ITEM 1. BUSINESS.
Unless otherwise provided in this report, all references in this report to “we,” “us,” “Radius,” “our company,” “our,” or the “Company” refer to Radius Health, Inc. and our subsidiaries.
Overview
We are a science-driven fully integrated biopharmaceutical company that is committed to developing and commercializing innovative endocrine therapeutics. In April 2017, our first commercial product, TYMLOS (abaloparatide) injection, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture defined as history of osteoporotic fracture, multiple risk factors for fracture, or patients who have failed or are intolerant to other available osteoporosis therapy. In May 2017, we commenced U.S. commercial sales of TYMLOS and, as of January 1, 2020, TYMLOS was available and covered for approximately 290 million U.S. insured lives, representing approximately 99% of U.S. Commercial and 79% of Medicare Part D insured lives. In July 2017, we entered into a license and development agreement with Teijin Limited (“Teijin”) for abaloparatide for subcutaneous injection (“abaloparatide-SC”) in Japan. Under this agreement, we received an upfront payment and are entitled to receive milestone payments upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones, and a fixed low double-digit royalty based on net sales of abaloparatide-SC in Japan during the royalty term. In March 2018, we initiated a clinical trial in men with osteoporosis which, if successful, will form the basis of a supplemental NDA seeking to expand the use of TYMLOS to treat men with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. We expect to report top-line data from the study in the second half of 2021. In July 2018, we initiated a bone histomorphometry study to evaluate the early effects of TYMLOS on tissue-based bone remodeling and structural indices in postmenopausal women. Study enrollment is now complete, and we expect to present data from this study in the second half of 2020. In October 2018, the FDA approved a labeling supplement for TYMLOS to reflect that after 24 months of open-label alendronate therapy, the vertebral fracture risk reduction achieved with TYMLOS therapy was maintained. In January 2019, the European Commission adopted a decision refusing approval of our European Marketing Authorization Application (“MAA”) for abaloparatide-SC.
We are developing an abaloparatide transdermal patch (“abaloparatide-patch”), for potential use in the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. In May 2019, we received a special protocol assessment agreement from the FDA for our Phase 3 study of abaloparatide-patch. We initiated our Phase 3 wearABLe study of abaloparatide-patch in August 2019 and expect to report top-line data from the study in the second half of 2021. The wearABLe study is a single, pivotal, randomized, open label, active-controlled, bone mineral density (“BMD”) non-inferiority bridging study with a planned enrollment of approximately 470 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk of fracture, which, if successful, will support an NDA submission. The primary endpoint of the study is percentage change in lumbar spine BMD at 12 months. Non-inferiority of abaloparatide-patch to abaloparatide-SC will be concluded if the lower bound of the 2-sided 95% confidence interval for the estimated treatment difference (abaloparatide-patch minus abaloparatide-SC) in the percentage change from baseline in lumbar spine BMD at 12 months is above -2.0%. In February 2018, we entered into a Scale-Up and Commercial Supply Agreement (the “Supply Agreement”) with 3M Company and 3M Innovative Properties Company (collectively with 3M Company, “3M”) pursuant to which 3M agreed to exclusively manufacture Phase 3 and global commercial supplies of abaloparatide-patch. In partnership with 3M, we selected Patheon N.V., now known as Thermo Fisher Scientific (“Thermo Fisher”), to conduct the abaloparatide-patch coating process and packaging operations. We have successfully completed development activities associated with the scale up of manufacturing to supply our ongoing abaloparatide-patch Phase 3 wearABLe study. We have also made significant progress scaling up for potential commercial batches, if our Phase 3 trial is successful and abaloparatide-patch is approved. In October 2018, we committed to fund 3M’s purchase of capital equipment totaling approximately $9.6 million in preparation for manufacturing Phase 3 and potential commercial supplies of abaloparatide-patch. Milestone payments for the equipment commenced in the fourth quarter of 2018 and are expected to be paid in full in the second quarter of 2021. In addition, there are cancellable purchase commitments in place to fund the facility build out and future purchases of capital equipment. The completion of the engineering equipment designs for critical equipment to produce the abaloparatide-patch at the commercial site is on target, and critical equipment has started to arrive and is being installed. In December 2019, we aligned with the FDA on requirements for an NDA filing.
In connection with our strategic plans to focus on bone health and targeted endocrine diseases, we are exploring all strategic options for our oncology programs, including elacestrant (RAD1901) and RAD140. Our investigational product candidate, elacestrant (RAD1901), a selective estrogen receptor degrader (“SERD”), is being developed for potential use in the treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. We initiated our Phase 3 EMERALD study of elacestrant in late November 2018 and expect to complete enrollment in the third quarter of 2020. The Phase 3 study is a single, randomized, open label, active-controlled Phase 3 trial of elacestrant as a second or third-line monotherapy in approximately 460 patients with estrogen receptor-positive (“ER+”) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (“HER2-”) advanced or
metastatic breast cancer who have received prior treatment with one or two endocrine therapies, including a cyclin-dependent kinase (“CDK”) 4/6 inhibitor. Patients in the study will be randomized to receive either elacestrant or the investigator’s choice of an approved hormonal agent. The primary endpoint of the study will be progression-free survival (“PFS”), which we will analyze in the overall patient population and in patients with estrogen receptor 1 gene (“ESR1”) mutations. Secondary endpoints will include evaluation of overall survival (“OS”), objective response rate (“ORR”), and duration of response (“DOR”). We believe that, depending on results, this single trial would support applications for marketing approvals for elacestrant as a second- and third-line monotherapy in the U.S., European Union (“EU”), and other markets. In November 2018, the FDA granted Fast Track designation for elacestrant for the population to be included in the Phase 3 study. We do not plan to initiate any further clinical development of elacestrant beyond the ongoing EMERALD study.
We developed our internally discovered investigational product candidate, RAD140, a non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (“SARM”), for potential use in the treatment of hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. In September 2017, we initiated a Phase 1 study of RAD140 in patients with ER+/AR+/HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The clinical trial was designed to evaluate the safety and maximum tolerated dose (“MTD”) of RAD140 in approximately 40 patients. Primary safety endpoints from the trial included the incidence rate of dose-limiting toxicities, adverse events related to treatment, and tolerability as measured by dose interruptions or adjustments. In addition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and tumor response were evaluated. In December 2019, we presented the Phase 1A data based on a data cut-off of October 31, 2019. The data showed that a total of 22 patients with advanced/metastatic breast cancer had been treated at once daily oral doses ranging from 50mg to 150mg, and that the MTD was 100mg per day. The patients were heavily pre-treated, with a median of four prior lines of therapy for metastatic disease, including chemotherapy in all but two patients. As of February 11, 2020, one patient remained on treatment. Evidence of clinical activity was seen with a partial response in one of nine RECIST evaluable patients and pharmacodynamic data consistent with androgen receptor (“AR”) modulatory activity was also seen. We do not plan to initiate any additional clinical studies of RAD140.
Our Marketed Product and Investigational Product Candidates
The success of our business is primarily dependent upon our ability to commercialize TYMLOS in the U.S. and to develop and commercialize our current and future product candidates. The following table identifies our commercial product, TYMLOS, and the investigational product candidates in our current product portfolio, their potential indication and stage of development. We hold worldwide commercialization rights for all these product candidates, excluding abaloparatide-SC, for which we hold worldwide commercialization rights, except for Japan, where we entered into a license and development agreement with Teijin for abaloparatide-SC in Japan. Under this agreement, we received an upfront payment and may receive up to an aggregate of $40.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones, and a fixed low double-digit royalty based on net sales of abaloparatide-SC in Japan during the royalty term.
Our Strategy
To achieve our goal of becoming a leading provider of innovative endocrine therapeutics, we plan to:
•Gain anabolic osteoporosis market leadership and expand use of TYMLOS . We commenced U.S. commercial sales of TYMLOS in May 2017 and we remain focused on growing our market share in anabolic appropriate patients. In October 2018, the FDA approved a labelling supplement for TYMLOS to reflect that after 24 months of open-label alendronate therapy, the vertebral fracture risk reduction achieved with TYMLOS therapy was maintained. TYMLOS exited 2019 with a 52% market share in new anabolic patient starts in December and a 42% total U.S. anabolic market share in December. We are conducting additional research towards potential additional indications for TYMLOS, including a clinical trial in men with osteoporosis that we initiated in March 2018, which, if successful, will form the basis of a supplemental NDA seeking to expand the use of TYMLOS to treat men with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. We expect to report top-line data from the study in the second half of 2021. In July 2018, we also initiated a bone histomorphometry study to evaluate the early effects of TYMLOS on tissue-based bone remodeling and structural indices in postmenopausal women. Study enrollment is now complete, and we expect to present data from this study in the second half of 2020.
•Expand abaloparatide's market potential through the continued development of abaloparatide-patch. We are developing our investigational abaloparatide-patch as a short-wear-time transdermal patch. In May 2019, we received a special protocol assessment agreement from the FDA for our Phase 3 (wearABLe) study of abaloparatide-patch, which means the FDA considers the study design to be adequate and well-controlled to support marketing approval provided the study endpoints are achieved. The wearABLe study is a single, pivotal, randomized, open label, active-controlled, BMD non-inferiority bridging study with a planned enrollment of approximately 470 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk of fracture, which if successful, will support an NDA submission. The primary endpoint of the study is percentage change in lumbar spine BMD at 12 months. Non-inferiority of abaloparatide-patch to abaloparatide-SC will be concluded if the lower bound of the 2-sided 95% confidence interval for the estimated treatment difference (abaloparatide-patch minus abaloparatide-SC) in the percentage change from baseline in lumbar spine BMD at 12 months is above -2.0%.We initiated this pivotal study in August 2019 and expect to report top-line data in the second half of 2021. In February 2018, we entered into the Supply Agreement pursuant to which 3M agreed to exclusively manufacture Phase 3 and global commercial supplies of abaloparatide-patch. In partnership with 3M, we selected Thermo Fisher Scientific (“Thermo Fisher”) to conduct the abaloparatide-patch coating process and packaging operations. We have successfully completed development activities associated with the scale up of manufacturing to supply our ongoing abaloparatide-patch Phase 3 wearABLe study. We have also made significant progress scaling up for potential commercial batches, if our Phase 3 trial is successful and abaloparatide-patch is approved.
•Evaluate strategic options for oncology assets. We are developing our investigational product candidate elacestrant as a potential treatment for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. We initiated our Phase 3 EMERALD study of elacestrant in late November 2018 and expect to complete enrollment in the third quarter of 2020. The Phase 3 study is a single, randomized, open label, active-controlled Phase 3 trial of elacestrant as a second or third-line monotherapy in approximately 460 patients with ER+ and HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have received prior treatment with one or two endocrine therapies, including a CDK 4/6 inhibitor. Patients in the study will be randomized to receive either elacestrant or the investigator’s choice of an approved hormonal agent. The primary endpoint of the study will be PFS, which we will analyze in the overall patient population and in patients with ESR1 mutations. Secondary endpoints will include evaluation of OS, ORR, and DOR. We believe that, depending on results, this single trial would support applications for marketing approvals for elacestrant as a second- and third-line monotherapy in the U.S., EU, and other markets. In September 2017 we initiated a Phase 1 study of RAD140 in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. In December 2019, we presented the Phase 1A data based on a data cut-off of October 31, 2019. The data showed that a total of 22 patients with advanced/metastatic breast cancer had been treated at once daily oral doses ranging from 50mg to 150mg, and that the MTD was 100mg per day. We plan to explore all strategic options for our oncology programs, including elacestrant (RAD1901) and RAD140.
•Continue to expand our product portfolio. We plan to leverage our drug development expertise to discover and develop additional investigational product candidates focused on bone health and targeted endocrine diseases. For example, we may consider opportunistically expanding our product portfolio within these areas through in-licensing, acquisitions or partnerships.
Our Opportunity in Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, which leads to greater fragility and an increase in fracture risk. All bones become more fragile and susceptible to fracture as the disease progresses. People tend to be unaware that their bones are getting weaker, and a person with osteoporosis can fracture a bone from even a minor fall. The debilitating effects of osteoporosis have substantial costs. Loss of mobility, admission to nursing homes and dependence on caregivers are all common consequences of osteoporosis. The prevalence of osteoporosis is growing and, per the National Osteoporosis Foundation ("NOF"), is significantly under-recognized and under-treated in the population. While the aging of the population is a primary driver of an increase in cases, osteoporosis is also increasing from the use of drugs that induce bone loss, such as chronic use of glucocorticoids and aromatase inhibitors that are increasingly used for breast cancer and hormone therapies used for prostate cancer.
The NOF has estimated that 10 million people in the United States, composed of eight million women and two million men, already have osteoporosis, and another approximately 44 million have low bone mass placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. In addition, the NOF has estimated that osteoporosis is responsible for more than two million fractures in the United States each year resulting in an estimated $19 billion in costs annually. The NOF expects that the number of fractures in the United States due to osteoporosis will rise to three million by 2025, resulting in an estimated $23.5 billion in costs each year. Worldwide, osteoporosis affects an estimated 200 million women according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation ("IOF") and causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, which is equivalent to an osteoporotic fracture occurring approximately every three seconds.
The IOF has estimated that 1.6 million hip fractures occur worldwide each year, and by 2050 this number could reach between 4.5 million and 6.3 million. The IOF estimates that in Europe alone, the annual cost of osteoporotic fractures could surpass €76 billion by 2050. The IOF, in its 2013 Asia-Pacific audit, estimated that osteoporosis affects 10% of the population in Japan over age 40; composed of 9.8 million women and 3 million men. By 2025, it is expected that 25% of Japan’s population will be over 70 years old with an average life expectancy of 87 years, and this is predicted to increase to 32% of Japan’s population in 2050 with an average life expectancy of 92 years. In 2050, it is also expected that over half of the Japanese population will be over 50 years old. The expected increase in the age of its population presents Japan with a significant need to focus on the health of its elderly, including osteoporosis.
In 2019, total sales of branded osteoporosis drugs approximated $8.1 billion worldwide, of which $5.3 billion was attributable to injectable therapies. Osteoporosis drugs currently available in the United States include anti-resorptive agents, anabolic agents and a sclerostin inhibitor agent that has both anabolic and anti-resorptive characteristics. Anti-resorptive agents act to prevent further bone loss by inhibiting the breakdown of bone, whereas anabolic agents stimulate bone formation to build new bone.
We believe there is a large unmet need in the market for osteoporosis treatment because existing therapies have been reported to have shortcomings in efficacy, tolerability and convenience. For example, one current standard of care, bisphosphonates, which are anti-resorptive agents, have been associated with infrequent but serious adverse events, such as osteonecrosis of the jaw and atypical fractures, especially of long bones. These side effects, although uncommon, reportedly have created increasing concern with physicians and patients. We believe many physicians are seeking alternatives to bisphosphonates. Forteo/Forsteo® (teriparatide) sold by Eli Lilly and Company ("Lilly"), Prolia® (denosumab) marketed by Amgen Inc. ("Amgen"), and Evenity® (romosozumab-aqqg) marketed by Amgen and UCB are three alternatives to bisphosphonates that are approved for the treatment of osteoporosis. Prolia and Evenity have also been associated with infrequent but serious adverse events, such as osteonecrosis of the jaw and atypical fractures. In 2019, Forteo/Forsteo, Prolia, and Evenity reported total worldwide sales of approximately $4.3 billion, $2.5 billion in the U.S. and $1.8 billion outside of the U.S.
We believe there is a significant opportunity for TYMLOS (abaloparatide), an anabolic agent which is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture defined as history of osteoporotic fracture, multiple risk factors for fracture, or patients who have failed or are intolerant to other available osteoporosis therapy. With the potential addition of new guidelines, expanding research, increased diagnosis effort, greater awareness of the long-term risk associated with osteoporotic fracture, and new, more effective therapies we believe osteoporosis treatment will expand and likewise our potential commercial opportunity. We also believe that there is a significant opportunity for abaloparatide outside the U.S., particularly in Japan, where we have a license and development agreement with Teijin for abaloparatide-SC under which we are entitled to receive payments up to an aggregate of $40.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones, a fixed low double-digit royalty based on net sales of abaloparatide-SC in Japan during the royalty term.
Abaloparatide
In April 2017, the FDA approved TYMLOS (abaloparatide-SC) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture defined as history of osteoporotic fracture, multiple risk factors for fracture, or patients who have failed or are intolerant to other available osteoporosis therapy. We are developing two formulations of abaloparatide: abaloparatide-SC and abaloparatide-patch.
Abaloparatide-SC
TYMLOS was approved in the United States in April 2017 for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. The first commercial sales of TYMLOS in the United States occurred in May 2017 and as of January 1, 2020, TYMLOS was available and covered for approximately 290 million U.S. insured lives, representing approximately 99% of U.S. Commercial and 79% of Medicare Part D insured lives. In October 2018, the FDA approved a labelling supplement for TYMLOS to reflect that after 24 months of open-label alendronate therapy, the vertebral fracture risk reduction achieved with
TYMLOS therapy was maintained. We are commercializing TYMLOS in the United States through our commercial organization and have built an external distribution network comprised of specialty distributors and specialty pharmacies. Under our distribution model, both the specialty distributors and specialty pharmacies take physical delivery of TYMLOS and pharmacies dispense TYMLOS directly to patients.
We hold worldwide commercialization rights to abaloparatide-SC, except for Japan, where we have a license and development agreement with Teijin for abaloparatide-SC under which we are entitled to receive payments up to an aggregate of $40.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones, a fixed low double-digit royalty based on net sales of abaloparatide-SC in Japan during the royalty term. In January 2019, the European Commission adopted a decision refusing approval of our MAA for abaloparatide-SC.
In July 2017, we entered into a license and development agreement with Teijin for abaloparatide-SC in Japan. Pursuant to the agreement, we received an upfront payment and may receive additional milestone and royalty payments as discussed above. Teijin is conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial of abaloparatide in Japan for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
In March 2018, we initiated a clinical trial in men with osteoporosis which, if successful, will form the basis of a supplemental NDA seeking to expand the use of TYMLOS to treat men with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that will enroll approximately 225 men with osteoporosis. The primary endpoint is change in lumbar spine BMD at 12 months compared with placebo. In previous clinical trials, TYMLOS has demonstrated increases in BMD in postmenopausal women. The study includes specialized high-resolution imaging to examine the effect of abaloparatide on bone structure, such as the hip, in a subset of the study participants. We expect to report top-line data from the study in the second half of 2021.
In June 2018, the FDA approved a labeling supplement for TYMLOS to revise the needle length in the Instructions for Use from 8 mm to 5 mm. We believe health care providers, specialty pharmacies, and patients may prefer a shorter needle size for injectable products like TYMLOS.
In July 2018, we initiated a bone histomorphometry study to evaluate the early effects of TYMLOS on tissue-based bone remodeling and structural indices in postmenopausal women. Study enrollment is now complete, and we expect to present data from this study in the second half of 2020.
Abaloparatide-patch
We are also developing abaloparatide-patch, based on 3M’s patented Microstructured Transdermal System technology, for potential use as a short wear-time transdermal patch. We hold worldwide commercialization rights to the abaloparatide-patch technology and are developing abaloparatide-patch toward future global regulatory submissions to build upon the potential success of TYMLOS. Our development strategy for abaloparatide-patch is to bridge to the established efficacy and safety of our approved abaloparatide-SC formulation.
We commenced a human replicative clinical evaluation of the optimized abaloparatide-patch in December 2015, with the goal of achieving comparability to abaloparatide-SC. In September 2016, we presented results from this evaluation of the first and second abaloparatide-patch prototypes, demonstrating that formulation technology can modify the pharmacokinetic profile of abaloparatide, including Tmax, half-life (“T1/2”), and area under the curve (“AUC”). In March 2018, we announced that through further optimization we had achieved comparability to the abaloparatide-SC profile with a third prototype (the “current abaloparatide-patch”). The current abaloparatide-patch optimized the drug-device combination through process improvements, a finalized formulation, selection of a dose (300 µg), and the introduction of a new clinical applicator, which were designed to improve the ease of use and patient experience. In the second half of 2018, we completed further evaluation confirming that a five minute application of the current abaloparatide-patch to the thigh resulted in a pharmacokinetic exposure highly similar (AUC >90%) to abaloparatide-SC.
In May 2019, we received a special protocol assessment agreement from the FDA for our Phase 3 (wearABLe) study of abaloparatide-patch, which means the FDA considers the study design to be adequate and well-controlled to support marketing approval provided the study endpoints are achieved. We initiated our Phase 3 wearABLe study of abaloparatide-patch in August 2019 and expect to report top-line data from the study in the second half of 2021. The wearABLe study is a single, pivotal, randomized, open label, active-controlled, BMD non-inferiority bridging study with a planned enrollment of approximately 470 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk of fracture, which if successful, will support an NDA submission. The primary endpoint of the study is percentage change in lumbar spine BMD at 12 months. Non-inferiority of abaloparatide-patch to abaloparatide-SC will be concluded if the lower bound of the 2-sided 95% confidence interval for the estimated treatment difference (abaloparatide-patch minus abaloparatide-SC) in the percentage change from baseline in lumbar spine BMD at 12 months is above -2.0%. We are implementing a revised enrollment plan for the wearABLe study that includes additional measures and resources intended to improve site recruitment efforts, as well as the addition of clinical trial sites outside the U.S.
In July 2019, we obtained preliminary results from a patient assessment study which evaluated self-administration of abaloparatide-patch over 29 days in 22 post-menopausal women with low bone density. Study patients were observed at a study site on the first, 15th and 29th day of the study. Top-line results showed that study patients were able to follow the instructions for use (“IFU”) and applied the patches accurately on 99.7% of all applications. The safety data from this study showed that most of the study patients had mild, transient redness at the application site. The mean subject acceptability score on a 5-point scale was 4.5, 4.6 and 4.5 on day 1, 15 and 29, respectively. The laboratory data from this study included an exploratory assessment of PINP, a biomarker that indicates bone formation. At baseline the median PINP level in this study was 50.5 ng/ml, increasing to a median value of 100.1 ng/ml at day 29, while, by comparison, the median PINP values observed with abaloparatide-SC in our registrational ACTIVE study were 50.6 ng/ml at baseline and 100.5 ng/ml at one month.
In February 2018, we entered into the Supply Agreement pursuant to which 3M agreed to exclusively manufacture Phase 3 and global commercial supplies of abaloparatide-patch. In partnership with 3M, we selected Thermo Fisher to conduct the abaloparatide-patch coating process and packaging operations. In December 2019, 3M announced that it entered into an agreement to sell its drug delivery business, which manufactures clinical supplies of abaloparatide-patch, to an affiliate of Altaris Capital Partners, LLC (“Altaris”). The transaction with Altaris, which is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the first half of 2020. In connection with the transaction, we anticipate that the Supply Agreement will transfer to Altaris following the completion of certain transition arrangements between 3M and Altaris.
In October 2018, we committed to fund 3M’s purchase of capital equipment totaling approximately $9.6 million in preparation for manufacturing Phase 3 and commercial supplies of abaloparatide-patch. Milestone payments for the equipment commenced in the fourth quarter of 2018 and are expected to be paid in full in the second quarter of 2021. In addition, there are cancellable purchase commitments in place to fund the facility build out and future purchases of capital equipment.
We have successfully completed development activities associated with the scale up of manufacturing to supply our ongoing abaloparatide-patch Phase 3 wearABLe study. The completion of the engineering equipment designs for critical equipment to produce abaloparatide-patch at the commercial site is on target, and critical equipment has started to arrive and is being installed. In December 2019, we aligned with the FDA on requirements for an NDA filing.
Our Oncology Portfolio and Strategic Plan For Oncology Assets
Given our refined focus on bone health and targeted endocrine diseases, we are evaluating all strategic options for our oncology assets. According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the global incidence is expected to increase in the coming years. The major cause of death from breast cancer is metastases, most commonly to the bone, liver, lung and brain. Approximately 30% of early-stage breast cancer patients develop metastatic disease, and of those patients 90% relapse during the course of their treatment. About 5% of breast cancer patients have distant metastases at the time of diagnosis. Patients with metastatic breast cancer have a five-year survival rate of only 25%, compared with a greater than 90% five-year survival rate for patients with only local disease at diagnosis. Importantly, even patients without metastases at diagnosis are at risk for developing metastases over time.
