36,975 |
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Property and equipment, net |
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33 |
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|
42 |
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Right-of-use assets [note 7] |
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108 |
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146 |
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Other assets and restricted cash [note 5] |
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239 |
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|
237 |
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License agreement [note 3 and 4] |
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1,809 |
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|
1,864 |
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Goodwill [note 4] |
|
|
1,034 |
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|
|
1,034 |
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Total assets |
|
$ |
33,662 |
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|
$ |
40,298 |
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LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY |
|
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|
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Current liabilities: |
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Accounts payable |
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$ |
585 |
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$ |
332 |
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Accrued liabilities other |
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211 |
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|
584 |
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Accrued clinical liabilities |
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2,130 |
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|
453 |
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Accrued compensation |
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|
522 |
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1,474 |
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Current portion of long-term obligations [note 7] |
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|
67 |
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|
92 |
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Total current liabilities |
|
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3,515 |
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2,935 |
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Long-term obligations [note 7] |
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|
59 |
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|
77 |
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Total liabilities |
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3,574 |
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3,012 |
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Commitments and contingencies [note 7] |
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Stockholders' equity: |
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Series A convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 9,158 shares designated, zero issued and outstanding at March 31, 2021 and zero issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020. |
|
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— |
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— |
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Series B convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 6,256 shares designated, zero issued and outstanding at March 31, 2021 and zero issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020 |
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— |
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— |
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Common stock, $0.001 par value, 150,000,000 shares authorized, 6,149,917 issued and outstanding at March 31, 2021 and 6,111,735 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020, respectively. |
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|
76 |
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|
76 |
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Additional paid-in capital |
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98,441 |
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|
97,640 |
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Accumulated deficit |
|
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(68,433 |
) |
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(60,434 |
) |
Accumulated other comprehensive income |
|
|
4 |
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|
|
4 |
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Total stockholders' equity |
|
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30,088 |
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|
37,286 |
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Total liabilities and stockholders' equity |
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$ |
33,662 |
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$ |
40,298 |
|
See accompanying notes.
3
Achieve Life Sciences, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share and share amounts)
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Three Months Ended |
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March 31, |
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2021 |
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2020 |
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EXPENSES |
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Research and development |
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5,642 |
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1,541 |
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General and administrative |
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2,342 |
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1,816 |
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Total operating expenses |
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7,984 |
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3,357 |
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OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE) |
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Interest income |
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8 |
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42 |
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Other expenses |
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(23 |
) |
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(5 |
) |
Total other income (expense) |
|
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(15 |
) |
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37 |
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Net loss and comprehensive loss |
|
$ |
(7,999 |
) |
|
$ |
(3,320 |
) |
Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
|
$ |
(1.30 |
) |
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$ |
(2.15 |
) |
Weighted average shares used in computation of basic and diluted net loss per common share |
|
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6,131,821 |
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1,546,839 |
|
See accompanying notes.
4
Achieve Life Sciences, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(In thousands)
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Three Months Ended |
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March 31, |
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2021 |
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2020 |
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Operating Activities: |
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Net loss |
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$ |
(7,999 |
) |
|
$ |
(3,320 |
) |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
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Depreciation and amortization [note 3] |
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64 |
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61 |
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Stock-based compensation [note 6 [c] and note 6 [d]] |
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542 |
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302 |
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Shares issued as settlement with trade vendor |
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23 |
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— |
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
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Amounts receivable |
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— |
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8 |
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Prepaid expenses and other assets |
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318 |
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(190 |
) |
Accounts payable |
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253 |
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(675 |
) |
Accrued liabilities other |
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(373 |
) |
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(130 |
) |
Accrued clinical liabilities |
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1,677 |
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|
184 |
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Accrued compensation |
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(952 |
) |
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(697 |
) |
Lease obligation [note 7] |
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(5 |
) |
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(4 |
) |
Net cash used in operating activities |
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(6,452 |
) |
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(4,461 |
) |
Financing Activities: |
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Financing costs relating to December 2019 public offering |
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— |
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(34 |
) |
Proceeds from exercise of warrants |
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236 |
|
|
|
— |
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Proceeds from purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital, net of issuance costs |
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— |
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|
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(13 |
) |
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities |
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236 |
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(47 |
) |
Investing Activities: |
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|
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Purchase of property and equipment |
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— |
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(2 |
) |
Net cash used in investing activities |
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— |
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(2 |
) |
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash |
|
|
— |
|
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|
2 |
|
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
|
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(6,216 |
) |
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(4,508 |
) |
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the period |
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|
35,903 |
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16,714 |
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Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the period |
|
$ |
29,687 |
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|
$ |
12,206 |
|
See accompanying notes.
5
Achieve Life Sciences, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except share amounts)
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Accumulated |
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Additional |
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Other |
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Total, |
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Common Stock |
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Preferred Stock |
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Paid-in |
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Comprehensive |
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Accumulated |
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Stockholders |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Shares |
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Amount |
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Capital |
|
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Income (Loss) |
|
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Deficit |
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Equity |
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Balance, December 31, 2020 |
|
|
6,111,735 |
|
|
$ |
76 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
97,640 |
|
|
$ |
4 |
|
|
$ |
(60,434 |
) |
|
$ |
37,286 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
542 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
542 |
|
Shares issued on exercise of warrants |
|
|
35,217 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
236 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
236 |
|
Shares issued as settlement with trade vendor |
|
|
2,965 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
23 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
23 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(7,999 |
) |
|
|
(7,999 |
) |
Balance, March 31, 2021 |
|
|
6,149,917 |
|
|
$ |
76 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
98,441 |
|
|
$ |
4 |
|
|
$ |
(68,433 |
) |
|
$ |
30,088 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional |
|
|
Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total, |
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|||
|
|
Common Stock |
|
|
Preferred Stock |
|
|
Paid-in |
|
|
Comprehensive |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Stockholders |
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
Capital |
|
|
Income (Loss) |
|
|
Deficit |
|
|
Equity |
|
||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2019 |
|
|
1,474,258 |
|
|
$ |
41 |
|
|
|
1,121 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
63,709 |
|
|
$ |
4 |
|
|
$ |
(45,704 |
) |
|
$ |
18,050 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
302 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
302 |
|
Costs relating to December 2019 financing |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(34 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(34 |
) |
Costs relating to purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(13 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(13 |
) |
Shares issued on conversion of Series B preferred shares |
|
|
93,379 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
(1,121 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
Net loss |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(3,320 |
) |
|
|
(3,320 |
) |
Balance, March 31, 2020 |
|
|
1,567,641 |
|
|
$ |
43 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
63,962 |
|
|
$ |
4 |
|
|
$ |
(49,024 |
) |
|
$ |
14,985 |
|
See accompanying notes.
6
Achieve Life Sciences, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
1. NATURE OF BUSINESS, BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND LIQUIDITY RISK
Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (referred to as “Achieve,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company committed to the global development and commercialization of cytisinicline for smoking cessation. We were incorporated in the state of Delaware, and operate out of Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington.
The unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or U.S. GAAP, for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required to be presented for complete financial statements. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring items) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented. The accompanying consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2020 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year then ended. The unaudited consolidated financial statements and related disclosures have been prepared with the assumption that users of the interim financial information have read or have access to the audited consolidated financial statements for the preceding fiscal year. Accordingly, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on March 11, 2021.
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Achieve and our wholly owned subsidiaries, Achieve Life Sciences Technologies Inc., Achieve Life Science, Inc., Extab Corporation, and Achieve Pharma UK Limited. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
Liquidity
We have historically experienced recurring losses from operations and have incurred an accumulated deficit of $68.4 million through March 31, 2021. At March 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $29.6 million and a positive working capital balance of $26.9 million. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we incurred a net loss of $8.0 million and net cash used in operating activities was $6.5 million. We have historically financed our operations through equity financings. While we believe that we will be able to settle our commitments and liabilities in the normal course of business as they fall due during the next 12 months, as a development-stage company with no current sources of revenue, we are dependent on our ability to raise funds (through public or private securities offerings, debt financings, government funding or grants, or other sources, which may include licensing, collaborations or other strategic transactions or arrangements) to support the ongoing advancement of our clinical trials and corporate activities.
2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and related disclosures. We have discussed those estimates that we believe are critical and require the use of complex judgment in their application in our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, on March 11, 2021. Since December 31, 2020, there have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies or the methodologies or assumptions we apply under them.
3. INTANGIBLES
All of our intangible assets are subject to amortization and are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful life.
We acquired license and supply agreements in relation to cytisinicline upon the acquisition of Extab Corporation, or Extab, on May 18, 2015. The agreements were determined to have a fair value of $3.1 million with an estimated useful life of 14 years.
The components of intangible assets were as follows:
7
|
|
March 31, 2021 |
|
|
December 31, 2020 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Gross Carrying |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Net Carrying |
|
|
Gross Carrying |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
Net Carrying |
|
||||||
|
|
Value |
|
|
Amortization |
|
|
Value |
|
|
Value |
|
|
Amortization |
|
|
Value |
|
||||||
License Agreements |
|
$ |
3,117 |
|
|
$ |
(1,308 |
) |
|
$ |
1,809 |
|
|
$ |
3,117 |
|
|
$ |
(1,253 |
) |
|
$ |
1,864 |
|
For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we recorded license agreement amortization expense of $0.1 million. The following table outlines the estimated future amortization expense related to intangible assets held as of March 31, 2021:
We evaluate the carrying amount of intangible assets periodically by taking into account events or circumstances that may warrant revised estimates of useful life or that indicate the asset may be impaired. We conducted an analysis of potential impairment indicators for long lived assets, including the license and supply agreements for the active pharmaceutical ingredient cytisinicline, and concluded that there were no indicators of impairment identified as of March 31, 2021.
4. LICENSE AGREEMENTS
Sopharma License and Supply Agreements
We are party to a license agreement, or the Sopharma License Agreement, and a supply agreement, or the Sopharma Supply Agreement, with Sopharma, AD, or Sopharma. Pursuant to the Sopharma License Agreement, we were granted access to all available manufacturing, efficacy and safety data related to cytisinicline, as well as a granted patent in several European countries related to new oral dosage forms of cytisinicline providing enhanced stability. Additional rights granted under the Sopharma License Agreement include the exclusive use of, and the right to sublicense, the trademark “Tabex” in all territories described in the Sopharma License Agreement. Under the Sopharma License Agreement, we agreed to pay a nonrefundable license fee. In addition, we agreed to make certain royalty payments equal to a mid-single digit percentage of all net sales of Tabex™ branded products in our territory during the term of the Sopharma License Agreement, including those sold by a third party pursuant to any sublicense which may be granted by us. To date, any amounts paid to Sopharma pursuant to the Sopharma License Agreement have been immaterial.
University of Bristol License Agreement
In July 2016, we entered into a license agreement with the University of Bristol, or the University of Bristol License Agreement. Under the University of Bristol License Agreement, we received exclusive and nonexclusive licenses from the University of Bristol to certain patent and technology rights resulting from research activities into cytisinicline and its derivatives, including a number of patent applications related to novel approaches to cytisinicline binding at the nicotinic receptor level.