Approximately 70% of breast cancers express the ER and depend on estrogen signaling for growth and survival. The standard of care for ER+ advanced/metastatic breast cancer calls for endocrine therapy at all stages of treatment, with patients typically cycling through multiple anti-estrogen therapies, such as aromatase inhibitors (“AIs”), selective estrogen receptor modulators (“SERMs”), and selective estrogen receptor degraders (“SERDs”).
These therapies inhibit the ER pathway either by inhibiting estrogen synthesis (AIs) or by directly inhibiting the estrogen receptor (SERMs and SERDs). While both SERMs and SERDs antagonize the estrogen receptor, SERDs function to degrade the receptor. Although many patients initially respond to AIs and SERMs, a majority of patients will have progressive disease and the dependence on ER for tumor growth and sensitivity to other ER-targeting agents is often retained. On the basis of this continued dependence on ER, novel SERDs have gained widespread attention as a means of delivering more durable responses and increasing progression-free survival in this setting. Indeed, SERDs have demonstrated clinical efficacy in patients who have progressed on AIs or SERMs.
Currently only one SERD, fulvestrant, an intramuscular injection, is approved for the treatment of ER-positive metastatic breast cancer. We believe a significant opportunity may exist for new oral therapies that can more effectively treat ER-positive breast cancer.
Elacestrant (RAD1901)
Elacestrant is a SERD that we are studying for potential use as a once daily oral treatment for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. We hold worldwide commercialization rights to elacestrant. Elacestrant is currently being investigated in patients with advanced ER-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer, the most common subtype of the disease. Studies completed to
date indicate that the compound has the potential for use as a single agent or in combination with other therapies for the treatment of breast cancer.
Phase 3 - EMERALD Study
We initiated our Phase 3 EMERALD study of elacestrant in late November 2018 and expect to complete enrollment in the third quarter of 2020. The Phase 3 study is a single, randomized, open label, active-controlled Phase 3 trial of elacestrant as a second- or third-line monotherapy in approximately 460 patients with ER+ and HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have received prior treatment with one or two endocrine therapies, including a CDK 4/6 inhibitor. Patients in the study will be randomized to receive either elacestrant or the investigator’s choice of an approved hormonal agent. The primary endpoint of the study will be PFS, which we will analyze in the overall patient population and in patients with ESR1 mutations. Secondary endpoints will include evaluation of OS, ORR, and DOR. We believe that, depending on results, this single trial would support applications for marketing approvals for elacestrant as a second- and third-line monotherapy in the U.S., EU and other markets. In November 2018, the FDA granted Fast Track designation for elacestrant consistent with the population to be included in the Phase 3 study. We do not plan to initiate any further clinical trials of elacestrant beyond our ongoing EMERALD study.
Phase 1 - Dose-Escalation and Expansion Study
In December 2014, we commenced a Phase 1, multicenter, open-label, multiple-part, dose-escalation study of elacestrant in postmenopausal women with ER-positive and HER2-negative advanced breast cancer in the United States to determine the recommended dose for a Phase 2 clinical trial and to make a preliminary evaluation of the potential anti-tumor effect of elacestrant. Part A of this Phase 1 study was designed to evaluate escalating doses of elacestrant. The Part B expansion cohort was initiated at 400-mg daily dosing in March 2016 to allow for an evaluation of additional safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy. The patients enrolled in this study were heavily pretreated ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer patients who had received a median of 3 prior lines of therapy including fulvestrant and CDK4/6 inhibitors, and about 50% of the patients had ESR1 mutations. We have completed enrollment in the ongoing dose-escalation Part A and expansion study parts B and C. In December 2017, we opened a Part D cohort in this study to provide additional data to support the elacestrant clinical development program anticipated at that time. We discontinued recruitment in the Part D cohort as the data was no longer required to support the final design of our Phase 3 study.
In December 2017, we reported data from this ongoing Phase 1 dose-escalation and expansion study, which included mature data from 40 patients treated at the 400 mg dose in Parts A through C of this study. As of the study interim cut-off date of October 30, 2017, the elacestrant single agent ORR was 27.3% with six confirmed partial responses out of 22 patients with response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (“RECIST”) measurable disease. The median PFS was 5.4 months and clinical benefit rate at 24 weeks was 47.4%. These results showed that elacestrant was well-tolerated with the most commonly reported adverse events being low grade nausea, dyspepsia and vomiting.
We initiated Part D of the Phase 1 dose-escalation and expansion study to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of elacestrant at a 400 mg tablet dose in a population with different eligibility requirements from Parts A, B, and C of this study. In Part D, patients were required to have at least two prior lines of endocrine therapy for advanced/metastatic breast cancer, including fulvestrant, and prior treatment with a CDK 4/6 inhibitor. Ten patients of an originally planned thirty-six were enrolled in Part D. A review of the data as of October 24, 2019 showed that overall the patients in Part D were more heavily pretreated and more likely to have visceral metastases than patients in Parts A through C of this study. In addition, out of the nine patients with measurable disease, four had a best response of stable disease, two of them for greater than 24 weeks. Combined data, as of October 24, 2019, from all four study Parts (A through D) at 400 mg showed that the overall elacestrant single agent ORR was 19.4% and the median PFS was 4.5 months.
Phase 1 - FES-PET Study
In December 2015, we commenced a Phase 1 18-F fluoroestradiol positron emission tomography (“FES-PET”) study in patients with metastatic breast cancer in the European Union, which included the use of FES-PET imaging to assess estrogen receptor occupancy in tumor lesions following elacestrant treatment.
In December 2017, we reported data from the Phase 1 FES-PET study showing that elacestrant demonstrated robust reduction in tumor ER availability in patients with advanced ER+ breast cancer who progressed on prior endocrine therapy. Seven out of eight patients dosed at the 400-mg cohort, and four out of seven patients dosed at the 200-mg cohort, had a tumor FES-PET signal intensity reduction equal to, or greater than, 75% at day 14 compared to baseline. The reduction in FES uptake supports flexibility for both 200-mg and 400-mg elacestrant dose selection for further clinical development in combination studies with various targeted agents and was similar in patients harboring mutant or wild-type ESR-1. The most commonly reported adverse events reported were grade 1 and 2 nausea and dyspepsia.
Potential for use in Combination Therapy
In July 2015, we announced that early but promising preclinical data showed that our investigational drug elacestrant, in combination with Pfizer’s palbociclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase, or CDK 4/6 inhibitor, or Novartis’ everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, was effective in shrinking tumors. In preclinical patient-derived xenograft breast cancer models with either wild type or mutant ESR1, treatment with elacestrant resulted in marked tumor growth inhibition, and the combination of elacestrant with either agent, palbociclib or everolimus, showed anti-tumor activity that was significantly greater than either agent alone. We believe that this preclinical data suggests that elacestrant has the potential to overcome endocrine resistance, is well-tolerated, and has a profile that is well suited for use in combination therapy.
In December 2017, we announced additional preclinical data that continues to demonstrate elacestrant anti-tumor activity, as a single agent and in combination, in multiple models. In these preclinical models, elacestrant demonstrated marked tumor growth inhibition, as a single agent in models treated with multiple rounds of fulvestrant and in combination with CDK 4/6 inhibitors such as palbociclib and abemaciclib and with a phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor, alpelisib. In December 2018, we announced additional preclinical data that showed that elacestrant demonstrated marked tumor growth inhibition as a single agent in models harboring ESR1 point mutations, models insensitive to fulvestrant, and models insensitive to CDK 4/6 inhibitors such as palbociclib, ribociclib, or abemaciclib.
Collaborations
After a comprehensive partnership evaluation for elacestrant and consistent with our plan to focus on bone health and targeted endocrine diseases, we are now exploring all strategic options for elacestrant.
In July 2016, we entered into a pre-clinical collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited to evaluate the combination of elacestrant with Takeda’s investigational drug TAK-228, an oral mTORC 1/2 inhibitor in Phase 2b development for the treatment of breast, endometrial and renal cancer, with the goal of potentially exploring such combination in a clinical trial. In February 2020, we terminated this collaboration.
RAD140
RAD140 is our internally discovered SARM. The androgen receptor, or AR, is highly expressed in many ER-positive, ER-negative, and triple-negative receptor breast cancers. Due to its receptor and tissue selectivity, potent activity, oral bioavailability, and long half-life, we believe RAD140 could have clinical potential in the treatment of breast cancer. We hold worldwide commercialization rights to RAD140.
In September 2017, we initiated a Phase 1 study of RAD140 in patients with ER+/AR+/HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The clinical trial was designed to evaluate the safety and MTD of RAD140 in approximately 40 patients. Primary safety endpoints from the trial included the incidence rate of dose-limiting toxicities, adverse events related to treatment, and tolerability as measured by dose interruptions or adjustments. In addition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and tumor response were also evaluated. In December 2019, we presented the Phase 1A data based on a data cut-off of October 31, 2019. The data showed that a total of 22 patients with advanced/metastatic breast cancer had been treated at once daily oral doses ranging from 50mg to 150mg, and that the MTD was 100mg per day. The patients were heavily pre-treated, with a median of four prior lines of therapy for metastatic disease, including chemotherapy in all but two patients. As of February 11, 2020, one patient remained on treatment. Evidence of clinical activity was seen with a partial response in one of nine RECIST evaluable patients and pharmacodynamic data consistent with AR modulatory activity was also seen. We do not plan to initiate any additional clinical studies of RAD140.
In July 2016, we reported that RAD140 in preclinical xenograft models of breast cancer demonstrated potent tumor growth inhibition when administered alone or in combinations with CDK 4/6 inhibitors. It is estimated that 77% of breast cancers show expression of the androgen receptor. Our data suggest that RAD140 activity at the androgen receptor leads to activation of AR signaling pathways including an AR-specific tumor suppressor and suppression of ER signaling. In April 2017, we presented these RAD140 preclinical results at a major scientific congress. In December 2018, we presented a preclinical poster further demonstrating anti-tumor activity of RAD140 in breast cancer models resistant to standard-of-care endocrine treatments.
Manufacturing
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of our commercial product, TYMLOS, or any of our investigational product candidates, nor do we have plans to develop our own manufacturing operations in the foreseeable future.
Abaloparatide, the active pharmaceutical ingredient (“API”) for both TYMLOS and abaloparatide-patch, is manufactured for us on a contract basis by Polypeptide Laboratories Holding (PPL) AB (“PPL”), as successor-in-interest to Lonza
Group Ltd., using a solid phase peptide synthesis assembly process, and purification by high pressure liquid chromatography. Abaloparatide for TYMLOS is supplied as a liquid in a multi-dose cartridge for use in a pen delivery device. The components of the pen delivery device are manufactured by Ypsomed AG (“Ypsomed”). The multi-dose cartridges and pen delivery device are filled, assembled and packaged by Vetter International GmbH (“Vetter”).
Abaloparatide-patch drug product is manufactured by 3M Company and 3M Innovative Properties Company, (together “3M”), based on their patented microneedle technology to administer drugs through the skin, as an alternative to subcutaneous injection. In partnership with 3M, we selected Thermo Fisher to conduct the abaloparatide-patch coating process and packaging operations. In December 2019, 3M announced that it entered into an agreement to sell its drug delivery business, which manufactures clinical supplies of abaloparatide-patch, to an affiliate of Altaris. The transaction with Altaris, which is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the first half of 2020.
Elacestrant API and drug product are manufactured for us on a contract basis by Patheon, Inc., now known as Thermo Fisher. We are in the process of transferring the elacestrant API manufacturing process to Asymchem, Inc., which we expect to complete by the end of 2020.
RAD140 API and drug product are manufactured for us on a contract basis by Alcami Corporation.
Manufacturing is subject to extensive regulations that impose various procedural and documentation requirements, which govern the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the manufacture, processing, packing and holding of drugs. FDA and International Conference on Harmonisation (“ICH”) current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”) requirements include those pertaining to record keeping, manufacturing processes and controls, personnel, quality control and quality assurance, among others. Our contract manufacturing organizations are required to manufacture TYMLOS and our investigational product candidates under cGMP conditions. cGMP is a regulatory standard for the production of human pharmaceuticals that imposes extensive substantive, procedural and record keeping requirements on the manufacturing processes, testing methodology, and associated production and testing facilities.
Intellectual Property
As of December 31, 2019, we owned or co-owned 13 issued U.S. patents, as well as 48 pending U.S. patent applications, 5 pending Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”) applications, 103 pending foreign patent applications in the European Patent Office and 14 other jurisdictions, and 90 granted foreign patents. As of December 31, 2019, we had licenses to 3 U.S. patents related to compositions and related uses thereof, as well as numerous foreign counterparts to many of these patents and patent applications. We own the federal trademark registration in the United States for Radius® in association with pharmaceuticals and TYMLOS® for use in the treatment of bone diseases. In addition, we own the federal trademark registrations for TYMLOS in Canada, the European Union and Mexico; Radius in Mexico and Europe; and trademarks on potential brand names for our product candidates in the U.S. and in other countries.
We strive to protect the proprietary technology that we believe is important to our business, including seeking and maintaining patents intended to cover our investigational product candidates and compositions, their methods of use and processes for their manufacture and any other inventions that are commercially important to the development of our business. We also rely on trade secrets to protect aspects of our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection.
Our success will significantly depend on our ability to obtain and maintain patent and other proprietary protection for commercially important technology and inventions and know-how related to our business, defend and enforce our patents, preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets, and operate without infringing the valid and enforceable patents and proprietary rights of third parties. We also rely on know-how and continuing technological innovation to develop and maintain our proprietary position.
Abaloparatide
We acquired and maintain exclusive worldwide rights, excluding development and commercialization rights for Japan, to certain patents, data and technical information related to abaloparatide through a license agreement with an affiliate of Ipsen Pharma SAS ("Ipsen"). Composition of matter of abaloparatide was claimed in the United States (U.S. Patent No. 5,969,095), Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Mexico, and Taiwan. These patents expired in 2016. The subcutaneous formulation of abaloparatide for use in treating osteoporosis is covered by Patent No. 7,803,770 until the statutory term expires October 3, 2027, which we expect will be extended to March 26, 2028 (statutory term may be extended with 175 days of patent term adjustment due to delays in patent prosecution by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO) in the United States (not including any patent term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act). The therapeutic formulation for abaloparatide-SC is covered by Patent No. 8,148,333 until October 3, 2027 in the United States (not including any patent term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act) and Patent No. 8,748,382 (not including any patent
term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act). Related patents granted in Australia, China, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, and Ukraine, and additional patent applications pending in Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, and South Korea, will have a patent expiration date of 2027, not taking into account extension under any applicable laws. Patent applications covering various aspects of abaloparatide for microneedle application have been granted in Australia, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand, and additional patent applications are currently pending in the United States, Europe, Hong Kong, and Japan. The issued patents and any patents that might issue from the pending applications will have statutory expiration dates ranging from 2032 to 2037, not taking into account extension under any applicable laws. We have worldwide rights to commercialize abaloparatide-patch, including in Japan.
Elacestrant (RAD1901)
We exclusively licensed the worldwide rights to elacestrant from Eisai. U.S. Patent No. 7,612,114 (statutory term expires December 25, 2023 which may be extended up to August 18, 2026 with 967 days of patent term adjustment not taking into account any Hatch-Waxman patent term extensions) covers elacestrant as a composition of matter as well as the use of elacestrant for treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer. Corresponding patents issued in Australia, Canada, Japan, Poland, India and Europe will have a statutory expiration date in 2023, not taking into account extension under any applicable laws. We exclusively licensed US 9,421,264 (statutory term expires October 10, 2034) covering the treatment of ER+, SERM-resistant (such as tamoxifen and fulvestrant) breast cancer brain metastasis with elacestrant and related applications covering, more broadly, the use of elacestrant for the treatment of ER+ cancers, such as SERM-resistant ER+ breast cancer, now issued as U.S. Patent Nos. 10,420,734 and 10,071,066 (statutory term expires October 10, 2034). Corresponding applications pending in Europe and Canada will have a statutory expiration date in 2035. Polymorphic forms of elacestrant are covered in U.S. Patent No. 10,385,008 (statutory term expires January 5, 2038, not taking into account any patent term extensions) and a companion PCT application US2018/012714 has a projected expiration date in 2038 in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Israel, Japan, South Korea and Mexico, not taking into account any extension under any applicable laws. Elacestrant combination therapies with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (e.g., palbociclib) or an mTOR inhibitor (e.g., everolimus) for treatment of cancers that are drug-resistant and/or expressing mutant ER+ are covered by applications pending in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, and Singapore (statutory expiration date in 2036, not taking into account any extension under any applicable laws).
RAD140
The composition of matter of, and methods of using, RAD140 are covered by U.S. Patent No. 8,067,448 (statutory term expires February 19, 2029, which we expect will be extended to September 25, 2029, with potentially 218 days of patent term adjustment due to delays by the USPTO, not taking into account any Hatch Waxman patent term extensions) and U.S. Patent No. 8,268,872 (statutory term expires February 19, 2029 which may be extended to September 25, 2029 with patent term adjustment, subject to a terminal disclaimer of Patent Nos. 8,067,448 and 8,455,525). Related patents have been granted in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, India and Mexico and an additional patent application is pending in Brazil. Any patents issued from these filings will have a statutory expiration date in 2029. RAD140 for the treatment of breast cancer expressing the androgen receptor (“AR+ breast cancer”) is covered in a PCT application in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and Singapore (projected statutory expiration date in 2037, not taking into account extension under any applicable laws). The PCT application covers the use of RAD140 alone or in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (e.g., palbociclib) or an mTOR inhibitor (e.g., everolimus) for the treatment of the AR+ breast cancer.
There can be no assurance that an issued patent will remain valid and enforceable in a court of law through the entire patent term. Should the validity of a patent be challenged, the legal process associated with defending the patent can be costly and time consuming. Issued patents can be subject to oppositions, interferences and other third-party challenges that can result in the revocation of the patent or that can limit patent claims such that patent coverage lacks sufficient breadth to protect subject matter that is commercially relevant. Competitors may be able to circumvent our patents. Development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products can be subject to substantial delays and it is possible that at the time of commercialization any patent covering the product has expired or will be in force for only a short period of time following commercialization. We cannot predict with any certainty if any third-party U.S. or foreign patent rights, or other proprietary rights, will be deemed infringed by the use of our technology. Nor can we predict with certainty which, if any, of these rights will or may be asserted against us by third-parties. Should we need to defend ourselves and our partners against any such claims, substantial costs may be incurred. Furthermore, parties making such claims may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to develop or commercialize some or all our products in the United States and abroad and could result in the award of substantial damages. In the event of a claim of infringement, we or our partners may be required to obtain one or more licenses from a third party. There can be no assurance that we can obtain a license on a reasonable basis should we deem it necessary to obtain rights to an alternative technology that meets our needs. The failure to obtain a license may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We also rely on trade secret protection for our confidential and proprietary information. No assurance can be given that we can meaningfully protect our trade secrets on a continuing basis. Others may independently develop substantially equivalent confidential and proprietary information or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets.
It is our policy to require our employees and consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors who receive confidential information from us to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to these individuals during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and is not to be disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. The agreements provide that all inventions conceived by an employee shall be our property. There can be no assurance, however, that these agreements will provide meaningful protection or adequate remedies for our trade secrets in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information.
Our success will depend in part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection, preserve trade secrets, prevent third parties from infringing upon our proprietary rights and operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others, both in the United States and other territories worldwide.
Competition
The development and commercialization of new products to treat the targeted indications of our marketed and investigational product candidates is highly competitive, and TYMLOS faces, and our product candidates, if approved, will face considerable competition from major pharmaceutical, biotechnology and specialty pharmaceutical companies that currently market and/or are seeking to develop products for similar indications. Many of our competitors have substantially more resources than we do, including financial, manufacturing, marketing, research and drug development resources. In addition, many of these companies have longer operating histories and more experience than us in preclinical and clinical development, manufacturing, regulatory and global commercialization.
Abaloparatide
Osteoporosis drugs currently available in the United States include anti-resorptive agents, anabolic agents, and an agent that has both anabolic and anti-resorptive characteristics. Anti-resorptive agents including bisphosphonates, estrogen, SERMs and Amgen's Prolia are the most common treatments for osteoporosis. Teriparatide, marketed by Lilly under the name Forteo/Forsteo (outside the U.S.), is the only other anabolic drug targeting the PTH receptor approved in the United States for the treatment of osteoporosis. We are aware of companies pursuing development in the United States of biosimilar and/or generic versions of teriparatide through various regulatory pathways, including Pfenex, Inc., which received FDA approval in October 2019 and is under regulatory review for the submission of a therapeutic equivalence designation (commonly referred to as “A” rated); Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., under regulatory review; and APOTEX, under regulatory review. We believe other companies may be in earlier stages of development of a generic version of teriparatide. Romosozumab, an anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody for the treatment of osteoporosis, marketed by Amgen and UCB under the name Evenity, received marketing approval in Japan in January 2019, the United States in April 2019, and the European Union in December 2019. In addition, we may also face competition from companies that seek to market generic versions of TYMLOS through an abbreviated new drug (“ANDA”) application.
Other organizations are also working to develop new therapies to treat osteoporosis. For example, we are aware that Corium is developing a transdermal formulation of parathyroid hormone (“PTH”) (1-34) that is in Phase 2 clinical development and which, if approved, would compete with abaloparatide-patch, if approved.
Elacestrant (RAD1901)
Elacestrant is being investigated for the treatment of hormone receptor positive breast cancer. If approved, elacestrant will face competition from SERDs, CNS-penetrant anti-cancer agents and from chemotherapy derivatives. AstraZeneca's Faslodex is the only SERD currently approved in the United States for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. In addition, there are other organizations working to develop new therapies to treat metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, including Genentech, AstraZeneca, G1 Therapeutics, InventisBio, H3 Biomedicine, Novartis, and Sanofi, which are each developing oral SERD’s that are in various phases of clinical development.
RAD140
RAD140 is being developed for women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer. While no SARMs are currently approved as therapeutics in the United States, there have been select competitive molecules in development across a range of indications, including hip fractures (Viking Therapeutics) and cachexia (GSK).
We cannot assure you that any of our current investigational product candidates, if successfully developed and approved, will be able to compete effectively against these, or any other competing therapeutics that may become available on the market.
Collaborations and License Agreements
3M
In February 2018, the Company entered into a Scale-Up And Commercial Supply Agreement (the “Supply Agreement”) with 3M Company and 3M Innovative Properties Company (collectively with 3M Company, “3M”), pursuant to which 3M agreed to exclusively manufacture Phase 3 and global commercial supplies of an abaloparatide-coated transdermal patch product (“Product”) and associated applicator devices (“Applicator”). Under the Supply Agreement, 3M will manufacture Product and Applicator for the Company according to agreed-upon specifications in sufficient quantities to meet the Company’s projected supply requirements. 3M will manufacture commercial supplies of Product at unit prices that decrease with an increase in the quantity the Company orders. The Company will pay 3M a mid-to-low single-digit royalty on worldwide net sales of Product and reimburse 3M for certain capital expenditures incurred to establish commercial supply of Product. The Company is responsible for providing, at its expense, supplies of abaloparatide drug substance to be used in manufacturing Product. During the term of the Supply Agreement, 3M and the Company have agreed to work exclusively with each other with respect to the delivery of abaloparatide, parathyroid hormone (“PTH”), and/or PTH related proteins via active transdermal, intradermal, or microneedle technology.
The initial term of the Supply Agreement began on its effective date, February 27, 2018, and will continue for five years after the first commercial sale of Product. The Supply Agreement then automatically renews for successive three-year terms, unless earlier terminated pursuant to its terms or upon either party’s notice of termination to the other 24 months prior to the end of the then-current term. The Supply Agreement may be terminated by either party upon an uncured material breach of its terms by the other party, or due to the other party’s bankruptcy, insolvency, or dissolution. The Company may terminate the Supply Agreement upon the occurrence of certain events, including for certain clinical, technical, or commercial reasons impacting Product, if it is unable to obtain U.S. regulatory approval for Product within a certain time period, or if it ceases development or commercialization of Product. 3M may terminate the Supply Agreement upon the occurrence of certain events, including if there are certain safety issues related to Product, if the Company is unable to obtain U.S. regulatory approval for Product within a certain time period, or if the Company fails to order Product for a certain period of time after commercial launch of the Product in the U.S. Upon certain events of termination, 3M is required to transfer the manufacturing processes for Product and Applicator to the Company or a mutually agreeable third party and continue supplying Product and Applicator for a period of time pursuant to the Company’s projected supply requirements.