In consideration of rights granted by the University of Bristol, we paid a nominal license fee and agreed to pay amounts of up to $3.2 million, in the aggregate, tied to a financing milestone and to specific clinical development and commercialization milestones resulting from activities covered by the University of Bristol License Agreement. Additionally, if we successfully commercialize any product candidates subject to the University of Bristol License Agreement, we are responsible for royalty payments in the low-single digits and payments up to a percentage in the mid-teens of any sublicense income, subject to specified exceptions, based upon net sales of such licensed products.
On January 22, 2018, we and the University of Bristol entered into an amendment to the University of Bristol License Agreement. Pursuant to the amended University of Bristol License Agreement, we received exclusive rights for all human medicinal uses of cytisinicline across all therapeutic categories from the University of Bristol from research activities into cytisinicline and its derivatives. In consideration of rights granted by the amended University of Bristol License Agreement, we agreed to pay an initial amount of $37,500 upon the execution of the amended University of Bristol License Agreement, and additional amounts of up to $1.7 million, in the aggregate, tied to a financing milestone and to specific clinical development and commercialization milestones resulting from activities covered by the amended University of Bristol License Agreement, in addition to amounts under the original University of Bristol License Agreement of up to $3.2 million in the aggregate, tied to specific financing, development and commercialization milestones. Additionally, if we successfully commercialize any product candidate subject to the amended University of Bristol License Agreement or to the original University of Bristol License Agreement, we will be responsible, as
8
provided in the original University of Bristol License Agreement, for royalty payments in the low-single digits and payments up to a percentage in the mid-teens of any sublicense income, subject to specified exceptions, based upon net sales of such licensed products. Up to March 31, 2021, we had paid the University of Bristol $125,000 pursuant to the University of Bristol License Agreement.
5. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value in the balance sheets are categorized based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value. For certain of our financial instruments including amounts receivable and accounts payable the carrying values approximate fair value due to their short-term nature.
ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to those valuation techniques are observable or unobservable. In accordance with ASC 820, these inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
|
• |
Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. |
|
• |
Level 2 – Other significant inputs that are observable through corroboration with market data (including quoted prices in active markets for similar securities). |
|
• |
Level 3 – Significant unobservable inputs that reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. |
As quoted prices in active markets are not readily available for certain financial instruments, we obtain estimates for the fair value of financial instruments through third-party pricing service providers.
In determining the appropriate levels, we performed a detailed analysis of the assets and liabilities that are subject to ASC 820.
We invest our excess cash in accordance with investment guidelines that limit the credit exposure to any one financial institution other than securities issued by the U.S. Government. These securities are not collateralized and mature within one year.
A description of the valuation techniques applied to our financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis follows.
Financial Instruments
Money Market Securities
Money market securities are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy and are valued based on quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.
The following table presents information about our assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques we utilized to determine such fair value (in thousands):
March 31, 2021 |
|
Level 1 |
|
|
Level 2 |
|
|
Level 3 |
|
|
Total |
|
||||
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money market securities (cash equivalents) |
|
|
29,136 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
29,136 |
|
Restricted cash |
|
|
50 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
50 |
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
29,186 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
29,186 |
|
Cash equivalents consist of the following (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross |
|
|
Gross |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
Amortized |
|
|
Unrealized |
|
|
Unrealized |
|
|
Estimated |
|
||||
March 31, 2021 |
|
Cost |
|
|
Gains |
|
|
Losses |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
||||
Money market securities |
|
$ |
29,136 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
29,136 |
|
Total cash equivalents |
|
$ |
29,136 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
29,136 |
|
Money market securities (restricted cash) |
|
|
50 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
50 |
|
Total restricted cash |
|
$ |
50 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
50 |
|
9
We only invest in A (or equivalent) rated securities. All securities included in cash and cash equivalents had maturities of 90 days or less at the time of purchase.
6. COMMON STOCK
[a] |
Authorized |
150,000,000 authorized common shares, par value of $0.001, and 5,000,000 preferred shares, par value of $0.001.
[b] |
Issued and outstanding shares |
Purchase Agreement and Financing with Lincoln Park Capital
On September 14, 2017 we and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, or LPC, entered into a share and unit purchase agreement, which was amended on March 12, 2020, or the Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which we have the right to sell to LPC up to $11.0 million in shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement. On May 22, 2018 we obtained the requisite stockholder authorization to sell shares of our common stock to LPC in excess of 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock (as of the date we entered into the Purchase Agreement) in order to be able to sell to LPC the full amount remaining under the Purchase Agreement.
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, LPC initially purchased 1,644 of our units, or the Units, at a purchase price of $608.00 per unit, with each Unit consisting of (a) one share of our common stock and (b) one warrant to purchase one-quarter of a share of common stock at an exercise price of $699.20 per share, or Warrant. Each Warrant became exercisable six months following the issuance date until the date that is five years and six months after the issuance date and is subject to customary adjustments. The Warrants were issued only as part of the Units in the initial purchase of $1.0 million and no warrants shall be issued in connection with any other purchases of common stock under the Purchase Agreement.
After the initial purchase, if our stock price is above $1.00, as often as every other business day over the 54-month term of the Purchase Agreement, and up to an aggregate amount of an additional $10.0 million (subject to certain limitations) of shares of common stock, we have the right, from time to time, in our sole discretion and subject to certain conditions to direct LPC to purchase up to 7,500 shares of common stock. The purchase price of shares of common stock pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will be based on prevailing market prices of common stock at the time of sales without any fixed discount, and we will control the timing and amount of any sales of common stock to LPC. As consideration for entering into the Purchase Agreement, we issued to LPC 617 shares of common stock in September 2017 and, in connection with the amendment of the Purchase Agreement in March 2020, we paid LPC $0.1 million as an expense reimbursement. The consideration of 617 shares of our common stock were fair valued based on the closing price of our common stock as at the transaction date and recognized as part of offering expenses.
During the three months ended March 31,2021, we offered and sold zero shares of our common stock pursuant to the Purchase Agreement with LPC. Since entering into the Purchase Agreement, from September 14, 2017 through March 31, 2021, we offered and sold an aggregate of 27,868 shares of our common stock, including the 1,644 shares that were part of the initial purchase of Units. These aggregate sales resulted in gross proceeds to us of approximately $4.4 million and offering expenses of $0.5 million. As of March 31, 2021, shares of our common stock having an aggregate value of approximately $6.6 million remained available for sale under this offering program.
April 2020 Private Placement
On April 27, 2020 and April 28, 2020, we entered into subscription agreements with certain accredited investors pursuant to which we sold to the purchasers in a private placement approximately 280,782 units, or Units, each consisting of (i) one share of common stock, and (ii) a warrant to purchase 0.75 shares of common stock at an offering price of $6.60 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $1.9 million. The placement agent received a cash commission on the gross proceeds from the sale of the Units and was issued a five (5) year warrant upon substantially similar terms as the investor warrants to purchase 25,270 shares of common stock at an initial exercise price of $7.59 per share. The net proceeds to us, after deducting placement agent expenses and commissions and offering expenses was approximately $1.6 million.
10
Each warrant is exercisable beginning on October 27, 2020, the six-month anniversary of the initial closing date of the offering, through April 27, 2025, which is the five-year anniversary of the initial closing date of the offering. The warrants issued pursuant to subscription agreements executed on April 27, 2020 are exercisable at a price per share of common stock of $7.24, subject to adjustment, and the warrants issued pursuant to subscription agreements executed on April 28, 2020 are exercisable at a price per share of common stock of $7.32, subject to adjustment. Additionally, subject to certain exceptions, if, after the initial exercise date, (i) the volume weighted average price of the common stock for each of 30 consecutive trading days, or the Measurement Period, which, Measurement Period commences on the closing date, exceeds 300% of the exercise price (subject to adjustments for stock splits, recapitalizations, stock dividends and similar transactions), (ii) the average daily trading volume for such Measurement Period exceeds $500,000 per trading day and (iii) certain other equity conditions are met, and subject to a beneficial ownership limitation, then we may call for cancellation of all or any portion of the warrants then outstanding.
Placement agent expenses and commissions and offering expenses have been charged against the gross proceeds.
July 2020 Registered Direct Offering
On July 1, 2020, we completed a registered direct offering, pursuant to which we sold 731,707 shares of our common stock at a price of $8.20 per share.
The registered direct offering raised total gross proceeds of approximately $6.0 million, and after deducting approximately $0.7 million in placement agent fees and offering expenses, we received net proceeds of approximately $5.3 million.
The placement agent fees and offering expenses have been charged against the gross proceeds.
August 2020 Public Offering
On August 6, 2020, we completed an underwritten public offering of our securities, or the Public Offering, pursuant to which we sold an aggregate of (a) 569,043 shares of our common stock, including 92,856 shares subject to the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares, or the Shares, and (b) pre-funded warrants to purchase 142,857 shares of our common stock, or the Pre-Funded Warrants, to the underwriter. The Shares were sold at the public offering price of $10.50 per share. The Pre-Funded Warrants were sold at a public offering price of $10.499, which represents the per share public offering price for the Shares less a $0.001 per share exercise price for each such Pre-Funded Warrant.
The Pre-Funded Warrants are exercisable at any time after the date of issuance. A holder of Pre-Funded Warrants may not exercise the warrant if the holder, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own more than 9.99% of the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. A holder of Pre-Funded Warrants may increase or decrease this percentage, but not in excess of 19.99%, by providing at least 61 days’ prior notice to us.
The Public Offering raised total gross proceeds of approximately $7.5 million and after deducting approximately $0.7 million in underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, we received net proceeds of approximately $6.8 million. The underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses have been charged against the gross proceeds.
December 2020 Public Offering
On December 7, 2020, we completed an underwritten public offering of our securities, pursuant to which we sold an aggregate of 2,472,500 shares of our common stock, including 322,500 shares subject to the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares, or the Shares. The Shares were sold at the public offering price of $7.00 per share.
We also issued a warrant to purchase 50,000 shares of common stock to the representative of the underwriters, the Representative’s Warrant, as a portion of the underwriting compensation payable in connection with this offering. The Representative’s Warrant will be exercisable beginning on May 31, 2021, with an exercise price of $8.75 per share and a term of five years. Under ASC 260, the fair value of the Representative’s Warrant of $0.3 million was charged against Additional Paid-In Capital.
The underwritten public offering raised total gross proceeds of approximately $17.3 million and after deducting approximately $1.5 million in underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, we received net proceeds of approximately $15.8 million. The underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses have been charged against the gross proceeds.
11
Equity Award Issuances and Settlements
During the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we did not issue any shares of common stock to satisfy stock option exercises and issued no shares of common stock to satisfy restricted stock unit settlements.
[c] |
Stock options |
2018 Equity Incentive Plan
As of March 31, 2021, we had reserved, pursuant to the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2018 Plan, 521,100 shares of common stock for issuance upon exercise of stock options by employees, directors, officers and consultants of ours, of which 452,455 were reserved for options currently outstanding, 53,250 for restricted stock units currently outstanding, and 15,395 were available for future equity grants.