In partnership with 3M, the Company selected Thermo Fisher to conduct the abaloparatide-patch coating process and packaging operations. In October 2018, the Company committed to fund 3M’s purchase of capital equipment totaling approximately $9.6 million in preparation for manufacturing Phase 3 and potential commercial supplies of Product. Milestone payments for the equipment commenced in the fourth quarter of 2018 and are expected to be paid in full in the second quarter of 2021. In addition, there are cancellable purchase commitments in place to fund the facility build out and future purchases of capital equipment. The Company has paid 3M approximately $14.4 million, in the aggregate, through December 31, 2019 with respect to performance under the Supply Agreement.
In June 2009, the Company entered into a Development and Clinical Supplies Agreement with 3M, as amended (the “Development Agreement”), under which Product and Applicator development activities occur and 3M has manufactured phase 1 and 2 clinical trial supplies on an exclusive basis. The initial term of the Development Agreement remained in effect until June 2019, after which it automatically renews for successive one-year terms, unless earlier terminated, until the earliest of (i) the expiration or termination of the Supply Agreement, (ii) the mutual written agreement of the parties, or (iii) prior written notice by either party to the other party at least ninety days prior to the end of the then-current term of the Development Agreement that such party declines to extend the term. Either party may terminate the agreement in the event of an uncured material breach by the other party. The Company pays 3M for services delivered pursuant to the agreement on a fee-for-service or a fee-for-deliverable basis as specified in the agreement. The Company has paid 3M approximately $28.9 million, in the aggregate, through December 31, 2019 with respect to services and deliverables delivered pursuant to the Development Agreement.
Ipsen Pharma
In September 2005, the Company entered into a license agreement (the “License Agreement”), as amended, with an affiliate of Ipsen Pharma SAS (“Ipsen”) under which the Company exclusively licensed certain Ipsen compound technology and related patents covering abaloparatide to research, develop, manufacture, and commercialize certain compounds and related products in all countries, except Japan and France (where the Company’s commercialization rights were subject to certain co-marketing and co-promotion rights exercisable by Ipsen, provided that certain conditions included in the License Agreement were met). The Company believes that Ipsen’s co-marketing and co-promotion rights in France have permanently expired. Ipsen also granted the Company an exclusive right and license under the Ipsen compound technology and related patents to make, and have made, compounds or products in Japan. Ipsen further granted the Company an exclusive right and
license under certain Ipsen formulation technology and related patents solely for purposes of enabling the Company to develop, manufacture, and commercialize compounds and products covered by the compound technology license in all countries, except Japan and France (as discussed above).
In consideration for these rights, to date, the Company has made nonrefundable, non-creditable payments in the aggregate of $13.0 million to Ipsen, including payment in recognition of certain milestones having been achieved through December 31, 2019. The License Agreement provides for further payments upon the achievement of certain future regulatory and commercial milestones. Total additional milestone payments that could be payable under the agreement are €24.0 million (approximately $28.7 million). In connection with the FDA’s approval of TYMLOS in April 2017, the Company paid Ipsen a milestone of €8.0 million (approximately $8.7 million on the date paid) under the License Agreement, which the Company recorded as an intangible asset within the consolidated balance sheet and will amortize over the remaining patent life or the estimated useful life of the underlying product. The agreement also provides that the Company will pay to Ipsen a fixed five percent royalty based on net sales of the product by the Company or its sublicensees on a country-by-country basis until the later of the last to expire of the licensed patents or for a period of 10 years after the first commercial sale in such country. The royalty expense was $8.7 million, $5.0 million and $0.6 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and is included within cost of sales within the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The date of the last to expire of the abaloparatide patents licensed from or co-owned with Ipsen, barring any extension thereof, is expected to be March 26, 2028.
If the Company sublicenses abaloparatide to a third party, then the agreement provides that the Company would pay Ipsen a percentage of certain payments received from such sublicensee (in lieu of milestone payments not achieved at the time of such sublicense). The applicable percentage is in the low double-digit range. In addition, if the Company or its sublicensees commercialize a product that includes a compound discovered by it based on or derived from confidential Ipsen know-how, then the agreement provides that the Company would pay to Ipsen a fixed low single-digit royalty on net sales of such product on a country-by-country basis until the later of the last to expire of licensed patents that cover such product or for a period of 10 years after the first commercial sale of such product in such country.
The License Agreement expires on a country-by-country basis on the later of (1) the date the last remaining valid claim in the licensed patents expires in that country, or (2) a period of 10 years after the first commercial sale of the licensed products in such country, unless it is sooner terminated in accordance with its terms.
The License Agreement may be terminated by us with prior notice to Ipsen. The License Agreement may be terminated by Ipsen upon notice to us with immediate effect, if we, in any country of the world, bring an action or proceeding to challenge any Ipsen patent. The License Agreement can also be terminated by Ipsen if we fail to use reasonable commercial efforts to develop the licensed product for sale and commercialization in those countries within the territory where it is commercially reasonable to do so as contemplated by the License Agreement, or fail to use reasonable commercial efforts to perform our obligations under the latest revised version of the development plan approved by the joint steering committee, or fail to use reasonable commercial efforts to launch and sell one licensed product in those countries within the territory where it is commercially reasonable to do so. Either party may also terminate the License Agreement upon an uncured material breach by the other party. Ipsen may terminate the License Agreement if the License Agreement is assigned or sublicensed, if a third party acquires us, or if we acquire control over a PTH or a PTHrP compound that is in clinical development or is commercially available in the territory, and if following such assignment, sublicense, acquisition, or acquisition of control by us, such assignee, sublicensee, acquirer or we, fail to meet the timetable under the latest revised version of the development plan approved by the joint steering committee under the License Agreement.
Pursuant to a June 2018 final decision in arbitration proceedings with Ipsen in connection with the License Agreement, the Company paid Ipsen $10.0 million (and pre-award interest of $0.8 million) and is obligated to pay Ipsen (i) $5.0 million if abaloparatide receives marketing approval in Japan, and (ii) a fixed mid single-digit royalty based on net sales of abaloparatide in Japan. The Company recorded the $10.8 million payment to other operating expenses in its consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss in the second quarter of 2018. The $5.0 million payment upon abaloparatide receiving marketing approval in Japan will be accrued in the period in which the approval is determined to be probable. Royalties based on net sales of abaloparatide in Japan will be accrued during the period that revenue for such sales, which is subject to a royalty arrangement, is recognized and will be presented as cost of sales within the Company’s consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.
The arbitration decision does not impact the Company’s rights under the License Agreement or its license agreement with Teijin for abaloparatide-SC in Japan, under which the Company previously received a $10.0 million upfront payment and is entitled to receive up to an aggregate of $40.0 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones, and a fixed low double-digit royalty based on net sales of abaloparatide-SC in Japan.
Eisai
In June 2006, the Company entered into a license agreement (the “Eisai Agreement”), with Eisai Co. Ltd. (“Eisai”). Under the Eisai Agreement, Eisai granted to the Company an exclusive right and license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize elacestrant (RAD1901) and related products from Eisai in all countries, except Japan. In consideration for the rights to elacestrant, the Company paid Eisai an initial license fee of $0.5 million, which was expensed during 2006. In March 2015, the Company entered into an amendment to the Eisai Agreement (the “Eisai Amendment”) in which Eisai granted to the Company the exclusive right and license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize elacestrant in Japan. In consideration for the rights to elacestrant in Japan, the Company paid Eisai an initial license fee of $0.4 million upon execution of the Eisai Amendment, which was recognized as research and development expense in 2015. The Eisai Agreement, as amended, also provides for additional payments of up to $22.3 million, payable upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones. To date, the Company has paid Eisai approximately $1.0 million in connection with the achievement of certain milestones.
Under the Eisai Agreement, as amended, should a product covered by the licensed technology be commercialized, the Company will be obligated to pay to Eisai royalties in a variable mid-single digit range based on net sales of the product on a country-by-country basis. The royalty rate will be reduced, on a country-by-country basis, at such time as the last remaining valid claim in the licensed patents expires, lapses or is invalidated and the product is not covered by data protection clauses. In addition, the royalty rate will be reduced, on a country-by-country basis, if, in addition to the conditions specified in the previous sentence, sales of lawful generic versions of such product account for more than a specified minimum percentage of the total sales of all products that contain the licensed compound during a calendar quarter. The latest licensed patent is expected to expire, barring any extension thereof, on August 18, 2026.
The Eisai Agreement, as amended, also grants the Company the right to grant sublicenses with prior written approval from Eisai. If the Company sublicenses the licensed technology to a third party, the Company will be obligated to pay Eisai, in addition to the milestones referenced above, a fixed low double-digit percentage of certain fees received from such sublicensee and royalties in the low single-digit range based on net sales of the sublicensee. The Eisai Agreement expires on a country-by-country basis on the later of (1) the date the last remaining valid claim in the licensed patents expires, lapses or is invalidated in that country, the product is not covered by data protection clauses, and the sales of lawful generic versions of the product account for more than a specified percentage of the total sales of all pharmaceutical products containing the licensed compound in that country; or (2) a period of 10 years after the first commercial sale of the licensed products in such country, unless it is sooner terminated.
We can terminate the Eisai Agreement, with respect to the entire territory, with prior notice to Eisai if we reasonably determine that the medical/scientific, technical, regulatory or commercial profile of the licensed product does not justify continued development or marketing.
Eisai can terminate the Eisai Agreement, on a country-by-country basis, at any time prior to the date on which we have submitted for either an NDA approval or EMA marketing approval with respect to a licensed product, upon prior written notice to us, if Eisai makes a good faith determination, in accordance with certain provisions specified in the agreement, that we have not used commercially reasonable efforts to develop the licensed product in the territory. Either party may also terminate the Eisai Agreement upon an uncured material breach by the other party or upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of the other party. Eisai may terminate the Eisai Agreement, with prior written notice, in the event of certain changes of control involving us, if Eisai reasonably determines that the entity assuming control of us is not able to perform under the Eisai Agreement with the same degree of skill and diligence that we would use. Eisai shall further have the right to terminate if the acquiring entity has any material and active litigations with Eisai or is a hostile takeover bidder against us.
Duke
In December 2017, the Company and Duke University (“Duke”) entered into a patent license agreement (the “Duke Agreement”). Under the Duke Agreement, the Company acquired an exclusive worldwide license to certain Duke patents associated with elacestrant related to the use of elacestrant in the treatment of breast cancer as a monotherapy and in a combination therapy (collectively the “Duke Patents”).
In consideration for these rights, the Company incurred non-refundable, non-creditable obligations to pay Duke, totaling $1.3 million in the aggregate, which were expensed as research and development costs during 2017. The Duke Agreement provides for further payments upon the achievement of certain future regulatory and commercial milestones totaling up to $3.8 million. To date, the Company has paid Duke approximately $0.5 million in connection with the achievement of certain milestones. The agreement provides that the Company would pay Duke a fixed low single-digit royalty based on net sales of a licensed product, on a country-by-country basis, beginning in August 2029 and ending upon expiration of the last patent rights to expire in a country. The latest licensed patent is expected to expire, barring any extension thereon, on October 10, 2034.
If the Company sublicenses the Duke Patents to a third party, the agreement provides that the Company will pay Duke a percentage of certain payments received by it from such sublicensee(s). The applicable percentage is in the high single-digit range on certain payments received in excess of a pre-specified amount. The Duke Agreement may be terminated by Duke upon a material uncured breach of the Duke Agreement. The Company may terminate the Duke Agreement upon 60 days written notice.
Teijin Limited
In July 2017, the Company entered into a license and development agreement (the “Teijin Agreement”) with Teijin Limited (“Teijin”) for abaloparatide-SC in Japan.
Pursuant to the Teijin Agreement, the Company granted Teijin: (i) an exclusive payment-bearing license under certain of the Company’s intellectual property to develop and commercialize abaloparatide-SC in Japan, (ii) a non-exclusive payment-bearing license under certain of the Company’s intellectual property to manufacture abaloparatide-SC for commercial supply in Japan, (iii) a right of reference to certain of the Company’s regulatory data related to abaloparatide-SC for purposes of developing, manufacturing and commercializing abaloparatide-SC in Japan, (iv) a manufacture transfer package, upon Teijin’s request, consisting of information and the Company’s know-how that is necessary for the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredient and abaloparatide-SC, (v) a right to request that the Company manufacture (or arrange for a third party to manufacture) and supply (or arrange for a third party to supply) the active pharmaceutical ingredient for the clinical supply of abaloparatide-SC in sufficient quantities to enable Teijin to conduct its clinical trials in Japan, and (vi) a right to request that the Company arrange for Teijin to directly enter into commercial supply agreements with the Company’s existing contract manufacturers on the same pricing terms and on substantially similar commercial terms to those set forth in the Company’s existing agreements with such contract manufacturers. In consideration for these rights, the Company received an upfront payment of $10.0 million, and may receive further payments upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones, as well as a fixed low double-digit royalty based on net sales of abaloparatide-SC in Japan during the royalty term, as defined below.
Pursuant to the Teijin Agreement, the parties may further collaborate on new indications for abaloparatide-SC, and the Company also maintains full global rights to its development program for abaloparatide-patch, which is not part of the Teijin Agreement.
Unless earlier terminated, the Teijin Agreement expires on the later of the (i) date on which the use, sale or importation of abaloparatide-SC is no longer covered by a valid claim under the Company’s patent rights licensed to Teijin in Japan, (ii) expiration of marketing or data exclusivity for abaloparatide-SC in Japan, or (iii) 10th anniversary of the first commercial sale of abaloparatide-SC in Japan.
Supply and Manufacturing Agreements
In June 2016, we entered into a Supply Agreement with Ypsomed AG (“Ypsomed”), pursuant to which Ypsomed agreed to supply commercial and clinical supplies of a disposable pen injection device customized for subcutaneous injection of abaloparatide, the API for TYMLOS. We agreed to purchase a minimum number of devices at prices per device that decrease with an increase in quantity supplied. In addition, we made milestone payments for Ypsomed’s capital developments in connection with the initiation of the commercial supply of the device and paid a one-time capacity fee. All costs and payments under the agreement are delineated in Swiss Francs. The agreement has an initial term of three years which began on June 1, 2017, after which, it automatically renews for two-year terms unless either party terminates the agreement upon 18 months’ notice prior to the end of the then-current term. We or Ypsomed may terminate the agreement at any time by providing notice to the other party 18 months prior to the end of the then-current term. The agreement may also be terminated by either party upon material breach of the agreement, due to a party’s bankruptcy, insolvency, or dissolution, or due to a change of control of either party under certain circumstances. We may terminate the agreement in the event that Ypsomed is unable to obtain regulatory or other approval for the manufacture and sale of Devices or if such approval is revoked. The Company will purchase the device subject to minimum annual quantity requirements over the initial three-year term of the agreement. The Company is required to purchase a minimum number of batches for CHF 2.4 million ($2.5 million) through the year ended December 31, 2022.
In June 2016, we entered into a Commercial Supply Agreement with Vetter Pharma International GmbH (“Vetter”), pursuant to which Vetter has agreed to formulate the finished abaloparatide-SC drug product, to fill cartridges with the drug product, to assemble the pen delivery device, and to package and label the pen for commercial distribution. We agreed to purchase the cartridges and pens in specified batch sizes at a price per unit. For labeling and packaging services, the Company has agreed to pay a per unit price dependent upon the number of pens loaded with cartridges that are labeled and packaged. These prices are subject to an annual price adjustment. The agreement has an initial term of five years, which began on January 1, 2016, after which, it automatically renews for two-year terms unless either party notifies the other party two years before the end of the then-current term that it does not intend to renew. Vetter may terminate the agreement effective upon written notice
to us if we fail to maintain certain insurance required under the agreement, or breach provisions regarding ethical business practices, laws, and regulations. We may terminate the agreement effective upon written notice to Vetter if: (1) Vetter fails to obtain or maintain any material governmental licenses or approvals, (2) Vetter has breached provisions regarding ethical business practices, laws, and regulations, or (3) we fail to obtain certain regulatory approvals. Either party may terminate the agreement due to: (1) the other party’s bankruptcy or insolvency, (2) the other party’s uncured breach of the agreement, (3) a continuing force majeure event, or (4) a failure to reach mutual agreement on a change in the scope of work or services that Vetter reasonably believes it cannot perform because the change is in violation of applicable law.
In July 2016, we entered into a Manufacturing Services Agreement with Polypeptide Laboratories Holding AB (“PPL”), as successor-in-interest to Lonza Group Ltd., pursuant to which PPL has agreed to manufacture the commercial and clinical supplies of the API for abaloparatide. The Company has agreed to purchase the API in batches at a price per gram in euros, subject to an annual increase by PPL. The Company is also required to purchase a minimum number of batches annually, equal to €2.9 million ($3.4 million) per year and $17.2 million in total through the year ended December 31, 2022. The agreement has an initial term of six years, after which, it automatically renews for three-year terms unless either party provides notice of non-renewal 24 months before the end of the then-current term. PPL may terminate the agreement for any reason upon 30-months’ notice. We may terminate the agreement for any reason upon 24-months’ notice, if we fail to obtain regulatory marketing approval for abaloparatide upon 12-months’ notice to PPL, or if abaloparatide is withdrawn from the market upon 12-months’ notice to PPL. Either party may terminate the agreement for the other's uncured breach of the agreement due to a party’s bankruptcy, insolvency, or dissolution, or due to certain force majeure events.
Government Regulation
United States—FDA Product Approval Process
The research, development, testing, manufacture, labeling, promotion, marketing, advertising, and distribution, among other things, of our products and product candidates are extensively regulated by governmental authorities in the United States and other countries. In the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA” or the “Agency”) regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”) and its implementing regulations. Failure to comply with the applicable United States requirements may subject us to administrative or judicial sanctions, such as FDA refusal to approve pending new drug applications (“NDAs”), imposition of clinical holds, warning letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, and/or criminal prosecution. We expect abaloparatide-patch, elacestrant and RAD140 will each be subject to review by the FDA as a drug pursuant to the NDA process, and we currently only have active investigational new drug (“IND”) applications in relation to abaloparatide, elacestrant and RAD140 in the United States.
Approval Process—Absent certain exceptions, none of our drugs may be marketed in the United States until the drug has received FDA approval of an NDA. The steps required to be completed before a drug may be marketed in the United States include, among others:
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preclinical laboratory tests, animal studies, and formulation studies, all performed in accordance with the FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice (“GLP”) regulations;
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submission to the FDA of an IND application for human clinical testing, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin and for which progress reports must be submitted annually to the FDA;
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approval by an independent institutional review board (“IRB”) or Ethics Committee at each clinical trial site before each trial may be initiated;
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adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials, conducted in accordance with applicable IND regulations, Good Clinical Practices (“GCP”), and other clinical trial related regulations, to establish the safety and efficacy of the drug for each proposed indication to FDA’s satisfaction;
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submission to the FDA of an NDA and payment of user fees for FDA review of the NDA (unless a fee waiver applies);
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satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of one or more clinical trial site(s) at which the drug was studied in a clinical trial(s) and/or of us as a clinical trial sponsor to assess compliance with GCP regulations;
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satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the drug is produced to assess compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMPs”) regulations;
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agreement with FDA on the final labeling for the product and the design and implementation of any required Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (“REMS”); and
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FDA review and approval of the NDA, including satisfactory completion of an FDA advisory committee review, if applicable, based on a determination that the drug is safe and effective for the proposed indication(s).
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Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry, toxicity, and formulation, as well as animal studies. The conduct of the preclinical tests and formulation of the compounds for testing must comply with federal regulations and requirements, including GLP regulations. The results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND application, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. An IND application will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions about issues such as the conduct of the trials as outlined in the IND application, and places the clinical trial(s) on a clinical hold. In such a case, the IND application sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding FDA concerns or questions before clinical trials can proceed. We cannot be certain that submission of an IND application will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to begin.
Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational drug to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators. Clinical trials are conducted under GCP pursuant to protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, inclusion and exclusion criteria, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. Each protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND application. Detailed information about many clinical trials must be submitted to the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) for public disclosure on the government website ClinicalTrials.gov.
Clinical trials necessary for product approval are typically conducted in three sequential phases, but the Phases may overlap or be combined. The study protocol and informed consent information for study subjects in clinical trials must also be approved by an IRB for each institution where the trials will be conducted, and each IRB must monitor the study until completion. Study subjects must provide informed consent and sign an informed consent form before participating in a clinical trial. Clinical testing also must satisfy the extensive GCP regulations for, among other things, informed consent and privacy of individually identifiable information.
Phase 1 trials usually involve the initial introduction of the investigational drug into people to evaluate its short-term safety, dosage tolerance, metabolism, pharmacokinetics and pharmacologic actions, and, if possible, to gain an early indication of its effectiveness. Phase 1 studies are usually conducted in healthy individuals and are not intended to treat disease or illness. However, Phase 1b studies are conducted in healthy volunteers or in patients diagnosed with the disease or condition for which the study drug is intended, who present some biomarker, surrogate, or possibly clinical outcome that could be considered for “proof of concept.” Proof of concept in a Phase 1b study typically confirms the hypothesis that the current prediction of biomarker, or outcome benefit is compatible with the mechanism of action.
Phase 2 studies usually involve trials in a limited patient population to: (1) evaluate dosage tolerance and appropriate dosage, (2) identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, and (3) evaluate preliminarily the efficacy of the drug for specific target indications. Several different doses of the drug may be looked at in Phase 2 to see which dose has the desired effects. Patients are monitored for side effects and for any improvement in their illness, symptoms, or both.
Phase 3 trials usually further evaluate clinical efficacy and test further for safety by using the drug in its planned commercial form in an expanded patient population. A Phase 3 trial usually compares how well the study drug works compared with an inactive placebo and/or another approved medication or standard of care. For example, one group of patients may receive the investigational new drug being tested, while another group of patients may receive the comparator drug (already approved drug for the disease being studied), or placebo. Phase 3 trials typically are relied upon as the primary basis for approval because they provide the safety and effectiveness information needed to evaluate the overall benefit-risk relationship of the drug and to create the product labeling.
There can be no assurance that Phase 1, Phase 2 or Phase 3 testing will be completed successfully within any specified period of time, if at all. For example, delays in subject enrollment or interruptions in clinical trial supplies or investigational product may significantly extend a trial past its anticipated end date. Furthermore, we, the FDA, or an IRB (with respect to a particular study site) may suspend or terminate clinical trials at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk.
Post-approval trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, may be conducted after receiving initial marketing approval. These trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication and are commonly intended to generate additional safety data regarding use of the product in a clinical setting. In
certain instances, the FDA may mandate the performance of Phase 4 clinical trials as a condition of approval of an NDA or, in certain circumstances, post-approval.
In addition, clinical trial sponsors are required to register and report results from certain applicable clinical trials for publication on www.clinicaltrials.gov. These reporting requirements also apply to unapproved drugs, regardless of whether FDA approval is or will be sought. Generally, results for applicable clinical trials must be submitted no later than one year after the primary completion date of the study. However, if the study is for an unapproved drug or a new use for an already-approved drug, a certification may be submitted before this deadline delaying the reporting timeframe to 30 days after the occurrence of certain specified events (e.g., FDA approval of the initial or supplemental NDA) or 2 years after the date of submission of the certification, whichever occurs first. Consequently, clinical trial information could be subject to posting even if a drug is not approved and does not make it to market. On December 30, 2019, NIH issued a Request for Information to solicit input to guide infrastructure enhancements for ClinicalTrials.gov as part of a multi-year modernization initiative. While we do not expect these enhancements will result in substantive changes to our registration and reporting obligations, we cannot yet determine what effects, if any, such modifications will have on our ability to comply with such requirements.