Under the 2018 Plan, we may grant options to purchase common shares or restricted stock units to our employees, directors, officers and consultants. The exercise price of the options is determined by our board of directors, or Board, but will be at least equal to the fair value of the shares of common stock at the grant date. The options vest in accordance with terms as determined by our Board, typically over three to four years for options issued to employees and consultants, and over one to three years for members of our Board. The expiry date for each option is set by our Board with a maximum expiry date of ten years from the date of grant. In addition, the 2018 Plan allows for accelerated vesting of outstanding equity awards in the event of a change in control. The terms for accelerated vesting, in the event of a change in control, is determined at our discretion and defined under the employment agreements for our officers and certain of our employees.
2017 Equity Incentive Plan
As of March 31, 2021, we had reserved, pursuant to the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2017 Plan, 13,156 shares of common stock for issuance upon exercise of stock options, currently outstanding, by employees, directors and officers of ours. Upon the effectiveness of our 2018 Plan, we ceased granting equity awards under our 2017 Plan.
Under the 2017 Plan, we granted options to purchase shares of common stock or restricted stock units to our employees, directors, officers and consultants. The exercise price of the options was determined by our board of directors but was at least equal to the fair value of the shares of common stock at the grant date. The options vest in accordance with terms as determined by our Board, typically over three to four years for options issued to employees and consultants, and over one to three years for members of our Board. The expiry date for each option was set by our Board with a maximum expiry date of ten years from the date of grant. In addition, the 2017 Plan allows for accelerated vesting of outstanding equity awards in the event of a change in control. The terms for accelerated vesting, in the event of a change in control, is determined at our discretion and defined under the employment agreements for our officers and certain of our employees.
2010 Performance Incentive Plan
As of March 31, 2021, we had reserved, pursuant to the 2010 Performance Incentive Plan, or the 2010 Plan, 462 shares of common stock for issuance upon exercise of stock options and settlement of restricted stock units by employees, directors, officers and consultants of ours, of which 231 were reserved for options currently outstanding and 231 were reserved for restricted stock units currently outstanding.
Under the 2010 Plan we granted options to purchase shares of common stock and restricted stock units to our employees, directors, officers and consultants. The exercise price of the options was determined by our board of directors and was at least equal to the fair value of the shares of common stock at the grant date. The options vest in accordance with terms as determined by our Board, typically over three to four years for options issued to employees and consultants, and over one to three years for members of our Board. The expiry date for each option is set by our Board with a maximum expiry date of ten years from the date of grant. In addition, the 2010 Plan allows for accelerated vesting of outstanding equity awards in the event of a change in control. The terms for accelerated vesting, in the event of a change in control, is determined at our discretion and defined under the employment agreements for our officers and certain of our employees.
12
Stock Option Summary
We grant stock options that vest over time in accordance with terms as determined by our Board, which terms are typically four years for employee and consultant grants and one to three years for Board option grants. We also grant stock option awards that vest in conjunction with certain performance conditions to executive officers, employees and consultants. At each reporting date, we are required to evaluate whether achievement of the performance conditions is probable. Compensation expense is recorded over the appropriate service period based upon our assessment of accomplishing each performance condition. The expiry date for each option is set by our Board, which is typically seven to ten years. The exercise price of the options is determined by our Board.
Stock option transactions and the number of stock options outstanding are summarized below:
|
|
Number of |
|
|
Weighted |
|
||
|
|
Optioned |
|
|
Average |
|
||
|
|
Common |
|
|
Exercise |
|
||
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Price |
|
||
Balance, December 31, 2020 |
|
|
227,442 |
|
|
$ |
44.64 |
|
Granted |
|
|
238,400 |
|
|
|
13.07 |
|
Balance, March 31, 2021 |
|
|
465,842 |
|
|
$ |
28.48 |
|
The fair value of each stock award for employees and directors is estimated on the grant date and for consultants at each reporting period, using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model based on the weighted-average assumptions noted in the following table:
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|||||
|
|
March 31, |
|
|||||
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
||
Risk-free interest rates |
|
|
0.59 |
% |
|
|
1.51 |
% |
Expected dividend yield |
|
|
0 |
% |
|
|
0 |
% |
Expected life |
|
|
6.01 |
|
|
|
6.02 |
|
Expected volatility |
|
|
109.87 |
% |
|
|
104.06 |
% |
The expected life was calculated based on the simplified method as permitted by the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin 110, Share-Based Payment. We consider the use of the simplified method appropriate because of the lack of sufficient historical exercise data following the Arrangement. The computation of expected volatility was based on the historical volatility of comparable companies from a representative peer group selected based on industry and market capitalization. The risk-free interest rate is based on a U.S. Treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected life of the stock options. In addition to the assumptions above, as required under ASC 718, management made an estimate of expected forfeitures and is recognizing compensation costs only for those equity awards expected to vest. Forfeiture rates are estimated using historical actual forfeiture rates. These rates are adjusted on a quarterly basis and any change in compensation expense is recognized in the period of the change. We have never paid or declared cash dividends on our common stock and do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
The results for the periods set forth below included share-based compensation expense for stock options and restricted stock units in the following expense categories of the consolidated statements of loss (in thousands):
|
|
Three Months Ended |
|
|||||
|
|
March 31, |
|
|||||
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
||
Research and development |
|
$ |
172 |
|
|
$ |
86 |
|
General and administrative |
|
$ |
370 |
|
|
|
216 |
|
Total stock-based compensation |
|
$ |
542 |
|
|
$ |
302 |
|
As of March 31, 2021, the total unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options granted was $4.3 million, which is expected to be recognized as expense over a period of approximately 3.0 years from March 31, 2021.