The FDA has various programs, including fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation, priority review and accelerated approval, which are intended to expedite or simplify the process for the development, and FDA’s review of drugs (e.g., approving an NDA on the basis of surrogate endpoints subject to post-approval trials). Generally, drugs that may be eligible for one or more of these programs are those intended to treat serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions, those with the potential to address unmet medical needs for those disease or conditions, and/or those that provide a meaningful benefit over existing treatments. For example, a sponsor may be granted FDA designation of a drug candidate as a “breakthrough therapy” if the drug candidate is intended, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. If a drug is designated as breakthrough therapy, FDA will take actions to help expedite the development and review of such drug. Moreover, if a sponsor submits an NDA for a product intended to treat certain rare pediatric or tropical diseases or for use as a medical countermeasure for a material threat, and that meets other eligibility criteria, upon approval such sponsor may be granted a priority review voucher that can be used for a subsequent NDA. From time to time, we anticipate applying for such programs where we believe we meet the applicable FDA criteria. A company cannot be sure that any of its drugs will qualify for any of these programs, or even if a drug does qualify, that the review time will be reduced.
In addition to the existing programs described above, additional measures intended to expedite drug product development and review were also included in the 21st Century Cures Act (“Cures Act”). The Cures Act, which was enacted in December 2016, includes provisions intended to enhance and accelerate the FDA’s processes for reviewing and approving new drugs and supplements to approved NDAs. These provisions include, among other things, (1) requirements that FDA establish a program to evaluate the potential use of real world evidence to help to support the approval of a new indication for an approved drug and to help to support or satisfy post-approval study requirements, (2) requirements that FDA issue guidance for purposes of assisting sponsors in incorporating complex adaptive and other novel trial designs into proposed clinical protocols and applications for new drugs, (3) authorizing FDA to rely upon qualified data summaries to support the approval of a supplemental application with respect to a qualified indication for an already approved drug, (4) requirements that FDA issue guidance regarding the collection of patient experience data and their use in drug development, and (5) requirements that FDA establish a process for the qualification of drug development tools.
Assuming successful completion of the required clinical testing, the results of the preclinical studies and of the clinical studies, together with other detailed information, including information on the manufacture and composition of the drug, are submitted to the FDA in the form of an NDA requesting approval to market the product for one or more proposed indications. The testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort and financial resources. Unless the applicant qualifies for an exemption, the filing of an NDA typically must be accompanied by a substantial payment to the FDA, referred to as a “user fee,” which is currently almost $3 million. Moreover, an NDA must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and efficacy, and to support dosing and administration, of the product for the proposed indication(s) in all relevant pediatric subpopulations unless the FDA grants a deferral, or full or partial waiver, for the submission of such pediatric data. After an NDA is accepted for filing, the FDA substantively reviews the application and may deem it to be inadequate, and companies cannot be sure that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all. The FDA may also refer the application to an appropriate advisory committee, typically a panel of clinicians, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of the advisory committee, but the Agency historically has tended to follow such recommendations.
Before approving an NDA, the FDA usually will inspect the facility or the facilities at which the drug is manufactured and will not approve the product unless the manufacturing and production and testing facilities are in compliance with cGMP
regulations. If the NDA and the manufacturing facilities are deemed acceptable by the FDA, it may issue an approval letter, and, if not, the Agency may issue a Complete Response Letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the drug with specific prescribing information for a specific indication(s). A Complete Response Letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete and the application is not ready for approval. Such a letter usually describes all the deficiencies that the FDA has identified in an NDA that must be satisfactorily addressed before it can be approved. A Complete Response Letter may require additional clinical data and/or an additional pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial(s), and/or other significant, expensive and time-consuming requirements related to clinical trials, preclinical studies or manufacturing. Even if such additional information is submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. The FDA could also require, as a condition of NDA approval, post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the drug’s safety or efficacy or impose other conditions. Approval may also be contingent on a REMS that may include both special labeling and controls, known as Elements to Assure Safe Use, on the distribution, prescribing, dispensing and use of a drug product. The FDA also may condition approval on, among other things, changes to proposed labeling, development of adequate controls and specifications, or a commitment to conduct one or more post-marketing studies or clinical trials. Once issued, the FDA may withdraw product approval if, among other things, ongoing regulatory requirements are not met, certain defects exist in the NDA, or safety or efficacy problems occur after the product reaches the market. FDA may order the withdrawal of the product or seek the manufacturer’s agreement to such withdrawal.
After approval, certain changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, making certain manufacturing changes or making certain additional labeling claims, are subject to further FDA review and approval. Before a company can market products for additional indications, it must obtain an approval from the FDA for each indication. Obtaining approval for a new indication generally requires that additional clinical studies be conducted. A company cannot be sure that any additional approval for new indications for any product will be approved on a timely basis, or at all. In addition, FDA may require certain labeling changes based on its receipt of new safety or efficacy information, such as additional warnings and information on reduced effectiveness.
Post-Approval Requirements—Often times, even after a drug has been approved by the FDA for sale, the FDA may require that certain post-approval requirements be satisfied, including the conduct of additional clinical studies. If such post-approval conditions are not satisfied, the FDA may withdraw its approval of the drug. In addition, holders of an approved NDA are required to, among other requirements: (1) report adverse events to the FDA within specific time frames, (2) comply with certain requirements concerning advertising and promotional labeling for their products, (3) continue to have quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMP regulations after approval, (4) make periodic reports to FDA about the approved product, and (5) comply with requirements regarding distribution of the drug product. The FDA periodically inspects the sponsor’s records related to safety reporting, distribution and/or manufacturing facilities; this latter effort includes assessment of ongoing compliance with cGMP regulations. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance. We have used and intend to continue to use third-party manufacturers to produce our products in clinical and commercial quantities, and future FDA inspections may identify compliance issues at the facilities of our contract manufacturers that may disrupt production or distribution or require substantial resources to correct. In addition, discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in restrictions on a product, including recall or withdrawal of the product from the market, labeling changes, imposition of REMS, or the requirement to conduct additional studies.
Hatch-Waxman Act—Under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, also known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, Congress created an abbreviated FDA review process for generic versions of pioneer (brand name) drug products under section 505(j) of the FDCA. Section 505(j) provides for approval of an abbreviated new drug application (“ANDA”) that contains information to show that the proposed product is identical in active ingredient, dosage form, strength, route of administration, labeling, quality, performance characteristics, and intended use, among other things, to a previously approved drug (commonly known as the reference drug). In considering whether to approve such a generic drug product, the FDA requires that an ANDA applicant demonstrate, among other things, that the proposed generic drug product’s active ingredient is the same as that of the reference product, that the proposed generic is bioequivalent to the reference product, that any impurities in the proposed product do not affect the product’s safety or effectiveness, and that its manufacturing processes and methods ensure the consistent potency and purity of its proposed product. In addition to the ANDA pathway, the Hatch-Waxman Act also established an abbreviated approval pathway under section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA for applications that contain full reports of investigations of safety and effectiveness, but where at least some of the information required for approval comes from studies not conducted by or for the applicant and for which the applicant has not obtained a right of reference. Section 505(b)(2) permits approval of applications other than those for duplicate products and permits reliance for such approvals on literature or on FDA’s finding of safety or effectiveness for an approved drug product.
The Hatch-Waxman Act provides five years of data exclusivity for new chemical entities (“NCE”) referred to as NCE exclusivity, which generally (except as discussed below) prevents the FDA from accepting ANDAs and section 505(b)(2) applications containing the protected active ingredient or active moiety for five years after initial approval of the NCE. A drug
is a NCE if the FDA has not previously approved an NDA for another drug that contains the same active moiety, which FDA defines to mean the molecule or ion (excluding certain specified appended portions) responsible for the physiological or pharmacological action of the drug substance. TYMLOS qualified as an NCE, thus received five years of NCE exclusivity following the FDA’s approval in April 2017. Under FDA’s “umbrella policy,” NCE exclusivity protects all drug products that contain the qualifying NCE, so if abaloparatide-patch is approved prior to the expiration to the NCE exclusivity granted to TYMLOS, we would expect abaloparatide-patch to be protected by any remaining NCE exclusivity period.
The Hatch-Waxman Act also provides three years of exclusivity for applications (including supplements) containing the results of new clinical investigations (other than bioavailability studies) essential to the FDA’s approval of new versions or conditions of use of previously approved drug products, such as new indications, delivery mechanisms, dosage forms, strengths, or other conditions of use. For example, if we are successful in performing a clinical trial of abaloparatide-patch that provides a new basis for approval (a different delivery mechanism) and that FDA considers essential to approval of the drug, it is possible that we may become eligible for a three-year period of market exclusivity for approval of an NDA for abaloparatide-patch. Any such three-year exclusivity period would protect against the approval (but not the filing) of ANDAs and section 505(b)(2) applications referencing abaloparatide-patch for the protected transdermal route of administration. Such exclusivity period for abaloparatide-patch would generally not, however, prohibit the FDA from accepting or approving ANDAs or section 505(b)(2) applications referencing only abaloparatide-SC or section 505(b)(2) applications that reference abaloparatide-patch but that seek approval for a different route of administration or for a use other than for the indication that has been approved for abaloparatide-patch.
The Hatch-Waxman Act requires NDA applicants and NDA holders to submit certain information about patents related to their drugs for listing in the FDA’s list of Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (commonly known as the Orange Book). ANDA and section 505(b)(2) applicants generally must submit a certification or statement regarding each of the patents listed with the FDA for the reference product. A certification that a listed patent is invalid and/or will not be infringed by the marketing of the ANDA or section 505(b)(2) applicant’s product is called a “Paragraph IV certification.” If the sponsor of an ANDA or section 505(b)(2) application that references a drug with unexpired exclusivity provides a Paragraph IV certification for a patent for a reference product that is protected by NCE exclusivity, then the FDA may accept the ANDA or section 505(b)(2) application beginning four years after approval of the reference product’s NDA (rather than five years). If an ANDA or section 505(b)(2) application containing a Paragraph IV certification is submitted to the FDA and accepted as a reviewable filing by the Agency, the ANDA or section 505(b)(2) applicant then must provide, within 20 days of FDA acceptance, notice to the NDA holder and patent owner stating that the application has been submitted and providing the factual and legal basis for the applicant’s opinion that the patent is invalid and/or not infringed. The NDA holder or patent owner then may file suit against the ANDA or section 505(b)(2) applicant for patent infringement. If this is done within 45 days of receiving notice of the Paragraph IV certification, a 30-month stay of the FDA’s ability to approve the ANDA or section 505(b)(2) application is triggered. The 30-month stay begins on the date of receipt of the Paragraph IV notice and, in the case where an ANDA or section 505(b)(2) application is submitted before a reference product’s NCE exclusivity expires (i.e., four years after approval of the reference product), the 30-month period is extended to ensure that approval of the ANDA or section 505(b)(2) application cannot be granted for 7-1/2 years after initial approval of the reference product. Nevertheless, the FDA may approve the proposed product before the expiration of the 30-month stay (or 7-1/2 year period) if a court finds the patent invalid and/or not infringed or if the court shortens the period because the parties have failed to cooperate in expediting the litigation.
On December 20, 2019, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (FCAA 2020) became law. Section 610, entitled “Actions for Delays of Generic Drugs and Biological Products”, provides generic drug (ANDA and 505(b)(2)) and biosimilar developers with a private right of action to obtain sufficient quantities of reference product from the brand manufacturer, or a generic or biosimilar manufacturer, necessary for approval of the developers’ generic or biosimilar product. If a generic drug or biosimilar developer is successful in its suit, the defendant manufacturer would be required to provide sufficient quantities of product on commercially-reasonable, market-based terms and may be required to pay the developer’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs as well as financial compensation under certain circumstances. The purpose of section 610 is to promote competition in the market for drugs and biological products by facilitating the timely entry of lower-cost generic and biosimilar products. We cannot determine what effect section 610 of the FCAA 2020 may have on manufacturers that may develop generic or other competing versions of our products.
European Union—Product Approval Process
In the European Union (“EU”), medicinal products are subject to a variety of EU and EU Member States regulations governing clinical trials, commercial sales, and distribution. Pharmaceutical companies are required to obtain marketing authorization in the EU before they can market their medicinal products. The conduct of clinical trials in the EU is governed by, among others, Directive 2001/20/EC and the EU Good Clinical Practice rules. These impose legal and regulatory obligations that are similar to those provided in applicable U.S. laws. The conduct of clinical trials in the EU must be approved by the competent authorities of each of the EU Member States in which the clinical trials take place following the submission of a related clinical trial application. In addition, an application for a positive opinion must be submitted to the competent Ethics Committee in these EU Member States and a related positive opinion must be obtained prior to initiation of the conduct of the clinical trial. The objective of Directive 2001/20/EC was to harmonize the EU clinical trials regulatory framework. The actual authorization procedure and its duration vary, however, between the EU Member States. This is due to the fact that the transposition of the Directive into the national laws of the EU Member States is not always uniform. To address this issue, the EU legislator adopted Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 (the “Clinical Trials Regulation”) in 2014. The new EU Clinical Trials Regulation, which will replace the EU Clinical Trials Directive, introduces a complete overhaul of the existing regulation of clinical trials for medicinal products in the EU, including a new coordinated procedure for authorization of clinical trials that is reminiscent of the mutual recognition procedure for marketing authorization of medicinal products, and increased obligations on sponsors to publish clinical trial results. The Clinical Trials Regulation is not expected to start to apply before early 2022.
In the EU, medicinal products are authorized following a similar demanding process as that required in the United States and applications for marketing authorization must be submitted based on the ICH Common Technical Document format. The applicable legislation in the EU also requires applicants to either conduct clinical trials in a pediatric population in accordance with a Pediatric Investigation Plan (“PIP”) approved by the Pediatric Committee of the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) or to obtain a waiver or deferral from the conduct of these studies by this Committee. In the European Economic Area (“EEA”) (comprising 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), medicines can be authorized by using either the centralized authorization procedure or national authorization procedures, albeit through the decentralized or mutual recognition procedure to gain access to two or more EEA Member States. The marketing authorization process is essentially the same in both types of procedures and its maximum duration is 210 days, excluding clock-stops.
Centralized procedure—Under the centralized procedure governed by Regulation (EC) 726/2004, a single marketing authorization application is submitted to the EMA for its scientific evaluation of the safety, quality and efficacy. The CHMP then carries out a scientific assessment of the application and issues an opinion on the approvability of the medicine. Following adoption of the CHMP’s opinion, the European Commission, as the EU licensing authority, will adopt a legally binding decision on granting of a centralized marketing authorization which is valid across the EU and through the EEA Agreement, the Member States of the EEA. The centralized procedure is mandatory for human medicines derived from certain biotechnology processes, advanced therapy medicinal products (such as gene therapy, somatic cell therapy and tissue engineered products), medicines containing a new active substance falling within the mandatory centralized procedure such as those which are indicated for the treatment of certain diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, or neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, autoimmune diseases and other immune dysfunctions, viral diseases, and orphan-designated medicines. The centralized procedure is optional for applicants seeking marketing authorizations for medicines which contain a new active substance which is not authorized in the EEA. Alternatively, a medicine which is shown to constitute a significant therapeutic, scientific or technical innovation, or if its authorization via the centralized procedure would be in the interest of public health in the EEA would be considered as eligible for centralized assessment. Accelerated evaluation may be sought by an applicant and granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases in relation to medicinal products that are expected to be of a “major public health interest” provided that three cumulative criteria are fulfilled. These relate to the seriousness of the disease; the absence or insufficiency of an appropriate alternative therapeutic approach; and the anticipated high therapeutic benefit of the medicinal product. CHMP delivers its opinion within 150 days in the framework of accelerated procedures.
National authorization procedure—Pure national authorization procedure is applicable where the applicant intends to market the product only in one Member State. However, if an applicant intends to market the product in two or more Member States, there are two other possible regulatory procedures for products that fall outside the scope of the mandatory or the optional centralized procedure:
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Decentralized procedure. Where a medicinal product has not been authorized anywhere in the EEA and the product does not fall within the mandatory centralized procedure, an applicant may request a Member State to act as the Reference Member State to lead the assessment of the marketing authorization for it to be considered by the selected number of Member States which are concerned by the procedure. A positive decision adopted during the decentralized procedure will result in national marketing authorizations being granted by the Reference and Concerned Member States. Concerned Member States may refuse to approve the assessment made by the Reference Member State only on the basis of a potential serious risk to public health. In these circumstances, the
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disputed elements are be referred to the Heads of Medicines Agencies (“CMDh”) for review. This review, which may also be escalated to the CHMP in case of disagreement in CMDh would result in a decision by the European Commission. This decision is binding on all EU Member States.
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Mutual recognition procedure. Where the medicinal product has been authorized in an EU Member State, the applicant can request the Member State to act as the Reference Member State for the national marketing authorization to be recognized progressively in the other Concerned Member States.
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Under both decentralized and mutual recognition procedures, the Reference Member State leads the assessment for it to be recognized by the national authorities in Member States concerned by the procedure. A satisfactory conclusion of a procedure will result in granting of a national marketing authorization.
Marketing authorizations granted in the EU are initially valid for five years and can be subsequently renewed and remain valid for an unlimited period unless the national competent authorities of the EU Member State or the European Commission decides on justified grounds to proceed with one additional five-year renewal period. The renewal of a marketing authorization is subject to a re-evaluation of the risk-benefit balance of the product by the national competent authorities of the EU Member State or the EMA.
Good manufacturing practices—Like the FDA, the EMA, the competent authorities of the EU Member States and other regulatory agencies regulate and inspect equipment, facilities and processes used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical and biologic products. Prior to the CHMP adopting an opinion with respect to approvability of an application for marketing authorization, the EMA, acting upon the advice of the CHMP, may decide to coordinate an inspection to be undertaken by the designated EU Supervising Authority of the proposed manufacturing site to verify the manufacturer’s compliance with EU GMP principles and guidelines or to investigate a specific GMP-related matter that may arise from the assessment of the application. If there is a material change in manufacturing equipment, location, or process, affecting the quality of the product, additional regulatory review and approval may be required from the relevant competent regulatory authority. Once we or our partners commercialize products, we will be required to comply with GMP with regard to manufacture and control, and product-specific requirements according to the terms of the marketing authorization. Also, like the FDA, the EMA (as a coordinating body for centrally authorized medicinal products), the competent authorities of the EU Member States and other regulatory agencies also conduct regular, periodic visits to re-inspect equipment, facilities, and processes following the initial approval of a product. If it is determined that the equipment, facilities, or processes used to manufacture our product do not comply with applicable regulations and conditions of product approval, regulatory agencies may seek civil, criminal or administrative sanctions, or enforcement actions and/or remedies against the manufacturer holding the requisite manufacturing authorization and us, including the suspension of our manufacturing operations or the withdrawal of our product from the market, which in turn could potentially result in the suspension or withdrawal of the related marketing authorization for the medicinal product.
Data and market exclusivity—Similar to the United States, there is a process for approval of generic versions of innovator drug products in the EU. Abridged applications for the authorization of generic versions of drugs authorized centrally by the European Commission can be submitted to the EMA through the centralized procedure referencing the innovator’s non-clinical and clinical data to support generic approval provided always that the following conditions are met: the generic product has the same qualitative and quantitative composition in the active substances and the same pharmaceutical form as the reference innovator drug product and the generic product is shown to be bioequivalent to the reference product.
Medicinal products authorized in the EU on the basis of a full marketing authorization application (as opposed to an application for marketing authorization that relies on data available in the marketing authorization dossier for another, previously approved, medicinal product) and not falling within the scope of the so-called “global marketing authorization” will benefit from eight years of data protection within which the generic applicant cannot rely on the non-clinical and clinical data contained in the dossier of the reference product to support product approval, and two years of market protection within which the generic applicant is not permitted to place the generic product on the market even if it is approved. This period of data and market protection can be extended to a maximum of eleven years if during the first eight years of those ten years, the marketing authorization holder obtains an authorization for one or more new therapeutic indications which during the scientific assessment prior to their authorization are held to bring a significant benefit in comparison with existing therapies.
Other International Markets—Drug approval process
In some international markets (e.g., China or Japan), although data generated in U.S. or EU trials may be submitted in support of a marketing authorization application, additional clinical trials conducted in the host territory, or studying people of the ethnicity of the host territory, may be required prior to the filing or approval of marketing applications within the country.
Pricing and Reimbursement
In the United States and internationally, sales of products that we market in the future, and our ability to generate revenues on such sales, are dependent, in significant part, on the availability and level of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors such as state and federal governments, pharmacy benefit managers and health insurance plans. Third-party payors have implemented cost-cutting and reimbursement initiatives and likely will continue to do so in the future. These include establishing formularies that limit and govern the drugs and biologics that will be offered, determining the evidence and documentation required to support medical need, setting the out-of-pocket obligations of member patients, and negotiating discounts, rebates and price concessions with manufacturers for such products. In addition, particularly in the United States and increasingly in other countries, we may be required to provide discounts, price concessions and pay rebates to state and federal governments and agencies in connection with purchases of our products that are reimbursed by such entities. It is possible that future legislation in the United States and other jurisdictions could be enacted which could potentially impact the reimbursement rates for the products we are developing and may develop in the future, and also could further impact the levels of discounts, price concessions and rebates paid to federal and state government entities. Any legislation that impacts these areas could impact, in a significant way, our ability to generate revenues from sales of products that, if successfully developed, we bring to market.
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (“MMA”) established the Medicare Part D program to provide a voluntary prescription drug benefit to Medicare beneficiaries. Under Part D, Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in prescription drug plans offered by private entities to provide coverage of outpatient prescription drugs. Part D plans include both stand-alone prescription drug benefit plans and prescription drug coverage as a supplement to Medicare Advantage plans. Unlike Medicare Parts A and B, Part D coverage may vary based on the Part D plan sponsor. Part D prescription drug plan sponsors are not required to pay for all covered Part D drugs, and each Part D prescription drug plan can develop its own drug formulary that identifies which drugs it will cover and at what tier or level. However, Part D prescription drug formularies must include drugs within each therapeutic category and class of covered Part D drugs, although not necessarily all of the drugs within each category or class and must cover all or substantially all medications within six protected classes of drugs: immunosuppressants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, antiretrovirals, and antineoplastics. Any formulary used by a Part D prescription drug plan must be developed and reviewed by a pharmacy and therapeutic committee. A significant proportion of patients eligible for TYMLOS are Medicare beneficiaries and as of January 1, 2020, TYMLOS was covered for 79% of the covered lives under Medicare Part D.
Government payment for some of the costs of prescription drugs may increase demand for any of our products that are successfully developed and approved. However, any negotiated prices for our products covered by a Part D prescription drug plan will likely be lower than the prices we might otherwise obtain. Congress could also enact legislation increasing mandatory discounts in Part D. For example, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 required manufacturers of brand name drugs, biologics, and biosimilars to pay a 70 percent discount in the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap, up from a 50 percent discount beginning in 2019. Moreover, although the MMA applies only to drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, private payers often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own payment rates. Accordingly, any reduction in payment under Medicare may result in a similar reduction in payments from non-governmental payers.
We expect that there will continue to be a number of federal and state proposals to implement governmental pricing controls and limit the growth of healthcare costs, including the cost of prescription drugs. For instance, currently, Medicare is prohibited from negotiating directly with pharmaceutical companies for drugs. However, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that would lift the ban on federal negotiations or otherwise restrict price increases by, for example, instituting inflationary rebates for price increases that exceed a certain rate. For more information regarding additional risk factors concerning pricing and reimbursement, please see the discussion in ITEM 1A, RISK FACTORS, under the heading entitled “Risks Related to Legislation and Administrative Actions”.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides funding for the federal government to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness. A plan for the research would be developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Institutes of Health, and periodic reports on the status of the research and related expenditures would be made to the U.S. Congress. Although the results of the comparative effectiveness studies are not intended to mandate coverage policies for public or private payers, it is not clear whether research would have any effect on the sales of any of our products that is successfully developed and approved, if the product or the condition that it is intended to treat becomes the subject of a study. It is also possible that comparative effectiveness research demonstrating benefits of a competitor’s product could adversely affect the sales of any of our products that is successfully developed and approved. If third-party payers do not consider our products to be cost-effective compared to other available therapies, they may not cover our products after approval as a benefit under their plans or, if they do, the level of payment may not be sufficient to allow us to sell our products on a profitable basis.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively the ACA, has had a significant impact on the health care industry. The ACA
expanded coverage for the uninsured and underinsured, requiring coverage for prescription drugs under qualified health plans, while at the same time containing overall healthcare costs. Additionally, the ACA expanded and increased industry rebates for drugs covered under Medicaid programs and made changes to the coverage requirements under the Medicare Part D program. In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted, including removal of the individual mandate. Any such legislative changes associated with healthcare reform, including the ACA, may have a significant impact on drug pricing and reimbursement, and could limit pricing flexibility or expand rebate liabilities of drug manufacturers. Additionally, an ongoing lawsuit or future lawsuits challenging the ACA could have a material adverse effect on the availability of prescription drug coverage, which could in turn affect pricing and reimbursement for our products.
On August 2, 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, created measures for spending reductions by Congress. A Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, tasked with recommending a targeted deficit reduction of at least $1.2 trillion for the years 2013 through 2021, was unable to reach required goals, thereby triggering the legislation’s automatic reduction to several government programs. This includes aggregate reductions of Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which went into effect on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, will remain in effect through 2025 unless additional Congressional action is taken. In January 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the “ATRA”) was enacted, which among other things, further reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals, imaging centers and cancer treatment centers.
Several states enacted legislation related to prescription drug pricing transparency, including California, Oregon, Vermont, and Nevada. Our revenue and future profitability could be negatively affected by the passage of these laws or similar federal or state legislation.
Decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products in the European Union are based upon national rules subject to the control of the Transparency Directive, (Council Directive 89/105/EEC) which aims to ensure the transparency of measures established by EU countries to control the pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products. It defines a series of procedural requirements designed to verify that national pricing and reimbursement decisions do not create obstacles to the pharmaceutical trade within the EU’s Internal Market. The competent authorities of each of the 27 EU Member States have adopted individual national measures aimed at regulating the pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products in their territory. These measures often vary widely in nature, scope and application. However, a major element that they have in common is an increased move toward reduction in the reimbursement price of medicinal products, a reduction in the number and type of products selected for reimbursement, and an increased preference for generic products over innovative products. These efforts have mostly been executed through these countries’ existing price-control methodologies, including price cuts, mandatory rebates, value-based pricing, and reference pricing (i.e., referencing prices in other countries and using those reference prices to set a price). It is increasingly common in many EU Member States for Marketing Authorization Holders to be required, in order to get support for reimbursement under national health schemes and, therefore, access to the market, to demonstrate the cost effectiveness or otherwise added value benefit of their products as compared to products (which are considered as standard of care) already subject to pricing and reimbursement in specific countries. In order for drugs to be evaluated positively under such criteria, pharmaceutical companies may need to re-examine, and consider altering, a number of traditional functions relating to the selection, study, and management of drugs, whether currently marketed, under development, or being evaluated as candidates for research and/or development.
Many EU Member States review periodically their decisions concerning the pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products. The outcome of this review cannot be predicted and it could have an adverse effect on the pricing and reimbursement of our medicinal products in the EU Member States. Potential reductions in prices and changes in reimbursement levels could be the result of different factors, including reference pricing systems, parallel distribution and parallel trade. It could also result from the application of external reference pricing mechanisms, which consist of arbitrage between low-priced and high-priced countries. Reductions in the pricing of our medicinal products in one EU Member State could affect the price in other EU Member States and, thus, have a negative impact on our financial results.
Health Technology Assessment (“HTA”) of medicinal products in the EU is an essential element of the pricing and reimbursement decision-making process in a number of EU Member States. This includes most of the big markets in the EU, such as France, Germany and Sweden. HTA is currently mainly governed by the national laws of the EU Member States. The HTA authorities of the EU Member States assess the public health impact, therapeutic benefit and the economic and societal impact of use of a given medicinal product in the national healthcare system of the individual country. The outcome of HTA has a direct impact on the pricing and reimbursement status granted to the medicinal product. The extent of this impact varies between the EU Member States. Moreover, a negative HTA by a leading and recognized HTA body concerning a medicinal product could undermine the prospects to obtain reimbursement for such product not only in the EU Member State in which the negative assessment was issued, but also in other EU Member States.
In 2011, Directive 2011/24/EU was adopted at the EU level. This Directive establishes a voluntary network of national authorities or bodies responsible for HTA in the individual EU Member States. The network facilitates and supports the exchange of scientific information concerning HTAs. Further to this, on January 31, 2018, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on HTA. This legislative proposal is intended to boost cooperation among EU Member States in assessing health technologies, including new medicinal products, and providing the basis for cooperation at the EU level for joint clinical assessments in these areas. The European Commission has stated that the role of the draft HTA regulation is not to influence pricing and reimbursement decisions in the individual EU Member States. However, this consequence cannot be excluded.
Future legislation, including the current versions being considered at the federal and state level in the United States and at the national level in EU Member States, or regulatory actions implementing recent or future legislation may have a significant effect on our business. Our ability to successfully commercialize products depends in part on the extent to which coverage and reimbursement for the costs of our products and related treatments will be available in the United States and worldwide from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Substantial uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved healthcare products by third-party payors. In addition, negotiating prices with government authorities under current and proposed legislation can delay the commercialization of our product candidates.
Sales and Marketing
The FDA regulates all advertising and promotion activities for products under its jurisdiction both prior to and after approval. Generally, a company can make only claims relating to uses that are approved by the FDA following review and approval of an NDA. Physicians may prescribe legally available drugs for uses that are not described in the drug’s labeling and that differ from those tested by us and approved by the FDA. Such off-label uses are common across medical specialties, and often reflect a physician’s belief that the off-label use is the best treatment for the patients. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments, but FDA regulations and enforcement policies do impose stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label uses. In addition, the FDA also regulates communications about investigational drugs, including with respect to the pre-approval promotion of investigational drugs. Recent FDA guidance allows for the presentation of truthful and non-misleading information that is not in the drug’s labeling but is considered consistent with the label as well as the communication of certain information regarding unapproved products or uses to payors. Failure to comply with applicable FDA requirements may make a product misbranded and, therefore, subject a company to adverse publicity, enforcement action by the FDA, corrective advertising, lawsuits or other actions by competitors, consent decrees and the full range of civil and criminal penalties available to the FDA.
We may also be subject to various federal and state laws pertaining to healthcare “fraud and abuse,” including anti-kickback laws and false claims laws. Anti-kickback laws make it illegal for a prescription drug manufacturer to solicit, offer, receive, or pay any remuneration in exchange for, or to induce, the referral of business, including the purchase or prescription of a particular drug. Due to the breadth of the statutory provisions and the absence of guidance in the form of regulations and very few court decisions addressing industry practices, it is possible that our practices might be challenged under anti-kickback or similar laws. Moreover, on October 17, 2019, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services issued a Proposed Rule: Revisions to Safe Harbors under the Anti-Kickback Statute and Civil Monetary Penalty Rules Regarding Beneficiary Inducements to, among other things, add new safe harbors for certain value-based arrangements. Although the value-based proposals would not include pharmaceutical manufacturers among the entities that could permissibly enter into such contracting arrangements, the general trend toward outcomes and value-based contracts in the healthcare industry may continue. It is possible that payors, among other customers, could push manufacturers for novel contracting approaches, including those that would incorporate value-based principles, and these efforts could affect our business. It is unclear at this time whether this proposed rule will be adopted or, if adopted, what effect, if any, it would have on the cost and ability to comply with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute or on our business.
Recent healthcare reform legislation has also strengthened these laws. For example, the ACA, among other things, amends the intent requirement of the federal anti-kickback and criminal healthcare fraud statutes, so that a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. In addition, the ACA permits the government to assert that a claim that includes items or services resulting from a violation of the federal anti-kickback statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the false claims statutes.
False claims laws prohibit anyone from knowingly and willingly presenting, or causing to be presented for payment, to third-party payors (including Medicare and Medicaid) claims for reimbursed drugs or services that are false or fraudulent, claims for items or services not provided as claimed, or claims for medically unnecessary items or services. Our activities relating to the sale and marketing of our product and product candidates, if approved, may be subject to scrutiny under these laws. Violations of fraud and abuse laws may be punishable by criminal and civil sanctions, including fines and civil monetary penalties, the possibility of exclusion from federal healthcare programs (including Medicare and Medicaid) and corporate integrity agreements, which impose, among other things, rigorous operational and monitoring requirements on companies.
Similar sanctions and penalties also can be imposed upon executive officers and employees, including criminal sanctions against executive officers under the so-called “responsible corporate officer” doctrine, even in situations where the executive officer did not intend to violate the law and was unaware of any wrongdoing.
Given the significant penalties and fines that can be imposed on companies and individuals if convicted, allegations of such violations often result in settlements even if the company or individual being investigated admits no wrongdoing. Settlements often include significant civil sanctions, including fines and civil monetary penalties, and corporate integrity agreements. If the government were to allege or convict us or our executive officers of violating these laws, our business could be harmed. In addition, private individuals have the ability to bring similar actions. The majority of states also have anti-kickback and false claims laws, which establish similar prohibitions and, in some cases, may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers. Our activities could be subject to challenge for the reasons discussed above and due to the broad scope of these laws and the increasing attention being given to them by law enforcement authorities.
There has also been a trend of increased federal and state regulation of payments made to physicians and other healthcare providers. The ACA, among other things, imposes reporting requirements on drug manufacturers for payments made by them to physicians and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. These reporting requirements will be expanded in 2022 to apply to certain allied healthcare providers, such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists. Failure to submit required information may result in civil monetary penalties of up to an aggregate of $150,000 per year and “knowing failures” may separately result in civil monetary penalties up to an aggregate of $1 million per year, for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests that are not timely, accurately and completely reported in an annual submission. Drug manufacturers are required to submit reports to the government by the 90th day of each calendar year. Certain states also mandate implementation of compliance programs, impose restrictions on drug manufacturer marketing practices and/or require the tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation and other remuneration to physicians and other healthcare providers. Many of these laws contain ambiguities as to what is required to comply with the laws. Given the lack of clarity in laws and their implementation, our actions could be subject to the penalty provisions of the pertinent state authorities.
The advertising of medicinal products in the EU and the United Kingdom (“UK”) is subject to strict regulation set out in the EU, EU Member States’ and UK national laws, including, among others, the laws governing the promotion of medicinal products, interactions with physicians, misleading and comparative advertising and unfair commercial practices. Promotional materials for medicinal products must comply with the Summary of Product Characteristics (“SmPC”) as approved by the competent authorities. The SmPC is the document that provides information to physicians concerning the safe and effective use of the medicinal product and forms an intrinsic and integral part of the related marketing authorization. Promotional materials that do not comply with the SmPC are considered to constitute off‑label promotion which is prohibited. The direct‑to‑consumer advertising of prescription‑only medicinal products is also prohibited in the EU and the UK.
Interactions between pharmaceutical companies and physicians in the EU and the UK are subject to strict laws, regulations, industry self‑regulation codes of conduct and physicians’ codes of professional conduct in the individual EU Member States and the UK, including the anti-corruption laws. These rules prohibit the provision of benefits or advantages to physicians to induce or encourage the prescription, recommendation, endorsement, purchase, supply, order or use of medicinal products.
In the UK, the Bribery Act 2010 applies to any company incorporated in or “carrying on business” in the UK, irrespective of where in the world the alleged bribery activity occurs and could have implications for company’s interactions with physicians in and outside the UK.
In addition, transfers of value to physicians in certain EU Member States and the UK must be publicly disclosed. Agreements with physicians must often be the subject of prior notification and approval by the physician’s employer, his/her competent professional organization, and/or the competent authorities of the individual EU Member States and the UK.
Prohibited promotion of medicinal products in the EU and the UK, prohibited interactions with healthcare professionals or failures to publicly disclose transfers of value to healthcare professionals in the EU and the UK could lead to restriction of the promotional activities conducted by a company and the imposition of administrative penalties, fines and imprisonment.
Similar rigid restrictions are imposed on the promotion and marketing of medicinal products in other countries. Laws (including those governing promotion, marketing and anti-kickback provisions), industry regulations and professional codes of conduct often are strictly enforced. Even in those countries where we are not directly responsible for the promotion and marketing of our products, inappropriate activity by our international distribution partners can have adverse implications for us.
Other Laws and Regulatory Processes
We are subject to a variety of financial disclosure and securities trading regulations as a public company in the United States, including laws relating to the oversight activities of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the regulations of the Nasdaq Global Market or any national securities exchange on which our capital stock may be traded. In addition, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) the SEC and other bodies that have jurisdiction over the form and content of our accounts, our consolidated financial statements and other public disclosure are constantly discussing and interpreting proposals and existing pronouncements designed to ensure that companies best display relevant and transparent information relating to their respective businesses.
Our international operations are subject to compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) which prohibits corporations and individuals from paying, offering to pay, or authorizing the payment of anything of value to any foreign government official, government staff member, political party, or political candidate in an attempt to obtain or retain business or to otherwise influence a person working in an official capacity. We also may be implicated under the FCPA for activities by our partners, collaborators, clinical research organizations, vendors or other agents.
Our present and future business has been and will continue to be, subject to various other laws and regulations. Various laws, regulations and recommendations relating to safe working conditions, laboratory practices, the experimental use of animals, and the purchase, storage, movement, import and export and use and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances used in connection with our research work are or may be applicable to our activities. Certain agreements entered into by us involving exclusive license rights or acquisitions may be subject to national or supranational antitrust regulatory control, the effect of which cannot be predicted. The extent of government regulation, which might result from future legislation or administrative action, cannot accurately be predicted.
Employees
As of December 31, 2019, we employed 383 full-time employees and 45 contractors. Of the total 428 employees and contractors, 125 were engaged in research and development activities and 303 were engaged in support administration, including business development and finance. Of the 303 employees and contractors engaged in support administration, 214 are part of our commercial organization. We use and intend to continue using clinical research organizations and other third parties to perform our clinical studies and manufacturing.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in the state of Delaware on February 4, 2008 under the name MPM Acquisition Corp. In May 2011, we entered into a reverse merger transaction, or the Merger, with our predecessor, Radius Health, Inc., a Delaware corporation formed on October 3, 2003 (the “Former Operating Company”) pursuant to which the Former Operating Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours. Immediately following the Merger, the Former Operating Company was merged with and into us and we assumed the business of the Former Operating Company and changed our name to Radius Health, Inc.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we are party to litigation arising in the ordinary course of our business. As of February 1, 2020, we were not party to any significant litigation.
Investor Information
Financial and other information about us is available on our website at www.radiuspharm.com. We make available on our website, free of charge, copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. In addition, we have previously filed registration statements and other documents with the SEC. Any document we file may be inspected at the SEC’s internet address at www.sec.gov. These website addresses are not intended to function as hyperlinks, and the information contained in our website and in the SEC’s website is not intended to be a part of this filing.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
Our business faces significant risks and uncertainties. Certain important factors may have a material adverse effect on our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations, and you should carefully consider them. Accordingly, in evaluating our business, we encourage you to consider the following discussion of risk factors, in its entirety, in addition to other information contained in or incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other public filings with the SEC.
Risks Related to Our Business
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Capital
We are not currently profitable and may never become profitable.
We are not currently profitable and may never become profitable. We had net losses of $133.0 million, $221.3 million, and $254.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, we had an accumulated deficit of $1.2 billion. Even if we succeed in commercializing TYMLOS, we may incur substantial losses and may never achieve or maintain profitability. We also expect to continue to incur significant operating and capital expenditures and anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially as we:
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continue to maintain and build our commercial infrastructure, including adding internal systems and hiring additional personnel that may be required for our existing or any future product candidates, including product candidates that we acquire from other companies;
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continue to commercialize TYMLOS or any product candidates, if approved;
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continue to undertake preclinical development and clinical trials for product candidates; and
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seek regulatory approvals for product candidates.
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We also expect to experience negative cash flow as we fund our operations and capital expenditures. As a result, we will need to generate significant revenues in order to achieve and maintain profitability. Accordingly, unless and until we generate additional revenues and become profitable, we will need to raise additional capital to continue to operate our business. Our failure to achieve or maintain profitability or to raise additional capital could negatively impact the value of our securities.
We only started generating product revenues in 2017 and unless and until we become profitable, we expect that we will need to raise additional capital, which may not be available on favorable terms, if at all, in order to continue operating our business.
We only started to generate product revenues in 2017. Our ability to become profitable depends upon our ability to generate sufficient revenue. Despite our commercialization of TYMLOS, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to attain or maintain profitability. Our ability to generate profits from sales of TYMLOS is subject to our ability to manufacture commercial quantities of TYMLOS with third parties at acceptable cost levels and maintain sales and marketing capabilities in the United States or identify and potentially enter into one or more strategic collaborations to effectively market and sell TYMLOS outside of the United States. Even though TYMLOS has been approved by the FDA for marketing and commercial sale for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, it may not sufficiently gain or maintain market acceptance, leadership or commercial success. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and net losses as we commercialize TYMLOS and continue development and commercialization efforts for our product candidates. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, we will have to fund our operations and capital expenditures with our existing cash and cash equivalents and short and long-term marketable securities, or through strategic financing opportunities, that could include, but are not limited to partnering or other collaboration agreements, future offerings of our equity, royalty-based financing arrangements or the incurrence of debt.
Based upon our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balance as of December 31, 2019 and funds available to us through our credit facilities, we believe that, prior to the consideration of proceeds from partnering and/or collaboration activities, we have sufficient capital to fund our development plans, U.S. commercial and other operational activities for at least twelve months from the date of this filing. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use up our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. If we fail to obtain additional capital, we may be forced to reduce or forego sales and marketing efforts for TYMLOS or may be unable to complete our planned preclinical and clinical trials and obtain approval of our product candidates from the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities. In addition, we could be forced to discontinue product development or forego attractive business opportunities or discontinue our operations entirely. Any additional sources of financing may not be available or may not be available on favorable terms and will likely involve the issuance of additional equity securities, which will have a dilutive effect on stockholders. Our future capital
requirements will depend on many factors, including the scope and progress made in our research and development activities and our clinical studies and the expenses associated with our commercialization efforts for TYMLOS.
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our existing stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements, other marketing and distribution arrangements, equity offerings, royalty-based financing arrangements and debt financings. We do not have any committed external source of funds. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. Debt financing, if available and to the extent permitted under our existing January 2020 senior and secured Credit and Security Agreements with MidCap Financial Trust (“MidCap”), may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. For example, our financing agreements with MidCap contain affirmative and negative covenants customarily applicable to senior secured credit facilities, including covenants that, among other things, will limit or restrict our ability, subject to negotiated exceptions, to incur additional indebtedness and additional liens on our assets, engage in mergers or acquisitions or dispose of assets, pay dividends or make other distributions, voluntarily prepay other indebtedness, enter into transactions with affiliated persons, make investments, and change the nature of our businesses. If we raise additional funds through marketing and distribution arrangements or other collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties or royalty-based financing arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates, or we may need to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. We have and may in the future engage in collaborations, sponsored research agreements, and other arrangements with academic researchers and institutions that have received and may receive funding from U.S. government agencies. As a result of these arrangements, the U.S. government or certain third parties may have rights in certain inventions developed during the course of the performance of such collaborations and agreements as required by law or by such agreements. If we are unable to raise additional funds when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our commercialization or product development efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
We are a company with a limited operating history upon which to base an investment decision.
We are a company with a limited operating history and have only commercialized TYMLOS in the U.S. since 2017. The successful commercialization of TYMLOS or any of our product candidates, if approved, will require us to perform a variety of functions, including
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conducting sales and marketing activities for products if and when approved;
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continuing to undertake preclinical development and clinical trials;
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participating in regulatory approval processes; and
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formulating and manufacturing products.
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Until our commercial launch of TYMLOS in the U.S. in 2017, our operations have been limited to organizing and staffing our company, acquiring, developing and securing our proprietary technology and undertaking preclinical and clinical trials of our product candidates. These operations provide a limited basis for you to assess our ability to commercialize our product candidates and the advisability of investing further in our securities.
Our financial results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter, which makes our results difficult to predict and could cause our results to fall short of expectations.
Our financial results may fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control. For these reasons, comparing our financial results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and you should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. Particularly over the near term as we continue to maintain and refine our commercial capabilities and commercialize TYMLOS, our revenues may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and our future quarterly and annual expenses as a percentage of our revenues may be significantly different from those we have recorded in the past or which we expect for the future. Our financial results in some quarters may fall below expectations. Any of these events as well as the various risk factors listed in this “Risk Factors” section could adversely affect our financial results and cause our stock price to fall.
Our cash and cash equivalents could be adversely affected if the financial institutions in which we hold our cash and cash equivalents fail.
We regularly maintain cash balances at third-party financial institutions in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limit. While we monitor daily the cash balances in the operating accounts and adjust the balances as appropriate, these balances could be impacted, and there could be a material adverse effect on our business, if one or more of the financial institutions with which we deposit fails or is subject to other adverse conditions in the financial or credit markets. To date, we have experienced no loss or lack of access to our cash or cash equivalents; however, we can provide no assurance that access to our cash and cash equivalents will not be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial and credit markets.
Our investments in marketable securities are subject to market, interest and credit risk that may reduce their value.
The value of our investments in marketable securities may be adversely affected by changes in interest rates, downgrades in the creditworthiness of any bonds we hold, turmoil in the credit markets and financial services industry and by other factors which may result in other than temporary declines in the value of our investments. Decreases in the market value of our marketable securities could have an adverse impact on our statements of financial position, results of operations and cash flow.
We are subject to foreign currency risk.
A significant portion of our clinical trial activities, in addition to our contract manufacturing processes in support of TYMLOS, are conducted outside of the United States and a large portion of the costs incurred with these activities are denominated in the local currency of the country in which the activity is being conducted. As such, these costs could be subject to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. At present, we do not engage in hedging transactions to protect against uncertainty in future exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. A decline in the value of the U.S. dollar against currencies in geographies in which we conduct clinical trials or contract manufacturing activities could have a negative impact on our research and development costs, our future inventory valuations, or our future cost of sales. We cannot predict the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, and foreign currency fluctuations in the future may adversely affect our business and our results of operations. For further discussion of our foreign currency risks, see “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk”.
An adverse determination in any current or future lawsuits or arbitration proceedings to which we or partners or suppliers
are a party could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We or our partners or suppliers may be the target of claims asserting violations of securities fraud and derivative actions, or other litigation or arbitration proceedings, including with respect to intellectual property rights. Any litigation or arbitration proceedings could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources. These lawsuits or arbitration proceedings may result in injunctive relief, large judgments or settlements against us, or our partners or suppliers, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition and liquidity.
We are also subject to a variety of other types of potential claims, proceedings, investigations and litigation which may be initiated by government agencies or third parties. These include compliance matters, product regulation or safety, taxes, employee benefit plans, employment discrimination, health and safety, environmental, antitrust, customs, import/export, government contract compliance, financial controls or reporting, intellectual property, allegations of misrepresentation, false claims or false statements, commercial claims, claims regarding promotion of our product candidates, or other similar matters. In addition, government investigations related to the use of products, but not the efficacy themselves, may cause reputational harm to us. Negative publicity-whether accurate or inaccurate-about the efficacy, safety or side effects of our product candidates or product categories, whether involving us or a competitor, could materially reduce market acceptance for our product candidates, cause consumers to seek alternatives to our product candidates, result in product withdrawals and cause our stock price to decline. Negative publicity could also result in an increased number of product liability claims, whether or not these claims have a basis in scientific fact. Any such claims, proceedings, investigations or litigation, regardless of the merits, might result in substantial costs, restrictions on product use or sales, or otherwise injure our business.
Risks Related to the Commercialization and Development of Our Product Candidates
We are heavily dependent on the commercial success of TYMLOS, which we launched in 2017; we may not be able to meet expectations with respect to TYMLOS sales or attain or maintain profitability and positive cash-flow from operations.