For the three months ended March 31, 2021, a total of 1,778,596 shares, consisting of warrants to purchase 1,259,273 shares, options exercisable for 465,842 shares and 53,481 restricted stock units, have not been included in the loss per share computation, as their effect on diluted per share amounts would have been anti-dilutive. For the same period in 2020, a total of 1,480,774 shares underlying options, restricted stock units and warrants have not been included in the loss per share computation.
13
[d] |
Restricted Stock Unit Awards |
We grant restricted stock unit awards that generally vest and are expensed over a four-year period. We also grant restricted stock unit awards that vest in conjunction with certain performance conditions to certain executive officers, key employees and consultants. At each reporting date, we are required to evaluate whether achievement of the performance conditions is probable. Compensation expense is recorded over the appropriate service period based upon our assessment of accomplishing each performance condition. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we recorded a compensation expense of $0.1 million related to these awards, compared to $30,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020.
The following table summarizes our restricted stock unit award activity during the three months ended March 31, 2021:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted |
|
|
|
|
Number |
|
|
Average |
|
||
|
|
of |
|
|
Grant Date |
|
||
|
|
Shares |
|
|
Fair Value |
|
||
Balance, December 31, 2020 |
|
|
231 |
|
|
$ |
580.00 |
|
Granted |
|
|
53,250 |
|
|
|
13.09 |
|
Balance, March 31, 2021 |
|
|
53,481 |
|
|
$ |
15.54 |
|
As of March 31, 2021, we had approximately $0.1 million in total unrecognized compensation expense related to our restricted stock unit awards that is to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 2.12 years.
[e] |
Non-employee options and restricted stock units |
We recognize non-employee stock-based compensation expense over the period of expected service by the non-employee. As the service is performed, we are required to update our valuation assumptions, re-measure unvested options and restricted stock units and record the stock-based compensation using the valuation as of the vesting date. This differs from the accounting for employee awards where the fair value is determined at the grant date and is not subsequently adjusted. This re-measurement may result in higher or lower stock-based compensation expense in the Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss. As such, changes in the market price of our stock could materially change the value of an option or restricted stock unit and the resulting stock-based compensation expense.
[f] |
Common Stock Warrants |
The following is a summary of outstanding warrants to purchase common stock at March 31, 2021:
|
|
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding |
|
|
Exercise |
|
|
|
||
|
|
and |
|
|
price per |
|
|
|
||
|
|
Exercisable |
|
|
Share |
|
|
Expiration Date |
||
(1) Warrants issued in September 2017 financing |
|
|
411 |
|
|
$ |
699.200 |
|
|
March 2023 |
(2) Warrants issued in June 2018 financing |
|
|
114,100 |
|
|
$ |
80.000 |
|
|
June 2023 |
(3) Warrants issued in October 2018 financing |
|
|
31,215 |
|
|
$ |
62.890 |
|
|
October 2023 |
(4) Warrants issued in May 2019 financing |
|
|
60,000 |
|
|
$ |
90.000 |
|
|
May 2025 |
(5) Warrants issued in December 2019 financing |
|
|
628,584 |
|
|
$ |
6.600 |
|
|
December 2024 |
(6) Warrants issued in April 2020 financing |
|
|
182,461 |
|
|
$ |
7.240 |
|
|
April 2025 |
(7) Warrants issued in April 2020 financing |
|
|
24,375 |
|
|
$ |
7.320 |
|
|
April 2025 |
(8) Warrants issued in April 2020 financing |
|
|
25,270 |
|
|
$ |
7.590 |
|
|
April 2025 |
(9) Pre-Funded warrants issued in August 2020 financing |
|
|
142,857 |
|
|
$ |
0.001 |
|
|
* |
(10) Warrants issued in December 2020 financing |
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
8.750 |
|
|
December 2025 |
*The pre-funded warrants do not have an expiration date.
For the three months ended March 31, 2021, warrants to purchase 31,467 shares, issued in the December 2019 financing, were exercised at a per unit price of $6.60, for proceeds of $0.2 million, and warrants to purchase 3,750 shares issued in the April 2020 financing were exercised for a per unit price of $7.32, for proceeds of $27,450. No warrants were exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2020. As of March 31, 2021, all of our outstanding warrants were classified as equity.
14
7. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of March 31, 2021 (in thousands):
|
|
Total |
|
|
Less than 1 year |
|
|
1-3 years |
|
|
3-5 years |
|
|
More than 5 years |
|
|||||
Vancouver office operating lease |
|
$ |
126 |
|
|
$ |
52 |
|
|
$ |
74 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
Total |
|
$ |
126 |
|
|
$ |
52 |
|
|
$ |
74 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
Leases
We have operating leases for our corporate offices.
Operating leases with a term of 12 months or longer are included in ROU assets, other current liabilities, and operating lease liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. Finance leases are included in property and equipment, other current liabilities, and other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets.
Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at commencement date. As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use the incremental borrowing rate of comparable companies from a representative peer group selected based on industry and market capitalization. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives and initial direct costs incurred. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Vancouver lease arrangements
We had a lease agreement for office space in Vancouver, British Columbia, which expired in January 2019. Pursuant to the lease agreement, we had the option to terminate the lease early without penalty at any time after January 1, 2017 so long as we provide three months prior written notice to the landlord. This lease was not renewed. This lease was classified as an operating lease.
On November 19, 2018, we entered into a lease agreement, or the Vancouver Lease, for new office space in Vancouver, British Columbia, which commenced on February 1, 2019. Pursuant to the terms of the lease agreement, we leased approximately 2,367 square feet located at Suite 1030, The Grosvenor Building, 1040 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C. The initial term of the Vancouver Lease will expire on January 31, 2023, with an option to extend the term for one further four-year period, at a base rent as agreed upon between the parties with a minimum value equal to the base rent payable in the last year of the initial term. The monthly base rent for the premises was approximately $5,200 commencing on February 1, 2019, and on February 1, 2021, will increase up to approximately $5,400. The landlord provided us with a construction allowance of approximately $14,200. In addition, we paid a security deposit of approximately $18,600 upon entering into the lease agreement. The security deposit was reduced by the first month’s rent and operating expenses upon commencement of the Vancouver Lease. The Vancouver Lease was classified as an operating lease.
Future minimum lease payments under the Vancouver Lease are as follows (in thousands):
2021 |
|
|
52 |
|
2022 |
|
|
68 |
|
2023 |
|
|
6 |
|
Total |
|
$ |
126 |
|
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Seattle lease arrangement
On December 11, 2017, we entered into a lease, or the Seattle Lease, with 520 Pike Street, Inc., or Pike, pursuant to which we leased approximately 3,187 square feet located at Suite 2250 at 520 Pike Tower, Seattle, Washington, 98101, which commenced on March 1, 2018. The Seattle Lease expired on March 1, 2021 and was not renewed.
Our monthly base rent for the premises started at approximately $11,685 which commenced on March 1, 2018 and increased on an annual basis up to approximately $12,397. In addition, we paid a security deposit to Pike in the amount of $37,192, that was subject to periodic reductions on the anniversary of the Seattle Lease. After the first anniversary of the Seattle Lease, we received a payment of $12,397, after the second anniversary, $12,397 from the security deposit was applied against one month of rent and on termination of the Seattle Lease, we received a payment of the $12,397 for the remaining amount in the security deposit. The Seattle Lease was classified as an operating lease.
Consolidated lease and operating expense relating to the Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seattle, Washington offices for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was $42,000. Consolidated rent expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was $0.1 million.
Other information related to leases was as follows:
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Three Months Ended |
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|||||
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|
March 31, |
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|
|||||
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|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
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||
Supplemental Cash Flows Information |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating cash flows from operating leases |
|
$ |
38 |
|
|
$ |
44 |
|
|
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations: |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating leases |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating leases |
|
1.83 years |
|
|
1.99 years |
|
|
||
Weighted Average Discount Rate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating leases |
|
|
9.9 |
% |
|
|
9.9 |
% |
|
Guarantees and Indemnifications
We indemnify our officers, directors and certain consultants for certain events or occurrences, subject to certain limits, while the officer or director is or was serving at its request in such capacity. The term of the indemnification period is equal to the officer’s or director’s lifetime.
The maximum amount of potential future indemnification is unlimited; however, we have obtained director and officer insurance that limits our exposure and may enable us to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. We believe that the fair value of these indemnification obligations is minimal. Accordingly, we have not recognized any liabilities relating to these obligations as of March 31, 2021.
We have certain agreements with certain organizations with which we do business that contain indemnification provisions pursuant to which we typically agree to indemnify the party against certain types of third-party claims. We accrue for known indemnification issues when a loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated. There were no accruals for, or expenses related to, indemnification issues for any period presented.
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INFORMATION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We caution readers that any forward-looking statement is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statement. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, costs and expenses, interest rates, outcome of contingencies, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, business strategies, cost savings, objectives of management, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and other statements that are not historical facts. You can find many of these statements by looking for words like “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “could,” “plan,” “intend” or similar expressions in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or in documents incorporated by reference into this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Examples of these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
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• |
progress and preliminary and future results of any clinical trials; |
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• |
the effects of COVID-19 on our business and financial results; |
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• |
timing and plans for the expansion of our focus to address other methods of nicotine addiction; |
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• |
timing and amount of future contractual payments, product revenue and operating expenses; and |
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• |
market acceptance of our products and the estimated potential size of these markets. |
These forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from current expectations and projections. Factors that might cause such a difference include those discussed in Item 1A “Risk Factors,” as well as those discussed elsewhere in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or, in the case of documents referred to or incorporated by reference, the date of those documents.
All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable U.S. securities law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company committed to the global development and commercialization of cytisinicline for smoking cessation and nicotine addiction. Our primary focus is to address the global smoking and nicotine addiction epidemic, which is a leading cause of preventable death and is responsible for more than eight million deaths annually worldwide. We may expand our focus to address other methods of nicotine addiction such as e-cigarettes/vaping.
Our management team has significant experience in growing emerging companies focused on the development of under-utilized pharmaceutical compounds to meet unmet medical needs. We intend to use this experience to develop and ultimately commercialize cytisinicline either directly or via strategic collaborations.
Cytisinicline is an established smoking cessation treatment that has been approved and marketed in Central and Eastern Europe by Sopharma AD for over 20 years under the brand name Tabex™. We have an exclusive license and supply agreement with Sopharma for the development and commercialization of cytisinicline outside of Sopharma’s territories which are predominately located in Central and Eastern Europe. It is estimated that over 20 million people have used cytisinicline to help treat nicotine addiction, including over 2,700 smokers in investigator-conducted, Phase 3 clinical trials in Europe and New Zealand. These trials were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September 2011 and December 2014 and the journal Addiction in March 2021.
Cytisinicline is a naturally occurring, plant-based alkaloid from the seeds of the Laburnum anagyroides plant. Cytisinicline is structurally similar to nicotine and has a well-defined, dual-acting mechanism of action that is both agonistic and antagonistic. It is believed to aid in smoking cessation and the treatment of nicotine addiction by interacting with nicotine receptors in the brain by
17
reducing the severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms through agonistic effects on nicotine receptors and by reducing the reward and satisfaction associated with nicotine through antagonistic properties.
In the third quarter of 2018, the United States Adopted Names Council adopted cytisinicline as the non-proprietary, or generic, name for the substance also known as cytisine.
We have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales to date. We have never been profitable and have incurred operating losses in each year since inception. Our net loss was $8.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. As of March 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $68.4 million, cash and cash equivalents balance of $29.6 million and a positive working capital balance of $26.9 million. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, net cash used in operating activities was $6.5 million.
Cytisinicline Ongoing and Recent Clinical Developments
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Company-Sponsored Clinical Trials
In October 2020, we initiated the Phase 3 ORCA-2 clinical trial. ORCA-2 will evaluate the efficacy and safety of 3 mg cytisinicline dosed three times daily compared to placebo in 750 adult smokers at 15 clinical sites in the United States. ORCA-2 participants will be randomized to one of three study arms to determine the smoking cessation efficacy and safety profile of cytisinicline administered for either 6 or 12 weeks, compared to placebo. All subjects will receive standard behavioral support and will be assigned to one of the following groups:
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• |
Arm A: 12 weeks of placebo |
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• |
Arm B: 6 weeks of cytisinicline, followed by 6 weeks of placebo |
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• |
Arm C: 12 weeks of cytisinicline |
The primary outcome measure of success in the ORCA-2 trial is biochemically verified continuous abstinence during the last 4 weeks of treatment in the 6 and 12-week cytisinicline treatment arms compared to placebo. Each treatment arm will be compared independently to the placebo arm, and the trial will be determined to be successful if either or both of the cytisinicline treatment arms show a statistical benefit compared to placebo. Secondary outcome measures will be conducted to assess continued abstinence rates through 6 months from the start of study treatment. As a result of COVID-19, we have experienced delays in enrolling subjects for the ORCA-2 trial, and currently expect enrollment to be complete in mid-2021.
Completed Company-Sponsored Clinical Trials
In June 2019, we announced positive top line results for the Phase 2b ORCA-1 trial and defined the dose selection of 3 mg, three times daily, or TID, for our Phase 3 development. ORCA-1 was the first trial in our Ongoing Research of Cytisinicline for Addiction Program, or ORCA Program, that aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cytisinicline for smoking cessation, nicotine addiction therapy, and potential benefit in other indications.
ORCA-1 was initiated in October 2018 and evaluated 254 smokers in the United States. The trial evaluated both 1.5 mg and 3 mg doses of cytisinicline on the standard declining titration schedule as well as a more simplified TID dosing schedule, both over 25 days. The trial was randomized and blinded to compare the effectiveness of the cytisinicline doses and schedules to respective placebo groups. Subjects were treated for 25 days, provided behavioral support, and followed up for an additional four weeks to assess continued smoking abstinence after the 25-day treatment.
The primary endpoint in the study was the reduction in daily smoking, a self-reported measure. Three of the four cytisinicline treatment arms demonstrated a statistically significant reduction, p<0.05, compared to placebo. The fourth arm trended to significance (p= 0.052). Across all treatment arms, over the 25-day treatment period, subjects on cytisinicline experienced a 74-80% median reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked, compared to a 62% reduction in the placebo arms.
The secondary endpoint of the trial was a 4-week continuous abstinence rate, which is the relevant endpoint for regulatory approval. All cytisinicline treatment arms showed significant improvements in abstinence rates compared to the placebo arms. The most impressive results were observed in the 3 mg TID cytisinicline arm which demonstrated a 50% abstinence rate at week 4, compared to 10% for placebo (p<0.0001) and a continuous abstinence rate, weeks 5 through 8, of 30% for cytisinicline compared to 8% for placebo (p= 0.005). At week 4, all four cytisinicline arms demonstrated statistically significant (p<0.05) reductions in expired carbon
18
monoxide, or CO, a biochemical measure of smoking activity. Expired CO levels had declined by a median of 71-80% in the cytisinicline treatment arms, compared to only 38% in the placebo arms. The greater reductions in expired CO levels for the cytisinicline arms versus placebo suggest that placebo-treated subjects may have over-reported their reduction in cigarettes smoked or overcompensated with greater inhalation while smoking fewer cigarettes.
Cytisinicline was well-tolerated with no serious adverse effects, or AEs, reported. The most commonly reported (>5%) AEs across all cytisinicline treatment arms versus placebo arms were abnormal dreams, insomnia, upper respiratory tract infections, and nausea. In the 3 mg TID treatment arm versus placebo arms, the most common AEs were abnormal dreams, insomnia, and constipation (each 6% vs 2%), upper respiratory tract infections (6% vs 14%), and nausea (6% vs 10%), respectively. Compliance with study treatment was greater than 94% across all arms.
We presented the ORCA-1 results in September 2019 at the annual European meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, or SRNT, held in Oslo, Norway and the trial results were published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research in April 2021. Based on the results of the ORCA-1 trial, we have selected 3 mg TID for Phase 3 development. Overall, the 3 mg dose administered TID demonstrated the best overall safety and efficacy when compared to other doses and administrations studied in ORCA-1.
In November 2019, we held a type C meeting with the FDA to review the ORCA-1 results and our revisions to the Phase 3 clinical program using the simplified 3 mg TID dosing schedule. The FDA agreed that the 3 mg TID dosing schedule was acceptable. We also discussed with the FDA timing for the submission of the 13-Week interim report from the second ongoing chronic toxicology study to support the longer treatment durations of 6- and 12-weeks in the Phase 3 clinical program. This interim chronic toxicology report was submitted to the FDA in the second quarter of 2020.
Completed Investigator-Sponsored Clinical Trial