Our ability to successfully commercialize TYMLOS, our first and currently only approved product, is critical to the execution of our business strategy. TYMLOS may not achieve or maintain market acceptance or leadership in the United States, or in any international markets where it may subsequently be approved, among physicians, patients, and third-party payors, and may not be or remain commercially successful. The degree of market acceptance and commercial success of TYMLOS will depend on a number of factors, including the following:
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the acceptance of TYMLOS by patients and the medical community and the availability, perceived advantages and relative cost, safety and efficacy of alternative and competing treatments;
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the cost-effectiveness of TYMLOS, availability and level of coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors, including state and federal governments, pharmacy benefit managers and health insurance plans, the willingness and ability of patients to pay for TYMLOS, and the commensurate discounts, price concessions or rebates required to secure coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors;
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the effectiveness of our marketing, sales, and distribution strategy and efforts and the degree to which the approved labeling supports promotional initiatives for commercial success;
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the occurrence of any side effects, adverse reactions or misuse, or any unfavorable publicity in these areas;
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the ability of our third-party manufacturer(s) to manufacture commercial supplies of TYMLOS at acceptable costs, to remain in good standing with regulatory agencies, and to develop, validate and maintain commercially viable manufacturing processes that are, to the extent required, compliant with current good manufacturing practice regulations;
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our ability to remain compliant with laws and regulations that apply to us and our commercial activities;
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our ability to comply with changes in legislation or regulations in state or federal government programs that increase manufacturer financial obligations;
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our ability to obtain marketing approvals from foreign regulatory authorities, where and as applicable;
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FDA-mandated package inserts or labeling requirements;
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the actual market size for TYMLOS, which may be different than expected;
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the sufficiency of our drug supply to meet commercial and clinical demands which could be negatively impacted if our projections regarding the potential number of patients are inaccurate, we are subject to unanticipated regulatory requirements, our current drug supply is destroyed or negatively impacted at our manufacturing sites, storage sites or in transit, or any significant portion of our TYMLOS supply expires before we are able to sell it; and
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our ability to maintain, enforce and defend third-party challenges to our intellectual property rights in and to TYMLOS.
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We may experience significant fluctuations in sales of TYMLOS from period to period and, ultimately, we may never generate sufficient revenues from TYMLOS to reach or maintain profitability or sustain our anticipated levels of operations. Any inability on our part to successfully commercialize TYMLOS in the United States and any international markets where it may subsequently be approved, or any significant delay, could have a material adverse impact on our ability to execute upon our business strategy.
Our current and future product candidates may never receive regulatory approval.
Other than TYMLOS, which the FDA approved for use in the United States in April 2017, we have no drug products for sale and may never be able to develop additional approved and marketable drug products. The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, sale, marketing and distribution of drug products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA in the United States and foreign regulatory authorities in other countries, which regulations differ from country to country. We are not permitted to market TYMLOS in any foreign countries unless and until we receive the requisite approval from regulatory authorities in those foreign countries. Obtaining approval of a product candidate is an extensive, lengthy, expensive and uncertain process, and may be delayed, limited or denied for many reasons, including:
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we may not be able to demonstrate that the product candidate is safe and effective to the satisfaction of the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities;
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the results of our clinical studies may not meet the level of statistical or clinical significance required for marketing approval;
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the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with the number, design, size, conduct or implementation of our clinical studies;
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any clinical research organizations, or CROs, that we have retained or may in the future retain, to conduct clinical studies may not perform sufficiently and may have taken or may take actions, or may have failed to take or may fail to take actions, outside of our control that materially adversely impact our clinical studies;
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the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may not accept data generated at our clinical trial sites;
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the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may not find the data from preclinical studies and clinical studies sufficient to demonstrate that the product candidate’s clinical and other benefits outweigh its safety risks;
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the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data from our preclinical studies and clinical studies or may require that we conduct additional studies;
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the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may not agree with our proposed labeling and may require labeling that undermines or otherwise significantly impairs the commercial value of the product if it were to be approved with such labeling;
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the FDA may require development of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, as a condition of approval;
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if our NDA is reviewed by an advisory committee, the FDA may have difficulties scheduling an advisory committee meeting in a timely manner or the advisory committee may recommend against approval of our application or may
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recommend that the FDA require, as a condition of approval, additional preclinical studies or clinical studies, limitations on approved labeling or distribution and use restrictions; and
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the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may identify deficiencies in the manufacturing processes or facilities of our third-party manufacturers.
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In addition, the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may change their approval policies or adopt new regulations or guidance.
We cannot assure you that we will receive the approvals necessary to commercialize any additional product candidates, including any product candidates we are currently developing or may acquire or develop in the future. In order to obtain FDA approval of any product candidate, we must submit to the FDA an NDA demonstrating that the product candidate is safe for humans and effective for its indicated use. This demonstration requires significant research and animal tests, which are referred to as preclinical studies, as well as human tests, which are referred to as clinical trials. Satisfaction of the FDA’s regulatory requirements typically takes many years, depends upon the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidate and requires substantial resources for research, development and testing. We cannot predict whether our research and clinical approaches will result in drugs that the FDA considers safe for humans and effective for proposed uses.
We have a global pharmacovigilance agreement with Teijin Limited, or Teijin, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, that provides for the exchange of information related to serious and non-serious adverse reactions to abaloparatide. The purpose of the agreement is to enable safety reporting to global health agencies. Teijin is conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial of abaloparatide-SC in Japan for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Should Teijin advise us in accordance with our agreement of a serious adverse event experienced by patients enrolled in their study, we would need to report the serious adverse event to the FDA, which could adversely affect or delay our ability to maintain or obtain regulatory approval in the United States.
In addition, the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities each have substantial discretion in the drug approval process and may require us to conduct additional preclinical and clinical testing or to perform post-marketing studies. The approval process may also be delayed by changes in government regulation, future legislation or administrative action or changes in FDA policy or guidance that occur prior to or during its regulatory review. Delays in obtaining regulatory approvals may:
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delay commercialization of, and our ability to derive product revenues from, our product candidates;
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impose costly procedures on us; and
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diminish any competitive advantages that we may otherwise enjoy.
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We cannot assure you that we will receive the approvals necessary to commercialize any of our product candidates for sale outside the United States.
We may never receive approval for, or commercialize, our products outside of the United States.
In order to market any products outside of the United States, we must comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries for marketing authorization, including those regarding safety, efficacy and manufacturing. Approval procedures vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain approval in other countries might differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. The regulatory approval process in other countries may include all of the risks detailed in these Risk Factors regarding FDA approval in the United States as well as other risks. Regulatory approval in one country does not ensure regulatory approval in another, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory process in others. For example, in March 2018, the CHMP adopted a negative opinion on our MAA for abaloparatide-SC. In July 2018, following a re-examination procedure, the CHMP maintained its negative opinion and on January 7, 2019, the European Commission adopted a decision refusing approval of the MAA on the basis of the negative opinion of the Committee. As a result, we did not receive marketing authorization for abaloparatide-SC in the European Union.
Any collaboration arrangements that we may enter into in the future may not be successful, which could adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize TYMLOS or any of our product candidates.
The commercialization of TYMLOS and the development and potential commercialization of any of our product candidates will require substantial cash to fund expenses. For some of our product candidates, we may decide to collaborate with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for the development and potential commercialization of those product candidates. For example, we plan to explore all strategic options for our oncology programs. We will face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators and/or partners. Moreover, licensing arrangements are complex and time consuming to negotiate, document and implement. We may not be successful in our efforts to establish and implement such arrangements should we so choose to enter into such arrangements.
The terms of any collaborations or other arrangements that we may establish may not be favorable to us. If that were to occur or if we are not successful in entering into collaborations or other arrangements, we may have to curtail the development of a particular product candidate, reduce or delay its development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay its potential commercialization or reduce the scope of our sales or marketing activities, or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to increase our expenditures to fund development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we do not have sufficient funds, we will not be able to bring our product candidates to market and generate product revenue.
Any future collaborations or other arrangement that we enter into may not be successful. The success of our collaboration or other arrangements will depend heavily on the efforts and activities of our future collaborators and/or partners. Collaborators and/or partners generally have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to these collaborations or other arrangements. If a collaborator or partner fails to provide sufficient effort and resources to a development program, we may not realize the full potential or intended benefit of the collaboration or arrangement, and the development program may be delayed or curtailed.
Clinical trials are very expensive, time-consuming and difficult to design and implement.
Human clinical trials are very expensive and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. A substantial portion of our expected development costs will be denominated in euros and any adverse movement in the dollar/euro exchange rate will result in increased costs and could require us to raise additional capital to complete the development of our product candidates. The clinical trial process is also time consuming. Furthermore, failure can occur at any stage of the trials, and we could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical trials. The commencement and completion of clinical trials may be delayed by several factors, including:
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changes in government regulation, administrative action or changes in FDA or foreign regulatory authority policy or guidance with respect to clinical trials that change the requirements for approval, including the size of any such trials;
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unforeseen safety issues;
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determination of dosing issues;
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unforeseen issues with drug supply, including batch failures and other supply chain issues;
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lack of effectiveness during clinical trials;
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actions, or failures to act, by clinical research organizations or other organizations contracted to perform services for a clinical trial(s);
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slower than expected rates of patient recruitment and enrollment in the overall population or other prespecified populations;
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higher than expected screen failure rates;
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failure of sites to comply with requirements for conducting clinical trials;
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inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; and
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inability or unwillingness of medical investigators to follow our clinical protocols.
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In addition, we, the FDA, or other equivalent regulatory authorities and ethics committees with jurisdiction over our studies may suspend our clinical trials at any time if it appears that we are exposing participants to unacceptable health risks or if the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities find deficiencies in our regulatory submissions or the conduct of these trials. Therefore, we cannot predict with any certainty the schedule for existing or future clinical trials. Any such unexpected expenses or delays in our clinical trials could increase our need for additional capital, which may not be available on favorable terms or at all.
We have decided to explore all strategic options for our oncology assets; however there can be no assurance that we will be successful in entering into or consummating a transaction or that any such transaction will yield additional value for stockholders.
During 2019, we announced that we are exploring all strategic options for our oncology assets given our refined focus on bone health and targeted endocrine diseases. There can be no assurances that any such evaluation and consideration will result in a sale, spin-off, license, or any other transaction being entered into or consummated. The process may be time-consuming, distracting to management and disruptive to our business operations, and if we are unable to effectively manage the process, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, identifying and evaluating potential strategic options may result in the incurrence of additional expenses.
Any strategic decision will involve risks and uncertainties, and we cannot guarantee that any potential transaction or other strategic option, if identified, evaluated and consummated, will provide greater value to our stockholders than that reflected in our current stock price. Any potential transaction would be dependent upon a number of factors that may be beyond our control,
including, among other factors, market conditions, industry trends and the interest of third parties in our oncology assets, including RAD140 which is in the early stages of clinical development.
Any uncertainties related to consummating any transaction for our oncology assets may result in the loss of potential business opportunities and may make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners.
The results of clinical trials may not support our product candidate claims.
Even if our clinical trials are completed as planned, we cannot be certain that the results will support regulatory approval of our product candidates. Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and we cannot be sure that the results of later clinical trials will replicate the results of prior clinical trials and preclinical testing. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate that our product candidates are safe for humans and effective for proposed uses. This failure would cause us to abandon a product candidate and may delay development of other product candidates. Any delay in, or termination of, our clinical trials will delay the submission of our NDAs to the FDA or equivalent applications to foreign regulatory authorities and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate product revenues. In addition, our clinical trials to date have generally involved small patient populations. Because of the small sample sizes, the results of these clinical trials may not be indicative of future results.
In addition, third parties could conduct clinical trials using the product candidates we license. We would have no control over how these trials are conducted and the results could potentially contradict the results we have obtained, or will obtain, from the clinical trials we conduct.
We cannot be certain that a single trial of elacestrant will be sufficient to support the submission of an NDA or foreign marketing authorization application for this product candidate and in any event, additional clinical and non-clinical data may need to be obtained before an NDA or foreign marketing authorization application for elacestrant may be submitted.
In general, the FDA and other foreign regulatory authorities require two pivotal trials to support approval of an NDA or foreign equivalent, but in certain circumstances, will approve an NDA based on only one pivotal trial. The FDA indicated that, depending on the study results, a single trial of elacestrant could be considered a pivotal study sufficient for us to request approval. As a result of these and other additional requirements, the FDA or other foreign authorities may require that additional trials beyond the currently contemplated single, randomized, controlled Phase 3 trial be conducted before an NDA or foreign marketing authorization application for elacestrant may be submitted even if such trial is successful.
If serious adverse or undesirable side effects are identified during the development or commercialization of our product candidates, we may need to abandon our development or commercialization of some of our product candidates or products.
Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us, regulatory authorities, and/or ethics committees to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or cause the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other comparable foreign authorities. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans or will receive regulatory approval, if ever. If our product candidates result in undesirable side effects or have characteristics that are unexpected, we may need to abandon their development. Drug-related side effects could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.
Additionally, if we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by TYMLOS or any product candidate that may receive marketing approval, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:
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regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals of such product;
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regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label;
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regulatory authorities may require us to adopt a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS;
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regulatory authorities may require us to conduct additional post-market studies, including clinical studies, to assess the safety of the product;
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we may be required to create a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients;
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we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and
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our reputation may suffer.
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Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular product or product candidate and could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.
Any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval, including TYMLOS, is subject to restrictions or potential withdrawal from the market and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or if we experience unanticipated problems with our products, when and if any of them are approved.
TYMLOS and any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval, along with the manufacturing processes, distribution processes, post-approval clinical data, labeling, advertising and promotional activities for such product, are subject to continuing requirements of and review by the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration and listing requirements, cGMP requirements relating to quality control, quality assurance and corresponding maintenance of records and documents, and requirements regarding the distribution of drug products, including drug samples to physicians and recordkeeping. Marketing approval of TYMLOS and any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval is subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which it may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, and contain requirements for costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety and/or efficacy of the product. The FDA closely regulates the post-approval marketing and promotion of drugs to ensure drugs are marketed only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved labeling. The FDA imposes stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label use and, if we market TYMLOS or any of our product candidates which may be approved for other than their approved indications, we may be subject to enforcement action for off-label marketing.
In addition, later discovery of previously unknown problems with our products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may yield various results, including:
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restrictions on such products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes;
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restrictions on the labeling or marketing of a product;
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restrictions on product distribution or use;
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requirements to conduct post-marketing clinical trials;
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warning or untitled letters;
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withdrawal of the products from the market;
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refusal to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications that we submit;
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voluntary or mandatory recall of products and related publicity requirements;
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fines, restitution or disgorgement of profits or revenue;
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suspension or withdrawal of marketing approvals;
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refusal to permit the import or export of our products;
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injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
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In addition, the FDA’s policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit, or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature, or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business.
The commercial success of TYMLOS and any product candidates that we may develop and that may be approved will depend upon the degree of market acceptance by regulators, key opinion leaders, physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community.
Even if the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities approve one or more of our product candidates, physicians and patients may not accept and use them. Acceptance and use of any of our products will depend upon a number of factors including:
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perceptions by members of the healthcare community, including physicians and key opinion leaders, about the safety and effectiveness of our drug;
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the approved indicated uses for our product;
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cost-effectiveness of our product relative to competing products;
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availability and level of coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors, including state and federal governments, pharmacy benefit managers and health insurance plans, the willingness and ability of patients to pay for TYMLOS, and the commensurate discounts, price concessions or rebates required to secure coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors; and
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effectiveness of marketing and distribution efforts by us and our licensees and distributors, if any.
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If TYMLOS or any of our product candidates are commercialized and unexpected adverse events are reported in connection with the use of any of those products, physician and patient acceptance of the product could deteriorate and the commercial success of such product could be adversely affected. We are required to report to the FDA or similar regulatory authorities in other countries events associated with our products relating to death or serious injury. Adverse events could result in additional regulatory controls, such as the imposition of costly post-approval clinical studies, imposition of a REMS, or revisions to approved labeling which could limit the indications or patient population for a product, or could even lead to the
withdrawal of a product from the market. Because we expect sales of TYMLOS to generate substantially all of our product revenues for the foreseeable future, its failure to gain market acceptance or, once gained, a decrease in market acceptance would harm our business and would require us to seek additional financing.
Our ability to successfully commercialize products depends in part on the extent to which coverage and reimbursement for the costs of our products and related treatments will be available in the United States and worldwide from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations.
Our ability to successfully commercialize TYMLOS or any of our product candidates if approved, alone or with collaborators, will depend in large part on the availability and level of coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors, including government and health administration authorities, pharmacy benefit managers, health insurance plans and other healthcare payors. In the United States and internationally, sales of products that we market in the future, and our ability to generate revenues on such sales, are dependent, in significant part, on the availability and level of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors such as state and federal governments, pharmacy benefit managers and health insurance plans. Third-party payors have implemented cost cutting and reimbursement initiatives and likely will continue to do so in the future. These include establishing formularies that limit and govern the drugs and biologics that will be offered, determining the evidence and documentation required to support medical need, setting the out-of-pocket obligations of member patients, and negotiating discounts, rebates and price concessions with manufacturers for such products. In addition, particularly in the United States and increasingly in other countries, we may be required to provide discounts or price concessions and pay rebates to state and federal governments and agencies in connection with purchases of our products that are reimbursed by such entities. It is possible that future legislation in the United States and other jurisdictions could be enacted which could potentially impact the coverage and reimbursement for the products we are developing and may develop in the future and also could further impact the levels of discounts, price concessions, and rebates paid to federal and state government entities. For example, in 2017 the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts was signed into law, which, among other things, removed penalties for not complying with the individual mandate to carry health insurance. Any legislation that impacts these areas, including the ongoing consideration of the repeal and replacement of the ACA and other legislation focused on drug pricing, could impact, in a significant way, our ability to generate revenues from sales of products that we bring to market, including TYMLOS and any product candidates that may receive marketing approval.
Decisions in the European Union on pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products are based upon national rules subject to the control of the Transparency Directive, which aims to ensure the transparency measures established by EU countries to control the pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products. The Transparency Directive defines a series of procedural requirements designed to verify that national pricing and reimbursement decisions do not create obstacles to the pharmaceutical trade within the EU’s Internal Market. The competent authorities of each of the EU Member States have adopted individual policies and rules regulating the pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products in their territory. These national measures controlling pricing and reimbursement often vary widely in nature, scope and application. However, a major element that they have in common is an increased move toward reduction in the reimbursement price of medicinal products, a reduction in the number and type of products selected for reimbursement, and an increased preference for generic products over innovative products. These efforts have mostly been executed through these countries’ existing price-control methodologies, including price cuts, mandatory rebates, value-based pricing, and reference pricing (i.e., referencing prices in other countries and using those reference prices to set a price). It is increasingly common in many EU Member States for Marketing Authorization Holders to be required, in order to obtain support for reimbursement under national health systems and, therefore, practical access to the market to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness or added value benefit of their products as compared to products (which are considered as standard of care) already subject to pricing and reimbursement in specific countries. In order for drugs to be evaluated positively under such criteria, pharmaceutical companies may need to re-examine, and consider altering, a number of traditional functions relating to the selection, study, and management of drugs, whether currently marketed, under development, or being evaluated as candidates for research and/or development.
Future legislation, including the current versions being considered at the federal and state level in the United States and at the national level in EU Member States, or regulatory actions implementing recent or future legislation may have a significant effect on our business. If government and other healthcare payors do not provide adequate coverage and reimbursement levels for TYMLOS or our product candidates, once approved, market acceptance of our products could be reduced. In addition, negotiating prices with government authorities under current and proposed legislation can delay the commercialization of our product candidates.
We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we narrowly focus on research programs and product candidates that we identify for specific indications. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation
decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and product candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidate.
If we experience delays in the enrollment of patients in our clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.
We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for some of our product candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities. In addition, many of our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for product candidates that could be competitive with our product candidates, and patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials may instead enroll in clinical trials of our competitors’ product candidates.
Enrollment delays in our clinical trials may result in increased development costs for our product candidates, which would cause the value of our company to decline and limit our ability to obtain additional financing. Our inability to enroll a sufficient number of patients for any of our current or future clinical trials would result in significant delays or may require us to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
Our drug development programs depend upon third-party researchers, investigators and collaborators who are outside our control.
We depend upon independent researchers, investigators and collaborators, to conduct our preclinical studies and clinical trials under agreements with us. These third parties are not our employees and we cannot control the amount or timing of resources that they devote to our programs. Nevertheless, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards and requirements, and our reliance on third parties does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. We and our third-party researchers, investigators and collaborators are required to comply with good clinical practice, or GCP, requirements, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA, the Competent Authorities of the Member States of the European Economic Area, or EEA, and comparable foreign regulatory authorities for all of our products in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. If we or any of our CROs or trial sites fail to comply with applicable GCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA, EMA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications or require a more restrictive label for the product. We cannot assure you that upon inspection by a given regulatory authority, such regulatory authority will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with GCP regulations. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under cGMP regulations. Our or our contract manufacturers’ failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process. In addition, these third parties may not assign as great a priority to our programs or pursue them as diligently as we would if we were undertaking such programs ourselves. If outside collaborators fail to devote sufficient time and resources to our drug-development programs, or if their performance is substandard, the approval of our FDA or foreign regulatory authority applications, if any, and our introduction of new drugs, if any, will be delayed. These collaborators may also have relationships with other commercial entities, some of whom may compete with us. If our collaborators assist competitors at our expense, our competitive position would be harmed.
We currently rely on third parties to manufacture TYMLOS and to produce our product candidates; our dependence on these parties, including any inability on our part to accurately anticipate product demand and timely secure manufacturing capacity to meet commercial or clinical product demand may impair the commercialization of TYMLOS and the research and development activities and potential commercialization of our product candidates.
We have no experience in drug formulation or manufacturing and do not intend to establish our own manufacturing facilities. We lack the resources and expertise to internally formulate or manufacture TYMLOS or our product candidates in the quantities needed to meet commercial demand for TYMLOS, or to internally conduct our research and development activities and clinical trials for our product candidates. Therefore, we rely on, and expect to continue relying on for the foreseeable future, a limited number of third parties to manufacture and supply materials (including raw materials and subunits), drug substance, or API, and drug product, as well as to perform additional steps in the manufacturing process, such as filling, labeling, and storage of TYMLOS and our product candidates. There are a limited number of third parties with facilities and capabilities suited for the manufacturing process of TYMLOS and our product candidates, which creates a heightened risk that we may not be able to
obtain materials, APIs and drug products in the quantity and purity that we require. In addition, the process for adding new manufacturing capacity can be lengthy and could cause delays in our development efforts. Any interruption of the development or operation of those facilities due to, among other reasons, events such as order delays for equipment or materials, equipment malfunction, quality control and quality assurance issues, regulatory delays and possible negative effects of such delays on supply chains and expected timelines for product availability, production yield issues, shortages of qualified personnel, discontinuation of a facility or business or failure or damage to a facility by natural disasters such as earthquake or fire, could result in the cancellation of shipments, loss of product in the manufacturing process or a shortfall in available TYMLOS, our product candidates or materials.
We have entered into agreements with contract manufacturers to manufacture TYMLOS in the quantities needed to meet commercial demand and our product candidates for use in research and development activities and clinical trials. These contract manufacturers are currently our only source for the production and formulation of TYMLOS and our product candidates. If our contract manufacturers are unable to produce, in a timely manner, adequate supplies of TYMLOS on commercially reasonable terms necessary to provide adequate supply to meet demands that exceed our commercial assumptions or our product candidates to meet the needs of our clinical studies or future commercial demand, if approved, we would be required to seek new contract manufacturers that may require us to modify our finished product formulation and modify or terminate our clinical studies. Any modification of our finished product or modification or termination of our clinical studies could adversely affect the commercial potential of TYMLOS or any product candidate that may be approved and impair our ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, which would materially harm our business and impair our ability to raise capital.
In addition, the facilities and processes and controls used by our contract manufacturers to manufacture TYMLOS and our product candidates must be approved by the EMA, and by the FDA pursuant to inspections that will be conducted following our regulatory approval submissions. We do not control the facilities or manufacturing process and are completely dependent on our contract manufacturing partners for compliance with cGMPs for manufacture of both active drug substances and finished drug products. If our contract manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to our specifications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or other regulatory authorities, they will not be able to secure and/or maintain regulatory approval for their manufacturing facilities. In addition, we have no control over the ability of our contract manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority does not approve our contract manufacturers for the manufacture of our product candidates or if they withdraw any such approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for or market, with respect to TYMLOS, or for our product candidates, if approved.
We depend on a number of single source contract manufacturers to supply key components of abaloparatide. For example, we depend on PPL, which has agreed to produce supplies of abaloparatide API to support the abaloparatide-SC and abaloparatide-patch clinical studies and the commercial supplies of TYMLOS. We also depend on Vetter and Ypsomed for the production of finished drug product clinical and commercial supplies of TYMLOS, 3M for the production of abaloparatide-patch and Thermo Fisher for the production of elacestrant API and drug product. If our relationship with any of these contract manufacturers is terminated, or if they are unable to produce abaloparatide or related components or elacestrant in required quantities, on a timely basis or at all, and/or in compliance with the terms of our agreements, our business and financial condition would be materially harmed. Because the manufacturing process for abaloparatide-patch requires the use of 3M's proprietary technology, 3M is the sole source for supplies of abaloparatide-patch.
In addition, in connection with Thermo Fisher’s decision to cease commercial operations at its site that produces elacestrant API, we are in the process of transferring the elacestrant API manufacturing process to Asymchem, Inc.’s facility located in China and will depend exclusively on this facility for elacestrant API manufacturing by year-end. This transfer also exposes us to a number of risks specific to conducting business in China, including U.S. legislation, regulation, tariffs and other import or export restrictions and other trade barriers that could be adverse to our doing business with a Chinese supplier, and more recently, as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, which has resulted in a number of public health safety measures, including extended shutdowns of businesses in the region. In addition, as a result of such transfer, our current manufacturers may prioritize other customers or otherwise be unable to meet our demand. If such transfer is unsuccessful or takes a longer period of time than expected, it could result in interruptions in supply and would likely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
Our anticipated future reliance on a limited number of third-party manufacturers exposes us to the following risks:
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We may be unable to identify manufacturers on acceptable terms, or at all, because the number of potential manufacturers is limited and the FDA must approve any replacement contractor. This approval would require new testing and compliance inspections. In addition, a new manufacturer would have to be educated in, or develop substantially equivalent processes for, production of our products after receipt of FDA approval, if any.
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Our third-party manufacturers might be unable to formulate and manufacture our drugs or related components in the volume and of the quality required to meet our clinical needs and commercial needs.
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Our contract manufacturers may not perform as agreed or may not remain in the contract manufacturing business for the time required to supply our clinical trials or to successfully produce, store and distribute our products.
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Drug manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic unannounced inspection by the FDA and corresponding state agencies to ensure strict compliance with cGMP, and other government regulations and corresponding foreign standards, and failure to comply with cGMP or corresponding foreign standards can result in compliance actions that may limit a manufacturer’s production or prohibit a manufacturer from producing some or all products at a facility and/or importing it into the United States or a foreign country. We do not have control over third-party manufacturers’ compliance with these regulations and standards.
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If any third-party manufacturer makes improvements in the manufacturing process for our products, any such improvement(s) could be subject to FDA review and prior approval, and we may not own, or may have to share, the intellectual property rights to the innovation.
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Our third-party manufacturers may be subject to litigation or arbitration with respect to the manufacturing and supply of our products, including claims of intellectual property infringement by third parties.
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Each of these risks could delay our clinical trials, the approval of our product candidates by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities or the commercialization of TYMLOS or any of our product candidates that may be approved or result in higher costs or deprive us of potential product revenues.
The recent coronavirus outbreak in China could materially and adversely affect our business.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. We are currently in the process of transferring the elacestrant API manufacturing process to Asymchem, Inc.’s facility located in China. The outbreak of the coronavirus and other adverse public health developments could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These could include disruptions from the temporary closure of Asymchem’s Chinese manufacturing facility to which we are transferring elacestrant API production, restrictions on the export or shipment of our products, significant cutback of ocean container delivery from China and restrictions on our employees' and other service providers' ability to travel. For example, on January 27, 2020, the Shanghai city government issued a notice that most employers, including the offices of Asymchem, may not reopen until mid-February, extending the spring festival holiday. The extent to which the coronavirus impacts our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others.
Risks Related to Marketing and Sale of Our Products
If we are unable to build or maintain appropriate and effective commercial capabilities on our own or through partnerships or collaborations, we may not be able to successfully commercialize TYMLOS or any of our product candidates or generate product revenue.
We established a sales force to market and sell TYMLOS in the United States to specialists and intend to pursue collaborative arrangements to market and sell abaloparatide-SC outside of the United States. In addition, we are exploring all strategic options for our oncology programs, including elacestrant (RAD1901) and RAD140. Therefore, our future success depends, in part, on our ability to enter into and maintain collaborative relationships for such capabilities, the collaborators’ or partners’ strategic interest in the products under development and such collaborators’ or partners’ ability to successfully develop, market, and sell any such products.
In addition, our ability to build and maintain effective commercial, medical affairs, marketing, sales, market access, managerial and other non-technical capabilities will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to:
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identify, recruit, hire, train, incentivize and retain a significant number of commercial and medical affairs personnel, including a specialty sales force with appropriate technical expertise;
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train our sales representatives, to deliver clear and compelling messages within the scope of the approved labeling and in accordance with other applicable FDA requirements regarding TYMLOS, or any of our product candidates that may be approved, and to be credible and persuasive in educating physicians on the appropriate situations to consider prescribing as set forth in the approved labeling;
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ensure our commercial customer-facing team, including sales, market access, and field logistics professionals, effectively build relationships with their respective customers;
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manage a geographically dispersed national commercial customer-facing organization; and
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manage our growth and the integration of new personnel.
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Building and maintaining our commercial and medical affairs capabilities may be more expensive and time consuming than we anticipate, requiring us to divert resources from other intended purposes or preventing us from building these capabilities to the desired levels. Any failure or delay in building and maintaining these capabilities on our own or through
partnerships or collaborations will adversely impact the successful commercialization of TYMLOS or any of our product candidates. If we establish a partnership or collaboration for purposes of commercializing TYMLOS or any of our current or future product candidates, the launch of that product candidate would need to be established in conjunction with our partner, which could result in a change in timing of the commercial launch.
In addition, given our existing resources and emerging experience in marketing, selling and distributing pharmaceutical products, our initial specialty sales force may be materially smaller than the actual number of sales representatives required to successfully commercialize any of our product candidates. As such, we may be required to hire substantially more sales representatives to adequately support the commercialization of our product candidates.
If we cannot compete successfully for market share against other drug companies, we may not achieve sufficient product revenues and our business will suffer.
The market for our product candidates is characterized by intense competition and rapid technological advances. TYMLOS and any of our product candidates that may receive FDA or foreign regulatory authority approval will compete with a number of existing and future drugs and therapies developed, manufactured and marketed by others. Existing or future competing products may provide greater therapeutic convenience or clinical or other benefits for a specific indication than our products, or may offer comparable performance at a lower cost. If TYMLOS or any of our potential products fail to capture and maintain market share, we may not achieve sufficient product revenues and our business will suffer.
In April 2017, we received FDA approval of TYMLOS for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. TYMLOS competes in the U.S. against well-known treatment options, including teriparatide, marketed by Lilly in the U.S. as Forteo. TYMLOS may also face competition from generic or biosimilar versions of teriparatide. For example, Pfenex, Inc., received FDA approval for a biosimilar version of teriparatide in October 2019 and is under regulatory review for the submission of a therapeutic equivalence designation (commonly referred to as “A” rated) and generic versions of teriparatide from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. and APOTEX are both under regulatory review in the U.S. The availability of a generic or biosimilar teriparatide on the market would likely exert pricing and reimbursement pressure on the anabolic class in which TYMLOS competes. In addition, UCB and Amgen are marketing romosozumab, an anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody for the treatment of osteoporosis, under the name Evenity, which received marketing approval in Japan in January 2019, in the United States in April 2019, and in the European Union in December 2019. In order to compete successfully in this market, we will have to demonstrate to patients, physicians and third-party payors that the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk of fracture with TYMLOS is worthwhile and is a better alternative to existing or new therapies.
We may also face competition from companies that seek to market generic versions of TYMLOS through an ANDA application.
We face significant competition from many fully integrated pharmaceutical companies and smaller companies that are collaborating with larger pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations. Many of these competitors have compounds already approved or in development. In addition, many of these competitors, either alone or together with their collaborative partners, operate larger research and development programs or have substantially greater financial resources than we do, as well as significantly greater experience in:
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undertaking preclinical testing and human clinical trials;
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obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals of drugs;
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formulating and manufacturing drugs; and
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launching, marketing, distributing, and selling drugs.
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Developments by competitors may render our products or technologies obsolete or non-competitive.
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are intensely competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change. Our product TYMLOS, and our product candidates, if approved, will compete against existing therapies. In addition, a large number of companies are pursuing the development of pharmaceuticals that target the same diseases and conditions that we are targeting. We face competition from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the United States and abroad. In addition, companies doing business in different but related fields represent substantial competition. Many of these organizations competing with us have substantially greater capital resources, larger research and development staffs and facilities, longer drug development history in obtaining regulatory approvals, and greater manufacturing and marketing capabilities than we do. These organizations also compete with us to attract qualified personnel and parties for acquisitions, joint ventures or other collaborations, and therefore, we may not be able to hire or retain qualified personnel to run all facets of our business. These risks could render our products or technologies obsolete or non-competitive.
We may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of our products in response to product liability lawsuits.
The testing and marketing of medical products entail an inherent risk of product liability. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our products. Our inability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of pharmaceutical products we develop, alone or with collaborators.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we fail to comply with our obligations in our intellectual property licenses with third parties, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.
We are a party to a number of intellectual property license agreements with third parties and expect to enter into additional license agreements in the future. Our existing license agreements impose, and we expect that any future license agreements will impose, various diligence, milestone payment, royalty, insurance and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with these obligations, our licensors may have the right to terminate these agreements, in which event we might not be able to develop and market any product that is covered by these agreements. Termination of these licenses or reduction or elimination of our licensed rights may result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated licenses with less favorable terms. The occurrence of such events could materially harm our business.
If our efforts to protect our intellectual property related to TYMLOS/abaloparatide-SC, abaloparatide-patch, and/or our other current or future product candidates fail to adequately protect these assets or if we are unable to secure all necessary intellectual property, we may lose the ability to license or successfully commercialize one or more of these products or product candidates.
Our commercial success is significantly dependent on intellectual property related to our portfolio of product and product candidates. We are either the licensee or assignee of numerous issued and pending patent applications that cover various aspects of our assets, including TYMLOS/abaloparatide-SC, abaloparatide-patch, and our other product candidates.
Patents covering abaloparatide as a composition of matter have been issued in the United States (U.S. Patent No. 5,969,095) and several additional countries. Because the abaloparatide composition of matter patent was filed in 1996, it expired in 2016 in the United States, and additional countries where it had issued. Prior to its expiration, European Patent No. 0847278, which was included in the license from Ipsen and claimed the composition of matter of abaloparatide, lapsed due to Ipsen's failure to pay annuities. Prior to expiration, we pursued restoration of those patent rights in various countries. As a result of the lapse and expiration of patent rights, we believe that some of Ipsen's rights under our license agreement with Ipsen have terminated.
We and Ipsen are also co-assignees to U.S. Patent No. 7,803,770 that we believe provides exclusivity until October 3, 2027 and may be adjusted to March 26, 2028 in the United States (not including any Hatch-Waxman patent term extension) for the method of treating osteoporosis with the therapeutic dose for abaloparatide-SC. We and Ipsen are also co-assignees to U.S. Patent Nos. 8,148,333 and 8,748,382 for the therapeutic formulation for abaloparatide-SC that we believe provides exclusivity until October 3, 2027 in the United States (not including any Hatch-Waxman patent term extension).
We and 3M are co-assignees to several foreign and corresponding U.S. patent applications, which cover various aspects of abaloparatide for microneedle application. Any issued patents resulting from these applications will have statutory expiration dates ranging from 2032 to 2037, not taking into account extension under any applicable laws. However, pending patent applications in the United States and elsewhere may not issue since the interpretation of the legal requirements of patentability in view of claimed inventions are not always predictable. Additional intellectual property covering abaloparatide-patch technology exists in the form of proprietary information protected as trade secrets. These can be accidentally disclosed to, independently derived by or misappropriated by competitors, possibly reducing or eliminating the exclusivity advantages of this form of intellectual property, thereby allowing those competitors more rapid entry into the marketplace with a competitive product, which reduces our advantage with abaloparatide-patch. In addition, trade secrets may in some instances become publicly available through required disclosures in regulatory files. Alternatively, competitors may sometimes reverse engineer a product once it becomes available on the market. Even where a competitor does not use an identical technology for the delivery of abaloparatide, it is possible that they could achieve an equivalent or even superior result using another technology. Such occurrences could lead to either one or more alternative competitor products becoming available on the market and/or one or more generic competitor products on the market gaining market share and causing a corresponding decrease in market share and/or price for abaloparatide-patch even if it were to be successfully developed and approved by the FDA.
Patents covering elacestrant as a composition of matter, as well as the use of elacestrant for the treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer, have been issued in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, India and Europe. The elacestrant composition of matter patents in the United States expire in 2023 and may be adjusted to 2026 (not including any Hatch-Waxman patent term extension). We exclusively licensed US 9,421,264 covering the treatment of ER+, SERM-resistant (such as tamoxifen and fulvestrant) breast cancer brain metastasis with elacestrant and related applications now issued in the United States as US 10,071,066 and 10,420,734 covering, more broadly, the use of elacestrant for the treatment of ER+ cancers, such as SERM-resistant ER+ breast cancer (statutory term expires October 10, 2034, not taking into account any extension under any applicable laws). Corresponding applications pending in Europe and Canada will have a statutory expiration date in 2035. Polymorphic forms of elacestrant are covered in a U.S. application and a PCT application (filed January 2018) now issued in the United States as US 10,385,008 having a projected statutory expiration date in 2038, not taking into account any extension under any applicable laws. Elacestrant combination therapies with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (e.g., palbociclib) or an mTOR inhibitor (e.g., everolimus) for treatment of cancers that are drug-resistant and/or expressing mutant ERa+ are covered by applications pending in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, and Singapore (statutory expiration date in 2036, not taking into account any extension under any applicable laws). We could encounter challenges or difficulties in maintaining and/or defending our intellectual property both in the United States and abroad.
Patent applications covering RAD140 and other selective androgen receptor modulator compounds have been granted in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Australia, and are pending in Brazil and India. The RAD140 composition of matter patents expire in 2029 in the United States (not including any Hatch-Waxman patent term extension) and additional countries if and when they issue. The PCT application covering RAD140 for the treatment of AR+ breast cancer has been filed and has a projected statutory expiration date in 2037, not taking into account extension under any applicable laws. This PCT application covers the use of RAD140 alone or in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (e.g., palbociclib) or an mTOR inhibitor (e.g., everolimus).
Since patents are technical legal documents that are frequently subject to intense litigation pressure, there is risk that even if one or more patents related to our products does issue and is asserted that the patent(s) will be found invalid, unenforceable and/or not infringed when subject to said litigation. Finally, the intellectual property laws and practices can vary considerably from one country to another and also can change with time. As a result, we could encounter challenges or difficulties in building, maintaining and defending our intellectual property both in the United States and abroad.
We may become party to, or threatened with, future adversarial proceedings or litigation regarding intellectual property rights with respect to patents issued or licensed to us, including interference proceedings or inter partes reviews before the USPTO. Third parties also may assert infringement claims against us. If we are found to infringe a third-party's intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third-party to continue developing and marketing our products and technology. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. We could be forced, including by court order, to cease commercializing the infringing technology or product. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our product candidates or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could materially harm our business. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business.
Our trademarks are considered to be material to our business. These trademarks are covered by registrations or pending applications for registration in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Trademark protection continues in some countries for as long as the mark is used and, in other countries, for as long as it is registered. Registrations generally are for fixed, but renewable, terms. We cannot assure you that the trademark protection that we have pursued or will pursue in the future will afford us significant commercial protection.
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technology and products, or if our licensors are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for the technology or products that we license from them, our competitors could develop and commercialize technology and products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our technology and products may be adversely affected.
Our success depends in large part on our and our licensors' ability to obtain and maintain patent protection in the United States and other countries with respect to our proprietary technology and products. In some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain the patents, covering technology or products that we license from third parties. Therefore, we cannot be certain that these patents and applications will be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. In addition, if third parties who license patents to us fail to maintain these patents, or lose rights to those patents, the rights we have licensed may be reduced or eliminated.
The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our and our licensors' patent rights are highly uncertain. Our and our licensors' pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued that protect our technology or products or that effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and products. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. The laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, in the United States, prior to March 16, 2013, the first to make the claimed invention was entitled to the patent, or a "first-to-invent" system, while outside the United States, the first to file a patent application is entitled to the patent, or a "first-to-file" system. With the implementation of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, the United States now has a first-to-file system for patent applications filed on or after March 16, 2013. We may become involved in opposition, interference or derivation proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we or our licensors were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned and licensed patents or pending patent applications, or that we or our licensors were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. An adverse determination in any such proceeding could reduce the scope of, or invalidate our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights.
Even if our owned and licensed patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors from competing with us or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Our competitors may be able to circumvent our owned or licensed patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner. The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its scope, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. Any challenges may result in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop or prevent us from stopping others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and products. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are approved or commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patents may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.
Of particular concern for a company like ours, having one marketed product, is that third parties may seek to market generic versions of TYMLOS by filing an Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA, with the FDA in which they claim that patents protecting TYMLOS owned or licensed by us and listed with the FDA in what is called "the Orange Book" are invalid, unenforceable and/or not infringed, a so-called Paragraph IV filing. April 28, 2021 is the first opportunity under United States patent law for a generic company to make a Paragraph IV filing. If such a filing is made, we may need to defend and/or assert our patents, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement. In any of these types of proceedings, a court or other agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid, not infringed and/or unenforceable, which would have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations. During the period in which such litigation is pending, the uncertainty of its outcome may cause investors to disfavor our stock, and our stock price could decline. Even if we are successful in prosecuting such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.
Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our product candidates for an adequate amount of time.
Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our product candidates are obtained, once the patent life has expired for a product candidate, we may be open to competition from competitive medications, including generic medications. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such product candidates might expire before or shortly after such product candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing product candidates similar or identical to ours for a meaningful amount of time, or at all.
The primary composition of matter patent covering TYMLOS in the United States and several additional countries has expired. We own or have licensed rights to a limited number of patents directed toward methods of treating osteoporosis with the therapeutic dose for TYMLOS and for the therapeutic formulation of TYMLOS. We cannot be sure that patents will be granted with respect to any of our pending patent applications for TYMLOS, our other drug candidates, or our research technologies or with respect to any patent applications filed by us in the future; nor can we be sure that any of our existing
patents or any patents that may be granted to us in the future will be commercially useful in protecting TYMLOS, our other drug candidates or our other technology.
Payments, fees, submissions and various additional requirements must be met in order for pending patent applications to advance in prosecution and issued patents to be maintained. Rigorous compliance with these requirements is essential to procurement and maintenance of patents integral to our product portfolio.
Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents and/or patent applications will come due for payment periodically throughout the lifecycle of patent applications and issued patents. In order to help ensure that we comply with any required fee payment, documentary and/or procedural requirements as they might relate to any patents for which we are an assignee or co-assignee, we employ competent legal help and related professionals as needed to comply with those requirements. Our outside patent counsel uses third parties for patent annuity payments. We depend on Eisai to comply with any required fee payment, documentary and/or procedural requirements as they might relate to any patents we have licensed from them. Failure to meet a required fee payment, document production or procedural requirement can result in the abandonment of a pending patent application or the lapse of an issued patent. In some instances, the defect can be cured through late compliance but there are situations where the failure to meet the required event cannot be cured. Any failures could compromise the intellectual property protection around our preclinical or clinical candidates and possibly weaken or eliminate our ability to protect our eventual market share for that product.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.
In addition to our patented technology and products, we rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect these trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties that have access to our trade secrets, such as our corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. However, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for any breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to, or independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position would be harmed.
If we infringe the rights of third parties, we could be prevented from selling products and could be forced to pay damages and defend against litigation.
If our products, methods, processes and other technologies infringe the proprietary rights of other parties, we could incur substantial costs and may have to:
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obtain licenses, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all;
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abandon an infringing drug candidate;
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redesign our products or processes to avoid infringement;
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stop using the subject matter claimed in the patents held by others;
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defend litigation or administrative proceedings which may be costly whether we win or lose, which could result in a substantial diversion of our financial and management resources.
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We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our patents. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time consuming. In addition, in an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours is invalid and/or unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated and/or interpreted narrowly. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, our licensors may have rights to file and prosecute these types of claims, and we may be reliant on them to do so.
We may be subject to claims that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.
Some of our employees were previously employed at universities or other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee's former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.
Intellectual property litigation could cause us to spend substantial resources and distract our personnel from their normal responsibilities.
Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities, delaying the development of our product candidates. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock. Litigation or other proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce our resources available for development activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct any litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of any litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace.
Risks Related to Legislation and Administrative Actions
Healthcare reform may have a material adverse effect on our industry and our results of operations.
From time to time, legislation is implemented to address rising healthcare expenditures. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or ACA, was enacted. ACA includes a number of provisions affecting the pharmaceutical industry, including annual, non-deductible fees on any entity that manufactures or imports some types of branded prescription drugs and biologics and increases in Medicaid rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. In addition, among other things, ACA also establishes a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) repealed the requirement that individuals maintain health insurance coverage or face a penalty (known as the individual mandate). In December 2018, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas held in Texas v. Azar that the TCJA, which zeroed out the tax penalties associated with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, rendered the mandate unconstitutional. The court further concluded that since the individual mandate is “essential” to the ACA, it could not be severed from the rest of the ACA, and the entire ACA was therefore unconstitutional. The decision was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. On December 18, 2019, the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion holding that, while the individual mandate was no longer constitutional, the case must be remanded to the District Court to further evaluate whether the mandate can be severed from the PPACA or the entire PPACA must be stricken down. On January 3, 2020, petitions for certiorari were filed with motions to expedite requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court review the Fifth Circuit’s decision and ultimately decide the constitutionality of the PPACA. The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet decided whether to grant the petitions.
The current litigation regarding the ACA, coupled with potential future legislation, threatens the stability of the insurance marketplace and may have consequences for the coverage and accessibility of prescription drugs.
In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since ACA was enacted, which also may impact our business. In August 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011, or BCA, was enacted, which, among other things, created the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to recommend proposals in spending reductions to Congress. The Joint Select Committee did not achieve its targeted deficit reduction of at least $1.2 trillion for the years 2013 through 2021, triggering the legislation's automatic reduction to several government programs. These reductions include aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year, which went into effect on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments, will remain in effect through 2025 unless additional Congressional action is taken. In January 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, or ATRA, was enacted, which among other things, further reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals, imaging centers and cancer treatment centers. Currently Congress and state legislatures are considering a number of bills designed to address drug prices.
Moreover, the Trump Administration continues to scrutinize drug prices and is seeking ways to lower prices. For example, the Trump Administration’s “Blueprint” on drug prices describes a number of mechanisms for lowering manufacturer list prices
and reducing patient out-of-pocket costs. Although the Blueprint contains a number of policy objectives, we cannot know the form that any new requirements will take or the effect that they may have on our business. On December 23, 2019, the Trump Administration, through the FDA, released a proposed rule and draft guidance that set forth two pathways for the legal importation of certain drugs in an effort to control drug costs. Since these pathways are not yet effective and are subject to revision pending receipt of public comments, we cannot determine what effect these pathways may have on our business and financials.
The full impact on our business of these laws, or future laws and regulations is uncertain. We cannot predict whether other legislative or administrative changes will be adopted, if any, or how such changes would affect the pharmaceutical industry generally or our business in particular.
We expect that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our product candidates once approved or additional pricing pressures, and may adversely affect our operating results. Such legislation may also reduce our flexibility in setting prices for our product candidates, or in taking price increases.
We are subject to healthcare laws, regulation and enforcement, and our failure to comply with those laws could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial conditions.
We are subject to several healthcare regulations and enforcement by the federal government and the states and foreign governments in which we conduct our business. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:
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the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which governs the conduct of various electronic healthcare transactions and protects the security and privacy of protected health information;
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the federal healthcare programs' Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation; in addition, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act;
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federal false claims laws, which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid, or other third-party payors that are false or fraudulent;
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federal criminal laws that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;
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the federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act, or the Sunshine Act, requires applicable manufacturers of covered drugs to report payments and other transfers of value to physicians and teaching hospitals, and ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Manufacturers are required to submit reports to the government by the 90th day of each calendar year; and
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state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers; state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the industry's voluntary compliance guidelines and the applicable compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures; state laws that require drug manufacturers to report and make public drug prices and/or price increases; and state laws governing 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.
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Our operations and commercial activities in connection with TYMLOS or any product candidate that may be approved are and will be subject to comprehensive compliance obligations under state and federal fraud and abuse, false claims, physician payment transparency laws and government pricing regulations, as described above. If we are found to be in violation of these regulations, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, the exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs and imprisonment, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results.
We may be exposed to liability claims associated with the use of hazardous materials and chemicals.
Our research and development activities may involve the controlled use of hazardous materials and chemicals. Although we believe that our safety procedures for using, storing, handling and disposing of these materials comply with federal, state and local laws and regulations, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental injury or contamination from these materials. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for any resulting damages and any liability could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of hazardous or radioactive materials and waste products may require us to incur substantial compliance costs that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union may have a negative effect on global economic conditions, financial markets and our business.
In June 2016, the UK held a referendum in which voters approved an exit from the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” The announcement of Brexit caused significant volatility in global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations that resulted in the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies in which we conduct business. The strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies may adversely affect our operating results. This withdrawal has created political and economic uncertainty, particularly in the UK and the EU. While the UK’s withdrawal from the EU was completed on January 31, 2020, there remains considerable uncertainty about the terms of the UK’s trade agreements and other relationships with the EU following the transition period which ends December 31, 2020. During the transition period, which could be extended to December 31, 2022 by the agreement of the UK and all EU Member States, the UK will continue to follow all of the EU’s rules and will maintain its current trading relationship with the EU. We expect that uncertainty over the terms of the trade and other agreements between the UK and EU will continue to cause political and economic uncertainty, which could harm our business and financial results. The withdrawal could, among other outcomes, disrupt the free movement of goods, personal data, services and people between the UK and the EU, and result in increased legal and regulatory complexities, as well as potential higher costs of conducting business in Europe. Until the terms of the free trade and other agreements that the UK will eventually enter into with the EU are known, it is not possible to determine the impact that the UK’s departure from the EU and/or any related matters may have on us; however, any of these effects of Brexit, and others we cannot anticipate, could adversely affect our business, business opportunities, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Likewise, similar actions taken by European and other countries in which we operate could have a similar or even more profound impact.
For example, Brexit could result in the UK significantly altering its regulations affecting the clearance or approval of our product candidates and the transfer of personal data between the EU and the UK as the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate. Any new regulations could add time and expense to the conduct of our business, the transfer of personal data between the EU and the UK, as well as the process by which our products receive regulatory approval in the UK, the EU and elsewhere. In addition, the announcement of Brexit and the withdrawal of the UK from the EU have had and may continue to have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global market liquidity and restrict the ability of key market participants to operate in certain financial markets. Any of these effects of Brexit, among others, could adversely affect our business, our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.
Recent decisions from the European General Court on public access to clinical trial data held by the EMA could result in disclosure of our pre-clinical and clinical trial data to competitors, or other third parties, which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.
In the EU, Regulation 1049/2001/EC, commonly known as the EU Freedom of Information Regulation or Public Access Regulation (the “Transparency Regulation”), allows any EU citizens and any natural or legal persons residing or having their headquarters in an EU country to request access to the documents held by a EU institution on grounds relating to public interest. The Transparency Regulation applies to the EMA, which has implemented the provisions in its established policy. The EMA policy favors public access, subject to certain limited exceptions if disclosure undermines, among others, the protection of commercial interests. The EMA policy has been the subject of a number of recent rulings of the EU General Court in the following cases: Pari Pharma GmbH v EMA (Case T-235/1); MSD Animal Health Innovation and Intervet International v EMA(Case T-729/15); PTC Therapeutics International v EMA (Case T-718/15); Intercept Pharma and Intercept Pharmaceuticals v EMA (Case T-377/18); and Amicus Therapeutics UK and Amicus Therapeutics v EMA (Case T-33/17). These decisions responded to demands for greater transparency and disclosure of pre-clinical and clinical data and validated the EMA’s transparency policy to provide greater public access to information held and documents drawn up by the EMA. These decisions clarified that there is no presumption of confidentiality of documents held by the EMA, that the potential risk of misuse of the data by a competitor is not relevant to an assessment of confidentiality under the Transparency Regulation and the argument that data exclusivity or protection in countries outside the EU may be lost due to use of the disclosed documents does not make the data in question confidential. In two of these cases, the rulings of the General Court were appealed to the Court of
Justice of the European Union (Cases C-178/18 P - MSD Animal Health Innovation and Intervet International v EMA and C-175/18 P - PTC Therapeutics International v EMA). The Court of Justice upheld the rulings of the General Court and dismissed the appeals.
The potential risk to our business under the Transparency Regulation is significant. For example, our marketing authorisation application for abaloparatide-SC in the EU was reviewed centrally by the EMA and its advisory committees, which application was rejected in January 2019. According to the established EMA policy, the information contained in our marketing authorisation application, responses we provided to the questions raised by the EMA and its advisory committees as well as the assessment reports drawn up by the EMA and its advisory committees were not disclosed during the course of the EMA’s review. However, now that the EMA has completed its review of our marketing application, such information may now be susceptible to disclosure to third parties, including to our competitors, in light of the recent rulings of the General Court and the Court of Justice in relation to the Transparency Regulation. The potential disclosure of such information to third parties, including our competitors, and the potential loss of data exclusivity or protections in countries outside the EU could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows.
The EMA has also implemented a policy for the proactive publication of clinical data submitted by pharmaceutical companies to support their applications for marketing authorization. The implementation of this policy is currently suspended due to Brexit and the relocation of the EMA to the Netherlands. While, due to this suspension, the clinical data contained in our application for marketing authorization for abaloparatide-SC in the EU was not published, such proactive publication by the EMA cannot be excluded should the implementation of the EMA policy for the proactive publication of clinical data be resumed by the EMA.
Inadequate funding for the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.
The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and statutory, regulatory, and policy changes. Average review times at the Agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of the SEC and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities, is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.
Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, over the last several years, including most recently from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and the SEC, have had to furlough critical FDA, SEC and other government employees and stop critical activities. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are subject to anti‑corruption laws, as well as export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our operations. If we fail to comply with these laws, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, other remedial measures and legal expenses, be precluded from developing manufacturing and selling certain products outside the United States or be required to develop and implement costly compliance programs, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our operations are subject to anti‑corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, or Bribery Act, and other anti‑corruption laws that apply in countries where we do business and may do business in the future. The FCPA, Bribery Act and these other laws generally prohibit us, our officers, and our employees and intermediaries from bribing, being bribed or making other prohibited payments to government officials or other persons to obtain or retain business or gain some other business advantage. Compliance with the FCPA, in particular, is expensive and difficult, particularly in countries in which corruption is a recognized problem. In addition, the FCPA presents particular challenges in the pharmaceutical industry, because, in many countries, hospitals are operated by the government, and doctors and other hospital employees are considered foreign officials. Certain payments to hospitals in connection with clinical trials and other work have been deemed to be improper payments to government officials. Our clinical trials are conducted around the world, and our payments to hospitals may lead to FCPA enforcement actions.
Though we currently do not have any partners that commercialize our products in other countries, we may in the future operate in jurisdictions that pose a high risk of potential FCPA or Bribery Act violations, and we may participate in collaborations and relationships with third parties whose actions could potentially subject us to liability under the FCPA, Bribery Act or local anti‑corruption laws. In addition, we cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of future regulatory
requirements to which our international operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted. If we expand our operations outside of the United States, we will need to dedicate additional resources to comply with numerous laws and regulations in each jurisdiction in which we plan to operate.
We are also subject to other laws and regulations governing our international operations, including regulations administered by the governments of the UK and the United States, and authorities in the EU Member States, including applicable export control regulations, economic sanctions on countries and persons, customs requirements and currency exchange regulations, collectively referred to as the Trade Control laws. In addition, various laws, regulations and executive orders also restrict the use and dissemination outside of the United States, or the sharing with certain non‑U.S. nationals, of information classified for national security purposes, as well as certain products and technical data relating to those products. If we expand our presence outside of the United States, it will require us to dedicate additional resources to comply with these laws, and these laws may preclude us from developing, manufacturing, or selling certain products and product candidates outside of the United States, which could limit our growth potential and increase our development costs.
There is no assurance that we will be completely effective in ensuring our compliance with all applicable anti‑corruption laws, including the FCPA, the Bribery Act or other legal requirements, including Trade Control laws. If we are not in compliance with the FCPA, Bribery Act and other anti‑corruption laws or Trade Control laws, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement and other sanctions and remedial measures, and legal expenses, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. The SEC also may suspend or bar issuers from trading securities on U.S. exchanges for violations of the FCPA’s accounting provisions. Any investigation of any potential violations of the FCPA, the Bribery Act, other anti‑corruption laws or Trade Control laws by U.S., U.K. or other authorities could also have an adverse impact on our reputation, our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may fail to comply with evolving European Union and other privacy laws, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We currently conduct clinical trials in the European Economic Area, or EEA. As a result, we are subject to additional privacy laws. The General Data Protection Regulation, (EU) 2016/679, or GDPR, became effective on May 25, 2018, and deals with the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. The GDPR imposes a broad range of strict requirements on companies subject to the GDPR, including requirements relating to having legal bases for processing personal information relating to identifiable individuals and transferring such information outside the EEA, including to the United States, providing details to those individuals regarding the processing of their personal information, keeping personal information secure, having data processing agreements with third parties who process personal information on our behalf, responding to individuals’ requests to exercise their rights in respect of their personal information, reporting security breaches involving personal data to the competent national data protection authority and affected individuals, appointing data protection officers, conducting data protection impact assessments, and record-keeping. The GDPR increases substantially the penalties to which we could be subject in the event of any non-compliance, including fines of up to 10,000,000 Euros or up to 2% of our total worldwide annual turnover for certain comparatively minor offenses, or up to 20,000,000 Euros or up to 4% of our total worldwide annual turnover for more serious offenses. Given the limited enforcement of the GDPR to date, we face uncertainty as to the exact interpretation of the new requirements on our trials and we may be unsuccessful in implementing all measures required by data protection authorities or courts in interpretation of the new law.
In particular, national laws of member states of the EU have implemented national laws which may partially deviate from the GDPR and impose different and more restrictive obligations from country to country, so that we do not expect to operate in a uniform legal landscape in the EU. Also, as it relates to processing and transfer of genetic data, the GDPR specifically allows member state nations to enact laws that impose additional and more specific requirements or restrictions, and European laws have historically differed quite substantially in this field, leading to additional uncertainty.
In addition, we must also ensure that we maintain adequate safeguards to enable the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA, in particular to the United States, in compliance with EU data protection laws. We expect that we will continue to face uncertainty as to whether our efforts to comply with our obligations under EU privacy laws will be sufficient. If we are investigated by an EU Member State data protection authority, we may face fines and other penalties. Any such investigation or charges by EU Member State data protection authorities could have a negative effect on our existing business and on our ability to attract and retain new clients or pharmaceutical partners. We may also experience hesitancy, reluctance, or refusal by European or multi-national clients or pharmaceutical partners to continue to use our products and solutions due to the potential risk exposure as a result of the current (and, in particular, future) data protection obligations imposed on them by certain data protection authorities in interpretation of current law, including the GDPR. Such clients or pharmaceutical partners may also view any alternative approaches to compliance as being too costly, too burdensome, too legally uncertain, or otherwise objectionable and therefore decide not to do business with us. Any of the foregoing could materially harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
For more information concerning the implications of Brexit for our activities in compliance with the EU data protection laws, please refer to the Risk Factor entitled “The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union may have a negative effect on global economic conditions, financial markets and our business”.
Risks Related to Employee Matters and Managing Growth
We may need to increase the size of our organization. We may encounter difficulties with managing our growth, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
Although we have already added several capabilities, we may need to add additional qualified personnel and resources as we continue our commercialization of TYMLOS. Our current infrastructure may be inadequate to support our recent and expected growth. In particular, we may need to grow our internal sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities to successfully market TYMLOS and any other drug that we may successfully develop. Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including the need to identify, recruit, maintain and integrate additional employees, and may take time away from running other aspects of our business, including development and commercialization of our product candidates.
Our future financial performance and our ability to commercialize our product candidates and to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to manage any future growth effectively. In particular, as our commercialization plans and strategies develop, we will recruit and train a substantial number of sales and marketing personnel and expect to expand the size of our employee base for managerial, operational, financial and other resources. To that end, we must be able to:
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manage our development efforts effectively;
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integrate additional management, administrative and manufacturing personnel;
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build a marketing and sales organization; and
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maintain sufficient administrative, accounting and management information systems and controls.
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We may not be able to accomplish these tasks or successfully manage our operations and, accordingly, may not achieve our research, development, and commercialization goals. Our failure to accomplish any of these goals could harm our financial results and prospects.
As we evolve from a company primarily involved in drug development into one that is also involved in the commercialization of pharmaceutical products, we may have difficulty managing our growth and expanding our operations successfully.
Our success will depend upon the expansion of our operations and the effective management of our growth, and if we are unable to manage this growth effectively, our business will be harmed. We have recently expanded, and will continue to expand, our development, regulatory, manufacturing, quality, distribution, sales and marketing capabilities. As part of this expansion, we expect we will need to manage additional relationships with various collaborators, suppliers and other organizations. Our ability to manage our operations and growth requires us to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures. For example, some jurisdictions, such as the District of Columbia, have imposed licensing requirements for sales representatives. In addition, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the federal government by way of the Sunshine Act, have established reporting requirements that would require public reporting of compensation and other "transfers of value" paid to health care professionals and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by such professionals and their immediate family members. Because the reporting requirements vary in each jurisdiction, compliance will be complex and expensive and may create barriers to entering the commercialization phase. The need to build new systems as part of our growth could place a strain on our administrative and operational infrastructure. We may not be able to make improvements to our management information and control systems in an efficient or timely manner and may discover deficiencies in existing systems and controls. Such requirements may also impact our opportunities to collaborate with physicians at academic research centers as new restrictions on academic-industry relationships are put in place. In the past, collaborations between academia and industry have led to important new innovations, but the new laws may have an effect on these activities. While we cannot predict whether any legislative or regulatory changes will have negative or positive effects, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and potential profitability.
If we are unable to successfully maintain and further develop internal commercialization capabilities, sales of TYMLOS may be negatively impacted.
We have built a commercial team and established the organizational infrastructure we believe necessary for successful commercialization of TYMLOS in the United States. We will need to commit significant time, financial and managerial resources to maintain and further develop our marketing and sales force to ensure they have the technical expertise required to address any challenges we may face with the commercialization of TYMLOS. Factors that may inhibit our efforts to maintain and develop our commercialization capabilities include:
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an inability to retain an adequate number of effective commercial personnel;
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our ability to train sales personnel, who may have limited experience with our company or TYMLOS, to deliver a consistent and compliant message regarding TYMLOS that will be compelling to physicians who may prescribe TYMLOS;
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an inability to equip sales personnel with effective materials, including medical and sales literature to help them educate physicians and our healthcare providers regarding TYMLOS and its proper administration;
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unforeseen costs and expenses associated with maintaining and further developing an independent sales and marketing organization.
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If we are not successful in establishing and maintaining an effective commercial infrastructure, we will have difficulty generating product revenue, which would adversely affect our business and financial condition. If the cost of establishing and maintaining a sales and marketing organization exceeds the cost-effectiveness of doing so, we may not become profitable.
We may enter into or seek to enter into business combinations and acquisitions which may be difficult to integrate, disrupt our business, divert management attention or dilute stockholder value.
We may enter into business combinations and acquisitions, including as part of our strategic plans to focus on bone health on targeted endocrine diseases. We have limited experience in making acquisitions, which are typically accompanied by a number of risks, including:
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the difficulty of integrating the operations and personnel of the acquired companies;
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the potential disruption of our ongoing business and distraction of management;
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the potential for unknown liabilities and expenses;
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the failure to achieve the expected benefits of the combination or acquisition;
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the maintenance of acceptable standards, controls, procedures and policies; and
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the impairment of relationships with employees as a result of any integration of new management and other personnel.
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If we are not successful in completing acquisitions that we may pursue in the future, we would be required to reevaluate our business strategy and we may have incurred substantial expenses and devoted significant management time and resources in seeking to complete the acquisitions. In addition, we could use substantial portions of our available cash as all or a portion of the purchase price, or we could issue additional securities as consideration for these acquisitions, which could cause our stockholders to suffer significant dilution.
We rely on key executive officers and scientific and medical advisors, and their knowledge of our business and technical expertise would be difficult to replace.
We are highly dependent on our chief executive officer and our principal scientific, regulatory and medical advisors. We do not have "key person" life insurance policies for any of our officers. The loss of the technical knowledge and management and industry expertise of any of our key personnel could result in delays in product development, loss of customers and sales and diversion of management resources, which could adversely affect our operating results.
If we are unable to hire additional qualified personnel, our ability to grow our business may be harmed.
We will need to hire additional qualified personnel with expertise in preclinical testing, clinical research and testing, government regulation, formulation and manufacturing and sales and marketing. We compete for qualified individuals with numerous biopharmaceutical companies, universities and other research institutions. Competition for such individuals is intense, and we cannot be certain that our search for such personnel will be successful. Attracting and retaining qualified personnel will be critical to our success.
Significant disruptions of information technology systems or breaches of data security could adversely affect our business.
Our business is increasingly dependent on critical, complex and interdependent information technology systems to support business processes as well as internal and external communications. Our computer systems are vulnerable to breakdown, malicious intrusion and computer viruses. Any failure to protect against breakdowns, malicious intrusions and computer viruses may result in the impairment of production and key business processes. In addition, our systems are potentially vulnerable to data security breaches, whether by employees or others, which may expose sensitive data to unauthorized persons. Such data security breaches could lead to the loss of trade secrets or other intellectual property, or could lead to the public exposure of personal information of our employees, clinical trial patients, customers, and others. Such disruptions and breaches of security could expose us to liability and have a material adverse effect on the operating results and financial condition of our business.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
Our stock price may be volatile, and the value of an investment in our common stock may decline.
The trading price of our common stock may be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
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actions or delays by the FDA, EMA or other foreign regulatory authority in respect of any NDA, MAA or other application we may submit for any of our product candidates;
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results of clinical trials of our product candidates or those of our competitors;
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our operating performance and the operating performance of similar companies;
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the success of competitive products;
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the overall performance of the equity markets;
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the number of shares of our common stock publicly owned and available for trading;
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threatened or actual litigation;
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changes in laws or regulations relating to our products, including changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;
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any major change in our board of directors or management;
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publication of research reports about us or our industry or positive or negative recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage by securities analysts;
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large volumes of sales or other transfers of our shares of common stock by existing stockholders;
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general political, economic and market conditions; and
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the other factors described in this "Risk Factors" section.
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In addition, the stock market in general has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the companies whose shares trade in the stock market. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company's securities. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management's attention and resources and harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.
We have incurred and will continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.
As a public company listed on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and rules subsequently implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and Nasdaq have imposed various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations have increased our legal and financial compliance costs and are making some activities more time-consuming and costly.
Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, we are required to furnish a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting, and are required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. If we are unable to maintain effective internal controls, we may not have adequate, accurate or timely financial information, and we may be unable to meet our reporting obligations as a publicly traded company or comply with the requirements of the SEC or Section 404. This could result in a restatement of our consolidated financial statements, the imposition of sanctions, including the inability of registered broker dealers to make a market in our common shares, or investigation by regulatory authorities. Any such action or other negative results caused by our inability to meet our reporting requirements or comply with legal and regulatory requirements or by disclosure of an accounting, reporting or control issue could adversely affect the trading price of our securities and our business. Material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could also reduce our ability to obtain financing or could increase the cost of any financing we obtain.
Our directors and executive officers, together with their affiliates, have substantial influence over us and could delay or prevent a change in corporate control.
Our directors and executive officers, together with their affiliates, beneficially own a substantial amount of shares of our common stock. These stockholders, acting together, have the ability to significantly influence the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, these stockholders, acting together, have the ability to significantly influence the management and affairs of our company. Accordingly, this concentration of ownership might harm the market price of our common stock by:
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delaying, deferring or preventing a change in corporate control;
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impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us; or
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discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.
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Future sales and issuances of our common stock or rights to purchase common stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans, could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall.
Additional capital will be needed in the future to continue our planned operations. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. These sales may also result in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights superior to our existing stockholders.
Pursuant to our equity incentive plan, our management is authorized to grant stock options and other equity-based awards to our employees, directors and consultants and pursuant to our employee stock purchase plan, eligible employees may also participate in an employee stock purchase plan sponsored by us. All such awards will become eligible for sale in the public market in the future, subject to certain legal and contractual limitations, which will result in dilution to our existing shareholders.
If securities or industry analysts cease to publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
We may be required to pay severance benefits to our employees who are terminated in connection with a change in control, which could harm our financial condition or results.
Each of our executive officers is party to an employment agreement, and each of our other employees is party to an agreement or participates in a plan, which provides change in control severance benefits including cash payments for severance and other benefits and acceleration of vesting of stock options and other equity awards in the event of a termination of employment in connection with a change in control of us. The payment of these severance benefits could harm our financial condition and results. The accelerated vesting of options and equity awards could result in dilution to our existing stockholders and harm the market price of our common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions contained in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could impair a takeover attempt.
Our restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in control of our company. These provisions could also make it more difficult for stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. These provisions include:
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a staggered board of directors;
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authorizing the board to issue, without stockholder approval, preferred stock with rights senior to those of our common stock;
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authorizing the board to amend our bylaws and to fill board vacancies until the next annual meeting of the stockholders;
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prohibiting stockholder action by written consent;
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limiting the liability of, and providing indemnification to, our directors and officers;
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eliminating the ability of our stockholders to call special meetings; and
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requiring advance notification of stockholder nominations and proposals.
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Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits, subject to some exceptions, "business combinations" between a Delaware corporation and an "interested stockholder," which is generally defined as a stockholder who becomes a beneficial owner of 15% or more of a Delaware corporation's voting stock, for a three-year period following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder.
These and other provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws under Delaware law could discourage potential takeover attempts, reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock and result in the market price of our common stock being lower than it would be without these provisions.
Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
As of December 31, 2019, we had $974.3 million of federal and $681.8 million of state net operating loss carryforwards available to offset future taxable income. Under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, if a corporation undergoes an "ownership change" (generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in its equity ownership over a three-year period), the corporation's ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income may be limited. We have completed studies through December 31, 2015, to determine whether any ownership change has occurred since our formation and have determined that transactions have resulted in two ownership changes, as defined under Section 382. There could be additional ownership changes in the future that could further limit the amount of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards that we can utilize.
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”), the amount of post-2017 net operating loss carryforwards that we are permitted to deduct in any taxable year is limited to 80% of our taxable income in such year, where taxable income is determined without regard to the net operating loss carryforward deduction itself. The Tax Act generally eliminates the ability to carry back any net operating loss to prior taxable years, while allowing post-2017 unused net operating loss carryforwards to be carried forward indefinitely. There is a risk that due to changes under the Tax Act, regulatory changes or other unforeseen reasons, our existing net operating loss carryforwards could expire or otherwise be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities.