Washington, D.C. 20549
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non‑accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “smaller reporting“emerging growth company” in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
The registrant intends to file a definitive proxy statement pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.2019. Portions of such definitive proxy statement are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10‑K.
BeiGene, Ltd.
Forward looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as, but not limited to, “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions or variations intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain those identifying words. These forward‑looking statements include, among other things, statements about:
the initiation, timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials and our research and development programs;
our ability to advance our drug candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials;
our plans, expected milestones and the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals;
the implementation of our business model, strategic plans for our business, drugs, drug candidates and technology;
the scope of protection we (or our licensors) are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our drugs, drug candidates and technology;
our ability to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights and proprietary technology of third parties;
costs associated with enforcing or defending against intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or violation, product liability and other claims;
regulatory developments in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the European Union ("EU") and other jurisdictions;
the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses, revenues, capital requirements and our need for additional financing;
the potential benefits of strategic collaboration and licensing agreements and our ability to enter into strategic arrangements;
our reliance on third parties to conduct drug development, manufacturing and other services;
our ability to manufacture and supply, or have manufactured and supplied, drug candidates for clinical development and drugs for commercial sale;
the rate and degree of market access and acceptance and reimbursement of our drugs and drug candidates, if approved;
developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including competing therapies;
the size of the potential markets for our drugs and drug candidates and our ability to serve those markets;
statements regarding future revenue, hiring plans, expenses, capital expenditures, capital requirements and share performance;
other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under “Part I-Item 1A-Risk Factors.”
These forward‑looking statements are only predictions and we may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in such statements, so you should not place undue reliance on them. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward‑looking statements we make. We have based these forward‑looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and operating results. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Annual Report, particularly in “Part I-Item 1A-Risk Factors,” that could cause actual future results or events to differ materially from the forward‑looking statements that we make. Our forward‑looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.
You should read this Annual Report and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to the Annual Report with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward‑looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
This Annual Report includes statistical and other industry and market data that we obtained from industry publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. Industry publications and third‑party research, surveys and studies generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. While we believe these industry publications and third-party research, surveys and studies are reliable, you are cautioned not to give undue weight to this information.
Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this report to “BeiGene,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to BeiGene, Ltd. and its subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis.
Item 1. Business
Our mission is to become a global leader in the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies. Inmedicines for the near term, we plan to focus on pursuing what we believetreatment of cancer. Key elements of our strategy are the following significant opportunities:as follows:
Establish a Leadership Position by Further Expanding Our Capabilities. Although we believe that we have significant integrated capabilities in research and clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization, we plan
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• | Utilize Our Key Strategic Clinical and Commercial Capabilities. We believe that recent changes in the regulatory environment in China have led to an unprecedented opportunity in our industry. Historically, the regulatory environment in China was considered highly challenging, with clinical development delays and regulatory approvals taking much longer than in the United States and the EU. To address these challenges, the NMPA issued a series of reform policies and opinions, which, among other things, has expanded access to clinical patients and created an opportunity to expedite drug development and approval by removing delays and creating an environment with international quality standards for drug development, manufacturing and commercialization in China. These regulatory reforms allow clinical trials in China to play a major role in global drug development programs, with the data generated in China used to support approvals outside of China. However, challenges to benefit from these reforms remain, including limited contract research organization ("CRO") capability, a limited talent pool and clinical data and trial management challenges. Our strategy has been to aggressively build our clinical development and commercial capabilities in China to take advantage of these changes and mitigate the challenges with accessing China as a clinical science center. Our global oncology development team is made up of more than 1,100 employees, approximately 60% of whom are in China. We are dedicated to performing studies that conform to the highest global International Council for Harmonisation ("ICH") standards. We have initiated 12 global, China-inclusive pivotal studies and 26 pivotal or potentially registration-enabling studies. We have over 60 ongoing or planned trials and have enrolled over 7,500 patients and healthy subjects in our clinical trials. From a commercial perspective, our strategy in China is to seek broader access to patients in need of innovative medicines through national reimbursement. This strategy requires a large commercial organization. We have increased our commercial capability from just over 150 people when we acquired the commercial operations of Celgene (now part of BMS) in China in 2017 to over 900 people as of the end of 2019. We believe that we are well-positioned to launch our current and future pipeline of internally-developed and in-licensed drugs in China and take advantage of the opportunity of improved national reimbursement. |
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• | Expand Our Portfolio by Leveraging Our Clinical and Commercial Capabilities. As many leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies evaluate opportunities in China, we believe that collaborating with us could allow these companies to efficiently and effectively access deep local clinical development, commercial and manufacturing capabilities at global quality standards. For example, we have leveraged our unique China-inclusive development and commercial capabilities to expand our portfolio through our collaboration with Amgen. In addition, we have entered into over 10 transactions since 2017 in which we have added innovative pre-clinical, clinical and/or commercial-stage drugs and drug candidates to our portfolio. Our strategy is to continue to aggressively evaluate licensing opportunities to add to our pipeline of drugs and drug candidates. |
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• | Pursue a New Model for Global Growth. We believe that the large addressable patient population and the expansion of reimbursement of innovative medicines in China can support a new business model for growth in our industry by allowing R&D investment for these drugs to be leveraged over a significantly larger patient pool, which can enable broader access worldwide with more affordable pricing as compared to the traditional priority market model. This |
global access and pricing model will allow us to continue to strengthenleverage our strong clinical and expand our operations. In particular, we plan to significantly expand our commercial capabilities in China and globally. It also provides an opportunity to obtain return on the investments made to develop our portfolio of drug candidates. We evaluate worldwide markets by researching the opportunities, start-up risks and costs, and our capabilities. Subsequently, we design targeted market entrance strategies and plan to pursue these global markets in preparation for the potential launch of our drug candidatesa staged manner based on investment and to support our existing marketed drugs. We have an established commercial team in China, which provides coverage of large hospitals and physician clients. As a result of the improving reimbursement environment in China, which is expected to provide access to innovative medicines for a significantly larger number of patients, we believe that the scale of our commercial organization and the breadth of our market coverage will become even more important.return analyses. We plan to investseek approvals of our portfolio compounds globally in expanding our teams of sales and marketing, market access, medical affairs, compliance, manufacturing, and other supporting functions. We aim to become a leading organization in the commercialization of oncology drugs in China. Outside of China, we are currently building commercial capabilities in the hematology-oncology area in the United States. In addition, we plan to continue to invest in building our global clinical development capabilities, which we believe will provide a competitive advantage in allowingorder for us to conduct pivotal trials to support approvals globally and in China.capitalize on these opportunities.
Take Advantage of Significant Regulatory Reforms in China to Accelerate Global Drug Development. Historically, the regulatory environment in China has been considered highly challenging, with clinical development significantly delayed and regulatory approvals taking much longer than in the United States and Europe. To address these challenges, the NMPA has issued a series of reform policies and opinions, which, among many things, are expected to expand access to clinical patients and expedite development and approval by removing delays and creating an environment with international quality standards for drug development, manufacturing and commercialization in China. We expect that these regulatory reforms will allow clinical trials in China to play a major role in global drug development programs. We also believe that the ability to effectively operate in China and integrate trials conducted in China with those in the rest of the world will be of increasing strategic importance. We are already taking advantage of these opportunities by conducting and leading dual-purpose global / China registration trials.
Expand Our Product Portfolio and Pipeline Through Collaborations with Other Biopharmaceutical Companies to Complement Our Internal Research. We expect to further expand our portfolio of drugs and drug candidates, in oncology as well as potentially in other therapeutic areas, through internal research and external collaborations, such as our collaborations with Celgene, Mirati and Zymeworks. We intend to pursue collaborations with other biopharmaceutical companies both in China and globally by leveraging our strong clinical development capabilities globally and our commercial capabilities in China. We have pursued and plan to continue to pursue business development opportunities in which development in China is expected to contribute to, and potentially accelerate, the global development program. We believe that there will be increasing interest by international biopharmaceutical companies in seeking collaborations in Asia, particularly in oncology, because clinical recruitment is a major bottleneck in new drug development.
Our Pipeline and Commercial Products
The following table summarizes the status of our pipeline and commercial products as of February 20, 2019:29, 2020:
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PRODUCT | LEAD INDICATIONS | MECHANISM OF ACTION | REGULATORY STATUS | BEIGENE COMMERCIAL RIGHTS | PARTNER |
| R/R mantle cell lymphoma | BTK inhibitor | Approved in the United States | Global | N/A |
tislelizumab | R/R classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma | Anti-PD-1 antibody | Approved in China | Global | N/A |
| Breast cancer | Microtubule inhibitor | Approved in China | Mainland China | |
| R/R adult multiple myeloma, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma | Anti-angiogenesis, immuno-modulation | Approved in China | Mainland China | |
| Myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia | DNA hypomethylation | Approved in China | Mainland China | |
| Giant cell tumor of bone | Anti-RANK ligand antibody | Approved in China | Mainland China | |
| Multiple myeloma | Proteasome inhibitor | NDA filed in China | Mainland China | |
| Acute lymphocytic leukemia | Anti-CD19 x anti-CD3 bispecific (BiTE) antibody | NDA filed in China | Mainland China | |
| Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease | IL-6 antagonist | Fast track listed in China | Greater China | |
QARZIBA (dinutuximab beta) | High-risk neuroblastoma | Anti-GD2 antibody | Fast track listed in China | Mainland China | |
We commercialize the following wholly-owned cancer medicines, for which we have worldwide commercial rights:
BRUKINSA
BRUKINSA is a second-generation small molecule BTK inhibitor designed to maximize BTK occupancy and minimize off-target binding effects. On November 14, 2019, BRUKINSA received accelerated approval from the FDA as a treatment for MCL in adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy. BRUKINSA is the first BeiGene-discovered product to be approved. Currently, we have a 100-plus person commercial team marketing BRUKINSA in the United States. In China, we have filed NDAs for the treatment of patients with R/R MCL and patients with R/R CLL/SLL, and those applications are pending under priority review.
Market Opportunity and Competition
Lymphomas are blood-borne cancers involving lymphatic cells of the immune system. They can be broadly categorized into non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma ("NHL") and Hodgkin’s lymphoma ("HL"). Depending on the origin of the cancer cells, lymphomas can also be characterized as B-cell or T-cell lymphomas. B-cell lymphomas make up approximately 85% of NHLs and comprise a variety of specific diseases involving B-cells at differing stages of maturation or differentiation. According to statistics from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results ("SEER") program of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, there were 74,200 new NHL cases and 19,970 deaths, and of these NHL cases the incidence of CLL was 20,720 and there were 3,930 deaths from CLL in 2019 in the United States. Similar SEER analyses calculated U.S. incidence rates of 3,000 for MCL and 1,350 for Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia ("WM"). According to Chen et al. 2016, and GLOBOCAN’s online Global Cancer Observatory analyses on cancer statistics in China, there are an estimated 88,200 to 93,097 new lymphoma cases and 52,100 to 50,865 deaths in China each year, and of the lymphoma cases, approximately 90% are NHL and approximately 4.5% of the NHL cases are CLL/SLL.
Conventional methods of treating lymphomas vary according to the specific disease or histology, but generally include chemotherapy, antibodies directed at CD20, a molecular marker found on the surface of B-cells, and, less frequently, radiation. Recently, significant progress has been made in the development of new therapies for lymphomas, including BTK inhibitors, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase ("PI3K") inhibitors, idelalisib, copanlisib and duvelisib, and the Bcl-2 inhibitor, venetoclax. Recently, cell-based therapies have been receiving approvals. These include YESCARTA® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) and KYMRIAH™ (tisagenlecleucel), both anti-CD19 therapies.
The BTK inhibitor IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) was first approved by the FDA in 2013 for the treatment of patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy. Since that time, ibrutinib has received supplemental FDA approvals for the treatment of patients with CLL/SLL, CLL/SLL patients with 17p deletion, patients with WM, patients with marginal zone lymphoma ("MZL") who have received at least one prior anti-CD20-based therapy, patients with chronic graft versus host disease after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy, in combination with rituximab in WM, and in combination with obinutuzumab in CLL/SLL. Ibrutinib is also approved by the European Medicines Agency ("EMA") for the treatment of patients with MCL, CLL and WM. Ibrutinib has been approved in over 90 countries and regions, and it was approved and launched in China at the end of 2017 for the treatment of patients with R/R CLL/SLL and R/R MCL. Subsequently, in July 2018, ibrutinib was also approved for first-line CLL/SLL. Another BTK inhibitor, CALQUENCE® (acalabrutinib) was approved by the FDA in 2017 under accelerated approval for the treatment of patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy, and in November 2019 for use in adults with CLL/SLL. In 2019, global revenues for BTK inhibitors were approximately $5.8 billion according to published reports.
Tislelizumab
Tislelizumab is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody against the immune checkpoint receptor programmed cell death protein 1 (" PD-1"), that we specifically designed to minimize binding to Fc receptor gamma ("FcγR"), which is believed to play an essential role in activating phagocytosis in macrophages, to minimize its negative impact on T effector cells. Tislelizumab is currently being evaluated in a broad pivotal clinical program for both solid tumor and hematological indications, both globally and in China. We submitted an NDA for approval in China in 2018 for the treatment of R/R cHL, which received priority review and was approved on December 26, 2019. We are planning to launch tislelizumab in China in the first quarter of 2020. We have also filed a sNDA in China for the treatment of urothelial bladder cancer ("UBC") in May 2019 and expect NMPA approval in 2020, and we expect to submit a sNDA in first line squamous non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC") in 2020 based on the positive interim analysis of our Phase 3 study announced in January 2020. Additionally, we plan to discuss with regulators our Phase 2 study in second- or third-line hepatocellular carcinoma ("HCC") in 2020, and we expect readouts from several studies of tislelizumab in 2020. We have full commercial rights to tislelizumab, following the termination of our collaboration agreement with Celgene prior to its acquisition by BMS.
Market Opportunity and Competition
A number of PD-1 or PD-L1 antibody drugs have been approved by the FDA. These include Merck’s KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), BMS’s OPDIVO® (nivolumab), Roche’s TECENTRIQ® (atezolizumab), AstraZeneca’s IMFINZI® (durvalumab), Pfizer and Merck Sereno’s BAVENCIO® (avelumab), and Regeneron and Sanofi’s LIBTAYO® (cemiplimab). In the global setting, several PD-1 or PD-L1 antibody agents are in clinical development in addition to tislelizumab, such as Novartis’ PDR-001, GlaxoSmithKline/Tesaro’s TSR042, Pfizer’s PF-06801591, and AstraZeneca’s MEDI0680. In China, as of February 14, 2020, there are five other approved PD-1 antibodies, OPDIVO® (nivolumab) and KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), as well as Junshi’s TUOYI (toripalimab), Innovent’s TYVYT (sintilimab), and Hengrui’s AIRUIKA® (camrelizumab), and there are two approved PD-L1 antibody agents AstraZeneca's IMFINZI® (durvalumab) and Roche's
TECENTRIQ® (atezolizomab). There are approximately 40 more PD-1 and PD-L1 agents in late-stage development in China, of which one has filed for approval as of the end of January 2020.
Globally, the top four PD-1/PD-L1 antibody drugs had sales of approximately $21 billion in 2019 based on public reports. We believe that there is a large commercial opportunity in China for PD-1 and PD-L1 antibody drugs. Currently available clinical data suggest that some of the most prevalent cancers in China, such as lung, gastric, liver and esophageal cancer, are responsive to this class of agents. According to the World Health Organization's GLOBOCAN online database, in 2018 China suffered 39%, 50%, 47%, and 56% of all deaths from lung, gastric, liver, and esophageal cancers, respectively, in the world. Collectively, these four tumor types comprised over 2.3 million new cases in 2016 in China alone, according to Chen et al. 2016. In addition, China has a higher proportion of PD-1 responsive tumors in its total annual cancer incidence in comparison to other geographies like the U.S. or Europe. According to Chen et al. 2016, the annual incidence of the top 10 PD-1 responsive tumors in China is estimated to be 3.0 million out of 4.3 million in total annual cancer incidence. In comparison, the estimated annual incidence of the top 10 PD-1 responsive tumors is 0.9 million out of 1.7 million in total annual cancer incidence in the United States, and 0.9 million out of the 1.8 million total in the EU5 countries (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy) according to the SEER program of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the World Health Organization.
We commercialize the following cancer drugs in China under an exclusive license from BMS:
ABRAXANE
ABRAXANE (paclitaxel albumin-bound particles for injectable suspension) is a solvent-free chemotherapy product which was developed using BMS’s proprietary nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab®) technology platform. This protein-bound chemotherapy agent combines paclitaxel with albumin. Globally, ABRAXANE is approved for uses in breast cancer, NSCLC, pancreatic cancer, and GC, with geographic differences in labeling. In China, ABRAXANE is approved for metastatic breast cancer after failure of combination chemotherapy for metastatic disease or relapse within six months of adjuvant chemotherapy. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline unless clinically contraindicated.
According to Chen et al. 2016, there were approximately 4.3 million new cancer cases and 2.8 million cancer deaths in China in 2015, with breast cancer as the most common tumor type in Chinese women. It is estimated that in 2015 breast cancer affected 268,600 women and resulted in 69,500 deaths. Targeted therapy, hormone therapy and chemotherapy are three main strategies to treat different types of breast cancer.
Taxanes are the backbone chemotherapy to treat triple negative breast cancer, Her2+ or aggressive estrogen-receptor-positive and/or progesterone-receptor-positive breast cancer patients. ABRAXANE is the only currently approved taxane that does not need pre-medication with dexamethasone to prevent hypersensitivity reactions, and several Phase 3 trials have demonstrated its efficacy and safety based on comparison to solvent-based taxanes in both metastatic and neo-adjuvant breast cancer settings. Unlike other taxanes, ABRAXANE has demonstrated unique and strong efficacy in pancreatic cancer and has become the backbone of first line standard of care for metastatic pancreatic cancer globally.
The taxanes marketed in China include two branded solvent-based paclitaxel (TAXOL® and ANZATAX) formulations, one branded docetaxel (TAXOTERE®) formulation, one paclitaxel liposome (LIPUSU®), one albumin-bound paclitaxel (ABRAXANE) and generic forms of solvent-based taxanes and ABRAXANE, including albumin-bound paclitaxel products from CSPC Pharmaceutical Group , Hengrui and Qilu. LIPUSU is currently the market leader with approximately one-third of the market share.
ABRAXANE is listed on provincial reimbursement drug lists of Hubei, Ningxia, Jiangsu, and Hunan, as well as in critical illness insurance program in Zhejiang and Shandong. In January 2020, we were notified by the National Healthcare Security Administration of China that our tender offer for ABRAXANE was one of the winning tenders in China’s centralized procurement process, with a reduction from the current pricing, which is expected to take effect in the second quarter of 2020.
On May 30, 2019 we announced that the NMPA accepted the supplemental import drug application for ABRAXANE in combination with gemcitabine, as a first-line treatment of patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas ("mPC").
REVLIMID
REVLIMID (lenalidomide) is an oral immunomodulatory drug that was approved in China in 2013 for the treatment of multiple myeloma ("MM") in combination with dexamethasone in adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy. In February 2018, REVLIMID received NMPA approval of a new indication for the treatment of MM in combination with dexamethasone in adult patients with previously untreated MM who are not eligible for transplant.
Globally, the incidence of MM is estimated at two to three per 100,000, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.6:1, and most patients are over 40 years old, according to Siegel et al., 2011 and IMS analysis. It is estimated that the incidence rate of MM is
approximately one to two per 100,000 people in China, or approximately 21,000 new patients in 2019, out of which 10,000 are in urban populations, according to Lu et al., 2014, IMS analysis, and local market research. With a growing aging population and improving diagnosis, China has seen a steady increase in MM incidence.
Although MM cannot be cured, the progression of the disease can be controlled. The purpose of treatment is to extend patients’ survival and improve quality of life. The main treatments for MM in China include VELCADE®, which is a proteasome inhibitor marketed by Johnson & Johnson in China since 2006, REVLIMID, NINLARO® (ixazomib), an oral proteasome inhibitor developed by Takeda, and generic forms of VELCADE and REVLIMID. VELCADE currently dominates the market in first-line MM treatment in China, while VELCADE and REVLIMID share the market in the second line. Chinese guidelines recommend lenalidomide as a standard of care for the treatment of R/R and newly diagnosed MM as well as in the maintenance setting.
REVLIMID was listed on the National Reimbursement Drug List ("NRDL") in June 2017. On November 12, 2019, we announced that REVLIMID received formal inclusion on the NRDL in China for R/R multiple myeloma. On December 22, 2019 we announced that our sNDA for the use of REVLIMID in R/R indolent lymphoma was accepted by the NMPA.
VIDAZA
VIDAZA (azacitidine for injection) is a pyrimidine nucleoside analog that has been shown to reverse the effects of DNA hypermethylation and promote subsequent gene re-expression. VIDAZA was approved in China in April 2017 for the treatment of intermediate-2 and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes ("MDS"), chronic myelomonocyte leukemia ("CMML") and acute myeloid leukemia ("AML") with 20% to 30% blasts and multi-lineage dysplasia. In January 2018, VIDAZA became commercially available in China.
MDS are a group of cancers in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature and therefore do not become healthy blood cells. Approximately seven per 100,000 people are affected with approximately four per 100,000 people newly acquiring the condition each year globally according to Germing et al., 2013. The typical age of onset is 70 years. The higher-risk MDS (intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS) is considered fatal because the median overall survival rate is only 0.4-1.1 years and nearly 30% of these patients progress to AML, according to the U.S. National Comprehensive Cancer Network ("NCCN"), MDS guideline 2013 and MDS Foundation.
In China, the main treatments for intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS are conventional care regimen ("CCR") (best supportive care, low-dose cytarabine and intensive chemotherapy), and hypomethylating agents ("HMAs"). DACOGEN® (decitabine) marketed by Johnson & Johnson was the first HMA agent approved in China in 2009. In the past several years, at least six decitabine generics have become available. In 2017, decitabine was listed in the NRDL. Nevertheless, there are still over 50% of higher-risk MDS patients treated with CCR and the unmet need remains large.
VIDAZA is the only approved HMA shown to prolong survival for patients with MDS. Besides reversing the effects of DNA hypermethylation, VIDAZA inhibits protein synthesis via RNA incorporation. VIDAZA is a Category 1 recommended treatment for patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS, according to the U.S. NCCN guideline. It is also a first-line recommended treatment for patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS, according to the Chinese MDS treatment guidelines, and was listed on the NRDL in October 2018.
We are planning to commercialize the following cancer drugs in China under an exclusive license from Amgen:
XGEVA
XGEVA (denosumab) is an antibody-based RANK ligand ("RANKL") inhibitor that was approved globally for the prevention of skeletal-related events ("SREs") in patients with multiple myeloma, for the prevention of SREs in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors and for treatment of adults and skeletally mature adolescents with giant cell tumor of bone ("GCTB"). XGEVA is approved in over 70 countries worldwide. In China, it was approved in 2019 for patients with GCTB and is in development in China for prevention of skeletal-related events in cancer patients with bone metastases.
KYPROLIS
KYPROLIS (carfilzomib), a proteasome inhibitor, has been approved in over 60 countries for use in patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma ("RRMM"). It has been filed in China as a treatment for patients with MM, and the NDA has been accepted by the NMPA.
BLINCYTO
BLINCYTO (blinatumomab), a bispecific CD-19 directed CD3 T-cell engager, is the first and only approved bi-specific T-cell engager ("BiTE") immunotherapy. It has been approved in 60 countries for use in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia ("ALL"). It has been filed in China as a treatment for adult patients with R/R ALL, and the NDA has been accepted and granted priority review by the NMPA.
We are planning to commercialize the following cancer drugs in China under an exclusive license from EUSA Pharma:
SYLVANT
SYLVANT (siltuximab), an interleikin-6 (IL-6) antagonist, that was approved as a treatment for patients with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease who are human immunodeficiency virus ("HIV") negative and human herpesvirus-8 ("HHV-8") negative. It has been been listed for fast-track approval in China by the NMPA under its Review and Approval Procedures for Urgently-Needed Pharmaceutical Drugs Developed Overseas.
QARZIBA
QARZIBA (dinutuximab beta), a mouse-human chimeric monoclonal lgG1 antibody, that was approved as a treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma in patients aged 12 months and above, who have previously received induction chemotherapy and achieved at least a partial response ("PR"). It has been been listed for fast-track approval in China by the NMPA under its Review and Approval Procedures for Urgently-Needed Pharmaceutical Drugs Developed Overseas.
Our Pipeline Products
The following table summarizes the status of our internally-discovered drug candidates as of February 29, 2020:
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DRUG CANDIDATES | PROGRAMS | DOSE ESC. | DOSE EXPANSION | PIVOTAL | FILED | MARKET |
Phase 1a | Phase 1b | Phase 2* | Phase 2** | Phase 3 |
zanubrutinib (BTK) | monotherapy | R/R MCL (Accelerated approval in the U.S. Nov. 14, 2019) |
R/R MCL, R/R CLL/SLL (NDAs accepted by NMPA) | |
R/R WM | |
WM, 1L CLL/SLL, R/R CLL/SLL | |
R/R MZL | |
Previously treated CLL/SLL (ibrutinib intolerant) | |
+ rituximab | 1L MCL | |
+ obinutuzumab | R/R FL | |
tislelizumab (PD-1) | monotherapy | R/R cHL (approved December 26, 2019) |
2L+ UC (NDA accepted by NMPA) | |
2L NSCLC, 1L HCC, 2L ESCC | |
2L/3L HCC | |
R/R NK/T-cell lymphoma | |
+ chemo | 1L Sq. NSCLC, 1L Non-Sq. NSCLC, 1L NPC, 1L SCLC | |
1L GC, 1L ESCC | |
+ pamiparib (PARP) | Solid tumors | |
+ zanubrutinib (BTK) | B-cell malignancies | |
pamiparib (PARP) | monotherapy | 1L platinum-sensitive GC maintenance | |
2L platinum-sensitive OC maintenance | |
3L gBRCA+ OC | |
Solid tumors | |
+ TMZ (chemo) | Solid tumors | |
+ RT/TMZ (RT/chemo) | Glioblastoma | |
lifirafenib (RAF Dimer) | monotherapy | B-Raf- or K-RAS/N-RAS-mutated solid tumors | |
B-Raf- or K-RAS/N-RAS-mutated solid tumors | |
BGB-A333 (PD-L1) | monotherapy + tislelizumab | Solid tumors | |
BGB-A425 (TIM-3) | monotherapy + tislelizumab | Solid tumors | |
BGB-A1217 (TIGIT) | + tislelizumab | Solid tumors | |
BGB-11417 (Bcl-2) | monotherapy + zanubrutinib | Phase 1 in hematologic malignancies planned in 1H 2020 | |
*Some indications will not require a non-pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial prior to beginning pivotal Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical trials. **Confirmatory clinical trials post approval are required for accelerated approvals. ***REVLIMID® approved as a combination therapy with dexamethasone. 1. Celgene has the right to develop and commercialize tislelizumab in solid tumors in the U.S., EU, Japan and the rest-of-world outside of Asia. 2. Collaboration with Mirati Therapeutics, Inc.; APAC study. 3. Collaboration with Zymeworks.
Abbreviations: 1L = first line; 2L = second line; 3L = third line; AML = acute myeloid leukemia; Bcl-2 = B-cell lymphoma 2; BTK = Bruton's tyrosine kinase; cHL = classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma; CLL = chronic lymphocytic leukemia; CMMoL = chronic myelomonocytic leukemia; DLBCL = diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; Dose Esc = dose escalation; ESCC = esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; FL = follicular lymphoma; gBRCA = germline BRCA (Breast Cancer); GC = gastric cancer; HCC = hepatocellular carcinoma; HL = Hodgkin’s lymphoma; IMiD = immunomodulatory drugs; MCL = mantle cell lymphoma; MDS = myelodysplastic syndrome; MM = multiple myeloma; MZL = marginal zone lymphoma; NSCLC = non-small cell lung cancer; ND = newly diagnosed; NDA = new drug application; NHL = non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; NK = natural killer; NMPA = National Medical Products Administration; NPC = nasopharyngeal carcinoma; OC = ovarian cancer; PARP = poly ADP-ribose polymerase; PD-1 = programmed cell death protein 1; PD-L1 = programmed death-ligand 1; PH = Phase; R/R = relapsed / refractory; RT = radiotherapy; SLL = small lymphocytic lymphoma; SCLC = small cell lung cancer; Sq = squamous; TIGIT = T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains; TIM-3 = T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3; TMZ = temozolomide; UC = urothelial carcinoma; WM = Waldenström’s macroglobulinemiamacroglobulinemia.
The following table summarizes the status of our in-licensed drug candidates as of February 29, 2020:
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| | | | | | |
DRUG CANDIDATES | DESCRIPTION | DOSE ESCALATION / EXPANSION | PIVOTAL | COMMERCIAL RIGHTS |
Phase 1 | Phase 2* | Phase 2^ | Phase 3 |
Sitravatinib | (multi-kinase inhibitor)1 | NSCLC, RCC, OC, MEL, HCC/GEJ | | Asia ex-Japan, NZ, AU |
Mirdametinib | + lifirafenib (Raf dimer) | Solid tumors | | |
ME401 | + zanubrutinib (BTK) | B-cell malignancies | | |
ZW25 | (bispecific HER2 antibody)2 | Planned (in Ph2 ex-China by Zymeworks) | | Asia ex-Japan, NZ, AU |
ZW49 | (bispecific anti-HER2 ADC)2 | Planned (in Ph1 ex-China by Zymeworks) | | Asia ex-Japan, NZ, AU |
AMG 510 | (KRAS G12C, SM)3 | Solid tumors | | China |
AMG 596 | (EGFRvIII, BiTE)3 | Glioblastoma | | China |
AMG 757 | (DLL3, HLE BiTE)3 | SCLC | | China |
AMG 160 | (PSMA, HLE BiTE)3 | Prostate | | China |
AMG 212 | (PSMA, BiTE)3 | Prostate | | China |
AMG 506 | (FAP x 4-1BB, DARPin®)3 | Solid tumors | | China |
AMG 701 | (BCMA, HLE BiTE)3 | MM | | China |
AMG 420 | (BCMA, BiTE)3 | MM | | China |
AMG 176 | (Mcl-1, SM (i.v.))3 | Hematologic | | China |
AMG 397 | (Mcl-1, SM (oral))3 | Hematologic | | China |
AMG 330 | (CD33, BiTE)3 | AML | | China |
AMG 673 | (CD33, HLE BiTE)3 | AML | | China |
AMG 427 | (FLT3, HLE BiTE)3 | AML | | China |
AMG 562 | (CD19, HLE BiTE)3 | NHL | | China |
*Some indications will not require a non-pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial prior to beginning pivotal Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical trials. ^Confirmatory clinical trials post approval are required for accelerated approvals. 1. Collaboration with Mirati Therapeutics, Inc.; APAC study. 2. Collaboration with Zymeworks. 3. Collaboration with Amgen.
Abbreviations: ADC = antibody drug conjugate; AML = acute myeloid leukemia; AU = Australia; BCMA = B-cell maturation antigen; BiTE = Bi-specific T-cell engager; BTK = Bruton's tyrosine kinase; CD## = cluster of differentiation; DLL3 = delta-like ligand 3; EGFRvIII = epidermal growth factor receptor variant III; FAP = familial adenomatous polyposis; FLT3 = fms-like tyrosine kinase 3; GEJ = gastro-esophageal junction; HER2 = human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; HCC = hepatocellular carcinoma; HLE = half-life extended; i.v. = intravenous; KRAS = gene for K version of Ras (rat sarcoma) protein; Mcl-1 = Myeloid cell leukemia-1; MEL = melanoma; MM = multiple myeloma; NSCLC = non-small cell lung cancer; NZ = New Zealand; OC = ovarian cancer; PH = Phase; PSMA = prostate-specific membrane antigen; RCC = renal cell carcinoma; SCLC = small cell lung cancer; SM = small molecule.
Our Clinical-Stage Drug Candidates
A description of our clinical-stage drug candidates together with a summary of the most recently available publicly reportedand clinical data from keyselected clinical trials as of the date of this Annual Report, is set forth below. We planHistorically, we have made available, and we intend to continue to make available, subsequent clinical data and/or topline results from time to timeclinical trials of our drug candidates in our press releases and/or filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Stock Exchange,Limited ("HKEx"), copies of which are available on the Investors section of our website.
Zanubrutinib, (BGB-3111), a BTK Inhibitor
Zanubrutinib, is an investigationala small molecule inhibitor of BTK that is approved in the United States for the treatment of MCL in adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy. It is currently being evaluated in a broad pivotal clinical program globally and in China as a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies to treat various lymphomas. Zanubrutinib has demonstrated higher selectivity against BTK than IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib), an approved BTK inhibitor, based on our biochemical assays; higher exposure than ibrutinib based on their respective Phase 1 experience in separate studies; and sustained 24-hour BTK occupancy in both the peripheral blood and lymph node compartments. We recently reported data from our Phase 3 ASPEN study which compared zanubrutinib with ibrutinib in WM. While the trial did not achieve statistical significance on its primary endpoint of superiority in complete response and very good partial response (“VGPR”) rates for
zanubrutinib compared to ibrutinib, zanubrutinib demonstrated a higher VGPR rate as well as improvements in safety and tolerability.
Mechanism of Action
BTK is a key component of the B-cell receptor or BCR,("BCR"), signaling pathway and is an important regulator of cell proliferation and cell survival in various lymphomas. BTK inhibitors block BCR-induced BTK activation and its downstream signaling, leading to growth inhibition and cell death in certain malignant white blood cells called B-cells. Zanubrutinib is an orally active inhibitor that covalently binds to BTK, resulting in irreversible inactivation of the enzyme.
Market Opportunity and Competition
Lymphomas are blood-borne cancers involving lymphatic cells of the immune system. They can be broadly categorized into non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or NHL, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or HL. Depending on the origin of the cancer cells, lymphomas can also be characterized as B-cell or T-cell lymphomas. B-cell lymphomas make up approximately 85% of NHLs and comprise a variety of specific diseases involving B-cells at differing stages of maturation or differentiation. According to statistics from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results, or SEER, program of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, there were 72,240 new NHL cases and 20,140 deaths, and 20,110 new CLL cases and 4,660 deaths in 2017 in the United States. Similar SEER analyses calculate U.S. incidence rates for MCL of 3,000 and 1,350 for WM. According to a published study (Chen et al., Cancer Statistics in China, 2015, CA Cancer J. Clin. 2016; 66(2):115-32), which we refer to as Chen et al. 2016, and GLOBOCAN’s online Global Cancer Observatory analyses on cancer statistics in China, there are an estimated 88,200 to 93,097 new lymphoma cases and 52,100 to 50,865 deaths in China each year, and of the lymphoma cases, approximately 90% are NHL and approximately 4.5% of the NHL cases are CLL/SLL.
Conventional methods of treating lymphomas vary according to the specific disease or histology, but generally include chemotherapy, antibodies directed at CD20, a molecular marker found on the surface of B-cells, and, less frequently, radiation. Recently, significant progress has been made in the development of new therapies for lymphomas, including BTK inhibitors, the PI3K inhibitors, idelalisib, copanlisib and duvelisib, and the Bcl-2 inhibitor, venetoclax. Most recently, a cell-based therapy, YESCARTA® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) was approved for the treatment of adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, or DLBCL, who have failed at least two other kinds of treatment. YESCARTA® is a genetically modified autologous T-cell immuno-oncology therapy directed at CD19.
The BTK inhibitor IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) was first approved by the FDA in 2013 for the treatment of patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy. Since that time, ibrutinib has received supplemental FDA approvals for the treatment of patients with CLL, CLL patients with 17p deletion, patients with WM, patients with MZL who have received at least one prior anti-CD20-based therapy, patients with chronic graft versus host disease after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy, for use in combination with obinutuzumab in CLL, and in combination with rituximab in WM. Ibrutinib is also approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of patients with MCL, CLL and WM. Ibrutinib has been approved in over 90 countries and regions, and it was approved and launched in China at the end of 2017. In 2018, global revenues for BTK inhibitors were approximately US$4.5 billion according to published reports. Another BTK inhibitor, CALQUENCE® (acalabrutinib) was approved by the FDA in 2017 under accelerated approval for the treatment of patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy. In late 2017, ibrutinib was the first BTK inhibitor approved and launched in China, for the treatment of patients with R/R CLL/SLL and R/R MCL. Subsequently, in July 2018, ibrutinib was also approved for first-line CLL.
Summary of Clinical Results
As of January 25, 2019,15, 2020, we had enrolled more than 1,3002,500 patients in clinical trials of zanubrutinib, including trials of zanubrutinib in combination with other therapies, which we refer to as combination trials. A multi-center, open-label Phase 1 trial is being conducted in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, South Korea and European countriesEurope to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic properties and preliminary activity of zanubrutinib as a monotherapy in patients with different subtypes of B-cell malignancies, such as WM, CLL/SLL, FL,follicular lymphoma ("FL"), and MCL. The initial results of the dose-escalation phase and dose-expansion phase of this trial demonstrated that, consistent with zanubrutinib’s pharmacokinetic profile, complete and sustained 24-hour BTK occupancy in the blood was observed in all tested patients, starting at the lowest dose of 40 mg once daily.daily ("QD"). In addition, sustained full BTK occupancy was observed in the lymph nodes especially forwith the 160 mg twice dailytwice-daily ("BID") dosing regimen. There is no guarantee thatWe substantially expanded the clinical development program for zanubrutinib based on these early results will be reproducedto include late stage clinical studies in pivotal trials.
Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia
On October 12, 2018, data fromWM, CLL/SLL, MCL, FL and MZL. In addition, we have several studies ongoing in DLBCL, both monotherapy and combinations, and we have several combination studies in CLL including combinations with the Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax and a planned study with our Phase 1 trial in patients with WMinternally-discovered Bcl-2 inhibitor, BGB-14417. All of the studies discussed below were presented at major medical conferences and were the 10th International Workshopsubject of a press release and a filing with the SEC. These sources have further details on Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia (IWWM). Aseach study. The first readout of our late-stage program was recently reported, the data cutoff of July 24, 2018, 77 patients withASPEN study in WM were enrolled in the study, and 62 patients remained on study treatment. Responses were determined according to the modified Sixth International Workshop on WM Criteria.(NCT03053440), discussed below.
Seventy-three patients were evaluable for efficacy in this analysis and the median follow-up time was 22.5 months (4.1-43.9). The median time to response (>PR, or partial response) was 85 days (55-749). At the time of the data cutoff, 62 patients remained on study treatment. The overall response rate, or ORR, was 92% (67/73), the major response rate, or MRR, was 82%, and 41% of patients achieved a very good partial response, or VGPR, defined as a >90% reduction in baseline IgM levels and improvement of extramedullary disease by CT scan. The 12-month progression-free survival, or PFS, was estimated
at 89%. The median PFS had not yet been reached. The median IgM decreased from 32.7 g/L (5.3-91.9) at baseline to 8.2 g/L (0.3-57.8). The median hemoglobin increased from 8.85 g/dL (6.3-9.8) to 13.4 g/dL (7.7-17.0) among 32 patients with hemoglobin <10 g/dL at baseline.
MYD88 genotype was known in 63 patients. In the subset known to have the MYD88L265P mutation (n=54), the objective response rate was 94%, the major response rate was 89%, and the VGPR rate was 46%. In the nine patients known to be MYD88WT, a less common genotype that historically has had sub-optimal response to BTK inhibition, the ORR was 89%, the MRR was 67%, and the VGPR rate was 22%.
Zanubrutinib was observed to be generally well-tolerated with no discontinuation for zanubrutinib-related toxicity. The majority of adverse events, or AEs, were grade 1 or 2 in severity. The most frequent AEs of any attribution were petechia/purpura/contusion (43%), upper respiratory tract infection (42%), cough (17%), diarrhea (17%), constipation (16%), back pain (16%), and headache (16%). Grade 3-4 AEs of any attribution reported in three or more patients included neutropenia (9%), anemia (7%), hypertension (5%), basal cell carcinoma (5%), renal and urinary disorders (4%), and pneumonia (4%). Serious adverse events, or SAEs, were seen in 32 patients (42%), with events in five patients (7%) considered possibly related to zanubrutinib treatment: febrile neutropenia, colitis, atrial fibrillation, hemothorax, and pneumonia (n=1 each). Nine patients (12%) discontinued due to AEs: abdominal sepsis (fatal), septic shoulder, worsening bronchiectasis, scedosporium infection, gastric adenocarcinoma (fatal), prostate adenocarcinoma, metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma, acute myeloid leukemia, or breast cancer (n=1 each, all considered by the investigator to be unrelated to treatment). Atrial fibrillation/flutter occurred in four patients (5%). Major hemorrhage was observed in two patients (3%). Four patients (5%) discontinued study treatment due to disease progression as assessed by investigator and one patient remains on treatment post-disease progression.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small LymphocyticMantle Cell Lymphoma
On October 24, 2018, we announced the acceptance by the NMPA of our NDA for zanubrutinib for the treatment of patients with R/R CLL/SLL, together with the top line clinicalWe presented two data that supported the filing. The trial was a 91-patient single-arm pivotal Phase 2 studysets in Chinese patients with R/R CLL/SLL treated with zanubrutinib, dosed at 160 mg orally twice daily, or BID. An independent review of response data from this study, with a data cut-off of June 15, 2018 and a median follow-up of 9.1 months, showed an ORR of 80%, inclusive of complete response, or CR, of 2%, PR of 39%, and partial response with lymphocytosis, or PR-L, of 40%. The median duration of response had not been reached, as a majority of the responders remained in a response. The safety profile results were consistent with previously reported clinical data for zanubrutinib, which are described below. We plan to submit updated data with additional follow-up of the patients in this trial in support of the NDA.
On June 14, 2017,MCL at the 14th15th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma that took place on June 18-22, 2019 in Lugano, Switzerland data were presented from patients with CLL/SLL from the same Phase 1 trial that included WM patients described above. As of the data cutoff of March 31, 2017, 69 patients with CLL or SLL (18 TN, 51 R/R) were enrolled in the trial.
At the time of the data cutoff, 66 patients (16 TN and 50 R/R) had more than 12 weeks of follow-up and were evaluable for efficacy, and three other patients had less than 12 weeks of follow-up. After a median follow-up of 10.5 months (2.2-26.8 months), the ORR was 94% (62/66) with CRs in 3% (2/66), PRs in 82% (54/66)(the "2019 ICML"), and PR-Ls in 9% (6/66) of patients. Stable disease, or SD,it was observed in 5% (3/66) of patients. A patient with pleural effusion discontinued treatment prior to week 12 and was not evaluable for response. There was one instance of Hodgkin’s transformation. In TN CLL/SLL, at a median follow-up time of 7.6 months (3.7-11.6 months), the ORR was 100% (16/16) with CRs in 6% (1/16), PRs in 81% (13/16) and PR-Ls in 13% (2/16) of patients. In R/R CLL/SLL, at a median follow-up time of 14.0 months (2.2-26.8 months), the ORR was 92% (46/50) with CRs in 2% (1/50), PRs in 82% (41/50) and PR-Ls in 8% (4/50) of patients. SD was observed in 6% (3/50) patients.
Zanubrutinib was shown to be generally well-tolerated in CLL/SLL. The most frequent AEs (≥10%) of any attribution were petechiae/purpura/contusion (46%), fatigue (29%), upper respiratory tract infection (28%), cough (23%), diarrhea (22%), headache (19%), hematuria (15%), nausea (13%), rash (13%), arthralgia (12%), muscle spasms (12%) and urinary tract infection (12%). All of these events were grade 1 or 2 except for one case of grade 3 purpura (subcutaneous hemorrhage), which was the only major bleeding event. Additional AEs of interest included one case of each grade 2 diarrhea and grade 2 atrial fibrillation. A total of 18 SAEs occurred in 13 patients, with no SAE occurring in more than one patient. Only one patient discontinued treatment due to an AE, a grade 2 pleural effusion.
Mantle Cell Lymphoma
On December 1, 2018, at the 60th American Society of Hematology, or ASH, Annual Meeting, in San Diego, CA, two data sets were presented on zanubrutinibthat formed the basis for our accelerated approval in MCL in adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy that we received from our Phase 2 and Phase 1 studies.the U.S. FDA in November 2019.
The Phase 2 study wasfirst trial (NCT03206970, also known as BGB-3111-206) is a single arm,single-arm, open-label, multi-center, pivotal Phase 2 trial of zanubrutinib as a monotherapy in Chinese patients with R/R MCL thatMCL. The trial is being conducted in China and enrolled 86 patients who had received a median of two (1-4) prior lines of therapy (range of 1-4).therapy. Patients were treated with zanubrutinib, dosed at 160 mg orally BID. The primary endpoint of the trial was ORRis overall response rate ("ORR") assessed by an independent review committee or IRC,("IRC") using PET-based imaging according to the Lugano Classification 2014.
As of March 27, 2018, 85the February 15, 2019 data cutoff, 52 patients with R/R MCL were evaluable for efficacy and 65 patients (75.6%(60.5%) remained on study treatment. The median follow-up time for patients enrolled in the trial was 35.9 weeks (1.1-55.9)18.4 months (0.3-23.5).
The investigator-assessed ORR was 83.7% (72/86). The IRC-assessed ORR was 83.5% (71/85); the CRcomplete response ("CR") rate was 58.8% (50/85);77.9% (67/86) and the PR rate was 5.8% (5/86). At an earlier data cutoff in March 2018 (8.2 months median follow-up), the ORR, CR and PR were 84.7%, 72.9%, and 11.8% per investigator assessment, and 83.5%, 58.8%, and 24.7% (21/85).per IRC assessment, respectively. The 24-week15-month PFS by investigator was estimated at 82%. The72.1%, and median PFS had not yet been reached.follow-up was 19.1 months (0.0-22.3). With 24.1 weeks16.4 months median follow-up (0.1-41.1)(2.3-19.5), the median duration of response or DOR, had not yet been reached and 90% of responders were still in response(DOR) by investigator at 24 weeks.
Zanubrutinib tolerability15 months was generally consistent with previous reports in patients with various B-cell malignancies and the majority of AEs were grade 1 or 2 in severity. The most frequent AEs of any attribution were neutrophil count decreased (31.4%), rash (29.1%), upper respiratory tract infection (29.1%), and platelet count decreased (22.1%)67.4%. The most frequently reported (in >5% of patients) grade 3 or higher AEs were neutrophil count decreased (11.6%) and lung infection (5.8%). Four patients (4.7%) had treatment-emergent adverse events, or TEAEs, leading to death (one case each of traffic accident, cerebral hemorrhage, pneumonia, and unknown cause in the setting of infection). Among events of special interest for BTK inhibitors, diarrhea was observed in nine patients (10.5%), all grade 1-2. Major hemorrhage was observed in one patient (1.2%) with a blastoid variant of MCL who had intra-parenchymal CNS bleeding. No cases of atrial fibrillation/flutter were reported in this trial.
The second set of data was the MCL cohort of our BGB-3111-AU-003 study (NCT02343120). This open-label, multi-center Phase 1 study is an open-label1/2 trial of zanubrutinib as a monotherapy in patients with different subtypes of B-cell malignancies, including MCL, and is being conducted in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Australia, Italy, South Korea, New Zealand, and South Korea.the United Kingdom. As of July 24,the December 13, 2018 48data cut-off, 53 patients with TN (n=9)treatment naïve (TN, n=16) or R/R (n=39)37) MCL had been enrolled in the trial and the median follow-up time was 12.715.4 months (0.7-38.0)(0.1-38.2). Forty-fiveForty-eight patients including six with TN and 39 with(all 37 R/R MCL,and 11 TN) were evaluable for efficacy with median follow-up time of 16.7 months (1.6-38.2) in this analysis, per the Lugano 2014 classification.Classification. At the time of the data cutoff, 2627 patients (13 TN and 14 R/R) remained on study treatment.
The investigator-assessed ORR was 88.9% (40/45)85.4% (41/48); the CR rate was 26.7% (12/45);29.2% (14/48) and the PR rate was 62.2% (28/45)56.3% (27/48). The majority of patients were assessed via CT-scan; PET scans werescan was optional per trial protocol. The median DOR was 16.2 months and the(0.03-28.2) for all patients. The median PFS for patients with R/R MCL was 17.3 months. Response rates shown in the table below from this study are for the 32 patients was 18.0 months (0.7-30.7).who had R/R disease and received the full 160mg BID dose of zanubrutinib.
Zanubrutinib
The following table shows the efficacy data included in our label in the United States for BRUKINSA (zanubrutinib) for the treatment of adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who have received at least one prior therapy:
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| | |
| Study BGB-3111-206 (N=86) | Study BGB-3111-AU-003 (N=32) |
ORR (95% CI) | 84% (74, 91) | 84% (67, 95) |
CR | 59% | 22% * |
PR | 24% | 62% |
Median DoR in months (95% CI) | 19.5 (16.6, NE) | 18.5 (12.6, NE) |
ORR: overall response rate, CR: complete response, PR: partial response, DoR: duration of response, CI: confidence interval, NE: not estimable
* FDG-PET scans were not required for response assessment
In the BGB-3111-206 study, the tolerability of zanubrutinib was generally consistent with previous reports of zanubrutinib treatment in patients with various B-cell malignanciesmalignancies. The majority of treatment-emergent adverse events ("TEAEs") were grade 1 or 2 in severity, with the most frequently reported being neutrophil count decreased (44.2%), upper respiratory tract infection (34.9%), rash (33.7%), white blood cell count decrease (31.4%), and platelet count decrease (25.6%). Grade ≥3 TEAEs were reported in 36 patients (41.9%), with the most frequently reported being neutrophil count decrease (18.6%), lung infection (7.0%), white blood cell count decrease (5.8%), and anemia (5.8%). Five patients (5.8%) had TEAEs leading to death (one case each of pneumonia, cerebral hemorrhage, traffic accident, and two cases of death with unknown cause). Among TEAEs of special interest for BTK inhibitors, hypertension was reported in 13 patients (15.1%), petechiae/purpura/contusion in four patients (4.7%), and major hemorrhage in three patients (3.5%); no cases of atrial fibrillation/flutter, secondary primary malignancy, or tumor lysis syndrome were reported in this trial.
In the BGB-3111-AU-003 study, the majority of AEsadverse events ("AEs") were grade 1 or 2 in severity. The most frequentfrequently reported AEs of any attribution were petechia/purpura/included contusion (33.3%(39.6%), diarrhea (33.3%(34.0%), upper respiratory tract infection (29.2%(26.4%), constipation (22.6%), fatigue (25.0%(22.6%), and constipation (18.8%rash (18.9%). Grade 3-5≥3 AEs occurred in 56.3% of patients. Grade 3-5 AEs of any attributionwere reported in > three54.7% patients, includedwith the most frequent being anemia (8.3%(9.4%), major hemorrhage (6.3%myalgia (5.7%), cellulitis (6.3%(5.7%), myalgia (6.3%pleural effusion (5.7%), neutropenia (6.3%),and pneumonia (6.3%); and thrombocytopenia (6.3%(5.7%). Discontinuation due to AEs occurred in 18.8% of18.9% patients with all but one event (peripheral edema)two determined to be unrelatedrelated to study drug.drug (one case each of peripheral edema and subdural hematoma). There were fourfive deaths due to AEs, which were all determined by the investigators to be unrelated to zanubrutinib treatment.
Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia - ASPEN Study
On December 16, 2019, we announced topline results from our Phase 3 ASPEN trial (NCT03053440) of zanubrutinib compared to ibrutinib for the treatment of patients with WM. The trial did not achieve statistical significance on its primary endpoint of superiority in CR and very good partial response ("VGPR") rates for zanubrutinib compared to ibrutinib, but zanubrutinib demonstrated more frequent VGPRs (28.4% versus 19.2% in overall population) and advantages in safety and tolerability.
The ASPEN trial is a randomized Phase 3 trial in 229 patients with WM conducted in 61 centers in Europe, Australia, and the United States. ASPEN is the largest Phase 3 trial yet conducted in Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia and the first comparative trial readout for two BTK inhibitors. The study included two cohorts, a randomized cohort (cohort 1) consisting of 201 patients with a MYD88 mutation and a non-randomized cohort (cohort 2) in which 28 patients with MYD88 wild-type ("MYD88WT") received zanubrutinib because MYD88WT patients have historically responded poorly to ibrutinib therapy. The randomized cohort 1 enrolled 102 patients (including 83 R/R patients and 19 treatment-naïve ("TN") patients) in the zanubrutinib arm and 99 patients (including 81 R/R patients and 18 TN patients) in the ibrutinib arm. Patients in the zanubrutinib arm were assigned to receive zanubrutinib 160 mg BID and patients in the ibrutinib arm received 420 mg of ibrutinib QD. Responses were determined according to the modified Sixth International Workshop on WM Criteria.
|
| | | | |
Results included: | R/R | Overall |
Efficacy | Zanubrutinib (N = 83) | Ibrutinib (N = 81) | Zanubrutinib (N = 102) | Ibrutinib (N = 99) |
VGPR + CR Rate | 28.9% | 19.8% | 28.4% | 19.2% |
PFS (12 month) (CI) | 92.4% (88.9 - 98.8) | 85.9% (75.9 - 91.9) | 89.7% (81.7 - 94.3) | 87.2% (78.6 - 92.5) |
OS (12 month) (CI) | 98.8% (91.6 - 99.8) | 92.5% (84.1 - 96.6) | 97.0% (90.9 - 99.0) | 93.9% (86.8 - 97.2) |
As of data cutoff of August 31, 2019, with a median follow-up of 19.4 months, results from cohort 1 are shown above. In R/R patients, the VGPR rate as assessed by IRC was 28.9% in the zanubrutinib arm and 19.8% in the ibrutinib arm (2-sided p=0.1160, no patients achieved a CR in either arm). In the overall patient population, the VGPR rate as assessed by IRC was 28.4% in the zanubrutinib arm and 19.2% in the ibrutinib arm (2-sided descriptive p=0.0921, no patients achieved a CR in either arm). In the R/R patient population, the major response rate ("MRR"), which is the rate of PR or better, as assessed by IRC was 78.3% in the zanubrutinib arm and 80.2% in the ibrutinib arm; in the overall patient population, the MRR was 77.5% in the zanubrutinib arm and 77.8% in the ibrutinib arm. The 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 92.4% (83.8-96.5) in R/R patients and 89.7% (81.7-94.3) in all patients in the zanubrutinib arm, compared to 85.9% (75.9-91.9) in R/R patients and 87.2% (78.6-92.5) in all patients in the ibrutinib arm; and the 12-month overall survival (OS) rate was 98.8% (91.6-99.8) for R/R patients and 97.0% (90.9-99.0) for all patients in the zanubrutinib arm, compared to 92.5% (84.1-96.6) in R/R patients and 93.9% (86.8-97.2) in all patients in the ibrutinib arm.
|
| | |
| Zanubrutinib | Ibrutinib |
Safety | Overall (n = 101) | Overall (n = 98) |
Grade >3 AEs | 58.4% | 63.3% |
Treatment discontinuation due to AEs | 4 (4.0%) | 9 (9.2%) |
Fatal AEs | 1 (1.0%) | 4 (4.1%) |
Atrial fibrillation / flutter of any grade | 2.0% | 15.3% |
Minor bleeding | 48.5% | 59.2% |
Major hemorrhage | 5.9% | 9.2% |
Diarrhea | 20.8% | 31.6% |
Neutropenia | 29.7% | 13.3% |
Zanubrutinib showed a favorable safety profile compared to ibrutinib, with grade >3 AEs of 58.4% in the zanubrutinib arm and 63.3% in the ibrutinib arm. In the zanubrutinib arm, four (4.0%) patients discontinued treatment due to AEs and there was one (1.0%) fatal AE; in the ibrutinib arm, nine patients (9.2%) discontinued due to AEs and there were four (4.1%) fatal AEs. For AEs of special interest for BTK inhibitors, atrial fibrillation/flutter of any grade was 2.0% in the zanubrutinib arm and 15.3% in the ibrutinib arm; minor bleeding was 48.5% for zanubrutinib and 59.2% for ibrutinib; major hemorrhage was 5.9% for zanubrutinib and 9.2% for ibrutinib; and diarrhea was 20.8% for zanubrutinib and 31.6% for ibrutinib; and the rate of neutropenia was higher in the zanubrutinib arm (29.7%) as compared to the ibrutinib arm (13.3%).
Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
In general, the most recent data that we have presented on the use of zanubrutinib in patients with WM and CLL/SLL are consistent with our earlier data, which we believe supports our pursuit of a broad development program including these two indications. Data from several trials investigating the use of zanubrutinib in WM and CLL/SLL were presented during 2019. At the 24th Congress of the European Hematology Association that took place on June 13-16 in Amsterdam (the "2019 EHA"), we presented data from the MYD88WT cohort of the ASPEN study (NCT03053440) as well as the WM cohort of our first-in-human global Phase 1/2 study (NCT02343120). At the 2019 ICML, we reported on two data sets, our pivotal Phase 2 results (NCT03206918) and a combination study with obinutuzumab (NCT02569476). We also reported data in CLL/SLL from two studies at the 61st American Society of Hematology ("ASH") Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL from Arm C of the SEQUOIA trial (NCT03336333) in patients with the deletion of chromosome 17p13.1 (del17p) and from the CLL/SLL cohort of our first in man global Phase 1/2 study (NCT02343120). Data from these studies and the other studies summarized in this Annual Report were included in press releases issued at the time of the medical conferences and included in our current reports or announcements filed with the SEC and HKEx, respectively.
Other Lymphomas
We have a broad clinical programare also investigating zanubrutinib for the treatment of patients with several other lymphomas outsidelymphomas. We have studies ongoing in FL, MZL, and DLBCL, and we reported data from two FL studies in 2019, one monotherapy study and one in combination with obinutuzumab. Results from the combination study with obinutuzumab (NCT02569476) in FL were presented at the 2019 ICML, while data in FL from our Phase 1 study (NCT03189524) in Chinese patients were reported at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the work detailed above. Efficacy resultsChinese Society of those clinical trials reported to date are summarizedClinical Oncology that took place September 18-22, 2019 in the table below.Xiamen, China (the "2019 CSCO").
|
| | | | |
Indication | MZL | FL | FL | DLBCL |
Source | ASH 20171 | ASH 20171 | CSCO 20182 | ASH 20171 |
n | 9 | 17 | 26 | 26 |
Follow-up | 7.0 mo | 7.8 mo | 9.5 mo | 4.2 mo |
Prior Lines | 2 (1-8) | 2 (1-8) | 3 (1-9) | 2 (1-10) |
ORR | 78% | 41% | 42% | 31% |
CR | —% | 18% | 8% | 15% |
VGPR | — | — | — | — |
PR/PR-L | 78% | 24% | 35% | 15% |
MR | — | — | — | — |
Source: 1. Tam et al., ASH 2018 (poster 1592); 2. Press Release dated September 21, 2018
Pooled Analysis of Safety Data from Monotherapy Trials
At the 23rd Congress of the European Hematology Association, or EHA 2018, the pooledPooled safety data from 682 patients enrolled in six ongoing, Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials of zanubrutinib monotherapy, for WM, MCL, CLL/SLL, DLBCL and other B-cell malignancies were presented from patients with various B-cell lymphomas in four ongoing zanubrutinib monotherapy studies, totaling 476 patients with a median exposure of seven months. Overall,at the data suggested that exposure levels of zanubrutinib resulting in complete and sustained BTK inhibition can be achieved and that zanubrutinib was generally well-tolerated. There were infrequent AEs of interest with BTK inhibitor therapy, such as atrial fibrillation/flutter (2%), major hemorrhage (2%), and grade 3 and above diarrhea (1%). Treatment discontinuation due to zanubrutinib-related AEs was uncommon (3%).2019 EHA. The majority of patients (94%) experienced onehad R/R disease; almost all patients received zanubrutinib at a dose of 320mg QD or more160mg BID. The median duration of zanubrutinib exposure was 13.4 months (0.1-49.7). This analysis included an evaluation of the frequency and severity of AEs, AEs of any attribution,special interest (AESIs), and AEs leading to death, dose reduction, or treatment discontinuation. Ninety-seven percent of patients reported at least one AE, which were primarily gradesgrade 1 or 2. The most common grade 3 or higher AEs of any attribution were neutropenia/all grades included upper respiratory tract infection (32.4%), neutrophil count decreased/febrile neutropenia (14%decreased (25.2%), diarrhea (19.4%), cough (19.1%), contusion (18.6%), and rash (18%). The most common grade ≥3 AEs included neutrophil count decreased (14.4%), anemia (7%(7.6%) and thrombocytopenia/, neutropenia (6.6%), pneumonia (4.5%), platelet count decreased (7%(4.3%), and lung infection (4.1%). SAEsSerious AEs (SAEs), consisting primarily of infectious complications such as pneumonia/lung infection, were reported in 116 patients (24%36% of patients. AESIs such as atrial fibrillation/flutter (1.9%), with 38 patients (8%) assessed by the investigator as related to zanubrutinib. The most common SAEs were pneumonia/lung infection (6%), pleural effusion (1%major hemorrhage (2.5%), and febrile neutropenia (1%grade ≥3 hypertension (3.4%). The only treatment-related SAE reported in greater than 1% of patients were infrequent, and treatment discontinuation due to AEs was pneumonia/lung infection (2%). No cases of pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia, or PJP, or cytomegalovirus, or CMV, reactivationuncommon (9.1% overall, including 3.5% for whom the event(s) were reported. The most common bleeding events observed included petechiae/purpura/contusion (26%) and hematuria (11%)treatment-related). Major hemorrhage (2%) included gastrointestinal hemorrhage/melena (n=3), intraparenchymal CNS hemorrhage grade 5, hematuria, purpura, hemorrhagic cystitis, renal hematoma, and hemothorax (one each). The median time to first major hemorrhage was 1.2 months. Among patients with emergent atrial fibrillation/flutter (n=8), a majority had known risk factors including hypertension (n=2), pre-existing cardiovascular disease (n=2), and concurrent infection (n=1). The cumulative rates of grade 3 or higher infections were 14% at six months, 19% at 12 months and 21% at 18 months. The exposure-adjusted incidence rate was 1.82 per 100 person-months. The most common second primary malignancies included basal cell carcinoma (3%) and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (1%).
Clinical Development Plan
We received accelerated approval from the U.S. FDA in November 2019 for zanubrutinib for use in adult MCL patients who have received at least one prior therapy. In addition, zanubrutinib was granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of patients with WM in July 2018 and Breakthrough Therapy designation in January 2019 for the treatment of adult patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy. We plan to discuss our ASPEN study results in WM with the FDA and EMA in 2020. In China, we have announced the acceptance of our filings for approval in R/R MCL and R/R CLL/SLL in August 2018 and October 2018, respectively, and we expect approval for both indications in the first half of 2020. We also expect to submit a sNDA in China for zanubrutinib for the treatment of R/R WM in 2020.
Based on the clinical data to date, we believe that zanubrutinib has a potentially best-in-class profile, and we are running a broad global pivotal program in multiple indications, including sevennine registration or registration-enabling clinical trials. Four of the nine studies are Phase 3 and five are designed to be registration-enabling Phase 2.
Globally, weWe have an ongoing monotherapy head-to-head Phase 3 trial versus ibrutinib in WM (ASPEN), which has closedreported topline results and study follow-up is underway. We plan to new patient screening and completed enrollment having met the enrollment target.report full ASPEN study details at a medical conference in 2020. We are also conducting an ongoing Phase 3 trial compared to bendamustine and rituximab in patients with TNtreatment-naive ("TN") CLL/SLL (SEQUOIA) and a head-to-head Phase 3 trial in R/R CLL/SLL versus ibrutinib.ibrutinib (ALPINE). We have completed patient enrollment in SEQUOIA and expect interim results as early as 2020. We also expect to finish expanded patient enrollment in ALPINE in 2020. Our fourth Phase 3 trial is an ongoing Phase 3 confirmatory trial in patients with TN MCL. Additionally, we have five ongoing Phase 2 trials that are designed to be registration-enabling, including four monotherapy studies in R/R MCL, R/R WM, R/R CLL/SLL, and R/R MZL (MAGNOLIA) and an ongoing pivotal Phase 2 trial in combination with GAZYVA® (obinutuzumab) in patients with R/R FL (ROSEWOOD), which is designed as a pivotal trial for accelerated or conditional approval and will require a confirmatory study, as well as a Phase 2 trial in patients with R/R MZL.
Zanubrutinib was granted, by the FDA, Fast Track designation for the treatment of patients with WM in July 2018, and was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation in January 2019 for the treatment of adult patients with MCL who have
received at least one prior therapy. We plan to submit in 2019 or early 2020 an NDA to pursue an approval ofstudy. Finally, we are also investigating zanubrutinib in the United States.
In China, we are conducting three separate pivotal Phase 2 trials of zanubrutinib as monotherapyseveral combination studies in patients with R/R MCL, R/R CLL/SLL, and WM. We have announced the acceptance of our filings for approval in MCLDLBCL and CLL/SLL, on August 26, 2018 and October 24, 2018, respectively.including two studies in CLL/SLL investigating venetoclax combinations.
If we receive conditional approval instead of full approval, we will be required to conduct one or more confirmatory studies after such conditional approvals. If approved, we plan to commercialize zanubrutinib shortly after approval. In addition, we are conducting a Phase 2 trial in China of zanubrutinib in patients with R/R DLBCL.
Tislelizumab, (BGB-A317), an anti-PD-1 Antibody
Tislelizumab is an investigationala humanized monoclonal antibody against the immune checkpoint receptor PD-1 that is currently being evaluated in pivotal clinical trials globally and in China and for which we plan to commence additional pivotal trials as a monotherapy and in combination with standard of care to treat various solid and hematological cancers. We have a global strategic collaboration with Celgene for tislelizumab for solid tumors outside of Asia (other than Japan) as further described in “--Celgene Collaboration.”
Mechanism of Action
Cells called cytotoxic T-lymphocytes or CTLs,("CTLs") provide an important self-defense mechanism against cancer, patrolling the body, recognizing cancer cells due to immunogenic features that differ from normal cells, and killing cancer cells by injecting deleterious proteins into them. T-lymphocytes have various mechanisms that prevent them from damaging normal cells, among which is a protein called PD-1 receptor, that is expressed on the surface of T-lymphocytes. PD-L1 is an important signaling protein that can engage PD-1. PD-L1 binding to PD-1 sends an inhibitory signal inside the T-lymphocyte and suppresses its cytotoxic effects. Many types of cancer cells have hijacked the PD-L1 expression system that normally exists in healthy cells.
By expressing PD-L1, cancer cells protect themselves from being killed by CTLs. Anti-PD-1 therapies are designed to bind to and block downstream activity of PD-1, allowing the immune system to combat cancer cells.
Tislelizumab is a monoclonal antibody designed to specifically bind to PD-1, without activating the receptor, thereby blocking engagement of PD-1 by its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. Tislelizumab has demonstrated high affinity and specificity for PD-1 in preclinical studies. It is differentiated mechanistically from the currently approved PD-1 antibodies by an engineered Fc region designed to minimize binding to FcγR on macrophages, thereby abrogating antibody-dependent phagocytosis, a potential mechanism of T-cell clearance, which we believe may minimize potentially negative interactions with other immune cells based on preclinical data.
Market Opportunity and Competition
A number of PD-1 or PD-L1 antibody drugs have been approved by the FDA. These include Merck’s KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), Bristol-Myers Squibb’s OPDIVO® (nivolumab), Roche’s TECENTRIQ® (atezolizumab), AstraZeneca’s IMFINZI® (durvalumab), Pfizer and Merck Sereno’s BAVENCIO® (avelumab), and Regeneron and Sanofi’s LIBTAYO® (cemiplimab). In the global setting, several PD-1 or PD-L1 antibody agents are in clinical development in addition to tislelizumab, such as Novartis’ PDR-001, GlaxoSmithKline / Tesaro’s TSR042, Pfizer’s PF-06801591, and AstraZeneca’s MEDI0680. In China, as of February 20, 2019, there are four approved PD-1 antibodies, OPDIVO® (nivolumab) and KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), as well as Junshi’s TUOYI (toripalimab) and Innovent’s TYVYT (sintilimab), and there are no approved PD-L1 antibody agents yet. There are approximately six more PD-1 and PD-L1 agents in late stage development in China, of which one has filed for approval as of February 20, 2019.
Globally, the top four PD-1/PD-L1 antibody drugs had sales of approximately $15 billion in 2018 based on public reports. We believe that there is a large commercial opportunity in China for PD-1 and PD-L1 antibody drugs. Currently available clinical data suggest that some of the most prevalent cancers in China, such as lung cancer, GC, liver cancer and EC, are responsive to this class of agents. According to the World Health Organization's Globocan online database, China suffered 37%, 44%, 47%, and 54% of all deaths from lung cancer, GC, liver cancer and EC, respectively, in the world. Collectively, these four tumor types comprised over 2.3 million new cases in 2016 in China alone, according to Chen et al. 2016. In addition, China has a higher proportion of PD-1 responsive tumors in its total annual cancer incidence in comparison to other geographies like the United States and the European Union, or EU. According to Chen et al. 2016, the annual incidence of the top ten PD-1 responsive tumors in China is estimated to be 3.0 million out of 4.3 million in total annual cancer incidence. In comparison, the estimated annual incidence of the top ten PD-1 responsive tumors is 0.9 million out of 1.7 million in total annual cancer
incidence in the United States, and 0.9 million out of the 1.8 million total in the EU5 countries (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy) according to SEER program of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the World Health Organization.
Summary of Clinical Results
As of December 8, 2018,January 15, 2020, we havehad enrolled over 2,2005,100 patients in clinical trials of tislelizumab, including combination trials. Preliminary dataData from our monotherapy Phase 1 trials thus far suggested that tislelizumab was generally well-tolerated and exhibited anti-tumor activity in a variety of tumor types. There is no guarantee that these results will be reproducedAll of the studies discussed below were presented at major medical conferences and were included in pivotal trials.press releases issued at the time of the medical conferences and included in our current reports or announcements filed with the SEC and HKEx, respectively.
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
On December 3, 2018, data26, 2019 tislelizumab received approval from the NMPA for the treatment of patients with cHL, who have received at least two prior therapies based on the results of a pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial of tislelizumab in R/R cHLstudy (NCT03209973). Data from that study were presented on June 14, 2019 at the ASH2019 EHA meeting. This single arm, open-label,The single-arm, multi-center, pivotal Phase 2 trialstudy of tislelizumab as a monotherapy in Chinese patients with R/R cHL enrolled 70 patients in China who failedwere either R/R to achieve a response or progressed after autologous stem cell transplant, or ASCT,transplantation ("ASCT"), or received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy for cHL and were not an ASCT candidate.candidates for ASCT. Patients were treated with tislelizumab, dosed at 200 mg intravenously every three weeks. The primary endpoint of the trial is ORR-assessedwas ORR assessed by IRC using PET-based imaging according to the Lugano Classification 2014.
As of May 25,November 26, 2018, 70 patients with R/R cHL were evaluable for efficacy and 53 patients (75.7%) remained on study treatment.efficacy. Thirteen patients received prior ASCT, and the remaining 57 patients were ineligible for prior ASCT, including 53 for failure to achieve an objective response to salvage chemotherapy, two for inadequate stem cell collection or unable to collect stem cells, and two for co-morbidities. The patientsASCT. Patients had a median of three prior lines of systemic therapy with(2-11). With a rangeminimum of two to eleven.23.8 weeks of follow-up and a median follow-up time of 13.9 months at the data cutoff, the IRC assessed efficacy data included:
|
| |
Efficacy data | Full Analysis Set (n=65) |
ORR, % | 77 |
DCR, % | 91 |
CR, % | 62 |
PR, % | 15 |
SD, % | 14 |
DoR† |
Events, % | 18 |
Median DOR (month) | NE |
6-month event-free rate % | 87 |
12-month event-free rate %* | 76 |
PFS† |
Events, % | 29 |
Median PFS, month | NE |
6-month event-free rate, % | 81 |
12-month event-free rate, %* | 72 |
Source: NMPA label
(Based on IRC assessment, Lugano 2014)
Abbreviations: CI=confidence interval; NE = Not Estimable.
1 Two-side Clopper-Pearson 95%CI
† Based on Kaplan-Meier estimation
* The median study follow-up was 7.85 months (3.4-12.7).estimation for 12m DoR rate and 12m PFS rate is not mature.
The ORR assessed by IRC was 85.7% (60/70); the CR rate was 61.4% (43/70); and the PR rate was 24.4% (17/70). Among patients who had received prior ASCT, 92.3% (12/13) achieved an objective response, with nine patients (69.2%) achieving a CR. The DOR had not yet been reached. The estimated event-free rates at nine months were 84%. PFS data were preliminary and six-month PFS was estimated at 80%. The median PFS had not yet been reached.
The majority of AEs were grade 1 or 2 in severity. The summary of AEs occurring in ≥5% of patients is shown below:
|
| | |
| Tislelizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks n=70^ |
Preferred term^^ | All grades* % | ≥ Grade 3** % |
General disorders and administration site conditions |
Pyrexia | 54 | 0.0 |
Fatiguea | 10 | 0.0 |
Chills | 5.7 | 0.0 |
Endocrine disorders |
Hypothyroidism | 33 | 0.0 |
Investigations |
Weight increased | 27 | 2.9 |
Weight decreased | 8.6 | 0.0 |
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders |
Pruritusb | 17 | 0.0 |
Rashc | 14 | 0.0 |
Infections and infestations |
Upper respiratory tract infection | 17 | 0.0 |
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders |
Cough | 11 | 0.0 |
Pneumonitisd | 5.7 | 4.3 |
Metabolism and nutrition disorders |
Hyperlipidaemia | 7.1 | 0.0 |
Hyperuricaemia | 5.7 | 0.0 |
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders |
Musculoskeletal paine | 7.1 | 1.4 |
Pain in extremity | 7.1 | 0.0 |
Gastrointestinal disorders |
Diarrhea | 5.7 | 0.0 |
Blood and lymphatic system disorders |
Anemia | 5.7 | 0.0 |
Nervous system disorders |
Headache | 5.7 | 0.0 |
Source: NMPA label
^Adverse reactions in this package insert are defined as: adverse events that assessed by investigator as related, definitely related, probably related, possibly related, unlikely related or missing causal relationship. Only adverse events that are assessed by investigator as definitely unrelated are excluded. The cutoff date of the data is 26 November 2018.
^^ Preferred term is based on ICH MedDRA Chinese version 20.0.
* Severity of adverse reactions per NCI CTCAE v4.03.
** No Grade 5 adverse event was reported in this study.
a. Fatigue is a composite term which includes fatigue, asthenia, and malaise.
b. Pruritus is a composite term which includes pruritus and urticaria.
c. Rash is a composite term which includes G1-2 rash, dermatitis and eczema.
d. Pneumonitis is a composite term which includes pneumonitis, interstitial lung disease and organising pneumonia.
e. Musculoskeletal pain is a composite term which includes back pain, neck pain and musculoskeletal chest pain and spinal pain.
Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma
Data in metastatic UC were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain on September 30, 2019 (the "2019 ESMO"). The study is a multi-center, open-label Phase 2 trial (NCT04004221) of tislelizumab being conducted in China and South Korea with PD-L1+ locally advanced or metastatic UC previously treated with > 1 platinum-containing therapy. The trial was designed to assess safety, tolerability and efficacy of tislelizumab at the recommended Phase 2 dose (200 mg IV every three weeks), with a primary endpoint of ORR as assessed by IRC per RECIST criteria v1.1.
As of February 28, 2019, 113 patients were enrolled in the trial, including 38.9% of patients who had received two (32.7%) or at least three (6.2%) prior therapies, and 23.9% of patients with liver metastasis. The median duration of treatment for all patients was 15.3 weeks (2-72). At the time of the data cutoff, 30 patients (26.5%) remained on treatment. There were 104 patients evaluable for efficacy, with results shown in the table below.
|
| |
Best Overall Response | N=104 |
Source | Ye et. al., 2019 ESMO |
Median Follow-up Time | 7.6 |
Median Duration of Response | NR |
ORR % (confirmed) | 23 |
CR % (confirmed) | 7.7 |
PR % | 15 |
SD % | 14 |
Median Progression-Free Survival, months | 2.1 |
Overall Survival, months | 9.8 |
Clinical Trial # | NCT04004221 |
Tislelizumab was generally well-tolerated. There were 105 patients with >1 treatment-related adverse event ("TRAE"); the most frequently reported TEAEscommon TRAEs of any grade were pyrexia (52.9%anemia (26.5%), hypothyroidism (30.0%decreased appetite (18.6%), weightpyrexia (16.8%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (28.6%), upper respiratory tract infection (27.1%), cough (17.1%), white blood cell count decreased (14.3%(15%), and pruritus (14.3%(15%). Grade ≥3Thirty-nine patients experienced grade >3 TRAEs related to the study drug. The most common grade >3 TRAEs were anemia (7.1%), urinary tract infection (4.4%), decreased appetite (3.5%), and hyponatremia (3.5%). Twelve (11%) patients experienced AEs related to the study drug that resulted in treatment discontinuation. SAEs related to study treatment were reported in 11 (9.7%) patients.
Immune-related TEAEs ("irTEAEs") occurred in 21.4%64% of patients. The most frequently reported grade 3 or higher TEAEs were upper respiratory tract infection (2.9%Common irTEAEs included immune-mediated skin adverse reaction (34%), immune-mediated hepatitis (24%), thyroid disorders (13%), and immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction (12%).
Four (3.5%) and pneumonitis (2.9%). Four patients (5.7%) discontinued study drug due to TEAEs,experienced AEs with fatal outcome, including pneumonitishepatic failure (n=2), focal segmental glomerulosclerosisrespiratory arrest (n=1), and organizing pneumoniarenal impairment (n=1); there. The events of hepatic failure and respiratory arrest were reported as possibly related to the study drug by the investigator. The event of renal impairment was reported as possibly unrelated to the study drug.
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
On January 21, 2020 we announced that the pivotal Phase 3 trial (NCT03594747) evaluating our anti-PD-1 antibody tislelizumab in combination with two chemotherapy regimens for the first-line treatment of patients with squamous NSCLC met the primary endpoint of improved PFS at the planned interim analysis, as assessed by IRC. In this Phase 3, randomized, open-label, multi-center trial, patients with previously untreated advanced squamous NSCLC were randomized to receive either tislelizumab in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin, tislelizumab in combination with ABRAXANE (nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab) paclitaxel) and carboplatin, or paclitaxel and carboplatin alone. Patients enrolled into the study were from China and had untreated stage IIIB or IV squamous NSCLC, regardless of PD-L1 expression. The primary endpoint is PFS per IRC. 360 patients were randomized 1:1:1 to receive tislelizumab (200mg every three weeks) in combination with each of the chemotherapy regimens or chemotherapy only, until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, physician decision or consent withdrawal. Patients on the chemotherapy-only control arm who experienced disease progression, verified by central independent review, were eligible to cross over to receive tislelizumab monotherapy. The safety profile of tislelizumab in both combinations in this trial was consistent with the known risks of each study treatment, and no cases of TEAE leading to death. Immune-related AEs reported in more than fivenew safety signals were identified. Squamous NSCLC remains a significant unmet need, representing approximately 30 percent of patients included thyroid disorder (18.6%with NSCLC in China. Chinese NSCLC patients have a low rate of driver mutations, and as such are not candidates for therapeutic approaches that target such driver mutations.
In addition to the above study result, data from a Phase 2 trial in advanced lung cancer were presented at the 2019 CSCO. This lung cancer study is an open-label, multi-cohort pivotal Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03432598) of tislelizumab in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with advanced lung cancer, being conducted in China. Patients with non-squamous NSCLC were treated with tislelizumab at a dose of 200mg and doublet chemotherapy on day one of each three-week cycle; chemotherapy was given for up to four cycles, with pemetrexed and tislelizumab continued as scheduled if clinically appropriate. Patients with squamous NSCLC (two cohorts) and small cell lung cancer ("SCLC"), pneumonitis (5.7%)were treated with tislelizumab at a dose of 200mg and doublet chemotherapy every three weeks, for four to six cycles, with tislelizumab continued as scheduled if clinically appropriate. Efficacy data presented included a confirmed ORR of 67%, and skin adverse reactions (5.7%).with
no patients having a CR. More specifically, the confirmed ORR was 43.8% (7/16) in patients with non-squamous NSCLC; 80.0% (12/15) in patients with squamous NSCLC (cohort A); 66.7% (4/6) in patients with squamous NSCLC (cohort B); and 76.5% (13/17) in patients with SCLC.
Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ("ESCC") and Nasopharyngeal Cancer
During 2019 data from several other studies evaluating tislelizumab in patients with esophageal and nasopharyngeal cancers were presented. The data from esophageal cancer patients was from a Phase 2 trial in esophageal and gastric or gastroesophageal junction carcinoma being conducted in China. Patients were treated with tislelizumab at a dose of 200mg and cisplatin on day one, and fluorouracil (5-FU) on days one through five during each 21-day cycle. Data presented at a median follow-up time of 13 months showed an ORR of 47%, with no patients having a CR.
The nasopharyngeal cancer ("NPC") data was from a cohort of our Phase 1/2 study of tislelizumab in China. The multi-center, open-label trial of tislelizumab in China as monotherapy in advanced solid tumors consists of a Phase 1 dose verification and pharmacokinetics component and a Phase 2 component of indication expansion in disease-specific cohorts, including patients with NPC solid tumors. Data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology ("ASCO") were from 21 patients with NPC, of whom 20 were enrolled in the Phase 2 indication-expansion portion of the trial. Patients were treated with tislelizumab at a dose of 200 mg every three weeks. Data presented at a median follow-up time of 7.6 months showed an ORR of 23% and a CR rate of 8%.
Other Tumor Types
In addition to cHL,the studies discussed above, we are evaluating tislelizumab for the treatment of patients with a broad array of tumor types. Efficacy results from those clinical trials reported to datetypes including gastric, head and neck, ovarian, natural killer/T-cell and liver cancers as well as cancers that are summarized in the table below. |
| | | | | | | | |
Tumor Type | Gastric Cancer | Esophageal Cancer | Head & Neck SCC | Ovarian Cancer | Hepato-cellular Carcinoma | Urothelial Cancer | NSCLC | MSI-H / dMMR |
Source | ESMO-IO 20181 | ESMO-IO 20181 | ESMO 20172 | ESMO 20173 | ESMO-IO 20181 | ESMO-IO 20184 | ESMO-IO 20181 | CSCO 20185 |
Median Treatment Duration | — | — | 104 days (30-339) | 71 days (29-540) | — | 4.1 mo (0.7-26.3) | — | 2.2 mo (0.69-11.1) |
Median Follow-up Time | 4.9 mo (0.9-25.4) | 5.2 mo (0.2-22.7) | — | — | 10.8 mo (0.7-31.6) | — | 11.2 mo (0.5-25.9) | 4.4 mo (0.1-10.7) |
Median Duration of Response | 8.5 mo | NR | — | — | 15.7 mo | 18.7 mo (6.2-18.7) | NR | — |
Evaluable Patients | N=54 | N=54 | N=17 | N=50 | N=49 | N=17 | N=46 | N=14 |
CR (Confirmed) | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
PR | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
SD | 9 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 19 | 3 | 23 | 4 |
Patients Remaining on Treatment * | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
* At the time of data cutoff.
Notes: 1. Phase 1A/1B data as of August 31, 2018, presented at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology 2018 Congress (Sanjeev et al); 2. Phase 1 data as of June 8, 2017, presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress (Horvath et al, Abstract 389P); 3. Phase 1 data as of June 8, 2017, presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress (Meniawy et al, Abstract 388P); 4. Phase 1/2 data as of August 31, 2018, presented at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology 2018 Congress (Shahneen et al); 5. Phase 1 data as of May 11, 2018, presented at CSCO 2018.microsatellite instability-high ("MSI-high") or deficient mismatch repair ("dMMR").
Safety Results
The safety results of tislelizumab in clinical trials to date are consistent with its therapeutic class, having a relatively low rate of drug-related grade 3 or above toxicity. Across the monotherapy studies, the safety results were consistent with our two Phase 1 studies, and our first-in-human Phase 1 study TEAEstudy. TEAEs are indicated in the table immediately below. Over half of the patients in our two Phase 1 studies experienced a tislelizumab-related TEAE, though ≥ grade 3 events were less frequent (8% to 10%).
|
| | | |
System Organ Class Preferred Term | Phase 1a | Phase 1b | Total |
N=116 n (%) | N=335 n (%) | N=451 n (%) |
Patients with at least one TEAE | 114 (25.3) | 322 (71.4) | 436 (96.7) |
Fatigue | 47 (10.4) | 78 (17.3) | 125 (27.7) |
Nausea | 41 (9.1) | 68 (15.1) | 109 (24.2) |
Decreased appetite | 19 (4.2) | 71 (15.7) | 90 (20.0) |
Diarrhea | 32 (7.1) | 49 (10.9) | 81 (18.0) |
Constipation | 26 (5.8) | 50 (11.1) | 76 (16.9) |
Abdominal pain | 26 (5.8) | 38 (8.4) | 64 (14.2) |
Vomiting | 20 (4.4) | 43 (9.5) | 63 (14.0) |
Back pain | 22 (4.9) | 40 (8.9) | 62 (13.7) |
Cough | 15 (3.3) | 45 (10.0) | 60 (13.3) |
Rash | 23 (5.1) | 37 (8.2) | 60 (13.3) |
Dyspnea | 12 (2.7) | 33 (7.3) | 45 (10.0) |
All grades, regardless of causality; Data cut-off April 27, 2018; 6 months after Last Patient Enrolled; Source: BGB-A317 IB v6.0. Of the 451 total patients in the Safety Population for Study BGB A317_001, 203 (45.0%) experienced at least 1 grade 3 or higher TEAE. The most commonly occurring grade 3 or higher TEAEs (≥ 2%; 9 or more patients overall incidence) were pneumonia (22 patients, 4.9%), anemia (18 patients, 3.2%), and hypokalemia (9 patients, 2.0%).
Immune-Related Treatment-Emergent Adverse EventsirTEAEs and Deaths
Immune-related TEAEs or irTEAEs,("irTEAEs") of any grade were reported in approximately 25%47% of patients across the monotherapy studies but were primarily low grade (3% to 5%(9.5% ≥ grade 3). These irTEAEs however, have well-established algorithms for treatment and are considered manageable.
Across the monotherapy studies, the rate of treatment emergent SAEs,serious AEs, or TESAEs, ranged from 16% to 37%was 33% in patients with a variety of different disease characteristics. TESAEs considered to be related to treatment with tislelizumab were notably lower, ranging from 6% to 13%at 9.6%.
There have been some deaths reported across the activemonotherapy studies with clinical data available, (as of the cut-off dates ranging from April 25, 2018 to August 29, 2018), of which less than 0.5%<1% of the total patient population were deemed to beconsidered related to treatmentstudy drug. No new safety signals were observed since the last report as of February 29, 2020. In our clinical studies to date, the safety profile of tislelizumab has been consistent with tislelizumab.that of molecules in the same class.
Clinical Development Plan
Tislelizumab was approved on December 26, 2019 by the NMPA for use in cHL patients who have received at least two prior therapies. We are running a broad development program for tislelizumab, including 11 registration or registration-enabling clinical trials. These include global pivotal trials in Asia-prevalent cancers, such as non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, EC, GC and HCC, which are intendedplan to support regulatory submissions globally and in China. We have initiated pivotal or Phase 3 trials to evaluate tislelizumab as a potential second- or third-line treatment compared to docetaxel in patients with NSCLC; as a potential first-line treatment compared to sorafenib in patients with HCC and in second or third line HCC used as a monotherapy; as a potential first-line treatment in GC in combination with platinum and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy; and as a potential second-line treatment compared to investigator-chosen chemotherapy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, or ESCC, and as a potential first-line treatment in advanced ESCC patients in combination with platinum and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. Under our collaboration with Celgene, Celgene has opened enrollment in its first Phase 3 trial in Stage 3 NSCLC examining tislelizumab in combination with chemoradiation. We have also recently initiated a global Phase 2 trial in patients with relapsed or refractory mature T- and NK-cell lymphomas.
We have four China pivotal trials ongoing, including two Phase 2 trials in patients with R/R cHL and in patients with PD-L1 positive second/third-line urothelial cancer, or UC, and two Phase 3 trials in combination with chemotherapy -- one in patients with non-squamous NSCLC andlaunch the second in patients with squamous NSCLC. We submitted for approval for tislelizumabproduct in China to treat R/R cHL and announced that this submission had been accepted on August 31, 2018, and received priority review on November 15, 2018.in the first quarter of 2020. We expect to submitreceive approval for approvala second indication in China for the treatment of patients with UC based on the results of the pivotal Phase 2 trial.R/R UBC in 2020. If we receive conditional approval instead of full approval, we will be required to conduct one or more confirmatory studies after such conditional approvals. We also expect to submit for approval in China for tislelizumab for the treatment of patients with NSCLC, ESCC,HCC, GC, and HCCESCC based on our China trials and, where appropriate, our global studies.
We are running a broad development program for tislelizumab, including 15 registration or registration-enabling clinical trials. These include global pivotal trials in Asia-prevalent cancers, NSCLC, HCC, GC, and ESCC, which are intended to support regulatory submissions globally and in China. We have initiated pivotal or Phase 3 trials to evaluate tislelizumab as a potential second- or third-line treatment compared to docetaxel in patients with NSCLC; two Phase 3 trials evaluating tislelizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy in squamous and non-squamous histology NSCLC; and a Phase 3 trial in 1L SCLC evaluating tislelizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy. In 2020, we expect to complete enrollment in the third line versus docetaxel study, and we expect to report top-line data from the squamous and non-squamous histology Phase 3 trials. In liver cancer we have ongoing studies investigating use of tislelizumab as a potential first-line treatment compared to sorafenib in patients with HCC and in second- or third-line HCC used as a monotherapy in a single arm pivotal Phase 2 study. We expect to have regulatory discussions with the relevant authorities regarding the second -or third-line monotherapy HCC study in 2020. In GC we have a study ongoing that is investigating the use of tislelizumab as a potential first-line treatment in combination with platinum and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. Finally, in ESCC we have several studies ongoing, including as a potential second-line treatment compared to investigator-chosen chemotherapy in patients with ESCC, as a potential first-line treatment in advanced ESCC patients in combination with platinum and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy, and most recently as a potential treatment in localized ESCC evaluating tislelizumab plus chemoradiotherapy versus chemoradiotherapy alone. We expect to complete enrollment in the second-line study comparing tislelizumab to investigator-chosen chemotherapy in the first half of 2020.
We are also testing tislelizumab in registration-enabling studies in UC, MSI-high or dMMR solid tumors and NPC. We have initiated two studies in UC, including a pivotal Phase 2 in second-line UC using tislelizumab as monotherapy, and a Phase 3 in first line UC comparing tislelizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone; a pivotal Phase 2 study in MSI-high or dMMR solid tumors using tislelizumab as monotherapy; and a Phase 3 in first line NPC evaluating tislelizumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone.
We have also recently initiated a global Phase 2 trial in patients with R/R mature T- and NK-cell lymphomas.
Pamiparib (BGB-290), a PARP Inhibitoran inhibitor of PARP1 and PARP2
Pamiparib is an investigational, selective small molecule inhibitor of PARP1poly ADP-ribose polymerase 1 ("PARP1") and PARP2 enzymes that is being evaluated as a potential monotherapy and in combinations for the treatment of various solid tumors. We believe that pamiparib has the potential to be differentiated from other PARP inhibitors because of its brain penetration, greater selectivity, strong DNA-trapping activity, and good oral bioavailability demonstrated in preclinical models.
Mechanism of Action
PARP family members PARP1 and PARP2 play essential roles in cell survival in response to DNA damage. PARP1 and PARP2 are key base-excision-repair proteins that function as DNA damage sensors by binding rapidly to the site of damaged DNA and modulating a variety of proteins in DNA repair processes. Inhibition of PARPs prevents the repair of common single-strand DNA breaks, which leads to formation of double-strand breaks during DNA replication. Double-strand DNA breaks in normal cells are repaired by homologous recombination, and normal cells are relatively tolerant of PARP inhibition. On the other hand, cancer cells with mutations in breast cancer susceptibility gene, or BRCA1/2 genes, which are key players in homologous recombination, are highly sensitive to PARP inhibition. This phenomenon is called “synthetic lethality” and is the
foundation of the therapeutic utility of PARP inhibitors as a monotherapy for BRCA mutant cancers. In addition to hereditary BRCA1/2 mutations, the synthetic lethality concept has been broadened to include sporadic tumors that display homologous recombination deficiency or HRD,("HRD"), a gene expression profile that resembles that of a BRCA deficient tumor. HRD can stem from somatic mutation of BRCA1/2, epigenetic silencing of BRCA genes or genetic or epigenetic loss of function of other genes in homologous recombination DNA damage repair pathways. Third-party clinical studies have published results
demonstrating that sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapies confers sensitivity to PARP inhibitors in OC as well. Thus, the application of PARP inhibitors is likely broader than BRCA or HRD mutations, and there is additional possibility to identify and enrich patient populations for PARP inhibition.
Another potential therapeutic utility of PARP inhibitors is in combination therapy, which has strong scientific rational. PARP proteins are key factors in base-excision-repair, which is critical for the repair of DNA lesions caused by some chemotherapeutic agents and by radiation. PARP inhibitors are hypothesized to potentiate cytotoxicity of DNA-alkylating agents such as platinum compounds, temozolomide and ionizing radiation, and may be used in combination with these agents in treating various cancers.
PARP inhibitors are also considered good potential combination partners with checkpoint inhibitors in part due to increased mutations in tumor cells as a result of the blockade of DNA repair by PARP inhibitors as a higher mutational load in cancers has been shown in clinical studies to correlate with improved response to checkpoint inhibitors. In addition, preclinical data suggest that BRCA mutant tumors which are sensitive to PARP inhibition are likely to be immunogenic and responsive to PD-1 or PD-L1 antibodies.
Market Opportunity and Competition
We believe that the market opportunity for PARP inhibitors is large and expanding in various patient segments. Many tumor types have been shown to be responsive to PARP inhibitors, including OC, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and GC. PARP inhibitors have demonstrated encouraging activity both in relapsed and refractoryR/R patients as well as in the maintenance setting. In the United States, in 20182019 there were approximately 22,24022,530 new cases of OC, 266,120271,270 new cases of breast cancer, 164,690174,650 new cases of prostate cancer, and 26,24027,510 new cases of GC, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute's SEER online database. In China, each year there are approximately 52,000 new cases of OC, 272,000 new cases of breast cancer, 60,000 new cases of prostate cancer, and 680,000 new cases of GC according to Chen et al. 2016.
A number of PARP inhibitors have been approved by the FDA. These include AstraZeneca’s LYNPARZA® (olaparib), Clovis Oncology’s RUBRACA® (rucaparib), GlaxoSmithKline / Tesaro’s ZEJULA® (niraparib), and Pfizer’s TALZENNA® (talazoparib). AbbVie’s veliparib is in late-stage development. In 2017,2019, global sales of the PARP class exceeded US$461 million$1.5 billion according to company reports. In China, AstraZeneca received approval for olaparib in August 2018 under priority review that utilized international multi-center data. Zai Labs obtained the development and commercial rights for niraparib in China, and its NDA to the NMPA was accepted inapproved on December 2018 for use as maintenance therapy in OC.30, 2019. There are some other PARP inhibitors being developed by domestic Chinese companies, including fluzoparib from Hengrui and Hansoh, but none have beenHansoh. Fluzoparib was submitted to the NMPA as of February 6,in October 2019.
Summary of Clinical DataResults
As of November 6, 2018, weWe have enrolled over 360 patientsmultiple ongoing studies in clinical trialsindications known to be responsive to PARP inhibition, including two registration studies in ovarian cancer ("OC") in China.
Advanced Solid Tumors
Data from our open-label, multi-center Phase 1b dose-escalation/expansion trial (NCT03150810) of pamiparib includingplus low-dose temozolomide (TMZ) were presented at the 2019 ESMO. The trial was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and preliminary anti-tumor activity of the combination in patients with locally advanced and metastatic tumors. Patients received full dose pamiparib in combination with escalating doses of TMZ, administered in both pulse and continuous dosing schedules. The recommended Phase 2 dose and schedule of the combination was determined to be 60 mg of pamiparib taken orally BID for 28 days, with TMZ at 60 mg orally QD during days one through seven. Data were presented from three registration or registration-enabling clinical trials.disease cohorts: prostate, extensive-stage SCLC, and GC. The ORR and CR rates from these cohorts were 19% and 0%, 32% and 5%, and 0% and 0%, respectively. Median follow-up time in the SCLC and gastric cohorts was four months in each cohort.
AOvarian Cancer
At the 2019 ESMO, we reported results from a multi-center, open-label Phase 1/21a/1b trial (NCT02361723) of pamiparib is being conducted in Australia in patients with advanced solid tumors. On September 8, 2017, preliminary clinical data from the ongoingThe Phase 1/2 trial of pamiparib in patients with advanced solid tumors were presented at ESMO. As of June 1, 2017, 68 patients were enrolled in the trial. The median duration of therapy for all patients was 79 days (range 1 to 926 days). At the time of the data cutoff, 20 patients remained on treatment.
At the time of the data cutoff, 39 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, or EOC, or associated tumors such as fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancers, were evaluable for efficacy. Among this group, there were three confirmed CRs, 10 confirmed PRs,1a dose-escalation and 21 cases of SD. Of the 23 evaluable patients with EOC or other associated tumors known to be BRCA-mutated, there were three CRs, seven PRs, and 10 cases of SD. Of the 13 evaluable patients whose BRCA gene types are wild type, there were two PRs. Of the three evaluable patients whose BRCA gene types were unknown, there was one PR. Complete and partial responses were observed in patients known to be platinum-resistant as well as patients with platinum-sensitive disease. There is no guarantee that these results will be reproduced in pivotal trials.
The safety analysis suggested that pamiparib was generally well-tolerated in patients with advanced solid tumors. AEs assessed to be treatment-related occurred in 78% of patients and were all grade 3 or lower in severity. The most common treatment-related AEs (≥10% of patients) were nausea (56%), fatigue (40%), anemia (25%), vomiting (21%), diarrhea (21%), decreased appetite (15%), and neutropenia or neutrophil count decrease (12%). SAEs occurred in 46% of patients, and SAEs considered to be treatment-related and occurring in more than one patient included two cases each of nausea and anemia. Four
patients reported dose-limiting toxicity, or DLT. Four patients had a TEAE with a fatal outcome; none were assessed as being treatment-related and all of which were associated with disease progression.
Ovarian Cancer
On April 16, 2018, preliminary clinical data from the open-label, multi-center Phase 1 dose-escalation trial of pamiparib in Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic high-grade non-mucinous ovarian cancer, or HGOC, including fallopian cancer, or triple-negative breast cancer, or TNBC, who had disease progression following at least one line of chemotherapy were presented at the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.
Patients were dosed at 20 mg, 40 mg, or 60 mg BID. As of September 25, 2017, 15 female patients were enrolled, nine with HGOC and six with TNBC. Nine patients had received four or more prior lines of therapies. All nine patients with HGOC were platinum-resistant (n=8) or refractory (n=1). Seven patients had a confirmed BRCA1/2 mutation (BRCAm), including five patients with HGOC and two patients with TNBC and the remaining patients had BRCA 1/2 wildtype (BRCA-WT). The median duration of treatment was 2.5 months (range: 8-260 days).
As of September 25, 2017, 13 of the 15 patients were evaluable for antitumor activity; five patients remained on treatment. Two of the nine HGOC patients achieved a confirmed PR including one platinum-refractory patient with BRCA wildtype status and one platinum-resistant patient with BRCA1/2 mutation, six HGOC patients had SD (BRCAm, n=4 and BRCA-WT, n=2) and one patient discontinued before the first radiographic assessment. Of the six treated TNBC patients, five (BRCAm, n=1, BRCA-WT, n=4) experienced disease progression and one patient (BRCAm) discontinued before the first radiographic assessment. Four of these evaluable TNBC patients were BRCA-WT and all experienced disease progression during the previous platinum-based chemotherapy.
The safety analysis suggested that pamiparib was generally well-tolerated. No dose-limiting toxicities were reported across the dose range, withdose-finding component identified the recommended Phase 2 dose or RP2D, confirmed asto be 60 mg orally BID. Asthenia (n=12)The ongoing Phase 1b trial consists of a component to
investigate the safety, tolerability, and nausea (n=12) were the most commonly reported TEAE. Severity of all AEs was grade 3 or less. Overall, three patients experienced a serious AE (grade 2 abdominal infection, n=1; grade 3 pleural effusion, n=1; grade 3 ileus, n=1), none of which were considered related to treatment. Two of the SAEs led to treatment withdrawal (abdominal infection, n=1; pleural effusion, n=1).
Glioblastoma Multiforme
On November 16, 2018, we announced data from an open-label, multi-center global Phase 1b/2 multiple-dose and dose-escalation trialantitumor activity of pamiparib plus radiation therapy, or RT, and/or temozolomide, or TMZ, in patients with newly diagnosed or R/R glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, atdisease-specific dose-expansion cohorts, and a component investigating the 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting and Education Dayeffects of food on the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO). This study was designed to evaluate the safety, efficacy and clinical activitypharmacokinetic profile of the combination. Patients with newly diagnosed GBM with unmethylated MGMT (O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase) promoter status (Arm A) received pamiparib (60 mg BID) over escalating time periods (two, four, or six weeks) in combination with RT over six to seven weeks. Patients with R/R GBM (Arm C) received pamiparib (60 mg BID) continuously plus TMZ administered on Days 1 to 21 of each 28-day cycle. After evaluation of safety and tolerabilitya single dose. Data from Arm A and C, Arm B will enroll58 patients with newly diagnosed GBM and treat them with the triple combination of RT, pamiparib, and TMZ.
As of September 14, 2018, a total of 18 patients with newly diagnosed GBM were enrolled in Arm A (n=3, 6 and 9 in the two-, four-,OC cohort showed an ORR of 40% and six-week cohorts respectively). The median study follow-up duration was 19 weeks (2-54). Asa CR rate of the data cutoff date, 15 of the 18 patients were evaluable for response per modified response assessment in neuro-oncology (mRANO) criteria. Two of 15 patients achieved a PR (one was confirmed) and six patients achieved stable disease (SD); the disease control rate was 53.3% (95% CI: 26.6-78.7)7%. Five grade >3 AE (chills, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, vertigo, one each, or 5.6%) were considered related to pamiparib or RT. Dose-limiting toxicities of fatigue, vertigo, and chills (one each) were reported. In Arm C, eight patients received TMZ at a fixed dose of 40 mg for 21 of 28 days and seven patients received 20 mg TMZ. The median study follow-up duration was 12.9 weeks (0.3-31.4). Ten of the 15 patients were evaluable per mRANO criteria and there were two PRs (one unconfirmed and one confirmed after data cutoff) and three SD. Grade >3 AEs included anemia (20%), fatigue (13.3%), and decreased lymphocyte count (13.3%), which were considered related to pamiparib or TMZ. Dose-limiting toxicities of nausea and neutropenia were reported. The combination of 21 days of 40 mg TMZ with pamiparib was not tolerable; a lower 20 mg TMZ dose evaluation in combination with pamiparib is ongoing.
Clinical Development Plan
In addition toGastric Cancer
We are in the above trials, our global program includes aprocess of converting from Phase 3 to Phase 2 the clinical trial of our PARP inhibitor pamiparib versus placebo as maintenance trialtherapy in patients with platinum-sensitive GC. In China, we are conductinginoperable locally advanced or metastatic GC who have responded to platinum-based first line chemotherapy (NCT03427814, also known as the BGB-290-303 trial). The trial has enrolled approximately 120 patients globally since it commenced in July 2018, and the enrollment has been slower than expected. The reason for this change was not due to safety or efficacy issues. We plan to evaluate data from the Phase 2 trial to assess the potential of pamiparib in this indication and the potential next steps of development as a monotherapy or in combination with other therapies.
Our clinical development program includes a Phase 3 trial as a maintenance therapy in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent OC in addition to an ongoing(NCT03519230), a pivotal Phase 2 study in third line BRCA mutated OC (NCT03333915), a Phase 2 trial in BRCA mutated HER2-negative breast cancer (NCT03575065), and a Phase 2 trial in HRD- metastatic prostate cancer (NCT03712930).
We plan to discuss our data in OC with regulatory authorities and potentially submit an NDA in China for use of pamiparib in OC in 2020. We expect to announce top-line results from our pivotal Phase 2 germline BRCA ("gBRCA")-mutated OC as well as data from our Phase 3 maintenance study in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent OC. In addition, we expect to present data from the OC cohort of the global Phase 1 study and data from the Phase 1 study investigating pamiparib in combination with tislelizumab in 2020.
Lifirafenib (BGB-283), a and BGB-3245, Inhibitors of RAF Dimer Inhibitor
Lifirafenib is an investigational novel small molecule inhibitor with RAF monomer and dimer inhibition activities. Lifirafenib has shown antitumor activities in preclinical models and in cancer patients with tumors harboring BRAF V600E mutations, non-V600E BRAF mutations or KRAS/NRAS mutations. We have been developing lifirafenib for the treatment of cancers with aberrations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase or MAPK,("MAPK"), pathway, including BRAF gene mutations and KRAS/NRAS gene mutations where first generation BRAF inhibitors are not effective. The MAPK pathway consists of proteins in the cell that transmit a signal from a receptor on the surface of the cell to the DNA in the nucleus of the cell. This pathway plays an essential role in regulating cell proliferation and survival. We believe that lifirafenib as monotherapy or in combination with other agents may have potential for treating various malignancies, such as melanoma, NSCLC, and endometrial cancer. In October 2018, we formed a collaboration with SpringWorks Therapeutics to investigate the combination of lifirafenib and their MEK inhibitor, PD-0325901, in patients with advanced solid tumors that harbor RAS, RAF mutations and other MAPK pathway aberrations. This study is planned to commence in the first quarter of 2019.
Currently approved BRAF inhibitors include Roche’s ZELBORAF® (vemurafenib), Novartis’ TAFINLAR® (dabrafenib) and Array BioPharma's BRAFTOVI® (encorafenib). The combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors is approved in patients with BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive metastatic melanoma, such as Novartis’ dabrafenib and MEKINIST® (trametinib), Genentech’s vemurafenib and COTELLIC® (cobimetinib), and Array Biopharma’s encorafenib and MEKTOVI® (binimetinib). We are aware of several other BRAF inhibitors in clinical development, such as Roche’s belvarafenib and Novartis’ LXH254.
Lifirafenib was evaluated inIn September 2018, BeiGene and SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc. ("SpringWorks") announced a multi-center, open-label Phase 1 trial conducted in Australia and New Zealand comprised of two parts - dose escalation and dose expansion - in patients with BRAF or KRAS/NRAS mutated solid tumors or patients with pancreatic cancer. Lifirafenib demonstrated antitumor activity in both BRAF and KRAS-mutated tumors in preclinical studies and in the dose-escalation portion of this Phase 1 trial.
Data from the dose-expansion portion of the trial were presented at the 2017 American Association for Cancer Research, or AACR, Annual Meeting. The dose-expansion portion of the trial was designedglobal clinical collaboration agreement to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of combining lifirafenib at the recommended Phase 2 dose of 30 mg once daily established in the dose-escalation part of the trial. In the dose-expansion portion, lifirafenib was generally well-tolerated at a dose of 30 mg once daily and continued to show antitumor activitySpringWorks' investigational MEK inhibitor, PD-0325901, in patients with BRAF V600-mutatedadvanced solid tumors. Under the collaboration, the parties began a Phase 1b clinical trial in the third quarter of 2019 to evaluate this combination in patients with advanced or refractory solid tumors that harbor RAS mutations, RAF mutations, and other MAPK pathway aberrations.
In June 2019, we and SpringWorks announced the formation of MapKure, LLC to develop BGB-3245, an investigational, selective next-generation RAF kinase inhibitor discovered by BeiGene scientists. MapKure recently initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT04249843) in patients with KRAS-mutated solid tumors. The safety analysis, which included 96 patients as of the September 12, 2016 cutoff, suggested that lifirafenib was generally well-tolerated at 30 mg once daily,advanced or refractory tumors harboring specific v-RAF murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (B-RAF) genetic mutations.
Sitravatinib (MGCD-0516), a Multi-Kinase Inhibitor
In January 2018, we entered into an exclusive license agreement with most drug-related AEs being grades 1 or 2 in severity. The most frequent drug-related AEs (≥10%Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. ("Mirati") of any grade were fatigue (38.5%), dysphonia (26.0%), decreased appetite (21.9%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (21.9%), thrombocytopenia (19.8%), dermatitis acneiform (17.7%), diarrhea (16.7%), rash (16.7%), nausea (15.6%), hypertension (11.5%) and glossodynia (10.4%). The most frequent drug-related grade 3 and 4 AEs (≥ 2%, two patients or more) included fatigue (7.3%), hypertension (6.3%), thrombocytopenia (6.3%), pyrexia (3.1%), hyponatremia (2.1%), anemia (2.1%), neutropenia (2.1%), febrile neutropenia (2.1%), decreased platelet count (2.1%), increased alanine aminotransferase (2.1%), increased GGT (2.1%) and sepsis (2.1%).
The cutoff for the efficacy analysis was September 17, 2016. In sevendevelopment, manufacturing and commercialization of Mirati’s sitravatinib in Asia (excluding Japan and certain other countries), Australia and New Zealand. Sitravatinib is an investigational spectrum-selective kinase inhibitor, which potently inhibits receptor tyrosine kinases, including RET, TAM family receptors (TYRO3, Axl, MER), and split family receptors
(VEGFR2, KIT). Sitravatinib is being evaluated by Mirati in multiple clinical trials to treat patients who are refractory to prior immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, including a potentially registration-enabling Phase 3 trial of sitravatinib in NSCLC initiated in the second quarter of 2019. Sitravatinib is also being evaluated as a single agent in patients with BRAF V600-mutatedNSCLC, melanoma (including one V600K and one V600R)other solid tumor types whose tumors harbor specific genetic alterations in the CBL protein. In recent data readouts by Mirati, sitravatinib has demonstrated durable responses in lung cancer patients who were naïve to BRAF or MEK inhibitors, there were three PRs and three casesprogressed after treatment with checkpoint inhibitors. We began a Phase 1 study (NCT03666143) of SD. In three patientssitravatinib in combination with BRAF V600-mutated PTC, there was one PR and two cases of SD. In six patients with KRAS-mutated NSCLC, there was one PR and two cases of SD. In ten patients withtislelizumab in various solid tumors in Australia and China in the third quarter of 2018, and in the second quarter of 2019 we initiated a second study, a Phase 1/2 (NCT03941873) trial, combining sitravatinib with BRAF non-V600 mutationstislelizumab, this one focused on HCC or solid tumors with BRAF V600 mutations that are not included in other cohorts, there were two PRs, in one patient with BRAF V600E-mutated melanoma and one with BRAF V600E-mutated OC, and three cases of SD. In two patients with BRAF V600-mutated NSCLC, there was one unconfirmed PR and one case of SD. Additional cases of SD were observed in four of six melanoma patients with BRAF V600-mutated melanoma who had responses to, but developed resistance against, BRAF or MEK inhibitors, nine of 13 patients with BRAF V600-mutated CRC, five of five patients with KRAS-mutated endometrial cancer, 12 of 20 patients with KRAS/NRAS-mutated CRC, and 10 of 21 patients with other KRAS/NRAS-mutated solid tumors or pancreaticgastroesophageal junction cancer. In the Phase 1a portion of the trial, confirmed objective responses included a CR in a patient with BRAF V600E-mutated melanoma and two PRs, one in a patient with BRAF V600E-mutated thyroid cancer and one in a patient with KRAS-mutated endometrial cancer.
BGB-A333, a PD-L1 Inhibitor
BGB-A333 is an investigational humanized IgG1-variant monoclonal antibody against PD-L1, the ligand of PD-1. We intend to develop BGB-A333 either as a monotherapy or in combination with other cancer therapies, such as tislelizumab, to treat various cancers and potentially other areas of unmet need. BGB-A333 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT03379259) in Australia to assess the safety and antitumor effect of BGB-A333 alone and in combination with tislelizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors.
BGB-A425, a TIM-3 Inhibitor
BGB-A425 is an investigational humanized IgG1-variant monoclonal antibody against T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 or TIM-3.("TIM-3"). We began a Phase 1/2 trial (NCT03744468) of BGB-A433 in combination with tislelizumab in various solid tumors in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Sitravatinib (MGCD-0516),BGB-A1217, a Multi-KinaseTIGIT Inhibitor
In January 2018, we entered into an exclusive license agreement with Mirati for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of Mirati’s sitravatinib in Asia (excluding Japan and certain other countries), Australia and New Zealand. SitravatinibBGB-A1217 is an investigational spectrum-selective kinase inhibitor which potently inhibits receptor tyrosine kinases, including RET, TAM family receptors (TYRO3, Axl, MER), and split family receptors (VEGFR2, KIT). Sitravatinib is being evaluated by Miratihumanized IgG1-variant monoclonal antibody directed against TIGIT. We have initiated patient enrollment in multiple clinical trials to treat patients who are refractory to prior immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, including a potentially registration-enabling Phase 3 trial of sitravatinib in non-small cell lung cancer projected to initiate in the first half of 2019. Sitravatinib is also being evaluated as a single agent in patients with NSCLC, melanoma and other solid tumor types whose tumors harbor specific genetic alterations in CBL. In recent data readouts by Mirati, sitravatinib has demonstrated durable responses in lung cancer patients who progressed after treatment with checkpoint inhibitors. We began a Phase 1 study1a/1b trial (NCT04047862) in Australia investigating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antitumor activity of sitravatinibBGB-A1217 in combination with tislelizumab in variouspatients with advanced solid tumorstumors.
BGB-11417, a Small Molecule Bcl-2 Inhibitor
BGB-11417 is a small molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor. We have completed preclinical and investigational new drug (IND) -enabling studies of BGB-11417, which demonstrated potent activity and high selectivity against the pro-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. We have initiated study start-up for a Phase 1 trial (NCT04277637) in Australia and Chinathe United States to investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antitumor activity of BGB-11417 in the third quarter of 2018.patients with mature B-cell malignancies.
Avadomide (CC-122), a Cereblon ModulatorBGB-A445, an OX40 Agonist Antibody
Avadomide (CC-122)BGB-A445 is an investigational next-generation Cereblon modulator currently in clinical development by Celgene. It is in multipleagonistic antibody directed to the OX40 antigen. We have initiated a Phase 1 and Phase 1/2 clinical trials, both as a single agent and in combination, for hematological and solid tumor cancers outsidetrial (NCT04215978) of China. Avadomide (CC-122) has been differentiated from previous compounds (such as thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide) and has been developed based on the scientific understanding of Cereblon-mediated protein homeostasis. We have rights to develop and commercialize avadomide (CC-122) in China under our exclusive license agreement with Celgene. See “-Celgene Collaboration.”
Our Commercial Products
We commercialize the following cancer drugs in China under an exclusive license from Celgene. Historically, the fourth quarter sales of many oncology drug sales in China are lower than sales levels in the third quarter. Our product ABRAXANE®'s fourth quarter sales were lower than the third quarter in 2018.
ABRAXANE®
ABRAXANE® (paclitaxel albumin-bound particles for injectable suspension) is a solvent-free chemotherapy product which was developed using Celgene’s proprietary nab® technology platform. This protein-bound chemotherapy agent combines paclitaxel with albumin. Globally, ABRAXANE® is approved for uses in breast cancer, NSCLC, pancreatic cancer and GC with geographic differences in labeling. In China, ABRAXANE® is approved for metastatic breast cancer after failure of combination chemotherapy for metastatic disease or relapse within six months of adjuvant chemotherapy. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline unless clinically contraindicated.
According to Chen et al. 2016, there were approximately 4.3 million new cancer cases and 2.8 million cancer deaths in China in 2015, with breast cancer as the most common tumor type in Chinese women. It is estimated that in 2015 breast cancer affected 268,600 women and resulted in 69,500 deaths. Targeted therapy, hormone therapy and chemotherapy are three main strategies to treat different types of breast cancer.
Taxanes are the backbone chemotherapy to treat triple negative breast cancer, Her2+ or aggressive estrogen-receptor-positive and/or progesterone-receptor-positive breast cancer patients. ABRAXANE® is the only currently approved taxane that does not need pre-medication with dexamethasone to prevent hypersensitivity reactions, and several Phase 3 trials have
demonstrated its efficacy and safety compared to solvent-based taxanes in both metastatic breast cancer and neo-adjuvant settings. Unlike other taxanes, ABRAXANE® has demonstrated unique and strong efficacy in pancreatic cancer and has become the backbone of first line standard of care for metastatic pancreatic cancer globally.
The taxanes marketed in China include two branded solvent-based paclitaxel (TAXOL® and ANZATAX) formulations, one branded docetaxel (TAXOTERE®) formulation, one paclitaxel liposome (LIPUSU®), one albumin-bound paclitaxel (ABRAXANE®) and dozens of generic taxanes. LIPUSU® is currently the market leader with approximately one-third of the market share.
In February 2018, an albumin-bound paclitaxel from CSPC Pharmaceutical Group was approved by the NMPA. Another form of albumin-bound paclitaxel from Hengrui was approved by the NMPA in September 2018.
In 2019, we plan to seek to differentiate and defend ABRAXANE® against growing generic competition in China, expand our sales force footprint and hospital coverage, and improve patient access through critical illness insurance negotiations and provincial reimbursement listings. As of September 1, 2018, ABRAXANE® is listed on provincial reimbursement drug lists of Fujian, Hubei, Ningxia, Jiangsu and Hunan, as well as in critical illness insurance program in Zhejiang and Shandong.
REVLIMID®
REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) is an oral immunomodulatory drug that was approved by the NMPA in China in 2013 for the treatment of multiple myeloma, or MM,OX40 antibody in combination with dexamethasonetislelizumab in adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy. On February 2, 2018, REVLIMID® received NMPA approval of a new indication for the treatment of MM in combination with dexamethasone in adult patients with previously untreated MM who are not eligible for transplant.advanced solid tumors.
MM is a malignant disease whose tumor cells originate in plasma cells in the bone marrow, which are cells in which B-lymphocytes develop to the final functional phase. The World Health Organization currently classifies it as a B-cell lymphoma, also known as plasma cell myeloma/plasmacytoma. MM is characterized by abnormal proliferation of bone marrow plasma cells accompanied by overproduction of monoclonal immunoglobulin. MM is often accompanied by multiple osteolytic lesions, hypercalcemia, anemia, and kidney damage. Due to the inhibition of normal immunoglobulin production, patients are prone to a variety of bacterial infections.
At present, MM is one of the most common malignant tumors in the blood system and occurs frequently in the elderly. The actual incidence increases with age, peaking from 60 to 70 years of age. Men suffer slightly more than women. Globally, the incidence was estimated at two to three per 100,000, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.6:1, and most patients are over 40 years old, according to Siegel et al., 2011 and IMS analysis. It is estimated that the incidence rate of MM is approximately one to two per 100,000 people in China, or approximately 18,000 new patients in 2017, out of which 10,000 are in urban populations, according to Lu et al., 2014, IMS analysis, and local market research. With a growing aging population and improving diagnosis, China has seen a steady increase in MM incidence.
Although MM cannot be cured, the progression of the disease can be controlled. The purpose of treatment is to extend patients’ survival and improve quality of life. The main treatments for MM in China include VELCADE®, which is a proteasome inhibitor marketed by Johnson & Johnson in China since 2006, generic thalidomide and REVLIMID®. VELCADE® currently dominates the market in first-line MM treatment in China, while VELCADE® and REVLIMID® share the market in the second line. Chinese guidelines recommend lenalidomide as a standard of care for the treatment of R/R and newly diagnosed MM as well as in the maintenance setting. The first lenalidomide generic and first bortezomib generic in China were approved in November 2017. Another new agent for R/R MM, NINLARO® (ixazomib), an oral proteasome inhibitor developed by Takeda, received marketing approval from the NMPA on April 12, 2018. In February 2018, generic lenalidomide from ShuangLu Pharmaceutical Company was approved by the NMPA, and a third generic from Yangtze River is under review.
REVLIMID® was listed on the NRDL in June 2017.
VIDAZA®
VIDAZA® (azacitidine for injection) is a pyrimidine nucleoside analog that has been shown to reverse the effects of DNA hypermethylation and promote subsequent gene re-expression. VIDAZA® was approved in China in April 2017 for the treatment of intermediate-2 and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, chronic myelomonocyte leukemia, or CMML, and acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, with 20% to 30% blasts and multi-lineage dysplasia. In January 2018, VIDAZA® became commercially available in China.
MDS are a group of cancers in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature and therefore do not become healthy blood cells. Approximately seven per 100,000 people are affected with approximately four per 100,000 people newly acquiring the condition each year globally according to Germing et al., 2013. The typical age of onset is 70 years. The higher-risk MDS (intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS) is considered fatal because the median overall survival rate is only 0.4-1.1 years and nearly 30% of these patients progress to AML, according to the U.S. National Comprehensive Cancer Network, or NCCN, MDS guideline 2013 and MDS Foundation. DNA methylation is an important mechanism of epigenetic gene regulation, but aberrant DNA hypermethylation can result in gene silencing. Silencing of tumor suppressor genes promotes cancer development and progression. MDS patients display aberrant DNA methylation of thousands of genes, which increases with advanced disease and is a poor prognostic factor.
In China, the main treatments for intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS are conventional care regimen, or CCR (best supportive care, low-dose cytarabine and intensive chemotherapy), and hypomethylating agents, or HMAs. DACOGEN® (decitabine) marketed by Johnson & Johnson was the first HMA agent approved in China in 2009. In the past several years, at least six decitabine generics have become available. In 2017, decitabine was listed in the NRDL. Nevertheless, there are still over 50% of higher-risk MDS patients treated by CCR and the unmet need remains large.
VIDAZA® is the only approved HMA shown to prolong survival for patients with MDS. Besides reversing the effects of DNA hypermethylation, VIDAZA® inhibits protein synthesis via RNA incorporation. VIDAZA® is a Category 1 recommended treatment for patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS, according to the U.S. NCCN guideline. It is also a first-line recommended treatment for patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS, according to the Chinese MDS treatment guidelines, and was listed on the NRDL in October 2018.Our Preclinical Programs
We have a proprietary cancer biology platform that has also allowed us to develop our clinical-stage drug candidates and several additional preclinical-stage drug candidates in potentially important areas. These currently consist of targeted therapies and immuno-oncology agents. We have initiated first-in-human studies for two drug candidates and have initiated study start-up activities for a third, BGB-11417, a small molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor. We anticipate advancing one or more of our preclinical assetsdrug candidates into the clinic in the next 12 months. We believe we have the opportunity to combine tislelizumab with our preclinical candidates to target multiple points in the cancer immunity cycle. We also may seek to develop companion diagnostics that will help identify patients who are most likely to benefit from the use of our drug candidates.
Manufacturing and Supply
We currently have manufacturing capabilities atmanufacture our research and development center in Beijing and at our manufacturing site in Suzhou, China that may be used for process development and clinical-scale small molecule drugs and biologics, as well as commercial scale productiondrugs candidates internally and with the help of small molecule drugs at our Suzhou facility. We are also constructing a commercial-scale biologics facility in Guangzhou, China. However, we have not yet begun to manufacture or process, either on our own or through a third-party our drug candidates on a commercial scale. We currently rely on, and expect to continue to rely on, third-party contract research organization, or CROs, and contract manufacturing organizations or("CMOs"). The manufacturing of our drugs and drug candidates is subject to extensive regulations that impose various procedural and documentation requirements governing recordkeeping, manufacturing processes and controls, personnel, quality control and quality assurance, among others. Our manufacturing facilities and the facilities of the CMOs we use to manufacture our drugs and drug candidates operate under current good manufacturing practice regulations ("GMP") conditions. GMP are regulatory requirements for the supply of raw materials and production of our drug candidates, as described below.
Raw Materials
We obtain raw materials for our manufacturing activities from multiple suppliers who we believe have sufficient capacity to meet our demands. Raw materials and starting materials used at our facilities in Beijing and Suzhou include active pharmaceutical ingredients custom-made by our CROs and excipients, which are commercially available from well-known vendorspharmaceuticals that meet the requirements of the relevant regulatory agencies. The core raw material towill be used in manufacturing at our Guangzhou facility under construction is expected to be a genetically modified cell line that we co-developed and licensed from Boehringer Ingelheim.humans.
We typically order raw materials on a purchase order basis and do not enter into long-term dedicated capacity or minimum supply arrangements. We pay for our purchases of raw materials on credit. Credit periods granted to us by our suppliers generally range from 30 to 60 days.
Our suppliers are generally not responsible for the defects of our finished products.
ProductionManufacturing Facilities
We have an approximately 11,000 square meter multi-functional manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, where we produce small molecule and biologics drug candidates for clinical supply and which we plan to use for commercial supply of our small molecule drug candidates in China and potentially outside of China, if approved. This facility consists of one oral-solid-dosage production line for small molecule drug
products and one pilot plant for monoclonal antibody drug substances. In January 2018,substances and is aligned with the design criteria of the United States, EU, and China regulatory requirements. The facility receivedhas a manufacturing license, from the Jiangsu Food and Drug Administration, which is required for the commercial manufacture of zanubrutinib in China following NDA approval.
In addition, we have formed a joint venture with Guangzhou GETHigh-Tech Zone Technology DevelopmentHolding Group Co., Ltd. (formerly GET), an affiliate of Guangzhou Development District, to build a 24,000-liter commercial-scale biologics manufacturing facility in Guangzhou, China. Approximately US$300 millionWe completed the initial phase of construction in funding has been committed for the construction of theSeptember 2019. This facility is designed to be 100,000 square meter manufacturing site. We contracted with General Electric to acquire its state-of-the-art KUBio™ prefabricated biomanufacturing equipmentmeters and commenced construction in 2017. We expect the firsthave a 50,000-liter commercial scale capacity. The initial phase of the facility to be completedutilizes General Electric’s state-of-the-art KUBio™ prefabricated bio-manufacturing equipment. We have received the drug manufacturing license for drug substances and drug products for this facility and are now in 2019, and, followingthe process of validating this facility for global commercial supplies. Following regulatory inspection and approval, the first commercial product to be used for commercial-scale production of tislelizumab, if approved.manufactured at this facility is expected to be tislelizumab.
We also have an approximately 140-square140 square meter manufacturing facility at our research and development facilitieslocation in Beijing, China, which produces preclinical and clinical trial materials for some of our small molecule drug candidates.
Manufacturing is subject to extensive regulations that impose various procedural and documentation requirements governing recordkeeping, manufacturing processes and controls, personnel, quality control and quality assurance, among others. Our manufacturing facilities and the CMOs we use to manufacture our drugs and drug candidates operate under current good manufacturing practice regulations, or cGMP conditions. cGMP are regulatory requirements for the production of pharmaceuticals that will be used in humans.
Contract Manufacturing Organizations
We outsourcecurrently rely on, and expect to continue to rely on, a limited number of external contract manufacturersthird-party CMOs and CROs for the production of some drug products and drug substances and drug products, and we expect to continue to do sothe supply of raw materials to meet the preclinical,commercial, clinical, and potential commercial requirementspreclinical needs of our drugs and drug candidates. We have adopted procedures to ensure that the production qualifications, facilities and processes of our third-party outsourced suppliers comply with the relevant regulatory requirements and our internal quality and operation guidelines. We select our third-party suppliers carefully by considering a number of factors, including their qualifications, relevant expertise, production capacity, geographic proximity, reputation, track record, product quality, reliability in meeting delivery schedules, and terms offered by such third-party outsourced suppliers.
We have framework agreements with most of our externalmanufacturing service providers, under which they generally provide services to us on a short-term and project-by-project basis.providers. For example, we have an agreement with a contract manufacturer for clinical supply of zanubrutinib and expect to enterentered into a commercial supply agreement with Catalent Pharma Solutions, LLC ("Catalent") to produce BRUKINSA at Catalent’s Kansas City, MO site for zanubrutinib in the future. We havecommercial and clinical supply outside of China. In addition, we entered into a commercial supply agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim Biopharmaceuticals (China) Ltd., or ("Boehringer Ingelheim,Ingelheim") for our investigational anti-PD-1 antibody therapy, tislelizumab, which will beis being manufactured at Boehringer Ingelheim’s facility in Shanghai, China as part of a marketing authorization holder or MAH, trial("MAH") project pioneered by us and Boehringer Ingelheim. We believe the MAH status will be maintained after the expiration of the MAH pilot program in November 2019, based on confirmation from the relevant governmental authority, and therefore we believe that the expiration of the MAH pilot program will not impact our drug candidates. Under the terms of the commercial supply agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will manufacture tislelizumab in China under an exclusive multi-year arrangement, with contract extension possible. In addition, we obtained certain preferred rights for future capacity expansion by Boehringer Ingelheim in China. For our commercial products licensed from Celgene,BMS, we rely on CelgeneBMS and its contract manufacturers outside of China for the supply of those drugs. For our clinical and commercial products that are being commercialized in collaboration with Amgen, we expect to rely on Amgen and its contract manufacturers outside of China for the supply of those drugs and drug candidates.
AgreementsOur agreements with our outsourced suppliers generally set out terms, including product quality or service details, technical standards or methods, delivery terms, agreed price and payment, and product inspection and acceptance criteria. We are generally allowed to return any products that fail to meet our quality standards. Our outsourced suppliers procure raw materials themselves. Typically, outsourced suppliers request settlement of payment within 30 days from the date of invoice. Either party may terminate the agreements by serving notice to the other party under certain circumstances.
CelgeneWe generally obtain raw materials for our manufacturing activities from multiple suppliers who we believe have sufficient capacity to meet our demands. Raw materials and starting materials used at our facilities in Beijing and Suzhou include active pharmaceutical ingredients custom-made by our third-party CROs and excipients, which are commercially available from well-known vendors that meet the requirements of the relevant regulatory agencies. The core raw materials to be used in manufacturing at our Guangzhou facility are expected to be genetically modified cell lines that we co-developed and licensed from Boehringer Ingelheim and other third parties.
We typically order raw materials on a purchase order basis and do not enter into long-term dedicated capacity or minimum supply arrangements. We pay for our purchases of raw materials on credit. Credit periods granted to us by our suppliers generally range from 30 to 60 days. Our suppliers are generally not responsible for the defects of our finished products.
Amgen Collaboration
Exclusive License and Collaboration Agreement
On July 5, 2017, weOctober 31, 2019 our wholly-owned subsidiary, BeiGene Switzerland GmbH (“BeiGene Switzerland”), entered into an Exclusive License anda Collaboration Agreement as amended and restated, with Celgene and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Celgene Switzerland LLC, or Celgene Switzerland,Amgen, which became effective on August 31, 2017, pursuant to which we granted the Celgene parties an exclusive right to develop and commercialize tislelizumab in all fields of treatment, other than hematology, in the United States, Europe, Japan and the rest of world other than Asia, which we refer to as the PD-1 License Agreement.
January 2, 2020 (the "Amgen Collaboration Agreement"). Pursuant to the terms of the PD-1 LicenseAmgen Collaboration Agreement, BeiGene Switzerland will be responsible for commercializing Amgen’s oncology products XGEVA, KYPROLIS and BLINCYTO in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) for a period of five or seven years following each product’s regulatory approval in China, as specified in the Celgene parties made upfront paymentsAmgen Collaboration Agreement, with the commercialization period for XGEVA commencing following the transition of US$263 million to us.operational responsibilities for the product. In addition, as specified in the agreement, BeiGene Switzerland will have the option to retain one of the three products to commercialize for as long as the product is sold in China. The parties have agreed to equally share profits and losses for the products in China during each product’s commercialization period through BeiGene Switzerland. After expiration of the commercialization period for each product, the products not retained will be transitioned back to Amgen and BeiGene Switzerland will be eligible to receive tiered mid-single to low-double digit royalties on net sales in China of each product for an additional five years.
Additionally, pursuant to a share subscription agreementthe terms of the Amgen Collaboration Agreement, BeiGene Switzerland and Amgen have agreed to collaborate on the global development and commercialization in China of 20 Amgen clinical- and late-preclinical-stage oncology pipeline products. Starting from the commencement of the Amgen Collaboration Agreement, BeiGene Switzerland and Amgen will co-fund global development costs, with CelgeneBeiGene Switzerland dated July 5, 2017, or the Share Subscription Agreement, we issued approximately 32.7 million of our ordinary shares on August 31, 2017 for an aggregate purchase price of US$150 million at $4.58 per ordinary share, or $59.55 per ADS, representing a 35% premium to an 11-day volume-weighted average price of our ADSs. The agreement also provides forcontributing up to US$980 million in potential$1.25 billion worth of development regulatoryservices and sales milestone payments andcash over the term of the collaboration. BeiGene Switzerland will be eligible to receive tiered mid-single digit royalties based on percentages of annual net sales dependingof each product globally outside of China, other than AMG 510, on specified terms, in the low double digit to mid-twenties, with customary reductions in specified circumstances. Royalties are payable on a licensed product-by-product and country-by-country basis, until the latest of the expiration of the last valid patent claim, the expiration of regulatory exclusivity, or 12the earlier of eight years after the first commercial sale of such licensed product in the country of sale.sale and 20 years from the date of first commercial sale of such product anywhere in the world.
Each party hasFor each pipeline product that is approved in China, BeiGene Switzerland will have the right to developcommercialize the product for seven years, with the parties sharing profits and commercialize tislelizumablosses for the product in its respective field and territory, and has also agreed to collaborate through a joint steering committee comprisedChina equally. In addition, depending on how many of an equal number of representatives from each party on, among other things, the conduct of up to eight global pivotal clinical trials, or the Basket Studies. Each Basket Study20 pipeline products receive approval in China, BeiGene Switzerland will be conducted and funded by either us or Celgene in accordance with a mutually agreed development plan and study design. For any Basket Studies conducted and funded by us, Celgene hashave the right to opt intoretain approximately one of every three approved products, up to a total of six, other than AMG 510, to commercialize for as long as each such program, at which time itproduct is sold in China. After the expiration of the seven-year commercialization period, each product will reimburse usbe transitioned back to Amgen and BeiGene Switzerland will be eligible to received tiered mid-single to low-double digit royalties on net sales in China for agreed upon development costs based on a multiple of such costs that varies according to the stage of development at which Celgene opts into the program. Celgene has committed to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop at least one licensed product, to seek specified regulatory approvals and to spend at least US$100 million on development for the Basket Studies led by Celgene,an additional five years. The parties are subject to specified conditions. In addition, we retainexclusivity requirements in China and the rightrest of the world.
We have guaranteed certain obligations of BeiGene Switzerland under the Amgen Collaboration Agreement pursuant to develop tislelizumab in combination therapies with our portfolio compounds, and Celgene hasthe terms of a right of first negotiation for tislelizumab in the hematology field and in our territory, subject to specified conditions.separate Guarantee Agreement.
The PD-1 LicenseAmgen Collaboration Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants by us and Celgene. Unless earlier terminated, the parties. The agreement will expirecontinue in effect on a licensed product-by-product and country-by-country basis upon the expiration of the royalty term in such country for such licensed product.unless terminated by either party pursuant to its terms. The agreement may be terminated by Celgene upon 30 days’ priormutual written notice,consent of the parties, or by either party upon the other party’s bankruptcy or uncured material breach.breach, insolvency, failure to comply with specified compliance provisions, or subject to a specified negotiation mechanism, certain adverse economic impacts or the failure to meet commercial objectives. In addition, Amgen may terminate the agreement includes standard exclusivity obligations and provisions that are triggeredwith respect to a pipeline product in the event that Celgene acquires or is acquiredit suspends development of such pipeline product on specified terms, subject to the parties determining whether to continue development of the pipeline product in China.
Share Purchase Agreement
In connection with the Amgen Collaboration Agreement, pursuant to a share purchase agreement dated October 31, 2019, as amended, by a third party with a competing product.
In January 2019, Celgene and Bristol-Myers Squibb, or BMS, announced the proposed acquisition of Celgene by BMS, which is expected to closebetween BeiGene, Ltd. and Amgen (the “Share Purchase Agreement”), we issued 206,635,013 ordinary shares in the third quarterform of 2019,15,895,001 American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) of BeiGene, Ltd. on January 2, 2020, representing approximately 20.5% of our outstanding shares to Amgen, for an aggregate cash price of $2.78 billion, or $13.45 per ordinary share, or $174.85 per ADS.
Pursuant to the Share Purchase Agreement, Amgen has agreed to (i) a lock-up on sales of its shares until the earliest of (a) the fourth anniversary of the closing, (b) the expiration or termination of the Collaboration Agreement and (c) a change of control of BeiGene, Ltd., (ii) a standstill until the later of (a) the first anniversary of the date as of which it ceases to have the right to appoint a director and (b) the date on which it holds less than 5% of our then outstanding shares, and (iii) a voting agreement to vote its shares on certain matters presented for shareholder approval until the later of (a) the fifth anniversary of the closing and (b) the expiration of the standstill period, all under specified circumstances and as set forth in the agreement.
Following the later of (i) the expiration of the lock-up period and (ii) the expiration of the standstill period, Amgen has agreed not to sell shares representing more than 5% of our then outstanding shares in any rolling 12-month period, subject to receiptspecified exceptions. In addition, Amgen will have the right to designate an independent director to serve on our board of required approvals. BMS marketsdirectors until the anti-PD-1 inhibitor OPDIVO® (nivolumab). Assuming thatearlier of (a) the BMS-Celgene transaction closes, we expect thatdate on which Amgen holds less than 10% of our then outstanding shares as a likely outcome will be thatresult of Amgen’s sale of ordinary shares or Amgen’s failure to participate in future offerings and (b) the PD-1 License Agreement will be terminated underthird anniversary of the exclusivity and related provisions, and we will regaindate of the full rights to tislelizumab with aexpiration or termination fee from Celgene. Prior to that time, we expect to continue to conductof the agreed upon development plans underAmgen Collaboration Agreement. Under the existing terms of the agreement, including receipt from CelgeneShare Purchase Agreement, Amgen will also have specified registration rights upon expiration of development funding for the Basket Studies that it haslock-up. Additionally, we have agreed to fund. Inuse reasonable best efforts to provide Amgen with an opportunity to participate in subsequent new securities offerings upon the event thatsame terms and conditions as other purchasers in the PD-1 License Agreement is terminated, we believe that we are operationallyoffering in an amount needed to allow Amgen to hold 20.5% of our shares, subject to applicable law and financially capable of continuing to advance tislelizumab on our own with minimal disruption.HKEx rules and other specified conditions.
Celgene China AgreementsLicense and Supply Agreement
On July 5, 2017, we and Celgene Logistics Sàrl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celgene, Celgene Logistics Sàrl, or Celgene Logistics,BMS, entered into a License and Supply Agreement, which we refer to as the China License Agreement and which became effective on August 31, 2017, pursuant to which we were granted the right to exclusively distribute and promote Celgene’sBMS’s approved cancer therapies, ABRAXANE,®, REVLIMID® and VIDAZA®, and its investigational agent avadomide (CC-122) in clinical development in China, excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. In addition, if CelgeneBMS decides to commercialize a new oncology product through a third-partythird party in the licensed territory during the first five years of the term, we have a right of first negotiation to obtain the right to commercialize the product, subject to certain conditions. We paid an aggregate of US$4.5 million in cash forsubsequently assigned the license andagreement to our acquisition of Celgene Shanghai, as described below.wholly-owned subsidiary, BeiGene Switzerland.
The term of the China License Agreement is 10 years and may be terminated by either party upon written notice in the event of uncured material breach or bankruptcy of the other party, or if the underlying regulatory approvals for the covered products are revoked. Celgene LogisticsBMS also has the right to terminate the agreement with respect to REVLIMID® at any time upon written notice to the Companyus under certain circumstances.
In the event of an acquisition of Celgene Logistics by another party, the China License Agreement provides that Celgene Logistics shall provide notice to us, and within a specified period of time, requires that the parties discuss in good faith any changes in the supply requirements of the China License Agreement that Celgene Logistics may request as a result of the acquisition. During that period, the China License Agreement requires us to conduct business in the ordinary course and provides that Celgene Logistics is not required to supply more than a specified amount more than the amount of our forecasted
demand. We expect to be able to continue to market ABRAXANE®, REVLIMID® and VIDAZA® in China under the China License Agreement following the closing of the announced BMS acquisition of Celgene, if that transaction occurs.
The China License Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and confidentiality and mutual indemnification provisions.
On August 31, 2017, our wholly owned subsidiary, BeiGene (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., acquired 100% of the equity interests of Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., or Celgene Shanghai, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celgene Holdings East Corporation established under the laws of China. The purchase price of Celgene Shanghai was determined to be approximately US$28.1 million from an accounting perspective, and comprised of a cash consideration of US$4.5 million and non-cash consideration of US$23.6 million. The amount allocated to non-cash consideration, related to the discount on ordinary shares issued to Celgene in connection with the Share Subscription Agreement and was a result of the increase in fair value of our shares between the fixed price of US$59.55 per ADS specified in the Share Subscription Agreement and the fair value per ADS on August 31, 2017, the date the transaction closed. This company, which we subsequently renamed BeiGene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., is in the business of, among other things, providing marketing and promotional services for the pharmaceutical products that we license from Celgene. Prior to closing, Celgene separated out certain business functions, including regulatory and drug safety, that continue to support the business acquired by us.Intellectual Property
The proprietary nature of, and protection for, our drugs, drug candidates, and their methods of use are an important part of our strategy to develop and commercialize novel medicines, as described in more detail below. We have obtained patents and filed patent applications in the United States and other countries and regions, such as China and Europe, relating to our drugs and certain of our drugs and drug candidates, and are pursuing additional patent protection for them and for our other drug candidates and technologies. We 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 including our manufacturing processes. We also rely on know-how, continuing technological innovation and in-licensing opportunities to develop, strengthen and support our development programs.
As of February 11, 2019,January 29, 2020, we owned 1825 issued U.S. patents, 1011 issued China patents, a number of pending U.S. and China patent applications, and corresponding patents and patent applications internationally. In addition, we owned pending international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty or PCT,("PCT"), which we plan to file nationally in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as additional priority PCT applications. With respect to any issued patents in the United States and Europe, we may be entitled to obtain a patent term extension to extend the patent expiration date, provided that we meet the applicable requirements for obtaining such patent term extensions. For example, in the United States, we can apply for a patent term extension of up to five years for one of the patents covering a drug product once the product is approved by the FDA. The exact duration of the extension depends on the time that we spend in clinical studies as well as getting approval from the FDA.
The patent portfolioskey patents for our later-stagedrugs and late-stage clinical drug candidates as of February 11, 2019,January 29, 2020, are summarized below:
Zanubrutinib. We own two issued U.S. patents, one issued China patent, a number of pending PCT and U.S. patent applications, and corresponding patent applications in other jurisdictions directed to zanubrutinib, a small molecule BTK inhibitor, combinations of zanubrutinib with other therapeutic agents, and its use for the treatment of hematological malignancies or autoimmune disease. |
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Molecule | Territory | General Subject Matter | Expiration1 |
BRUKINSATM (Zanubrutinib) | U.S. | Compound and composition | 2034 |
U.S. | Use for the treatment of autoimmune diseases | 2034 |
China | Compound and composition | 2034 |
Tislelizumab | U.S. | Antibodies | 2033 |
U.S. | Use for the treatment of cancer | 2033 |
U.S. | Antibodies and use for the treatment of cancer | 2033 |
U.S. | Antibodies | 2033 |
China | Antibodies | 2033 |
Pamiparib | U.S. | Compound and composition | 2031 |
U.S. | Compound and composition | 2031 |
U.S. | Use for the treatment of cancer | 2031 |
U.S. | Compositions | 2031 |
U.S. | Crystalline forms | 2036 |
China | Compound and composition | 2031 |
China | Use for the treatment of cancer | 2031 |
(1) The expected expiration for the issued U.S. patents and the issued China patent is 2034, excludingdoes not include any additional term for patent term extensions. extensions
We intend to pursue marketing exclusivity periods that are available under regulatory provisions in certain countries.
Tislelizumab. We own three issued U.S. patents, one issued China patent, pending PCT, U.S. and China patent applications, and corresponding pending patent applications in other jurisdictions directed to tislelizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against PD-1, and its use for the treatment of cancer. The expected expiration for the issued U.S. patents and the issued China patent is 2033, excluding any additional term for patent term extensions. We intend to pursue marketing exclusivity periods that are available under regulatory provisions in certain countries.
Pamiparib. We own three issued U.S. patents, one issued China patent, a number of pending PCT, U.S. and China patent applications, and corresponding pending patent applications in other jurisdictions directed to pamiparib, a small molecule PARP1/2 inhibitor, and its use for the treatment of cancer, including glioblastomas and breast cancer. The expected expiration for the issued U.S. patents and the issued China patent is 2031, excluding any additional term for patent term extensions. We intend to pursue marketing exclusivity periods that are available under regulatory provisions in certain countries.
Lifirafenib. We own two issued U.S. patents, two issued China patents, a number of pending PCT, U.S. and China patent applications, and corresponding pending patent applications in other jurisdictions directed to lifirafenib, a small molecule BRAF inhibitor, and its use for the treatment of cancer, including BRAF mutated cancers. The expected expiration for the issued U.S. patents and the issued China patents is 2031, excluding any additional term for patent term extensions. We intend to pursue marketing exclusivity periods that are available under regulatory provisions in certain countries.
The patent portfolios for ourhave three in-licensed
commercialdrugs in China from BMS. The key patents for them as of January 29, 2020 are summarized below: |
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Product | Territory | General Subject Matter | Expiration |
ABRAXANE® (a nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel) | China | Use for the treatment of cancer | 2026 |
China | Use for the treatment of cancer | 2031 |
REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) | China | Use for the treatment of multiple myeloma | 2023 |
China | Use for the treatment of multiple myeloma | 2023 |
China | Use for the treatment of multiple myeloma | 2023 |
China | Use for the treatment of multiple myeloma | 2023 |
VIDAZA® (azacitidine) | China | No patent | N/A |
Under our collaboration with Amgen, we have the right to commercialize in China one drug and, upon approval in China, two late-stage product candidates. The key patents necessary for these products in China are summarized below: ABRAXANE®. We are the exclusive licensee of five issued Chinese patents and a number of pending Chinese patent applications directed to ABRAXANE®, a nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel, covering its composition, liquid formulation, and use for the treatment of cancer. Two of the five issued Chinese patents expired in 2018. The expected expirations for the other three issued Chinese patents are 2021, 2026 and 2031, respectively, excluding any additional term for patent term extensions. However, generic versions of albumin-bound palclitaxel have been approved in China and are being commercialized. |
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Product | Territory | General Subject Matter | Expiration |
XGEVA® (denosumab) | China | Antibodies | 2022 |
KYPROLIS® (carfilzomibe) | China | Compound and Composition | 2025 |
BLINCYTO® (blinatumomab) | China | No patent | N/A |
REVLIMID®. We are the exclusive licensee of seven issued Chinese patents directed to REVLIMID® (lenalidomide), covering its use for the treatment of cancer, including MM. The expected expirations for the issued Chinese patents are 2023 and 2027, respectively, excluding any additional term for patent term extensions. However, generic versions of lenalidomide have been approved in China and are being commercialized.
VIDAZA®. We do not have any rights in any issued China patent or pending China patent applications directed to VIDAZA®, a chemical analog of cytidine, and its use for the treatment of cancer. We are aware of third parties who are seeking to develop and obtain approval for generic forms of this drug.
Furthermore, althoughAlthough various extensions may be available, the life of a patent and the protection it affords, is limited. As noted above, ABRAXANE,®, REVLIMID® and VIDAZA® face or are expected to face competition from generic medications, and we may face similar competition for our drugs and any approved drug candidatesdrugs even if we successfully obtain patent protection once the patent life has expired for the drug.protection. The scope, validity or enforceability of our patents may be challenged in court, and we may not be successful in enforcing or defending those intellectual property rights and, as a result, may not be able to develop or market the relevant product exclusively, which would have a material adverse effect on any potential sales of that product. Additionally, in China, the NMPA may approve a generic version of a brand-name drug that still has patent protection, such as has occurred with ABRAXANE and REVLIMID. Under our license agreementagreements with Celgene, Celgene retainsBMS and Amgen, they retain the responsibility for, but isare not obligated, to prosecute, defend and enforce the patents for these in-licensed products. As such, any issued patents may not protect us from generic or biosimilar competition for these drugs.
The term of individual patents may vary based on the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, including the United States and China, the term of an issued patent is generally 20 years from the earliest claimed filing date of a non-provisional patent application in the applicable country. In the United States, a patent’s term may be lengthened in some cases by a patent term adjustment, which extends the term of a patent to account for administrative delays by the United States Patent and Trademark Office or USPTO,(the "USPTO"), in excess of a patent applicant’s own delays during the prosecution process, or may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over a commonly owned patent having an earlier expiration date. In addition, in certain instances, a patent term can be extended to recapture a portion of the term effectively lost as a result of thein obtaining FDA regulatory review period.approval. However, the restoration period cannot be longer than five years and the total patent term including the restoration period must not exceed 14 years following FDA approval.
In certain foreign jurisdictions similar extensions as compensation for regulatory delays are also available. The actual protection afforded by a patent varies on a claim by claim and country by country basis and depends upon many factors, including the type of patent, the scope of its coverage, the availability of any patent term extensions or adjustments, the availability of legal remedies in a particular country and the validity and enforceability of the patent.
We may rely, in some circumstances, on trade secrets and unpatented know-how to protect aspects of our technology. We seek to protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants, scientific advisors and contractors and invention assignment agreements with our employees. We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data and trade secrets by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems.
Additionally, we currently own a number of registered trademarks and pending trademark applications. We currently have registered trademarks for BeiGene, and our corporate logo and product names and logos in China, the European UnionEU and other jurisdictions, and we are seeking trademark protection for BeiGene, our corporate logo, product names and logos, and other marks in the United States and other countries where available and appropriate.
Government Regulation
Government authorities in the United States at the federal, state and local level and in other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research and clinical development, testing, manufacture, quality control, approval, labeling, packaging, storage, record-keeping, promotion, advertising, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, marketing, pricing and export and import of drugs such as those we are developing and commercializing. Some jurisdictions also regulate the pricing of drugs. Generally, before a new drug can be marketed, considerable data demonstrating its quality, safety and efficacy must be obtained, organized into a format specific to each regulatory authority, submitted for review and approved by the regulatory authority.
U.S. Regulation
U.S. Government Regulation and Product Approval
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or FDCA,("FDCA"), and its implementing regulations, and biologics under the FDCA, its implementing regulations, and the Public Health Service Act or PHSA,("PHSA"), and its implementing regulations.
Cancer therapies are sometimes characterized as first line, second line or third line, and the FDA often approves new therapies initially only for second or third linethird-line use. When cancer is detected early enough, first line therapy is sometimes adequate to cure the cancer or prolong life without a cure. Whenever first line therapy, usually chemotherapy, hormone therapy, surgery or a combination of these, proves unsuccessful, second line therapy may be administered. Second line therapies often consist of more chemotherapy, radiation, antibody drugs, tumor targeted small molecule drugs or a combination of these. Third line therapies can include bone marrow transplantation, antibody and small molecule targeted therapies, more invasive forms of surgery and new technologies.
U.S. Drug Development Process
The process required by the FDA before a drug or biologic may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
completion of preclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies according to Good Laboratory Practices or GLP,("GLP"), regulations;
submission to the FDA of an investigational new drug or IND,("IND") application, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;
performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials according to GCP, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug or safety, purity and potency of the proposed biologic, for the intended use;
preparation and submission to the FDA of an NDA for a drug or a BLABiologics License Application ("BLA") for a biologic;
a determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of an NDA or BLA to file the application for review;
satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the product, or components thereof, are produced to assess compliance with cGMP;
FDA audits of some clinical trial sites to ensure compliance with GCPs; and
FDA review and approval of the NDA or licensing of the BLA.
Once a product candidate is identified for development, it enters the preclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity, formulation and stability, as well as animal studies. An IND sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data and any available clinical data or literature, to the FDA as part of the IND. The sponsor must also include a protocol detailing, among other things, the objectives of the initial clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated if the initial clinical trial lends itself to an efficacy evaluation. Some preclinical testing may continue even after the IND is submitted. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA raises concerns or questions related to the proposed clinical trial and places the trial on a clinical hold within that 30-day time period. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding
concerns before the clinical trial can begin. Clinical holds also may be imposed by the FDA at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or noncompliance and may be imposed on all products within a certain class of products. The FDA also can impose partial clinical holds, for example, prohibiting the initiation of clinical trials of a certain duration or for a certain dose.
All clinical trials must be conducted under the supervision of one or more qualified investigators in accordance with GCP regulations. These regulations include the requirement that all research subjects provide informed consent in writing before their participation in any clinical trial. Further, an institutional review board or IRB,("IRB") must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at any institution, and the IRB must conduct continuing review and reapprove the study at least annually. An IRB considers, among other things, whether the risks to individuals participating in the clinical trial are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the information regarding the clinical trial and the consent form that must be provided to each clinical trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until completed.
Each new clinical protocol and any amendments to the protocol must be filed with the FDA as an IND amendment and submitted to the IRBs for approval.
A sponsor who wishes to conduct a clinical trial outside of the United States may, but need not, obtain FDA authorization to conduct the clinical trial under an IND. If a foreign clinical trial is not conducted under an IND, the sponsor may submit data from the clinical trial to the FDA in support of a BLA or NDA. The FDA will accept a well-designed and well-conducted foreign clinical study not conducted under an IND if the study was conducted in accordance with GCP requirements, and the FDA is able to validate the data through an onsite inspection if deemed necessary.
Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
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• | Phase 1. The product is initially introduced into a small number of healthy human subjects or patients and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness. In the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, especially when the product is suspected or known to be unavoidably toxic, the initial human testing may be conducted in patients. |
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• | Phase 2. Involves clinical trials in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage and schedule. |
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• | Phase 3. Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy and safety in an expanded patient population. These clinical trials are intended to evaluate the overall risk/benefit relationship of the product and provide an adequate basis for product labeling. |
Phase 1. The product is initially introduced into a small number of healthy human subjects or patients and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness. In the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, especially when the product is suspected or known to be unavoidably toxic, the initial human testing may be conducted in patients.
Phase 2. Involves clinical trials in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage and schedule.
Phase 3. Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy and safety in an expanded patient population. These clinical trials are intended to evaluate the overall risk/benefit relationship of the product and provide an adequate basis for product labeling.
We refer to our Phase 1 programs as dose-escalation and dose-expansion trials. In addition, we refer to some of our Phase 2 programs as pivotal or registrational programs, where the results can be used to support regulatory approval in specific jurisdictions without the need to conduct a Phase 3 trial.
Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted at least annually to the FDA and safety reports must be submitted to the FDA and the investigators for serious and unexpected suspected AEs, any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator’s brochure, or any findings from other studies or animal or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk in humans exposed to the product drug. The sponsor must submit an IND safety report within 15 calendar days after the sponsor determines that the information qualifies for reporting. The sponsor also must notify the FDA of any unexpected fatal or life-threatening suspected adverse reaction within seven calendar days after the sponsor's initial receipt of the information. Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 studies may not be completed successfully within any specified period, or at all. The FDA or the sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the product has been associated with unexpected serious harm to subjects.
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional animal studies and must also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the product and finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product and, among other things, the manufacturer must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
A manufacturer of an investigational drug for a serious disease or condition is required to make available, such as by posting on its website, its policy on evaluating and responding to requests for individual patient access to such investigational drug. This requirement applies on the earlier of the first initiation of a Phase 2 or Phase 3 trial of the investigational drug or, as applicable, 15 days after the drug receives a designation as a breakthrough therapy, fast track product, or regenerative advanced therapy.
U.S. Review and Approval Processes
The results of product development, preclinical studies and clinical trials, along with descriptions of the manufacturing process, analytical tests conducted on the product, proposed labeling and other relevant information, are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA for a new drug or a BLA for a biologic, requesting approval to market the product. The submission of an
NDA or BLA is subject to the payment of a substantial user fee;fee, although a waiver of such fee may be obtained under certain limited circumstances. The sponsor of an approved NDA or BLA is also subject to an annual prescription drug product program fee.
The FDA reviews all NDAs and BLAs submitted to ensure that they are sufficiently complete for substantive review before it accepts them for filing. The FDA may request additional information rather than accept an NDA or BLA for filing. In this event, the NDA or BLA must be re-submitted with the additional information. The re-submitted application also is subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing. Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review. The FDA reviews an NDA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe and effective for its intended use, and a BLA to determine whether the biologic is safe, pure, and potent for its intended use. The FDA also evaluates whether the product’s manufacturing is cGMP-compliant to assure the product’s identity, strength, quality and purity. Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA typically will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is or will be manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications.
The approval process is lengthy and difficult, and the FDA may refuse to approve an NDA or BLA if the applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied or may require additional clinical data or other data and information. Even if such data and information are submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA or BLA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. Data obtained from clinical trials are not always conclusive, and the FDA may interpret data differently than we interpret the same data. The FDA will issue a complete response letter if the agency decides not to approve the NDA or BLA in its present form. The complete response letter usually describes all of the specific deficiencies that the FDA identified in the NDA or BLA that must be satisfactorily addressed before it can be approved. The deficiencies identified may be minor, for example, requiring labeling changes, or major, for example, requiring additional clinical trials. Additionally, the complete response letter may include recommended actions that the applicant might take to place the application in a condition for approval. If a complete
response letter is issued, the applicant may either resubmit the NDA or BLA, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter, or withdraw the application or request an opportunity for a hearing.
If a product receives regulatory approval, the approval may be significantly limited to specific diseases and dosages or the indications for use may otherwise be limited, which could restrict the commercial value of the product. Further, the FDA may require that certain contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling. In addition, the FDA may require post-approval studies, including Phase 4 clinical trials, to further assess a product’s safety and effectiveness after NDA or BLA approval and may require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products that have been commercialized. The FDA may also approve an NDA or BLA with a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy or REMS, plan("REMS") program to mitigate risks, which could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools.
Regulation of Combination Products in the United States
Certain products may be comprised of components that would normally be regulated under different types of regulatory authorities in certain jurisdictions, and in the United States by different centers at the FDA. These products are known as combination products. Under the FDCA, the FDA is charged with assigning a center with primary jurisdiction, or a lead center, for review of a combination product. That determination is based on the “primary mode of action” of the combination product. We are developing combination products using our own drug candidates and third-party drugs.
Expedited Programs
Fast Track Designation
The FDA has a fast track program that is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new drugs, including biologics that meet certain criteria. Specifically, new drugs are eligible for Fast Track designation if they are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition for which there is no effective treatment and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the condition. Fast track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a new drug may request the FDA to designate the drug as a fast track product concurrently with, or at any time after, submission of an IND, and the FDA must determine if the drug candidate qualifies for fast track designation within 60 days of receipt of the sponsor’s request.
In addition to other benefits, such as the ability to engage in more frequent interactions with the FDA, the FDA may initiate review of sections of a fast track drug’s NDA or BLA before the application is complete. This rolling review is available
if the applicant provides, and the FDA approves, a schedule for the submission of each portion of the NDA or BLA and the applicant pays the applicable user fee. However, the FDA’s time period goal for reviewing an application does not begin until the last section of the NDA or BLA is submitted. Additionally, the fast track designation may be withdrawn by the FDA if the FDA believes that the designation is no longer supported by data emerging in the clinical trial process.
Zanubrutinib was granted fast track designation status by the FDA for the treatment of WM. Tislelizumab was granted fast track designation by the FDA for the treatment of HCC.
Accelerated Approval
Under FDA’s accelerated approval regulations, the FDA may approve a drug, including a biologic, for a serious or life-threatening illness that provides meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients over existing treatments based upon a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. In clinical trials, a surrogate endpoint is a marker, such as a laboratory measurement or clinical signs of a disease or condition that is thought to predict clinical benefit but is not itself a measure of clinical benefit. Surrogate endpoints can often be measured more easily or more rapidly than clinical endpoints. A drug candidate approved on this basis is subject to rigorous post-marketing compliance requirements, including the completion of post-approval clinical trials sometimes referred to as Phase 4 trials to confirm the effect on the clinical endpoint. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies, or to confirm a clinical benefit during post-marketing studies, will allow the FDA to withdraw the drug from the market on an expedited basis. All promotional materials for drug candidates approved under accelerated regulations are subject to prior review by the FDA.
Zanubrutinib was granted accelerated approval by FDA for the treatment of adult patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy.
Breakthrough Designation
Breakthrough therapy designation is intended to expedite the development and review of a breakthrough therapy. A drug or biologic product can be designated as a breakthrough therapy if it is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that it may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints. A sponsor may request that a product be designated as a breakthrough therapy concurrently with, or at any time after, the submission of an IND, and the FDA must determine if the candidate qualifies for breakthrough therapy designation within 60 days of receipt of the sponsor’s request. If so designated, the FDA shall act to expedite the development and review of the product’s marketing application, including by meeting with the sponsor throughout the product’s development, providing timely advice to the sponsor to ensure that the development program to gather preclinical and clinical data is as efficient as practicable, involving senior managers and experienced review staff in a cross-disciplinary review, and assigning a cross-disciplinary project lead for the FDA review team to facilitate an efficient review of the development program and to serve as a scientific liaison between the review team and the sponsor. The designation may be rescinded if the drug candidate does not continue to meet the criteria for breakthrough therapy designation.
Zanubrutinib was granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy.
Priority Review
The FDA may grant an NDA for a new molecular entity or BLA a priority review designation, which sets the target date for FDA action on the application at six months after the FDA accepts the application for filing. Priority review is granted where there is evidence that the proposed product would be a significant improvement in the safety or effectiveness of the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of a serious condition. If criteria are not met for priority review, the application is subject to the standard FDA review period of ten months after FDA accepts the application for filing. Priority review designation does not change the scientific/medical standard for approval or the quality of evidence necessary to support approval.
The NDA for zanubrutinib was granted priority review by the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy.
Post-Approval Requirements
Any products for which we receive FDA approval are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, record-keeping requirements, reporting of adverse experiences with the product, providing the FDA with updated safety and efficacy information, product sampling and distribution requirements, complying with certain electronic records and signature requirements and complying with FDA promotion and advertising requirements. The FDA strictly regulates labeling, advertising, promotion and other types of information on products that are placed on the market. Products may be promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. Further, manufacturers must continue to comply with cGMP requirements, which are extensive and require considerable time, resources and ongoing investment to ensure compliance. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process generally require prior FDA approval before being implemented and other types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications and additional labeling claims, are also subject to further FDA review and approval.
The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (“DSCSA”) was enacted in 2013 with the aim of building an electronic system to identify and trace certain prescription drugs distributed in the United States. The DSCSA mandates phased-in and resource-intensive obligations for pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and dispensers over a 10-year period that is expected to culminate in November 2023. The law’s requirements include the quarantine and prompt investigation of a suspect product to determine if it is illegitimate, and notifying trading partners and FDA of any illegitimate product. Drug manufacturers and their collaborators are also required to place a unique product identifier on prescription drug packages. This identifier consists of the National Drug Code, serial number, lot number and expiration date, in the form of a 2 dimensional data matrix barcode that can be read by humans and machines.
Manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacturing and distribution of approved products are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by
the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws. The cGMP requirements apply to all stages of the manufacturing process, including the production, processing, sterilization, packaging, labeling, storage and shipment of the product. Manufacturers must establish validated systems to ensure that products meet specifications and regulatory requirements and test each product batch or lot prior to its release.
The FDA may withdraw a product approval or revoke a biologics license if compliance with regulatory requirements is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a
product may result in restrictions on the product or even complete withdrawal of the product from the market. Further, the failure to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements may result in administrative or judicial actions, such as fines, untitled or warning letters, holds on clinical trials, product seizures, product detention or refusal to permit the import or export of products, refusal to approve pending applications or supplements, restrictions on marketing or manufacturing, injunctions or civil or criminal penalties. We may undertake or be required to undertake a product recall.
Patent Term Restoration and MarketingRegulatory Exclusivity
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA approval of the use of our drug candidates, some of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, commonly referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Amendments. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permit a patent restoration term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, patent term restoration cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date. The patent term restoration period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of an NDA or BLA plus the time between the submission date of an NDA or BLA and the approval of that application, except that this review period is reduced by any time during which the applicant failed to exercise due diligence. Only one patent applicable to an approved product is eligible for the extension and the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent. The USPTO, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration. In the future, if available, we intend to apply for restorations of patent term for some of our currently owned patents beyond their current expiration dates, depending on the expected length of the clinical trials and other factors involved in the filing of the relevant NDA or BLA; however, there can be no assurance that any such extension will be granted to us.
MarketData exclusivity provisions under the FDCA can also delay the submission or the approval of certain applications. The FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent marketingdata exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to gain approval of an NDA for a new chemical entity. A drug is a new chemical entity if the FDA has not previously approved any other new drug containing the same active moiety, which is the molecule or ion responsible for the action of the drug substance. During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review an abbreviated NDA, or ANDA, or a 505(b)(2) NDA submitted by another company for another version of such drug where the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference to all the data required for approval. However, such an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification of patent invalidity or non-infringement. The FDCA also provides three years of marketingdata exclusivity for an NDA, 505(b)(2) NDA or supplement to an existing NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application, for example, for new indications, dosages or strengths of an existing drug. This three-year exclusivity covers only the conditions of use associated with the new clinical investigations and does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs for drugs containing the original active agent. Five-year and three-year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA. However, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all of the preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
Pediatric exclusivity is another type of regulatory exclusivity in the United States. Pediatric exclusivity, if granted, provides an additional six months of exclusivity, which runs from the end of other regulatory exclusivity or patent periods. This six-month exclusivity may be granted based on the voluntary completion of a pediatric trial in accordance with an FDA-issued ‘‘Written Request’’ for such a trial.
Biosimilars and Exclusivity
The PHSA includes an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products shown to be similar to, or interchangeable with, an FDA-licensed reference biological product. Biosimilarity, which requires that there be no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity and potency, can be shown through analytical studies, animal studies, and a clinical trial or trials. Interchangeability requires that a product is biosimilar to the reference product and the product must demonstrate that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product and, for products administered multiple times, the biologic and the reference biologic may be switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic.
A reference biologic is granted 12 years of exclusivity from the time of first licensure of the reference product. The first biologic product submitted under the abbreviated approval pathway that is determined to be interchangeable with the reference product has exclusivity against other biologics submitting under the abbreviated approval pathway for the lesser of (i) one year after the first commercial marketing, (ii) 18 months after approval if there is no legal challenge, (iii) 18 months after the
resolution in the applicant’s favor of a lawsuit challenging the biologic’s patents if an application has been submitted, or (iv) 42 months after the application has been approved if a lawsuit is ongoing within the 42-month period.
Orphan Drugs
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation or ODD, to drugs, including biologics, intended to treat a rare disease or condition-generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States or that affects more than 200,000 individuals in the U.S.United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that costs of research and development of the product for the indication can be recovered by sales of the product in the United States. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting an NDA or BLA.
After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the drug or biologic and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process. The first NDA or BLA applicant to receive FDA approval for a particular active ingredient to treat a particular disease or condition with FDA orphan drug designation is entitled to a seven-year exclusive marketing period in the United States for that product, for that indication. Among the other benefits of orphan drug designation are tax credits for certain research and a waiver of the NDA or BLA application user fee.
During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug for the same disease or condition, except in limited circumstances, such as if the second applicant demonstrates the clinical superiority of its product to the product with orphan drug exclusivity through a demonstration of superior safety, superior efficacy, or a major contribution to patient care. “Same drug” means a drug that contains the same active moiety if it is a drug composed of small molecules, or the same principal molecular structural features if it is composed of macromolecules and is intended for the same use as a previously approved drug, except that if the subsequent drug can be shown to be clinically superior to the first drug, it will not be considered to be the same drug. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug for the same disease or condition, or the same drug for a different disease or condition.
Zanubrutinib was granted ODDorphan drug designation status by the FDA for the treatment of WM, CLL, and MCL on June 29, 2016, July 20, 2016,MCL. Tislelizumab was granted orphan drug designation status by the FDA for the treatment of ESCC and June 23, 2016, respectively.HCC.
Disclosure of Clinical Trial Information
Sponsors of clinical trials of FDA-regulated products, including drugs and biologics, are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information, which is publicly available at www.clinicaltrials.gov. Information related to the product, patient population, phase of investigation, study sites and investigators, and other aspects of the clinical trial is then made public as part of the registration. Sponsors are also obligated to disclose the results of their clinical trials after completion. Disclosure of the results of these trials can be delayed until the new product or new indication being studied has been approved. Competitors may use this publicly available information to gain knowledge regarding the progress of development programs.
Pharmaceutical Coverage, Pricing, and Reimbursement
In the United States and in other countries, sales of any products for which we may receive regulatory approval for commercial sale will depend in part on the availability of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors, including government authorities, managed care providers, private health insurers and other organizations. ThePatients generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs and no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for drug products exists among third-party payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for drug products can differ significantly from payor to payor.
Additionally, the process for determining whether a payor will provide coverage for a product may be separate from the process for setting the reimbursement rate that the payor will pay for the product. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific products on an approved list which might not include all of the FDA-approved products for a particular indication. Moreover, a payor’s decision to provide coverage for a product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development.
Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of medical products and services, in addition to their safety and efficacy. In order to obtain coverage and reimbursement for any product that might be approved for sale, we may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of any products, in addition to the costs required to obtain regulatory approvals. If third-party payors do not consider a product to be cost-effective or medically-necessary compared to other available therapies,
they may not cover the product after approval as a benefit under their plans or, if they do, the level of payment may not be sufficient to allow a company to sell its products at a profit.
The U.S. government and state legislatures have shown significant interest in implementing cost containment programs to limit the growth of government-paid health care costs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products for branded prescription drugs. For example, the Affordable Care Act or ACA,(the "ACA") contains provisions that may reduce the profitability of drug products, including, for example, increased rebates for drugs reimbursed by Medicaid programs, extension of Medicaid rebates to Medicaid managed care plans, mandatory discounts for certain Medicare Part D beneficiaries and annual fees based on pharmaceutical companies’ share of sales to federal health care programs. Adoption of government controls and measures and tightening of restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could limit payments for pharmaceuticals.
The current U.S. president's administration’s budget proposalproposals for fiscal yearyears 2019 containsand 2020 contain further drug price control measures that could be enacted during the 20192020 budget process or in other future legislation, including, for example, measures to permit Medicare Part D plans to negotiate the price of certain drugs under Medicare Part B, to allow some states to negotiate drug prices under Medicaid, and to eliminate cost sharing for generic drugs for low-income patients. Additionally, the current administration released a “Blueprint” to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs of drugs that contains additional proposals to increase manufacturer competition, increase the negotiating power of certain federal healthcare programs, incentivize manufacturers to lower the list price of their products and reduce the out of pocket costs of drug products paid by consumers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or HHS,(the "HHS") has already started the process of soliciting feedback on some of these measures and, at the same time, is immediately implementing others under its existing authority. For example, in September 2018, CMS announced that it will allow Medicare Advantage Plans the option to use step therapy for Part B drugs beginning January 1, 2019, and in October 2018, CMS proposed a new rule that would require direct-to-consumer television advertisements of prescription drugs and biological products, for which payment is available through or under Medicare or Medicaid, to include in the advertisement the Wholesale Acquisition Cost, or list price, of that drug or biological product. In addition, CMS issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or ANPRM, in October 2018 indicating it is considering issuing a proposed rule in the spring of 2019 on a model called the International Pricing Index, or IPI. This model would utilize a basket of other countries’ prices as a reference for the Medicare program to use in reimbursing for drugs covered under Part B. The ANPRM also included an updated version of the Competitive Acquisition Program, or CAP, as an alternative to current “buy and bill” payment methods for Part B drugs. Such a proposed rule could limit our product pricing and have material adverse effects on our business. Although a number of these measures and other proposed measures will require authorization through additional legislation to become effective, U.S. Congress and the current administration have each indicated that it will continue to seek new legislative and/or administrative measures to control drug costs. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.
Other U.S. Healthcare Laws and Compliance Requirements
If we obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates, we may be subject to various federal and state laws targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry. These laws may impact, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs. In addition, we may be subject to patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business prior to and after receiving regulatory approval of our product candidates. The laws that may affect our ability to operate include:
the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, providing, offering or paying any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe, or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward, or in return for, either the referral of an individual, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation or arrangement of any good, facility, item or service for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
federal civil and criminal false claims and civil monetary penalty laws, such as the federal False Claims Act, which impose criminal and civil penalties and authorize civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for, among other things: knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false, fictitious or fraudulent; knowingly making or causing a false statement or record material to a false or fraudulent claim or obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the federal government; or knowingly concealing or knowingly and improperly avoiding or decreasing an obligation to pay money to the federal government. In addition, the government
may assert that a claim including items and services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false of fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act;
the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 or HIPAA,("HIPAA"), which prohibits knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any healthcare benefit program, regardless of the payor (e.g., public or private) and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up by any trick or device a material fact or making any materially false statements in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services relating to healthcare matters;
HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 ("HITECH"), and their respective implementing regulations, which impose requirements on certain covered healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses as well as their respective business associates who perform services for them that involve the use, or disclosure of, individually identifiable health information, relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information;
the federal transparency requirements under the ACA, including the provision commonly referred to as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which require manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program to report annually to the U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesHHS information related to payments or other transfers of value made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors) and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members;members. Effective January 1, 2022, these reporting obligations will extend to include transfers of value made to certain non-physician providers such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners; and
federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers.
The ACA broadened the reach of the fraud and abuse laws by, among other things, amending the intent requirement of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the applicable criminal healthcare fraud statutes contained within 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b. Pursuant to the statutory amendment, 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 provides 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 civil False Claims Act or the civil monetary penalties statute. Many states have adopted laws similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act, some of which apply to claims for, and referral of patients for, healthcare items or services reimbursed by any source, not only the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Similarly, state privacy laws may be broader and require greater protections than HIPAA. These data privacy and security laws may differ from each other in significant ways and often are not pre-empted by HIPAA, which may complicate compliance efforts. For example, in June 2018, the State of California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), which came into effect on January 1, 2020 and provides new data privacy rights for consumers and new operational requirements for companies. The CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing, and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. While there is currently an exception for protected health information that is subject to HIPAA and clinical trial regulations, as currently written, CCPA may impact certain of our business activities. CCPA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent state privacy legislation in the United States, which could increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business.
Additionally, we are subject to state equivalents of each of the healthcare laws described above, among others, some of which may be broader in scope and may apply to healthcare services reimbursed by any third-party payor, not just governmental payors, but also private insurers. These laws are enforced by various state agencies and through private actions. Some states have passed laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the April 2003 Office of Inspector General Compliance Program Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and/or other voluntary industry codes of conduct that restrict the payments made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources. Several states and local laws also impose other marketing restrictions or require pharmaceutical companies to make marketing or price disclosures to the state, require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers, and require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives.
Violations of fraud and abuse laws may be punishable by administrative, criminal and/or civil sanctions, including penalties, damages, disgorgement, fines, individual imprisonment, reputational harm, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, and/or exclusion or suspension from federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and debarment from contracting with the U.S. government. In addition, private individuals have the ability to bring actions on behalf of the U.S. government under the federal False Claims Act as well as under the false claims laws of several states.
European Data Collection and Privacy Laws
The collection, and use, storage, disclosure, transfer, or other processing of personal data, including personal health data, regarding individuals in the European UnionEU are governed by, the provisions of the Data Protection Directive, and as of May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR. This directive(“GDPR”). The GDPR is wide-ranging in scope and imposes several requirements relating to the consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information provided to the individuals regarding data processing activities, the notification of data processing obligationsbreaches, certain measures to the competent national data protection authorities,take when engaging third-party processors, and the implementation of safeguards to protect the
security and confidentiality of the personal data. The Data Protection Directive and GDPR also impose strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the European UnionEconomic Area to the United States. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Directive, the GDPR, and the related national data protection laws of the European Union Member States may result in fines and other administrative penalties. The GDPR introduces new data protection requirements in the European UnionEU and substantial fines for breaches of the data protection rules. Therules, including potential fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global revenues, whichever is greater. GDPR also confers a private right of action on data subjects and consumer associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies, and obtain compensation for damages resulting from violations of GDPR. In addition, GDPR includes restrictions on cross-border data transfers. GDPR regulations may impose additional responsibility and liability in relation to personal data that we process where such processing is subject to GDPR, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with the new data protection rules.GDPR, including as implemented by individual countries. This may be onerous and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Further, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU, often referred to as Brexit, has created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the United Kingdom. In particular, it is unclear how data transfers to and from the United Kingdom will be regulated now that the United Kingdom has left the EU.
PRC Regulation
In the People's Republic of China, or PRC, we operate in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment. We are subject to a variety of PRC laws, rules and regulations affecting many aspects of our business. This section summarizes the principal PRC laws, rules and regulations that we believe are relevant to our business and operations.
PRC Drug Regulation
Introduction
China heavily regulates the development, approval, manufacturing and distribution of drugs, including biologics. The specific regulatory requirements applicable depend on whetherlegal framework for the drug is made and finishedadministration of pharmaceutical products in China which is referredestablished by the Drug Administration Law of the PRC (DAL) enacted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on September 20, 1984 and effective from July 1, 1985 (last amended on August 26, 2019, effective from December 1, 2019). The Drug Administration Law applies to as a domestically manufactured drug, or made abroadentities and imported into Chinaindividuals engaged in finished form, which is referred to as an imported drug,the development, production, trade, clinical use, as well as supervision and administration of pharmaceutical products by regulatory agencies. It provides for a framework for regulating pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical trading companies, medical institutions, and the approval or “registration” categoryresearch, development, manufacturing, distribution, packaging, pricing, and advertisement activities related to pharmaceutical products. The Implementing Measures of the drug. For both imported and domestically manufactured drugs, China typically requires regulatory approval for a clinical trial, or CTA, prior to submitting an application for marketing approval. For a domestically manufactured drug, there is also a requirement to have a drug manufacturing license for a facility in China.
In 2017, the drug regulatory system entered a new and significant period of reform. The State Council and the China Communist Party jointly issued the Opinion on Deepening the Reform of the Regulatory Approval System to Encourage Innovation in Drugs and Medical Devices, or the Innovation Opinion. The expedited programs and other advantages under this and other recent reforms encourage drug manufacturers to seek marketing approval in China first, manufacture domestically, and develop drugs in high priority disease areas, such as oncology.
To implement the regulatory reform introduced by the Innovation Opinion, the NMPA has been revising the fundamental laws, regulations and rules regulating pharmaceutical products and the industry, which include the framework law known as the PRC Drug Administration Law or DAL. The DAL is also generally implemented by a set of regulations issuedpromulgated by the State Council referred to as the DAL Implementing Regulation. The NMPA has its own set ofon August 4, 2002 and effective from September 15, 2002 and amended on February 6, 2016 and March 2, 2019 provides detailed implementation regulations implementing the DAL; the primary one governing clinical trial applications, marketing approval, and license renewal and amendment is known asfor the Drug Registration Regulation. AlthoughAdministration Law.
The Revised DAL
The DAL revised on August 26, 2019 (the "rDAL") embodies an expected regulatory trend to strengthen the life-cycle management of drugs, to balance the development of innovative drugs and generic drugs, and to enhance drug review and enforcement. It also reflects legislative efforts to address prominent problems of the pharmaceutical industry, such as counterfeit and substandard drugs and high drug prices.
The rDAL contains a dedicated chapter on the Marketing Authorization Holder (“MAH”) system. The MAH system has been trialed in a pilot program across 10 provinces since 2016. Upon the enactment of the rDAL, the MAH system will no longer be a pilot program but will be implemented nationwide. Subject to approval by the NMPA, made progressMAHs will be allowed to transfer their marketing authorizations. It is not sure whether the transferability of MAH will offer more flexibility in 2018 on different proposals, finalizing several guidelines and documents, as of January 2019 final implementing regulations for many of the reforms in the Innovation Opinion had not been announced, and therefore, the details regardingstructuring cross-border transactions. In addition, the implementation of the regulatoryMAH system will be accompanied by a range of new requirements for the MAHs. For example, a MAH must establish a quality assurance system and be responsible for the whole process and all aspects of preclinical research, clinical trials, manufacturing and distribution, post-marketing research, adverse drug reaction monitoring and reporting. A foreign MAH will be required to engage a local agent to fulfill the MAH’s obligations and the foreign MAH shall be subject to joint and several liability in the event of any wrongdoing. It is unclear how the scope of such joint liability will be defined.
The rDAL no longer requires the certification for GLP, good clinical practice ("GCP"), good supply practice ("GSP"), and GMP. However, drug manufacturers and drug distributors must still comply with current GMP and GSP requirements. Pursuant to the rDAL, NMPA and its local counterparts are directed to strengthen their surveillance of drug manufacturers and distributors, including through regular and continuous site inspections, to ensure their compliance. It remains to be seen how clinical trial institutions will ensure self-compliance with GCP requirements and whether there will be more inspections of clinical trial institutions.
The rDAL also requires MAHs, manufacturers, distributors, and medical institutions to establish and implement drug track and trace systems. The NMPA will issue related standards and regulations regarding drug track and trace system. A drug
pharmacovigilance system will also be established to monitor, identify, evaluate and control adverse drug reactions and other possible drug-related problems.
The rDAL creates an expanded access pathway for investigational drugs under which a company sponsor of a clinical trial in China can apply to establish an expanded access treatment program for patients with life-threatening disease who otherwise do not satisfy the inclusion criteria of a clinical trial. To quality for expanded access: (1) the drug must be used for life-threatening diseases that lack effective treatment; (2) the drug must have demonstrated its potential efficacy based on medical observations; (3) such use is in line with ethical principles; (4) such expanded use has been reviewed and approved (although the approval pathway not clear), and has obtained patients’ informed consent; and (5) the drug must be used within the clinical trial institution and used on patients with similar conditions.
The rDAL also significantly increases and expands penalties for violations. Depending on various types of violations, the DAL imposes different penalties, including warnings, confiscation of illegal gains, fines of up to RMB5 million (about $725,000) or up to 30 times of illegal gains, revocation of required business and operating licenses, certificates or approval documents for drugs, suspension of business, temporary (10 years) or permanent debarment of companies, institutions and responsible persons, and criminal liabilities in the case of serious violations.
On October 15, 2019, NMPA published draft measures for soliciting comments on drug registration, and on December 10, 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") published draft measures for soliciting comments on drug manufacturing and drug supply. These draft measures reflect the changes remained uncertain in some respects.the rDAL, including the MAH system, the abolishment of GLP, GCP, GSP and GMP certification, and the enhancement of administrative penalties on violations.
There are still uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the rDAL. We plan to closely monitor the implementation of the rDAL and its impact on our operations in China.
Regulatory Authorities and Recent Government Reorganization
In the PRC,China, the NMPA is the primary regulator for pharmaceutical products and businesses. The agency was newly formed from the prior China Food and Drug Administration or CFDA,("CFDA") in 2018 as part of a complete government reorganization. NMPA is no longer an independent agency. Its parent agency is now the newly organized State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR),SAMR, into which agencies responsible for, among other areas, consumer protection, advertising, anticorruption, pricing,antitrust, fair competition and intellectual property have been merged.
Like the CFDA, the NMPA is still the chief drug regulatory agency and implements the same laws, regulations, rules, and guidelines as the CFDA, and it regulates almost all of the key stages of the life-cycle of pharmaceutical products, including nonclinical studies, clinical trials, marketing approvals, manufacturing, advertising and promotion, distribution, and pharmacovigilance (i.e., post-marketing safety reporting obligations). The Center for Drug Evaluation or CDE,("CDE"), which remains under the NMPA, conducts the technical evaluation of each drug and biologic application for safety and effectiveness.efficacy.
The National Health Commission or NHC,("NHC") (formerly known by the names: thenames Ministry of Health (MOH)("MOH") and National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC)("NHFPC")), is China’s chief healthcare regulator. It is primarily responsible for overseeing the operation of medical institutions, which also serve as clinical trial sites, and regulating the licensure of hospitals and other medical personnel. The NHC plays a significant role in drug reimbursement. Furthermore, the NHC and its local counterparts at or below the provincial-level of local government also oversee and organize public medical institutions’ centralized bidding and procurement processprograms for pharmaceutical products. This is the chiefprimary way that public hospitals and their internal pharmacies acquireprocure drugs.
Also, as part of the 2018 reorganization, the PRC government formed a new State Medical Insurance Bureau which focuses on regulating reimbursement under the state-sponsored insurance plans.
Preclinical and Clinical Development
The NMPA requires preclinical data to support registration applications for imported and domesticnew drugs. Preclinical work, including pharmacology and toxicology studies, must meet the GLP standards, issued inon August 4, 2003 and amended on July 27, 2017. TheAlthough the rDAL no longer requires the NMPA accreditsto accredit GLP labs, andit still requires that nonclinical studies onof chemical drug substances and preparations and biologics that are not yet marketed in China be conducted there.in GLP-qualified labs. There are no approvals required from the NMPA to conduct preclinical studies.
Under the Regulations for the Administration of Affairs Concerning Experimental Animals issued by the State Science and Technology Commission ("SSTC") on November 14, 1988 (last amended on March 1, 2017), the Administrative Measures on Good Practice of Experimental Animals jointly issued by the SSTC and the State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision
on December 11, 1997, and the Administrative Measures on the Certificate for Experimental Animals (Trial) promulgated by SSTC and other regulatory authorities on December 5, 2001, a Certificate for Use of Laboratory Animals is required for performing experimentation on animals. Applicants for this certificate must satisfy a number of conditions, including (1) the environment and facilities for lab animals’ living and propagating must satisfy national requirements; (2) lab animals must be qualified and sourced from institutions with Certificates for Production of Lab Animals; and (3) the animals’ feeding and experimentation must be conducted by professionals, specialized and skilled workers, or other trained personnel.
Registration Categories
Prior to engaging with the NMPA on research and development and approval, an applicant will need to determine the registration category for its drug candidate (which will ultimately need to be confirmed with the NMPA), which will determine the requirements for its clinical trial and marketing application. There are five categories for small molecule drugs: Category 1 (“innovative drugs”) refers to drugs that have a new chemical entity that has not been marketed anywhere in the world, Category 2 (“improved new drugs”) refers to drugs with a new indication, dosage form, route of administration, combination, or certain formulation changes not approved in the world, Categories 3 and 4 are for generics that reference an innovator drug (or certain well-known generic drugs) marketed either abroad or in China, respectively, and Category 5 refers to innovative or generic drugs that have already been marketed abroad but are not yet approved in China (i.e., many imported drugs).
Therapeutic biologics follow a similar categorization, with Category 1 being new to the world, but with fifteen product-specific categories. Like with small molecule drugs, Category 1 is for innovative biologics that have not been approved inside or outside of China. A clear regulatory pathway for biosimilars does not yet exist, but something was proposed in a draft revision to an NMPA regulation in 2017. Each of zanubrutinib, tislelizumab, pamiparib and lifirafenib is classified as Category 1 based on the respective clinical trial approval from the NMPA, which is a favored category for clinical trial approval, or CTA, and marketing approval.
Expedited Programs
Priority Evaluation and Approval Programs to Encourage Innovation
The NMPA has adopted several expedited review and approval mechanisms since 2009 and created additional expedited programs in recent years that are intended to encourage innovation. Applications for these expedited programs can be submitted after the CTA is admitted for review by the CDE. Some of the current categories of drugs eligible for priority status that may be particularly relevant for us include: (1) Category 1 innovative drugs that have not been approved inside or outside of China; (2) oncology drugs; (3) drugs using advanced technology, innovative treatment methods, and having clear therapeutic benefit; and (4) new drugs for which clinical trials are already approved in the United States or European Union,EU, or for which marketing authorization applications have been filed simultaneously in China and in the United States or European UnionEU and are manufactured in China using the same production line that passed FDA or EMA inspection.
If admitted to one of these expedited programs, an applicant will be entitled to more frequent and timely communication with reviewers at the CDE, expedited review and approval, and more agency resources throughout the approval process. Each of our drug candidates, zanubrutinib, tislelizumab, pamiparib and lifirafenib, is classified as Category 1 based on the respective clinical trial approval from the NMPA.
NMPA also permits conditional approval of certain medicines based on early phase data. Post-approval the applicant may need to conduct a post-market study. The agency has done this for drugs that meet unmet clinical needs for life-threatening illnesses and also for drugs that treat orphan indications. In 2018, NMPA established a conditional approval program for drugs designated by the CDE that have been approved in the US, EU and Japan within the last 10 years and that meet one of three criteria (1) orphan indications, (2) drugs that treat life threatening illnesses for which there are not effective treatment or preventive methods, and (3) drugs that treat life threatening illnesses and that have a clear clinical advantage over other clinical therapies.
CDE Guideline on PD-1/L1 NDA
In addition to the programs and proposals above, the CDE has recently stated that it will permit applicants for PD-1/L1 agents to submit data on a rolling basis based on the current high unmet medical need for PD-1/L1 agents. In February 2018, the CDE released the Guideline on the Basic Requirements of Information and Data for NDA Submissions of anti-PD-1/L1 Monoclonal Antibody Products on recurrent and refractory advanced cancers without standard-of-care therapies. Under the guideline, the sponsor must have a pre-NDA meeting with the CDE regarding the data and the NDA submission. The CDE will permit the following submission for these applicants: (1) an initial NDA submission with full preliminary safety data and effectiveness data, including the results of at least two independent therapeutic efficacy assessments of all patients who are
currently enrolled pursuant to all of the protocol’s requirements; (2) during the CDE’s substantive technical review of the NDA,
submission on a rolling basis of follow-up safety and effectiveness data from at least six months from the time of the last enrolled patient showing the duration of the response; and (3) submission of all efficacy and safety data as provided for under the protocol before final approval is granted by the NMPA. Sponsors may also apply for priority review and approval for their NDA to accelerate the progress. If granted, priority status will be applied to various stages of the approval process, including testing, manufacturing site inspection, technical review, and clinical site inspection.
New Policies on Expediting Approval of Imported Oncology Drugs
The PRC government continues to establish measures and incentives to promote the development and swifter approval of marketing for oncology and other innovative drugs. Beginning in May 2018, the PRC eliminated tariffs on a significant number of imported innovative drugs, including oncology drugs, making the importation process more efficient. The PRC government has also stated that it will explore ways to expand access to reimbursement under the state health plans for innovative drugs (particularly for urgently needed oncology drugs).
Clinical Trials and Marketing Approval
Upon completion of preclinical studies, a sponsor typically needs to conduct clinical trials in China for registering a new drug. The materials required for this application and the data requirements are determined by the registration category. The NMPA has taken a number of steps to increase efficiency for approving CTAs, and it has also significantly increased monitoring and enforcement of GCP to ensure data integrity.
Trial Approval
All clinical trials conducted in China for the purpose of seeking marketing approvals must be approved by the NMPA and conducted at hospitals accredited by the NMPA. For imported drugs, proof of foreign approval is required prior to the trial, unless the drug has never been approved anywhere in the world.satisfying GCP requirements. In addition to a standalone China trial to support development, imported drug applicants may establish a site in China that is part of an international multicenter trial or IMCT,("IMCT") at the outset of the global trial. Domestically manufactured drugs are not subject to foreign approval requirements, and in contrast to prior practice, the NMPA has recently decided to permit those drugs to conduct development via an IMCT as well.
In 2015, the NMPA began to issue an umbrella approval for all phases (typically three) of a new drug clinical trial, instead of issuing approval phase by phase. For certain types of new drug candidates, clinical trial applications may be prioritized over other applications, and put in a separate expedited queue for approval. Category 1 drugs are new drug trials which would qualify for this expedited umbrella approval status. Other trials that are not part of these expedited lines could still wait up to a year for approval to conduct the trial.
The NMPArDAL has now also adopted a notificationan implied approval system for clinical trials of new drugs. Trials can proceed if after 60 business days, the applicant has not received any objections from the CDE, as opposed to the lengthier previous clinical trial pre-approval process in which the applicant had to wait for affirmative approval. China isThe rDAL also expandingexpands the number of trial sites by truncatingabolishing the timeline forGCP accreditation by converting it fromsystem and requiring trial sites to follow a pre-approval procedure into amore simplified notification procedure.
Trial Register
Pursuant to the Announcement on Drug Clinical Trial Information Platform issued by the NMPA on September 6, 2013, clinical trials approved by the NMPA and conducted in China must be registered and published through the Drug Clinical Trial Information Platform (http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn). The applicant shall pre-register the trial information within one month after obtaining the clinical trial approval to obtain the trial’s unique registration number and shall complete registration of certain follow-up information before the first subject’s enrollment in the trial. If the foregoing pre-registration and registration is not obtained within one year after obtaining the clinical trial approval, the applicant shall submit an explanation, and if the procedure is not completed within three years, the clinical trial approval automatically expires.
Human Genetic Resources ApprovalRegulation
On June 10, 2019, China's State Council promulgated the Regulation on the Administration of Human Genetic Resources (HGR Regulation), which became effective on July 1, 2019. The HGR Regulation applies to all human genetic resources (HGR)-related activities for R&D purposes, including sampling, biobanking, use of HGR materials and associated data in China, and provision of such to foreign parties.
According to the HGR Regulation, foreign parties (including foreign entities and entities established or actually controlled by foreign entities and individuals) seeking access to China’s HGRs for scientific research, including clinical trials intended to support marketing approval of drugs and medical devices in China, must do so only through collaborations with Chinese parties. The HGR Regulation now prohibits foreign parties from independently sampling or biobanking any China HGR in China and it adds an approval requirement for the sampling of certain HGR and biobanking of all HGR by Chinese parties. Any cross-border transfer of the HGR materials, either under an international collaboration or as a direct export, must be on an as-needed basis and requires approval. In addition, providing the HGR data to foreign parties requires a record filing.
Another significant change is the HGR Regulation replaced the advance approval requirement with a record-filing procedure for international collaborations on clinical trials intended to support marketing approval of drugs in China that do not transfer HGR materials abroad, while the advance approval requirement still applies if such trials involve export of HGR
materials or the collection, testing, analysis or disposals of HGR samples during the trials are not solely conducted at the clinical trial sites. It is unclear how this record-filing procedure will be implemented in practice and to what extent companies will benefit from it.
The HGR Regulation retains the provision in the Interim Measures for the Administration of Human Genetic Resources an additional approval is requiredissued in 1998 (the "Interim Measures") that parties should jointly apply for any foreign companies or foreign affiliates that conduct trials in China. Prior to entering into a clinical trial agreement and beginning a trial,own the foreign sponsor and the Chinese clinical trial site are required to obtain human genetic resources, or HGR, approval to collect any biological samples that contain the genetic material of Chinese human subjects from the Ministry of Science and Technology, and any cross-border transfer of the samples or associated data requires additional approval. Furthermore, one of the key review points for the HGR review and approval process is the IP sharing arrangement between Chinese and foreign parties. The parties are required to share patent rights to inventions arising from the samples. Conducting a clinical trialresults generated from international collaborations that utilize China HGR. Subject to approval, the parties may contractually agree on how to dispose of their patent rights and non-patent proprietary rights arising from the collaboration. As the joint ownership requirement is rather broad, it is unclear how this requirement will be implemented in China without obtaining the relevantpractice.
The HGR preapproval will subject the sponsorRegulation also significantly increases and trial site to administrative liability,expands penalties for various violations, including warnings, disgorgement of illegal gains, confiscation of illegal HGR, samplesfines up to RMB10 million ($1,450,000) or 5-10 times of illegal gains in the event such illegal gains exceed RMB1 million ($145,000), and associated data,temporary (1-5 years) or permanent debarment of companies, institutions and administrative fines.responsible persons from future HGR projects regulated by the HGR Regulation.
As uncertainties exist as to how the HGR Regulation may be interpreted and implemented, we are still evaluating its potential impact on our HGR-related activities and practices. We expect that HGR-related activities will receive greater attention and focus from regulators going forward.
Trial Exemptions and Acceptance of Foreign Data
The NMPA may reduce requirements for trials and data, depending on the drug and the existing data. The NMPA has granted waivers for all or part of trials, and has stated that it will accept data generated abroad (even if not part of a global study), including early phase data, that meets its requirements. On July 6, 2018, the NMPA issued the Technical Guidance Principles on Accepting Foreign Drug Clinical Trial Data or the Guidance Principles,(the “Guidance Principles”), as one of the implementing rules for the Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Evaluation and Approval Systems and Encouraging Innovation Opinion.on Drugs and Medical Devices (the “Innovation Opinion”). According to the Guidance Principles, the data of foreign clinical trials must meet the authenticity, completeness and accuracy requirements and such data must be obtained consistentin compliance with the relevant requirements under the Good Clinical Trial Practice (GCP)GCP of the International Conference on HarmonisationHarmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH)("ICH"). Sponsors must be attentive to potentially meaningful ethnic differences in the subject population.
The NMPA now officially permits, and its predecessor agencies have permitted on a case-by-case basis in the past, drugs approved outside of China to be approved in China on a conditional basis without the need for pre-approval clinical trials insidein China. Specifically, in 2018, the NMPA established a program permitting drugs that have been approved within the last ten years in the United States, EU or Japan and that i)to be approved in China on a conditional basis without local clinical trials if they (1) prevent or treat orphan diseases, ii)(2) prevent or treat serious life-threatening illnesses for which there is either no effective therapy in China, or for which the foreign-approved drug would have clear clinical advantages. Applicants for such conditional approvals will be required to establish a risk mitigation plan and may be required to complete trials in China after the drug is marketed.approved. The CDE has developed a list of qualifying drugs that meet thisthese criteria.
Clinical Trial Process and Good Clinical Practices
Typically drug clinical trials in China have three phases. Phase 1 refers to the initial clinical pharmacology and human safety evaluation studies. Phase 2 refers to the preliminary evaluation of a drug candidate’s therapeutic efficacy and safety for target indication(s) in patients. Phase 3 (often the pivotal study) refers to clinical trials to further verify the drug candidate’s therapeutic efficacy and safety on patients with target indication(s) and ultimately provide sufficient evidence for the review of a drug registration application. The NMPA requires that the different phases of clinical trials in China receive ethics committee approval prior to approval of the CTA and comply with GCP. The NMPA conducts inspections on clinical trials conducted in China to assess GCP compliance and will cancelmay refuse to approve the CTAdrug if it finds substantial issues.issues in the trials. In addition, upon granting the drug registration certificate, NMPA may, at its sole discretion, require a Phase 4 trial to be conducted by MAH within a specified period of time so as to further monitor and obtain safety and efficacy data of the drug.
Generic small molecule drugs are required to conduct a bioequivalence trial, in vitro studies or in some cases a clinical trial to demonstrate therapeutic equivalence to an innovator drug marketed either in China or abroad or an internationally accepted generic drug. The NMPA has released catalogues of reference products, and it released a first installment of a Marketed Drug List (China’s “Orange Book”) with information about drugs that may serve as reference products.
Pursuant to GCP, the sponsor of a clinical trial shall be responsible for proper packaging and labeling of drugs used for clinical trials, and in double-blinded clinical trials, the investigational drugs shall be consistent with the control drug or placebo in appearance, odor, packaging, labeling, and certain other features. According to the Measures for the Administration of
Pharmaceutical Packaging promulgated on February 12, 1988 and effective from September 1, 1988, pharmaceutical packaging must comply with national and professional standards. If there is no national or professional standard available, companies may formulate and implement its own standards after obtaining the approval of the provincial administration for medical products or bureau of standards. Changes in such approved packaging standards need to be re-approved. Drugs of which the packaging standards are not approved shall not be released or marketed in China (except for those specifically supplied to the military).
New Drug Application (NDA)("NDA") and Approval
Upon completion of clinical trials, a sponsor may submit clinical trial data to support marketing approval for the drug. For imported drugs, this means issuance of an import license. Again, the applicant must submit evidence of foreign approval, unless it is an innovative drug that has never been approved anywhere in the world.
NDA sponsors must submit data derived from domestically manufactured drugs in support of a drug approval. Under the current regime,rDAL, upon approval of the registration application, the NMPA will first issue a new drug registration certificate to the applicant. Only whenapplicant which is in fact the marketing approval of the drug, and the applicant is no longer required to be equipped with relevant manufacturing capability will the NMPA issue a Drug Approval Serial Number, which is effectively the marketing approval allowing the holder to market/commercialize the drug in China.
China has recently implemented a Drug Marketing Authorization Holder Mechanism. The MAH pilot program permits research institutions and individual entities to develop and hold the marketing approvals for drugs without holding a drug manufacturing license. Domestically established research institutions (including domestic companies) can apply through an MAH pilot program if they are established in one of 10 designated provinces (including Beijing and Shanghai), which is now being expanded nationwide in China. The MAHs may engage contract manufacturers and distributors.
The MAH program was originally set up as a pilot program until November 2018. China has now that stated it will expand the program nationwide and make it permanent. Implementing legislation has been proposed, and the MAH pilot has been renewed for one more year until November 2019 in the interim. The Innovation Opinion indicates that China will strive to implement the MAH system nationally as soon as possible by amending the DAL. The NMPA has proposed revisions to accomplish this purpose, but the timeline to finalize these proposals is still unclear.
capability.
Manufacturing and Distribution
According to the DAL,rDAL, all facilities that make drugs in China must receive a drug manufacturing license with an appropriate “scope of manufacturing” from the local drug regulatory authority. This license must be renewed every five years. A separate certification ofyears, and the manufacturing facility is also required to be in compliance with GMP is also required.GMP.
Similarly, to conduct sales, importation, shipping and storage (“distribution activities”), a company must obtain a Drug Distribution License from the local drug regulatory authority, subject to renewal every five years. Like with GMPs, a separate certification ofcompanies are required to be in compliance with NMPA’s drug good supply practice, or GSP, is required.GSP.
China has formed a “Two Invoice“Two-Invoice System” to control distribution of prescription drugs. The “Two-Invoice System” generally requires that no more than two invoices may be issued throughout the distribution chain, with one from the manufacturer to a distributor and another from the distributor to the end-user hospital. This excludes the sale of products invoiced from the manufacturer to its wholly owned or controlled distributors, or for imported drugs, to their exclusive distributor, or from a distributor to its wholly owned or controlled subsidiary (or between the wholly owned or controlled subsidiaries). However, the system still significantly limits the options for companies to use multiple distributors to reach a larger geographic area in China. Compliance with the Two-Invoice System will become a prerequisite for pharmaceutical companies to participate in procurement processes with public hospitals, which currently provide most of China’s healthcare. Manufacturers and distributors that fail to implement the Two-Invoice System may lose their qualifications to participate in the bidding process. Non-compliant manufacturers may also be blacklisted from engaging in drug sales to public hospitals in a locality.
The Two-Invoice System was first implemented in 11 provinces that are involved in pilot comprehensive medical reforms, but the program has expanded to nearly all provinces, which have their own individual rules for the program.
Post-Marketing Surveillance
The manufacturer or marketing authorization holderUnder the rDAL, the MAH of a drug is primarilyultimately responsible for pharmacovigilance, including quality assurance, adverse reaction reporting and monitoring, and product recalls. Distributors and user entities (e.g., hospitals) are also required to report, in their respective roles, adverse reactions of the products they sell or use, and assist with the manufacturer of the product recall. A drug that is currently under the new drug monitoring period has to report all adverse drug reactions (as opposed to just serious adverse reactions) for that period.
Advertising and Promotion of Pharmaceutical Products
China has a strict regime for the advertising of approved medicines. No unapproved medicines may be advertised. The definition of an advertisement is very broad, and does not expressly exclude scientific exchange. It can be any media that directly or indirectly introduces the product to end users. There is no clear line between advertising and any other type of promotion.
An enterprise seeking to advertise a prescription drug may do so only in medical journals jointly approved by NMPA and the NHC, and each advertisement requires approval from a local drug regulatory authority. The content of an approved advertisement may not be altered without filing a new application for approval.
Prescription drug advertisements are subject to strict content restrictions, which prohibit recommendations by doctors and hospitals and guarantees of effectiveness. Advertising that includes content that is outside of the drug’s approval documentation (“off-label content”) is prohibited. False advertising can result in civil suits from end users and administrative liability,
including fines. In addition to advertisements, non-promotional websites that convey information about a drug must go through a separate approval process by a local drug regulatory authority.
Regulatory Intellectual Property Protections
Non-patent exclusivitiesOn January 15, 2020, the United States and China signed the Economic and Trade Agreement Between the United States of America and the PRC (the “Trade Agreement”). Among other things, China has agreed to provide for effective protection and enforcement of pharmaceutical-related intellectual property rights, including patents and undisclosed test or other data submitted as a condition of marketing approval, as further described below. These provisions of the Trade Agreement will need to be implemented in China.
Non-Patent Exclusivities
New Drug Monitoring Period
Currently, new varieties of domestically produced drugs approved under Categories 1 or 2 in China may be placed under a monitoring period for three to five years. Category 1 innovative drugs will be monitored for five years. During the monitoring period, the NMPA will not approve another CTA from another applicant for the same type of drug, except if another sponsor
has an approved CTA at the time that the monitoring period is initiated it may proceed with its trial and once approved become another drug that is part of the monitoring period.
Regulatory Data Protection
The Innovation Opinion also lays the foundation forto improve and implement the establishment of a system for regulatory data protection to protect innovators. This protection will be available to the undisclosed clinical trial data of drugs falling into the following categories: innovative drugs, innovative therapeutic biologics, drugs that treat orphan diseases, pediatric drugs, and drugs for which there has been a successful patent challenge. In the Trade Agreement, China has committed to providing for effective protection of undisclosed test or other data submitted as a condition of marketing approval.
NMPA published a draft on Implementing Regulations for Pharmaceutical Study Data Protection for public comment that would set regulatory data protection for innovative small molecule drugs at six years and for innovative therapeutic biologics at 12 years; pediatric and orphan drugs would receive six years to run concurrently from their approval dates. Full terms of protection would require reliance on local trials or sites of multi-center trials in China and simultaneous submissions of marketing applications in China and other countries. Submissions in China that are up to six years later than those abroad would result in the term being reduced to 1-5 years. Submissions over six years later in China may not receive protection.
There is also a reduction if the marketing application is filed in China based solely on overseas clinical data with no Chinese subjects (75% reduction) or based on supplemental “China clinical trial data” (50% reduction). Information about the exclusivity term will be included in a Marketed Drug List (similar to the Orange Book in the US) at the time of approval. Some mechanics of these proposed rules are not yet clear, and it is not certain when the proposed rules will be finalized.
Patent-Related Protections
Patent Linkage
The Innovation Opinion also sets forth the basic elements of a patent linkage system to protect innovators, in which a follow-on applicant will be required to specify patents that are relevant to its application and notify relevant patent right holders (including, innovators) within a specified period after filing its application, permitting them to sue to protect their rights. The system will require that the NMPA continue to review the potentially infringing follow-on application during any lawsuit by the innovator. However, the NMPA may not approve the follow-on application pending resolution of the patent litigation in favor of the follow-on application or for a specified period of time, whichever is shorter. This reformSimilarly, the Trade Agreement also adopts certain elements of a patent linkage system: notice to the patent right holder of the follow-on application; and time and opportunity for that right holder to sue and seek expeditious remedies to obtain a timely resolution of the patent dispute. However, the Trade Agreement does not explicitly mention a stay of marketing approval of the follow-on application. It will require legislation and implementing regulations. To date, the NMPA hasregulations to introduce a patent linkage system into China, and it is not issued the relevant implementing regulations.clear when these will be adopted and implemented.
Patent Term Extension
In early 2019, pursuant to the Innovation Opinion, the National People’s Congress issued a proposal for patent term extension as part of a proposed amendment to the Patent Law. Under this proposal, the State Council may grant a patent term extension of up to five years to compensate for delays in the review process for innovative drugs that are applying
simultaneously for marketing approval in both China and abroad. The patent term may not be extended to more than 14 years post-marketing. The Trade Agreement also provides for patent term extension to compensate for unreasonable delay that occurs during pharmaceutical product marketing approvals. It is not clear when this will be finalized.implemented.
Reimbursement and Pricing
China’s national medical insurance program was adopted pursuant to the Decision of the State Council on the Establishment of the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance Program issued by the State Council in 1998, under which all employers in urban cities are required to enroll their employees in the basic medical insurance program. The insurance premium is jointly contributed by the employers and employees. In 2007, the State Council promulgated Guiding Opinions of the State Council about the Pilot Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance, , under which urban residents of the pilot district, rather than urban employees, may voluntarily join Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance. Participants of the national medical insurance program and their employers, if any, are required to contribute to the payment of insurance premiums on a monthly basis. Program participants are eligible for full or partial reimbursement of the cost of medicines included in the National Reimbursement Drug List or NRDL.(the "NRDL"). A pharmaceutical product listed in the NRDL must be clinically needed, safe, effective, reasonably priced, easy to use, and available in sufficient quantity.
Factors that affect the inclusion of a pharmaceutical product in the NRDL include whether the product is consumed in large volumes and commonly prescribed for clinical use in the PRC and whether it is considered to be important in meeting the basic healthcare needs of the general public. Since 2016, special consideration has been given to, among others, innovative drugs with high clinical value and drugs for serious diseases. In addition, the PRC Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
has also been negotiating with manufacturers of expensive drugs with high clinical demands and proven effectiveness for price cuts in exchange for inclusion into the NRDL. The version of the NRDL released in 20172019 covers 2,5352,643 drugs in total, including 339148 new additions and 150 new deletions as compared with the previous version, with an emphasis on innovative drugs and drugs that treat cancer and other serious diseases. China has been pursuing a policy of expediting the addition of innovative oncology drugs to this list. In 2018,2019, 17 more oncology drugs, including VIDAZA(azacytidine), were added into the NRDL by the State Medical Insurance Bureau.
Government price controlsPrice Controls
The Chinese government has abolished the 15-year-old government-led pricing system for drugs, and lifted the maximum retail price for most drugs, including drugs reimbursed by government medical insurance funds, patented drugs, and some other drugs. The government regulates prices mainly by establishing a consolidated procurement mechanism, restructuring medical insurance reimbursement standards and strengthening regulation of medical and pricing practices as discussed below.
Centralized procurementProcurement and tendersTenders
Under current regulations, public medical institutions owned by the government or owned by state-owned or controlled enterprises are required to purchase pharmaceutical products through centralized online procurement processes. There are exceptions for drugs on the National List of Essential Drugs, which must comply with their own procurement rules, and for certain drugs subject to the central government’s special control such as toxic, radioactive and narcotic drugs, and traditional Chinese medicines.
The centralized procurement process takes the form of public tenders operated by provincial or municipal-level government agencies. The centralized tender process is typically conducted once every year. The bids are assessed by a committee randomly selected from a database of experts. The committee members assess the bids based on a number of factors, including but not limited to bid price, product quality, clinical effectiveness, product safety, level of technology, qualifications and reputation of the manufacturer, after-sale services and innovation.
Over the last decade, the government has been using various methods to ensure that drugs are offered at affordable prices. In 2009, the central government announced a campaign to implement a “zero markup” policy on essential drugs among basic healthcare institutions, which has been fully implemented nationwide. In addition, some local government have begun to allow medical institutions to collectively negotiate with manufacturers for a second price to further lower the already agreed bid price. The newly adopted Two-Invoice System is also aimed to reduce price mark-ups brought about by multi-tier distribution chains.
On January 1, 2019, the State Council approved a volume-based, centralized drug procurement program as part of a trial in 11 major cities in an effort to deepen the reform of the medical and health sector and optimize the pricing of drugs. According to the State Council, in these 11 cities, drugs will be selected from generic brands for volume-based, centralized drug procurement. The selected drugs must pass the equivalence evaluation on quality and efficacy. The program is aimed at further lowering drug costs for patients, reducing transaction costs for enterprises, regulating drug use by institutions, and improving the centralized drug procurement and pricing system. All approved enterprises that produce drugs on the procurement list in
China may participate. Clinical effects, adverse reactions, and batch stability of the drugs will be considered, and their consistency will be the main criteria for evaluation, while production capacity and stability of the supplier will also be considered. On September 30, 2019, nine ministry-level agencies (including the State Medical Insurance Bureau, NMPA, and NHC) jointly issued a plan intending to expand this program nationwide.
Other PRC national-National and provincial-level lawsProvincial Laws and regulationsRegulations
We are subject to changing regulations under many other laws and regulations administered by governmental authorities at the national, provincial and municipal levels, some of which are or may become applicable to our business. For example, regulations control the confidentiality of patients’ medical information and the circumstances under which patient medical information may be released for inclusion in our databases or released by us to third parties. The privacy of human subjects in clinical trials is also protected under regulations. For example, the case report forms must avoid disclosing names of the human subjects.
These laws and regulations governing both the disclosure and the use of confidential patient medical information may become more restrictive in the future, including restrictions on transfer of healthcare data. The Cybersecurity Law that took effect in 2017 designates healthcare as a priority area that is part of critical information infrastructure, and China’s cyberspace administration is working to finalize a draft rule on cross-border transfer of personal information.
PRC Regulation of Foreign Investment
On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress published the Foreign Investment Law of the PRC (the “Foreign Investment Law”), and on December 26, 2019, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules to the Foreign Investment Law of the PRC (the “Implementing Rules”) to further clarify and elaborate the relevant provisions of the Foreign Investment Law. The Foreign Investment Law and the Implementing Rules, both took effect on January 1, 2020. The Foreign Investment Law and the Implementing Rules replaced major previous laws and regulations governing foreign investment in China. They establish the basic framework for the access to, and the promotion, protection and administration of foreign investments in view of investment protection and fair competition and embody an expected regulatory trend to rationalize China’s foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. The Implementing Rules further clarified that the state encourages and promotes foreign investment, protects the lawful rights and interests of foreign investors, regulates foreign investment administration, continues to optimize foreign investment environment, and advances a higher-level opening.
The Foreign Investment Law and the Implementing Rules provide that a system of pre-entry national treatment and negative list shall be applied for the administration of foreign investments, where “pre-entry national treatment” means that the treatment given to foreign investors and their investments at market access stage is no less favorable than that given to domestic investors and their investments, and “negative list” means the special administrative measures for foreign investment’s access to specific fields or industries, which will be proposed by the competent investment department of the State Council in conjunction with the competent commerce department of the State Council and other relevant departments, and be reported to the State Council for promulgation, or be promulgated by the competent investment department or competent commerce department of the State Council after being reported to the State Council for approval. Foreign investments beyond the negative list will be granted national treatment. Foreign investors shall not invest in the prohibited fields as specified in the negative list, and foreign investors who invest in the restricted fields shall comply with the special requirements on the shareholding, senior management personnel, etc. In the meantime, relevant competent government departments will formulate a catalogue of industries for which foreign investments are encouraged according to the needs for national economic and social development, to list the specific industries, fields and regions in which foreign investors are encouraged and guided to invest. The current industry entry clearance requirements governing investment activities in Chinathe PRC by foreign investors are principally governed byset out in two categories, namely the GuidanceSpecial Entry Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2019 version), and the Encouraged Industry Catalogue of Industries for Foreign Investment or the Catalogue, which was(2019 version) (the “2019 Encouraged Industry Catalogue”), both were promulgated and is amended from time to time by the MOFCOM and the National Development and Reform Commission. Pursuant to the latest Catalogue which came into effect in July 2017 with the latest amendment being effective as of July 2018, or the 2017 Catalogue, industries are divided into two categories: encouraged industriesCommission and the industries within the catalogueMinistry of special management measures, or the Negative List. The Negative List is further divided into two sub-categories: restricted industriesCommerce (the “MOFCOM”) and prohibited industries. Establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises is generally allowed in industries outside of the Negative List. For the restricted industries within the Negative List, some are limited to equity or contractual joint ventures, while in some cases Chinese partners are required to hold the majority interests in such joint ventures. In addition, restricted category projects are subject to government approvals and certain special
requirements. Foreign investors are not allowed to invest in industries in the prohibited category.took effect on July 30, 2019. Industries not listed in the Cataloguethese two categories are generally open todeemed “permitted” for foreign investmentinvestments unless specifically restricted by other PRC regulations.laws. Pursuant to the 20172019 Encouraged Industry Catalogue, the research, development and manufacture of innovative oncology drugs and certain other kinds of pharmaceutical products falls in the encouraged industries for foreign investment.
On December 30, 2019, the MOFCOM and the SAMR jointly promulgated Measures for Information Reporting on Foreign Investment, which became effective on January 1, 2020. Pursuant to the Measures for Information Reporting on Foreign Investment, where a foreign investor carries out investment activities in China directly or indirectly, the foreign investor or the foreign-invested enterprise shall submit the investment information to the competent commerce department.
Regulations Relating to Product Liability
In addition to the strict new drug approval process, certain PRC laws have been promulgated to protect the rights of consumers and to strengthen the control of medical products in the PRC, pursuant to which manufacturers and vendors of defective products in the PRC may incur liability for loss and injury caused by such products. Pursuant to the General Principles of the Civil Law of the PRC (the "PRC Civil Law") promulgated on April 12, 1986 and amended on August 27, 2009, a defective product which causes property damage or physical injury to any person may subject the manufacturer or vendor of such product to civil liability for such damage or injury.
The Product Quality Law of the PRC promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on February 22, 1993 and amended on July 8, 2000, August 27, 2009 and December 29, 2018, respectively, is the principal governing law relating to the supervision and administration of product quality, aiming to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the end-users and consumers. According to the Product Quality Law, manufacturers shall be liable for the quality of products produced by them, and sellers shall take measures to ensure the quality of the products sold by them. A manufacturer shall be liable for compensating for any bodily injuries or property damages resulting from the defects in the product, unless the manufacturer is able to prove that: (1) the product has never been distributed; (2) the defects causing injuries or damages did not exist at the time when the product was distributed; or (3) the science and technology at the time when the product was distributed was at a level incapable of detecting the defects. A seller shall be liable for compensating for any bodily injuries or property damages of others caused by the defects in the product if such defects are attributable to the seller. A seller shall pay compensation if it fails to indicate either the manufacturer or the supplier of the defective product. A person who is injured or whose property is damaged by the defects in the product may claim for compensation from the manufacturer or the seller.
Pursuant to the Tort Liability Law of the PRC promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on December 26, 2009 and effective from July 1, 2010, manufacturers shall assume tort liabilities where the defects in products cause damages to others. Sellers shall assume tort liabilities where the defects in products that have caused damages to others are attributable to the sellers. The aggrieved party may claim for compensation from the manufacturer or the seller of the defected product that has caused damage.
The Law of the PRC on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Consumers was promulgated on October 31, 1993 and was amended on August 27, 2009 and October 25, 2013 to protect consumers’ rights when they purchase or use goods and accept services. All business operators must comply with this law when they manufacture or sell goods and/or provide services to customers. Under the amendment on October 25, 2013, all business operators shall pay high attention to protect the customers’ privacy and strictly keep it confidential any consumer information they obtain during the business operation. In addition, in extreme situations, pharmaceutical product manufacturers and operators may be subject to criminal liability if their goods or services lead to the death or injuries of customers or other third parties.
Regulations Relating to Commercial Bribery
Pharmaceutical companies involved in a criminal investigation or administrative proceedings related to bribery are listed in the Adverse Records of Commercial Briberies by the provincial health and family planning administrative departments, which have been merged into the provincial health commissions. Pursuant to the Provisions on the Establishment of Adverse Records of Commercial Briberies in the Medicine Purchase and Sales Industry which became effective on March 1, 2014, provincial health commissions formulate the implementing measures for establishment of Adverse Records of Commercial Briberies. If a pharmaceutical company or its agent is listed in the Adverse Records of Commercial Briberies at the provincial level, public medical institutions located in the local provincial level region are prohibited from making any purchase from the company for two years. Where a pharmaceutical company or its agent is listed in the adverse records on two or more occasions within five years, all public medical institutions in China are not permitted to purchase any products from that company for two years.
Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange
The Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations are the principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in China. Under the PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, may be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange or SAFE,("SAFE") by complying with certain procedural requirements. In contrast, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities or designated banks is required when RMB is to be converted into a foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of foreign currency-denominated loans.
Under current regulations, the capital of a foreign-invested enterprise and capital in RMB obtained by the foreign-invested enterprise from foreign exchange settlement must not be used for the following purposes: directly or indirectly used for the payment beyond the business scope of the enterprises or the payment prohibited by relevant laws and regulations; directly or
indirectly used for investment in securities, unless otherwise provided by relevant laws and regulations; extending loans to non-related parties, unless permitted by the scope of business; and/or paying the expenses related to the purchase of real estate that is not for self-use, except for the real estate enterprises.
In 2017, new regulations were adopted which, among other things, relax the policy restriction on foreign exchange inflow to further enhance trade and investment facilitation and tighten genuineness and compliance verification of cross-border transactions and cross-border capital flows.
On October 23, 2019, SAFE issued the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Promoting the Facilitation of Cross-border Trade and Investment (“Circular 28”), which took effect on the same day. Circular 28 allows non-investment foreign-invested enterprises to use their capital funds to make equity investments in China, provided that such investments do not violate the effective special entry management measures for foreign investment (negative list) and the target investment projects are genuine and in compliance with laws. Since Circular 28 was only issued recently, its interpretation and implementation in practice are still subject to substantial uncertainty.
Regulations Relating to Dividend Distributions
The principal laws, rules and regulations governing dividend distributions by foreign-invested enterprisescompanies in the PRC are the PRC Company Law, as amended, the Wholly Foreign-owned EnterpriseForeign Investment Law and its implementating regulations, and the Sino-foreign Joint Venture Law and its implementing regulations.Implementing Rules. Under these requirements, foreign-invested enterprisescompanies may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profit, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Both PRC domestic companies and wholly-foreign ownedforeign invested PRC enterprisescompanies are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain capital reserve funds until the aggregate amount of these reserve funds have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises.companies. A PRC company is not permitted to distribute any profits until any losses from prior fiscal years have been offset. Profits retained from prior fiscal years may be distributed together with distributable profits from the current fiscal year.
Labor Laws and Social Insurance
Pursuant to the PRC Labor Law and the PRC Labor Contract Law, employers must execute written labor contracts with full-time employees. All employers must comply with local minimum wage standards. Employers must establish a comprehensive management system to protect the rights of their employees, including a system governing occupational health and safety to provide employees with occupational training to prevent occupational injury, and employers are required to truthfully inform prospective employees of the job description, working conditions, location, occupational hazards and status of safe production as well as remuneration and other conditions. Violations of the PRC Labor Contract Law and the PRC Labor Law may result in the imposition of fines and other administrative and criminal liability in the case of serious violations.
In addition, according to the PRC Social Insurance Law, employers like our PRC subsidiaries in China must provide employees with welfare schemes covering pension insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance and housing funds. These payments are made to local administrative authorities, and any employer who fails to contribute may be fined and ordered to pay the deficit amount within a stipulated time limit.
Rest of World Regulation
For other countries outside of the United States and the PRC, the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, drug licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary from country to country. In all cases the clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with GCP requirements and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles having their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Employees
As of January 31, 2019,2020, we had approximately 2,2003,500 employees. We have also engaged and may continue to engage independent contractors to assist us with our operations. None of our employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We have never experienced any employment-related work stoppages, and we consider our relations with our employees to be good.
Financial Information
The financial information required under this Item 1 is incorporated herein by reference to the section of this Annual Report titled “Part II-Item 8-Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” For financial information regarding our business, see “Part II-Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report and our consolidated audited financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Corporate Information
We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability on October 28, 2010. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The principal executive office of our research and development operations is located at No. 30 Science Park Road, Zhong-Guan-Cun Life Science Park, Changping District, Beijing 102206, People’s Republic of China.PRC. Our telephone number at this address is +86 10 58958000. Our current registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Mourant Governance Services (Cayman) Limited, 94 Solaris Avenue, Camana Bay, Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands. Our website address is www.beigene.com. We do not incorporate the information on or accessible through our website into this Annual Report, and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this Annual Report.
We own various registered trademarks, trademark applications and unregistered trademarks and servicemarks,service marks, including the name "BeiGene", and our corporate logo. All other trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this Annual Report are the property of their respective holders. Solely for convenience, some of the trademarks and trade names in this document are referred to without the ® and ™ symbols, but such references should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trademarks and trade names to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
Available Information
We make available on or through our website certain reports and amendments to those reports that we file with or furnish to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended or the Exchange Act.(the "Exchange Act"). These include our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and our 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. We also make available, free of charge on our website, the reports filed with the SEC by our executive officers, directors and 10% shareholders pursuant to Section 16 under the Exchange Act. Additionally, we make available on our website our Hong Kong securities filings.filings with the HKEx. We make this information available on or through our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the information with, or furnish it to, the SEC and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited.HKEx. We use our website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following section includes the most significant factors that we believe may adversely affect our business and operations. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and all information contained in this Annual Report, including our financial statements and the related notes and “Part II-Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before deciding to invest in our ADSs or ordinary shares. The occurrence of any of the events or developments described below could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. In such an event, the market price of our ADSs and ordinary shares could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations.
Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Drugs and Drug Candidates
Our drugs and any future approved drug candidates may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors, and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
Our drugs and any future approved drug candidates may fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. For example, current cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy are well established in the medical community, and doctors may continue to rely on these treatments to the exclusion of our drugs and drug candidates. In addition, physicians, patients and third-party payors may prefer other novel or generic products to ours. If our drugs and drug candidates do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, the sales of our drugs may be limited and we may not generate significant product revenues and we may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our drugs and drug candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:
the clinical indications for which our drugs and drug candidates are approved;
physicians, hospitals, cancer treatment centers, and patients considering our drugs and drug candidates as safe and effective treatments;
government agencies, professional societies, practice management groups, insurance carriers, physicians’ groups, private health and science foundations, and organizations publishing guidelines and recommendations recommending our drugs and reimbursement;
the potential and perceived advantages of our drugs and drug candidates over alternative treatments;
the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
product labeling or product insert requirements of regulatory authorities;
limitations or warnings contained in the labeling approved by regulatory authorities;
the timing of market introduction of our drugs and drug candidates as well as competitive drugs;
the cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments;
the availability of adequate coverage, reimbursement and pricing by third-party payors and government authorities;
the willingness of patients to pay out-of-pocket in the absence of coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors and government authorities; and
the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts.
If any drugs that we commercialize fail to achieve market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals, third-party payors, cancer treatment centers or others in the medical community, we will not be able to generate significant revenue. Even if our drugs achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to maintain that market acceptance over time if new products or technologies are introduced that are more favorably received than our drugs, are more cost effective or render our drugs obsolete.
We have limited experience in launching and marketing our internally developed drugs and third-party drugs. If we are unable to further develop marketing and sales capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell our drugs and third-party drugs, we may not be able to generate substantial product sales revenue.
In 2017, in connection with our strategic collaboration with Celgene Logistics Sàrl, a Bristol-Myers Squibb company ("BMS"), we were granted an exclusive license in the People's Republic of China ("PRC" or "China"), excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, to commercialize BMS’s approved cancer therapies, ABRAXANE®, REVLIMID®, and VIDAZA®, and acquired BMS’s commercial operations in China, excluding certain functions. We started marketing BMS’s approved drugs in September 2017.
In October 2019, we entered into a strategic collaboration with Amgen with respect to its commercial-stage oncology products XGEVA® (which received approval from the National Medical Products Administration ("NMPA") and was made available in China in September 2019), KYPROLIS® and BLINCYTO® and 20 clinical- and late-preclinical-stage oncology pipeline products, and the agreement became effective on January 2, 2020. In connection with this strategic collaboration, we are authorized to commercialize the oncology products of Amgen in China for five or seven years and have the option to retain one of the three oncology products to commercialize for as long as the product is sold in China. For each pipeline product that is approved in China, we will also have the right to commercialize the pipeline product for seven years in China and the right to retain approximately one of every three approved pipeline assets, up to a total of six, other than AMG 510, for commercialization in China.
In November 2019, our BTK inhibitor BRUKINSA™ (zanubrutinib) received accelerated approval from the FDA as a treatment for mantle cell lymphoma ("MCL") in adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy and we launched BRUKINSA in the United States soon after approval. In December 2019, our anti-PD-1 antibody tislelizumab received approval from the NMPA as a treatment for patients with classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma ("cHL") who have received at least two prior therapies. We expect to launch tislelizumab in China in the first quarter of 2020.
We continue to build our salesforce in China and the United States to commercialize our internally developed drugs (including BRUKINSA and tislelizumab) and third-party drugs, and any additional drugs or drug candidates that we may develop or in-license, which will require significant capital expenditures, management resources and time.
We have limited experience in commercializing our internally developed drugs, such as BRUKINSA and tislelizumab, and third-party drugs, such as ABRAXANE, REVLIMID, and VIDAZA, which we license from BMS, and XGEVA, KYPROLIS and BLINCYTO, which we have the right to commercialize under our strategic collaboration with Amgen. For example, we have limited experience in building and managing a commercial team, conducting a comprehensive market analysis, obtaining state licenses and reimbursement, or managing distributors and a sales force for our drugs. We will be competing with many companies that currently have extensive and well-funded sales and marketing operations. As a result, our ability to successfully commercialize our drug may involve more inherent risk, take longer, and cost more than it would if we were a company with substantial experience launching drugs.
We will have to compete with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to recruit, hire, train and retain marketing and sales personnel. If we are unable to, or decide not to, further develop internal sales, marketing, and commercial distribution capabilities for any or all of our drugs, we will likely pursue collaborative arrangements regarding the sales and marketing of our drugs. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to establish or maintain such collaborative arrangements, or if we are able to do so, that they will have effective sales forces. Any revenue we receive will depend upon the efforts of such third parties. We would have little or no control over the marketing and sales efforts of such third parties, and our revenue from product sales may be lower than if we had commercialized our drugs ourselves. We also face competition in our search for third parties to assist us with the sales and marketing efforts for our drugs.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to further develop and successfully maintain internal sales and commercial distribution capabilities or establish or maintain relationships with third-party collaborators to successfully commercialize any drug, and as a result, we may not be able to generate substantial product sales revenue.
We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing, or commercializing competing drugs before or more successfully than we do.
The development and commercialization of new drugs is highly competitive. We face competition from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide. There are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell drugs or are pursuing the development of drugs for the treatment of cancer for which we are commercializing our drugs or developing our drug candidates. For example, both BRUKINSA and tislelizumab face substantial competition. Potential competitors also include academic institutions,
government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.
Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize drugs that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any drugs that we commercialize or may develop. Our competitors also may obtain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), NMPA, European Medicines Agency ("EMA") or other comparable regulatory authorities for their drugs more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market and or slow our regulatory approval.
Many of the companies against which we are competing or against which we may compete in the future have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved drugs than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller and other early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.
The market opportunities for our drugs and drug candidates may be limited to those patients who are ineligible for or have failed prior treatments and may be small.
In markets with approved therapies, we have and expect to initially seek approval of our drug candidates as a later stage therapy for patients who have failed other approved treatments. Subsequently, for those drugs that prove to be sufficiently beneficial, if any, we would expect to seek approval as a second line therapy and potentially as a first-line therapy, but there is no guarantee that our drugs and drug candidates, even if approved, would be approved for second-line or first-line therapy.
Our projections of both the number of people who have the cancers we are targeting, as well as the subset of people with these cancers in a position to receive later stage therapy and who have the potential to benefit from treatment with our drugs and drug candidates, are based on our beliefs and estimates and may prove to be inaccurate or based on imprecise data. Further, new studies may change the estimated incidence or prevalence of these cancers. The number of patients may turn out to be lower than expected. Additionally, the potentially addressable patient population for our drugs and drug candidates may be limited or may not be amenable to treatment with our drugs and drug candidates. Even if we obtain significant market share for our drugs and drug candidates, because the potential target populations are small, we may never achieve profitability without obtaining regulatory approval for additional indications, including use as a first- or second-line therapy.
If we are not able to continue to obtain, or experience delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to commercialize our drugs and drug candidates, and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.
Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any drug candidate for a target indication, we must demonstrate in preclinical studies and well-controlled clinical trials, and, with respect to approval in the United States, to the satisfaction of the FDA, that the drug candidate is safe and effective, or the biologic drug candidate is safe, pure, and potent, for use for that target indication and that the manufacturing facilities, processes and controls are adequate. In addition to preclinical and clinical data, the new drug application ("NDA") or biologics license application ("BLA") must include significant information regarding the chemistry, manufacturing and controls ("CMC") for the drug candidate. Obtaining approval of an NDA or BLA is a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process, and approval may not be obtained. If we submit an NDA or BLA to the FDA, the FDA decides whether to accept or reject the submission for filing. We cannot be certain that a submission will be accepted for filing and review by the FDA.
We have limited experience in obtaining regulatory approval for our drug candidates. For example, we have limited experience in preparing the required materials for regulatory submission and navigating the regulatory approval process. As a result, our ability to successfully submit an NDA or BLA and obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates may involve more inherent risk, take longer, and cost more than it would if we were a company with substantial experience in obtaining regulatory approvals.
Regulatory authorities outside of the United States, such as the NMPA and EMA, also have requirements for approval of drugs for commercial sale with which we must comply prior to marketing in those areas. Regulatory requirements can vary widely from country to country and could delay or prevent the introduction of our drug candidates. Clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries, and obtaining regulatory approval in one country does not mean that regulatory approval will be obtained in any other country. Approval processes vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and validation and additional administrative review periods. Seeking non-U.S. regulatory
approval could require additional nonclinical studies or clinical trials, which could be costly and time consuming. The non-U.S. regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. For all of these reasons, we may not obtain non-U.S. regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all.
The process to develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize drug candidates is long, complex and costly both inside and outside the United States, China and Europe, and approval is never guaranteed. Even if our drug candidates were to successfully obtain approval from the regulatory authorities, any approval might significantly limit the approved indications for use, or require that precautions, contraindications or warnings be included on the product labeling, or require expensive and time-consuming post-approval clinical trials or surveillance as conditions of approval. Following any approval for commercial sale of our drug candidates, certain changes to the drug, such as changes in manufacturing processes and additional labeling claims, may be subject to additional review and approval by the FDA, NMPA and EMA and comparable regulatory authorities. Also, regulatory approval for any of our drug candidates may be withdrawn. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates in one or more jurisdictions, or any approval contains significant limitations, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our drug candidates will be harmed. Furthermore, we may not be able to obtain sufficient funding or generate sufficient revenue and cash flows to continue the development of any other drug candidate in the future.
We have limited manufacturing capability and must rely on third-party manufacturers to manufacture our commercial products and clinical supplies, and if they fail to meet their obligations, the development and commercialization of our drugs and drug candidates could be adversely affected.
We have limited manufacturing capabilities and experience. Our drugs and drug candidates are composed of multiple components and require specialized formulations for which scale-up and manufacturing could be difficult. We have limited experience in such scale-up and manufacturing, requiring us to depend on a limited number of third parties, who may not be able to deliver in a timely manner, or at all. In order to develop drugs and drug candidates, apply for regulatory approvals, and commercialize our drugs and drug candidates, we will need to develop, contract for, or otherwise arrange for the necessary manufacturing capabilities. There are risks inherent in pharmaceutical manufacturing that could affect the ability of our contract manufacturers to meet our delivery time requirements or provide adequate amounts of material to meet our needs.
We currently rely on third-party manufacturers to produce commercial quantities of drugs we are marketing, including in-licensed drugs and our internally developed drugs, BRUKINSA and tislelizumab. In addition, if any of our other drug candidates or in-licensed drugs or drug candidates becomes approved for commercial sale, we will need to expand our internal capacity or establish additional third-party manufacturing capacity. Manufacturing partner requirements may require us to fund capital improvements, perhaps on behalf of third parties, to support the scale-up of manufacturing and related activities. We may not be able to establish scaled manufacturing capacity for an approved drug in a timely or economic manner, if at all. If we or our third-party manufacturers are unable to provide commercial quantities of such an approved drug, we will have to successfully transfer manufacturing technology to a different manufacturer. Engaging a new manufacturer for such an approved drug could require us to conduct comparative studies or utilize other means to determine bioequivalence of the new and prior manufacturers’ products, which could delay or prevent our ability to commercialize such an approved drug. If we or any of these manufacturers is unable or unwilling to increase its manufacturing capacity or if we are unable to establish alternative arrangements on a timely basis or on acceptable terms, the development and commercialization of such an approved drug may be delayed or there may be a shortage in supply. Any inability to manufacture our drugs, drug candidates, in-licensed drugs and drug candidates or future approved drugs in sufficient quantities when needed could seriously harm our business and our financial results.
Manufacturers of our approved drugs, if any, must comply with good manufacturing practice ("GMP") requirements enforced by the FDA, NMPA, EMA and other comparable foreign health authorities through facilities inspection programs. These requirements include quality control, quality assurance, and the maintenance of records and documentation. Manufacturers of our approved drugs may be unable to comply with these GMP requirements and with other FDA, NMPA, EMA, state, and foreign regulatory requirements. A failure to comply with these requirements may result in fines and civil penalties, suspension of production, suspension or delay in product approval, product seizure or recall, or withdrawal of product approval. If the safety of any quantities supplied is compromised due to a manufacturer’s failure to adhere to applicable laws or for other reasons, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our drugs, which would seriously harm our business.
We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to applicable anti-kickback, false claims laws, physician payment transparency laws, fraud and abuse laws or similar healthcare and security laws and regulations in the United States and other jurisdictions, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm and diminished profits and future earnings.
Healthcare providers, physicians and others play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain regulatory approval. Our operations are subject to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal False Claims Act, and physician payment sunshine laws and regulations. These laws may impact, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs. In addition, we are subject to patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business.
Additionally, we are subject to state equivalents of each of the healthcare laws described above, among others, some of which may be broader in scope and may apply to healthcare services reimbursed by any third-party payor, not just governmental payors, but also private insurers. These laws are enforced by various state agencies and through private actions. Some states have passed laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the April 2003 Office of Inspector General Compliance Program Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and/or other voluntary industry codes of conduct that restrict the payments made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources. Several states and local laws also impose other marketing restrictions or require pharmaceutical companies to make marketing or price disclosures to the state, require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers, and require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives. State laws also govern the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances. These data privacy and security laws may differ from each other in significant ways and often are not pre-empted by HIPAA, which may complicate compliance efforts. There are ambiguities as to what is required to comply with these state requirements, and if we fail to comply with an applicable state law requirement, we could be subject to penalties.
Violations of fraud and abuse laws may be punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, including penalties, fines and/or exclusion or suspension from federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and debarment from contracting with the U.S. government. In addition, private individuals have the ability to bring actions on behalf of the U.S. government under the federal False Claims Act as well as under the false claims laws of several states.
Neither the U.S. government nor the U.S. courts have provided definitive guidance on the applicability of fraud and abuse laws to our business. Law enforcement authorities are increasingly focused on enforcing these laws, and it is possible that some of our practices may be challenged under these laws. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, disgorgement, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, individual imprisonment, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment or restructuring of our operations, as well as additional reporting obligations and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws.
In addition, the approval, commercialization, and other activities related to any of our drugs and drug candidates outside the United States will also likely subject us to non-U.S. equivalents of the healthcare laws such as those mentioned above, among other non-U.S. laws. As with the state equivalents mentioned above, some of these non-U.S. laws may be broader in scope. Data privacy and security laws and regulations in non-U.S. jurisdictions may also be more stringent than those in the United States (such as the European Union ("EU"), which adopted the General Data Protection Regulation, which became effective in May 2018).
If any of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we do business are found to be not in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs, which may also adversely affect our business.
We may explore the licensing of development and/or commercialization rights or other forms of collaboration worldwide, which will expose us to additional risks of conducting business in additional international markets.
Non-U.S. markets are an important component of our strategy. For example, in connection with our collaboration with Amgen we have been granted the right to commercialize three of Amgen’s oncology products in China for five or seven years and will have the option to retain one of the three oncology products to commercialize for as long as the product is sold in
China. We have also agreed to collaborate with Amgen on the global development and commercialization in China of 20 Amgen oncology pipeline products. We initially intend to focus on opportunities in China, in particular. If we fail to obtain licenses or enter into collaborative arrangements with third parties in other markets, or if these parties are not successful, our revenue-generating growth potential will be adversely affected. Moreover, international business relationships subject us to additional risks that may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or sustain profitable operations, including:
efforts to enter into collaboration or licensing arrangements with third parties in connection with our international sales, marketing and distribution efforts may increase our expenses or divert our management’s attention from the acquisition or development of drug candidates;
difficulty of effective enforcement of contractual provisions in local jurisdictions;
potential third-party patent rights or potentially reduced protection for intellectual property rights;
unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements, including the loss of normal trade status between China and the United States;
economic weakness, including inflation;
compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees traveling abroad;
the effects of applicable non-U.S. tax structures and potentially adverse tax consequences;
currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue;
workforce uncertainty and labor unrest;
failure of our employees and contracted third parties to comply with Office of Foreign Asset Control rules and regulations and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-bribery and corruption laws; and
business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, including trade disputes, war and terrorism, disease or public health epidemics, such as the coronavirus impacting China and elsewhere, or natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, floods, hurricanes and fires.
These and other risks may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or sustain revenue from international markets.
The illegal distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit versions of our drugs or stolen products could have a negative impact on our reputation and business.
Third parties might illegally distribute and sell counterfeit or unfit versions of our drugs, which do not meet our or our collaborators’ rigorous manufacturing and testing standards. A patient who receives a counterfeit or unfit drug may be at risk for a number of dangerous health consequences. Our reputation and business could suffer harm as a result of counterfeit or unfit drugs sold under our or our collaborators’ brand name(s). In addition, thefts of inventory at warehouses, plants or while in-transit, which are not properly stored and which are sold through unauthorized channels, could adversely impact patient safety, our reputation and our business.
Risks Related to Clinical Development and Regulatory Approval of Our Drugs and Drug Candidates
We depend substantially on the success of the clinical development of our drugs and drug candidates, which are in clinical development.candidates. If we are unable to successfully complete clinical development, obtain additional regulatory approvalapprovals and commercialize our drugs and drug candidates, or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.
Our business will dependdepends on the successful development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our drugs and drug candidates for the treatment of patients with cancer, such as BRUKINSA, for which are stillwe obtained FDA approval for the treatment for MCL in clinical development,adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy, and tislelizumab, for which we obtained NMPA approval for the treatment of patients with cHL who have received at least two prior therapies, and other drug candidates we may develop. We have invested a significant portion of our efforts and financial resources in the development of our existingdrugs and drug candidates. The success of our drugs and drug candidates will dependdepends on several factors, including:
successful enrollment in, and completion of, clinical trials, as well as completion of preclinical studies;
favorable safety and efficacy data from our clinical trials and other studies;
receipt of regulatory approvals;
establishing commercial manufacturing capabilities, either by building facilities ourselves or making arrangements with third-party manufacturers;
the performance by contract research organizations or CROs,("CROs") or other third parties we may retain of their duties to us in a manner that complies with our protocols and applicable laws and that protects the integrity of the resulting data;
obtaining and maintaining patent, trade secret and other intellectual property protection and regulatory exclusivity;
ensuring we do not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate the valid patent, trade secret or other intellectual property rights of third parties;
successfully launching our drugs and drug candidates, if and when approved;
obtaining favorable reimbursement from third-party payors for drugs and drug candidates, if and when approved;
competition with other products;
continued acceptable safety profile following regulatory approval; and
manufacturing or obtaining sufficient supplies of our drugs, drug candidates and any competitor drug products that may be necessary for use in clinical trials for evaluation of our drug candidates and commercialization of our drugs.
If we do not achieve and maintain one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays in our ability or be unable to obtain approvaladditional regulatory approvals for and/or to successfully commercialize our drugs and drug candidates, which would materially harm our business and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenues and cash flows to continue our operations.
If we encounter difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.
The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with their protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the trial until its conclusion. We may experience difficulties in patient
enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons, including the size and nature of the patient population and the patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol.
Our clinical trials will likely compete with other clinical trials for drug candidates that are in the same therapeutic areas as our drug candidates, and this competition will reduce the number and types of patients available to us, because some patients who might have opted to enroll in our trials may instead opt to enroll in a trial being conducted by one of our competitors. Because the number of qualified clinical investigators and clinical trial sites is limited, we expect to conduct some of our clinical trials at the same clinical trial sites that some of our competitors use, which will reduce the number of patients who are available for our clinical trials at such clinical trial sites. Even if we are able to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials, delays in patient enrollment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of the planned clinical trials, which could prevent completion of these trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our drug candidates.
Clinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results.
Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our drug candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials, and initial or interim results of a trial may not be predictive of the final results. Drug candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. In some instances, there can be significant variability in safety and/or efficacy results between different trials of the same drug candidate due to numerous factors, including changes in trial procedures set forth in protocols, differences in the size and type of the patient populations, including genetic differences, patient adherence to the dosing regimen and other trial protocol elements and the rate of dropout among clinical trial participants. In the case of any trials we conduct, results may differ from earlier trials due to the larger number of clinical trial sites and additional countries and languages involved in such trials. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Our future clinical trial results may not be favorable.
Even if our future clinical trial results show favorable efficacy and impressive durability of antitumoranti-tumor responses, not all patients may benefit. For certain drugs, including checkpoint inhibitors, and in certain indications, it is likely that the majority of patients may not respond to the agents at all, some responders may relapse after a period of response and certain tumor types may appear particularly resistant.
If clinical trials of our drug candidates fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of regulatory authorities or do not otherwise produce positive results, we may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of our drug candidates.
Before obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of our drug candidates, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our drug candidates in humans. We may experience numerous unexpected events during, or as a result of, clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive regulatory approval or commercialize our drug candidates, including but not limited to: regulators, institutional review boards or IRBs,("IRBs"), or ethics committees may not authorize us or our investigators to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site; our inability to reach agreements on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites; manufacturing issues, including problems with manufacturing, supply quality, compliance with China’s drug Good Manufacturing Practice, current good manufacturing practice, or GMP, or obtaining from third parties sufficient quantities of a drug candidate for use in a clinical trial or for commercialization; clinical trials of our drug candidates may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical trials or abandon drug development programs; the
number of patients required for clinical trials of our drug candidates may be larger than we anticipate, enrollment may be insufficient or slower than we anticipate or patients may drop out at a higher rate than we anticipate; our third-party contractors, including clinical investigators, may fail to comply with regulatory requirements or meet their contractual obligations to us in a timely manner, or at all; we might have to suspend or terminate clinical trials of our drug candidates for various reasons, including a finding of a lack of clinical response or other unexpected characteristics or a finding that participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks; regulators, IRBs or ethics committees may require that we or our investigators suspend or terminate clinical research or not rely on the results of clinical research for various reasons, including noncompliance with regulatory requirements; the cost of clinical trials of our drug candidates may be greater than we anticipate; and the supply or quality of our drugs and drug candidates, companion diagnostics or other materials necessary to conduct clinical trials of our drug candidates or commercialization of our drugs may be insufficient or inadequate.
If we are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other testing of our drug candidates beyond those that we currently contemplate, if we are unable to successfully complete clinical trials of our drug candidates or other testing, if the results of these trials or tests are not positive or are only modestly positive or if they raise safety concerns, we may:
be delayed in obtaining regulatory approval for our drug candidates;
not obtain regulatory approval at all;
obtain approval for indications that are not as broad as intended;
have the drug removed from the market after obtaining regulatory approval;
be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements;
be subject to warning labels or restrictions on how the drug is distributed or used; or
be unable to obtain reimbursement for use of the drug.
Significant clinical trial, manufacturing or regulatory delays may also increase our development costs and could shorten any periods during which we have the exclusive right to commercialize our drug candidates or allow our competitors to bring drugs to market before we do. This could impair our ability to commercialize our drug candidates and may harm our business and results of operations.
If we encounter difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials, our clinical development activities could be delayed or otherwise adversely affected.
The timely completion of clinical trials in accordance with their protocols depends, among other things, on our ability to enroll a sufficient number of patients who remain in the trial until its conclusion. We may experience difficulties in patient enrollment in our clinical trials for a variety of reasons, including the size and nature of the patient population and the patient eligibility criteria defined in the protocol, competition from competing companies, and natural disasters or public health epidemics, such as the coronavirus impacting China and elsewhere.
Our clinical trials will likely compete with other clinical trials for drug candidates that are in the same therapeutic areas as our drug candidates, and this competition will reduce the number and types of patients available to us, because some patients who might have opted to enroll in our trials may instead opt to enroll in a trial being conducted by one of our competitors. Because the number of qualified clinical investigators and clinical trial sites is limited, we expect to conduct some of our clinical trials at the same clinical trial sites that some of our competitors use, which will reduce the number of patients who are available for our clinical trials at such clinical trial sites. Even if we are able to enroll a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials, delays in patient enrollment may result in increased costs or may affect the timing or outcome of the planned clinical trials, which could delay or prevent completion of these trials and adversely affect our ability to advance the development of our drug candidates.
Risks Related to Extensive Government Regulation
All material aspects of the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of pharmaceutical products are heavily regulated.
All jurisdictions in which we conduct or intend to conduct our pharmaceutical-industry activities regulate these activities in great depth and detail. We initially intend to focus our activities in the major markets of the United States, China, EU, and other Asian countries, and the European Union.select countries. These geopolitical areas all strictly regulate the pharmaceutical industry, and in doing so they employ broadly similar regulatory strategies, including regulation of product development and approval, manufacturing, and marketing, sales
and distribution of products. However, there are differences in the regulatory regimes-some minor, some significant-that make for a more complex and costly regulatory compliance burden for a company like ours that plans to operate in each of these regions.
The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and compliance with appropriate laws and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process, or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions could include a regulator’s refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, license revocation, a clinical hold, voluntary or mandatory product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement or civil or criminal penalties. The failure to comply with these regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business. For example, although we received a Breakthrough Therapy designation for zanubrutinibobtained FDA approval of BRUKINSA for the treatment of adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)MCL who have received at least one prior therapy in January 2019,and NMPA approval of tislelizumab for patients with cHL who have received at least two prior therapies, the FDA mayand NMPA could later decide thatwithdraw these approvals. In order to market approved products in any given jurisdiction, we must comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of such drug candidate no longer meets the conditions for qualificationjurisdiction regarding safety, efficacy and may rescind such designation.quality. In any event, the receipt of a Breakthrough Therapy designation for a drug candidate may not result in a faster development process, reviewFDA, NMPA or other regulatory approval compared to drugs considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures and does not assure ultimate approval by the FDA.success of our commercialization efforts for our drugs.
The regulatory approval processes of the regulatory authorities in the United States, China, Europe and other comparable regulatory authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable. If we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.
The time required to obtain approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, the National Medical Products Administration of China, or NMPA, (formerly known as the China Food and Drug Administration or China Drug Administration), the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, and other comparable regulatory authorities is unpredictable and typically takes many years following the commencement of preclinical studies and clinical trials and depends on numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities.
Our drug candidates could be delayed or fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons, including:
failure to begin or complete clinical trials due to disagreements with regulatory authorities;
failure to demonstrate that a drug candidate is safe and effective or that a biologic candidate is safe, pure, and potent for its proposed indication;
failure of clinical trial results to meet the level of statistical significance required for approval;
reporting or data integrity issues related to our clinical trials;
disagreement with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;
changes in approval policies or regulations that render our preclinical and clinical data insufficient for approval or require us to amend our clinical trial protocols;
regulatory requests for additional analyses, reports, data, nonclinical studies and clinical trials, or questions regarding interpretations of data and results and the emergence of new information regarding our drug candidates or other products;
failure to satisfy regulatory conditions regarding endpoints, patient population, available therapies and other requirements for our clinical trials in order to support marketing approval on an accelerated basis or at all;
our failure to conduct a clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical trial protocols; and
clinical sites, investigators or other participants in our clinical trials deviating from a trial protocol, failing to conduct the trial in accordance with regulatory requirements, or dropping out of a trial.
The FDA, NMPA, EMA or a comparable regulatory authority may require more information, including additional preclinical, chemistry, manufacturing and controls, or CMC, and/or clinical data, to support approval, which may delay or prevent approval and our commercialization plans, or we may decide to abandon the development program.
Changes in regulatory requirements and guidance may also occur, and we may need to amend clinical trial protocols submitted to applicable regulatory authorities to reflect these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit clinical trial protocols to IRBs or ethics committees for re-examination, which may impact the costs, timing or successful completion of a clinical trial.
If we experience delays in the completion of, or the termination of, a clinical trial of any of our drug candidates, the commercial prospects of that drug candidate will be harmed, and our ability to generate product sales revenues from any of those drug candidates will be delayed. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our drug candidate development and approval process, and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate related revenues for that candidate. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly. In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our drug candidates.
Our development activities and regulatory filings also could be harmed or delayed by a shutdown of the U.S. government, including the FDA.FDA, or other governments and regulatory authorities.
We believe that our drug candidates’ designation in China as Category 1 products should confer certain regulatory advantages onto us. These advantages may not result in commercial benefits to us as we expect, and they might be changed in the future in a manner adverse to us.
In China, prior to seeking approval from the NMPA, a pharmaceutical company needs to determine the drug’s registration category, which will determine the requirements for its clinical trial and marketing application. These categories range from Category 1, for drugs incorporating a new chemical entity that has not previously been marketed anywhere in the world, to Category 2, for drugs with new indications, dosage forms or routes of administration and the like, to Categories 3 and 4, for certain generic drugs, to Category 5, for “originator” (what would be known elsewhere as innovative) or generic drugs previously marketed abroad but not yet approved for marketing in China. Therapeutic biologics follow a similar classification system. All of our internally developed drug candidates are classified as Category 1 based on the respective clinical trial approval from the NMPA, which is a favored category for regulatory review and approval.
The NMPA has adopted several mechanisms for expedited review and approval for drug candidates that apply to Category 1 drug candidates. While we believe that the Category 1 designation of our internally developed clinical stage drug candidates should provide us with a significant regulatory, and therefore commercial, advantage over non-Chinese companies seeking to market products in China, we cannot be sure that this will be the case. The pharmaceutical regulatory environment is evolving quickly, and changes in laws, regulations, enforcement and internal policies could result in the “favored” status of Category 1 products changing or being eliminated altogether or our products classification in Category 1 changing. We cannot be certain that the advantages we believe will be conferred by our Category 1 classifications will be realized or result in any material development or commercial advantage.
The absence of patent-linkage, patent-term extension and data and marketregulatory exclusivity for NMPA-approved pharmaceutical products could increase the risk of early generic competition with our products in China.
In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the law generallycommonly referred to as the “Hatch-Waxman Amendments,” provides the opportunity for patent-term restoration of up to five years to reflect patent term lost during certain portions of product development and the FDA regulatory review process. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments also have a process for patent linkage, pursuant to which FDA will stay approval of certain follow-on applications during the pendency of litigation between the follow-on applicant and the patent holder or licensee, generally for a period of 30 months. Finally, the Hatch-Waxman Amendments provide for statutory exclusivities that can prevent submission or approval of certain follow-on marketing applications. For example, federal law provides a five-year period of exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to obtain approval of a new chemical entity (as defined) and three years of exclusivity protecting certain innovations to previously approved active ingredients where the applicant was required to conduct new clinical investigations to obtain approval for the modification. Similarly, the Orphan Drug Act provides seven years of market exclusivity for certain drugs to treat rare diseases, where FDA designates the drug candidate as an orphan drug and the drug is approved for the designated orphan indication. These provisions, designed to promote innovation, can prevent competing products from entering the market for a certain period of time after FDA grants marketing approval for the innovative product.
In China, however, there is no currently effective law or regulation providing patent term extension, patent linkage, or data exclusivity (referred to as regulatory data protection). Therefore, a lower-cost generic drug can emerge onto the market much more quickly. Chinese regulators have set forth a framework for integrating patent linkage and data exclusivity into the Chinese regulatory regime, as well as for establishing a pilot program for patent term extension. The Economic and Trade Agreement Between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China announced in January 2020 (the "Trade Agreement") also provides for patent linkage systems and patent term extension systems. To be implemented, this framework will require adoption of legislation and regulations. To date, the NMPA has issued several draft implementing regulations in this regard for public comment but no regulations have been formally issued.issued, and these concepts were not included in the revised Drug Administration Law that became effective on December 1, 2019 and contains significant other changes to the drug regulatory landscape in China. These factors result in weaker protection for us against generic competition in China than could be
available to us in the United States until the relevant implementing regulations for extension, patent linkage, or data exclusivity are put into effect officially in China.
Chinese manufacturing facilities have historically experienced issues operating in line with established cGMPsGMPs and international best practices, and passing FDA, NMPA and NMPAEMA inspections, which may result in a longer and costlier current good manufacturing practiceGMP inspection and approval process by the FDA, NMPA or NMPAEMA for our Chinese manufacturing processes and third partythird-party contract manufacturers.
To obtain FDA, NMPA and NMPAEMA approval for our productsdrug candidates in the United States, China and China, respectively,Europe, we will need to undergo strict pre‑approvalpre-approval inspections of our manufacturing facilities, which we have located in China, or the manufacturing facilities of our contract manufacturers located in China and elsewhere. Historically, some manufacturing facilities in China have had difficulty meeting the FDA’s, NMPA's or NMPA'sEMA's standards. When inspecting our or our contractors' Chinese manufacturing facilities, the FDA, NMPA or NMPAEMA might cite cGMPGMP deficiencies, both minor and significant, which we may not be required to disclose. Remediating deficiencies can be laborious and costly and consume significant periods of time. Moreover, if the FDA, NMPA or NMPAEMA notes deficiencies as a result of its inspection, it will generally reinspect the facility to determine if the deficiency was remediated to its satisfaction. The FDA, NMPA or NMPAEMA may note further deficiencies as a result of its reinspection, either related to the previously identified deficiency or otherwise. If we cannot satisfy the FDA, NMPA and NMPAEMA as to our compliance with cGMPGMP in a timely basis, FDA or NMPA marketing approval for our productsdrug candidates could be seriously delayed, which in turn would delay commercialization of our drug candidates.
Undesirable adverse events caused by our drugs and drug candidates could interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials, delay or prevent regulatory approval, limit the commercial profile of an approved label, or result in significant negative consequences following any regulatory approval.
Undesirable adverse events or AEs,("AEs") caused by our drugs and drug candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory authorities, or could result in limitations or withdrawal following
approvals. If the conduct or results of our trials or patient experience following approval reveal a high and unacceptable severity or prevalence of AEs, our trials could be suspended or terminated and the FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory authorities could order us to cease further development of, or deny approval of, our drug candidates or require us to cease commercialization following approval.
Numerous drug-related AEs and serious AEs or SAEs,("SAEs") have been reported in our clinical trials. Some of these events have led to patient death. Drug-related AEs or SAEs could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete the trial and could result in product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our reputation, business, financial condition and prospects significantly. In our periodic and current reports filed with the SEC and our press releases and scientific and medical presentations released from time to time we disclose clinical results for our drug candidates, including the occurrence of AEs and SAEs. Each such disclosure speaks only as of the date of the data cutoff used in such report, and we undertake no duty to update such information unless required by applicable law. Also, a number of immune-related adverse events or IRAEs,("IRAEs") have been associated with treatment with checkpoint inhibitors such as our investigational PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab, including immune-mediated pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, endocrinopathies, nephritis and renal dysfunction, skin adverse reactions, and encephalitis. These IRAEs may be more common in certain patient populations (potentially including elderly patients) and may be exacerbated when checkpoint inhibitors are combined with other therapies.
Additionally, undesirable side effects caused by our drugs and drug candidates, or caused by our drugs and drug candidates when used in combination with other drugs, could potentially cause significant negative consequences, including:
regulatory authorities could delay or halt pending clinical trials;
we may suspend, delay or alter development of the drug candidate or marketing of the drug;
regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals or revoke licenses of the drug, or we may determine to do so even if not required;
regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label;
we may be required to developimplement a Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy or REMS,("REMS") for the drug, as is the case with REVLIMID®,REVLIMID, or, if a REMS is already in place, to incorporate additional requirements under the REMS, or to develop a similar strategy as required by a comparable regulatory authority;
we may be required to conduct post-market studies; and
we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to subjects or patients.
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular drug or drug candidate, and could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.
Our drugs and any future approved drug candidates will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our drugs and drug candidates.
Our drugs and any additional drug candidates that are approved will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements for manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling, record-keeping, conduct of post-marketing studies, and submission of safety, efficacy, and other post-market information, including both federal and state requirements in the United States and requirements of comparable regulatory authorities in China and other countries. For example, BRUKINSA and tislelizumab will continue to be subject to post-approval development and regulatory requirements, which may limit how they are manufactured and marketed, and could materially impair our ability to generate revenue. As such, we and our third-party manufacturers will be subject to ongoing review and periodic inspections to assess compliance with applicable post-approval regulations. Additionally, to the extent we want to make certain changes to the approved products, product labeling, or manufacturing processes, we will need to submit new applications or supplements to regulatory authorities for approval.
Manufacturers and manufacturers’ facilities are required to comply with extensive FDA, NMPA, EMA and comparable regulatory authority requirements, including, in the United States, ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to cGMPGMP regulations. As such, we and our contract manufacturers are and will be subject to continual review and inspections to assess compliance with cGMPGMP and adherence to commitments made in any New Drug Application, or NDA or Biologics License Application, or BLA, other marketing application, and previous responses to any inspection observations. Accordingly, we and others with whom we work must continue to expend time, money and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production and quality control.
The regulatory approvals for our drugs and any approvals that we receive for our drug candidates are and may be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the drug may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, which could
adversely affect the drug’s commercial potential or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the drug or drug candidate. The FDA, NMPA, EMA or comparable regulatory authorities may also require a REMS program or comparable program as a condition of approval of our drug candidates or following approval, as is the case with REVLIMID®.REVLIMID. In addition, if the FDA, NMPA, EMA or a comparable regulatory authority approves our drug candidates, we will have to comply with requirements including, for example, submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, establishment registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMPGMP and Good Clinical Practice, or GCP for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval.
The FDA, NMPA, EMA or comparable regulatory authorities may seek to impose a consent decree or withdraw marketing approval if compliance with regulatory requirements is not maintained or if problems occur after the drug reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with our drugs or drug candidates or with our drug’s manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical studies to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution restrictions or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:
restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of our drugs, withdrawal of the product from the market, or voluntary or mandatory product recalls;
fines, untitled or warning letters, or holds on clinical trials;
refusal by the FDA, NMPA, EMA or comparable regulatory authorities to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us or suspension or revocation of license approvals or withdrawal of approvals;
product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of our drugs and drug candidates; and
injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
The FDA, NMPA, EMA and other regulatory authorities strictly regulate the marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Drugs may be promoted only for their approved indications and for use in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. The FDA, NMPA, EMA and other regulatory authorities actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted
off-label uses may be subject to significant liability. The policies of the FDA, NMPA, EMA and of other regulatory authorities may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our drug 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, particularly in China, where the regulatory environment is constantly evolving. 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 regulatory approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.
In addition, if we wereare able to obtain accelerated approval of any of our drug candidates, as we have done with the initial approval of BRUKINSA in the United States, the FDA would require us to conduct a confirmatory study to verify the predicted clinical benefit and may also require post-marketing safety studies. Other comparable regulatory authorities outside the United States, such as the NMPA or EMA, may have similar requirements. The results from the confirmatory study may not support the clinical benefit, which would result in the approval being withdrawn. While operating under accelerated approval, we will be subject to certain restrictions that we would not be subject to upon receiving regular approval.
If safety, efficacy, or other issues arise with any medical product that is used in combination with our drugs, we may be unable to market such drug or may experience significant regulatory delays or supply shortages, and our business could be materially harmed.
We plan to develop certain of our drug candidates for use as a combination therapy. If the FDA, NMPA, EMA or another comparable regulatory agency revokes its approval of another therapeutic we use in combination with our drug candidates, we will not be able to market our drug candidates in combination with such revoked therapeutic. If safety or efficacy issues arise with these or other therapeutics that we seek to combine with our drug candidates in the future, we may experience significant regulatory delays, and we may be required to redesign or terminate the applicable clinical trials. In addition, if manufacturing or other issues result in a supply shortage of any component of our combination drug candidates, we may not be able to complete clinical development of our drug candidates on our current timeline or at all, or we may experience disruptions in the commercialization of our approved drugs.
For example, we have in-licensed drug candidates from third parties to conduct clinical trials in combination with our drug candidates. We may rely on those third parties to manufacture the in-licensed drug candidates and may not have control over their manufacturing process. If these third parties encounter any manufacturing difficulties, disruptions or delays and are not able to supply sufficient quantities of drug candidates, our drug combination study program may be delayed.
Reimbursement may not be availablelimited or unavailable for our drugs and drug candidates. Even if we are able to commercialize our drugs and any approved drug candidates, the drugs may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations or third-party reimbursement practices, which could harm our business.
The regulations that govern regulatory approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new therapeutic products vary widely from country to country. Historically, products launched in the EU do not follow price structures of the U.S. and generally prices tend to be significantly lower. The EU provides options for its Member States to restrict the range of medicinal products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval, some of these countries may require the completion of clinical trials that compare the cost effectiveness of a particular product candidate to currently available therapies. A Member State may approve a specific price for the medicinal product or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the medicinal product on the market.
Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or licensing approval is granted. In some non-U.S. markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we might obtain regulatory approval for a drug in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay our commercial launch of the drug and negatively impact our revenues.revenues and results of operations.
Our ability to commercialize any drugs successfully also will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for these drugs and related treatments will be available on adequate terms, or at all, from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. In the United States and markets in other countries, patients generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their treatment. Adequate coverage and reimbursement from governmental healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and commercial payors is critical to new product acceptance. Sales of our product candidates will depend substantially, both domestically and abroad, on the extent to which the costs of our product candidates will be paid by health maintenance, managed care, pharmacy benefit and similar healthcare management organizations, or reimbursed by government health administration authorities, private health coverage insurers and other third-party payors.
A primary trend in the global healthcare industry is cost containment. Government authorities and these third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications.
In the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for drugs exists among third-party payors. As a result, obtaining coverage and reimbursement approval of a drug from a government or other third-party payor is a time-consuming and costly process that could require us to provide to each payor supporting scientific, clinical and cost-effectiveness data for the use of our drugs on a payor-by-payor basis, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained. The principal decisions about reimbursement for new medicines are typically made by CMS. CMS decides whether and to what extent a new medicine will be covered and reimbursed under Medicare and private payors tend to follow CMS to a substantial degree. Factors payors consider in determining reimbursement are based on whether the product is: a covered benefit under its health plan; safe, effective and medically necessary; appropriate for the specific patient; cost-effective; and neither experimental nor investigational.
Coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the medicine is approved by the FDA or comparable regulatory authorities in other countries. Even if we obtain coverage for a given drug, the resulting reimbursement rates might not be adequate for us to achieve or sustain profitability or may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. Additionally, third-party payors may not cover, or provide adequate reimbursement for, long-term follow-up evaluations required following the use of our genetically modified drugs. Patients are unlikely to use our drugs and any approved drug candidates unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of the drug. Because some of our drugs and drug candidates have a higher cost of goods than conventional therapies and may require long-term follow upfollow-up evaluations, the risk that coverage and reimbursement rates may be inadequate for us to achieve profitability may be greater.
Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products. We cannot be sure that reimbursement will be available for any product candidate that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, the level of reimbursement. In addition, many pharmaceutical manufacturers must calculate and report certain price reporting metrics to the government, such as average sales price (“ASP”) and best price. Penalties may apply in some cases when such metrics are not submitted accurately and timely. Further, these prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs.
Furthermore, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny recently over the manner in which drug manufacturers set prices for their marketed products. For example, there have been several recent Congressional inquiries, proposed bills or announced plans intended to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, set patient spending caps, reduce the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer’s patient programs, reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products, and allow import of lower-priced drugs from other countries. While some proposed measures may require additional authorization to become effective, Congress and the Trump administration have each indicated that it will continue to seek new legislative and/or administrative measures to control drug costs. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether existing regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing approvals of our drug candidates, if any, may be.
In the United States, since its enactment, there have been numerous judicial, administrative, executive, and legislative challenges to certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”), and we expect there will be additional challenges and amendments to the ACA in the future. Various portions of the ACA are currently undergoing legal and constitutional challenges in the Fifth Circuit Court and the United States Supreme Court; the Trump Administration has issued various Executive Orders which eliminated cost sharing subsidies and various provisions that would impose a fiscal burden on states or a cost, fee, tax, penalty or regulatory burden on individuals, healthcare providers, health insurers, or manufacturers of pharmaceuticals or medical devices; and Congress has introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at significantly revising or repealing the ACA. It is unclear whether the ACA will be overturned, repealed, replaced, or further amended. We cannot predict what affect further changes to the ACA would have on our business.
Additionally, the current administration released a “Blueprint” to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs of drugs that contains additional proposals to increase manufacturer competition, increase the negotiating power of certain federal healthcare programs, incentivize manufacturers to lower the list price of their products and reduce the out of pocket costs of drug products paid by consumers. HHS has already started the process of soliciting feedback on some of these measures and, at the same time, is immediately implementing others under its existing authority. It is not clear what effect these measures may have on our business if we receive coverage for our drugs and drug candidates
In China, drug prices are typically lower than in the United States and Europe, and until recently, the market has been dominated by generic drugs. The PRC Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China or provincial or local human resources and social security authorities, together with other government authorities, review the inclusion or removal of drugs from China’s National Drug Catalog for Basic Medical Insurance, Work-related Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance, or the National Reimbursement Drug List or the NRDL,(the "NRDL"), or provincial or local medical insurance catalogues for the National Medical Insurance Program regularly, and the tier under which a drug will be classified, both of which affect the amounts reimbursable to program participants for their purchases of those drugs. There can be no assurance that our drugs and any approved drug candidates will be included in the NRDL.NRDL or provincial reimbursements lists, or if they are, that they will be included at a price that allows us to be commercially successful. Products included in the NRDL have been typically generic and essential drugs. Innovative drugs similar to our drugs and drug candidates have historically been more limited on their inclusion in the NRDL due to the affordability of the government’s Basic Medical Insurance, although this has been changing in recent years.
In addition, in January 2019, the Chinese government launched a national program for volume-based, centralized drug procurement with minimum quantity commitments in an attempt to negotiate lower prices from drug manufacturers and reduce the price of drugs. The program was initially rolled out in 11 pilot cities and was expanded nationwide in September 2019. Under the program, one of the key determining factors for a successful bid is the price. The government will award a contract to the lowest bidders who are able to satisfy the quality and quantity requirements. The successful bidders will be guaranteed a sale volume for at least a year. A volume guarantee gives the winner an opportunity to gain or increase market share. The volume guarantee is intended to make manufacturers more willing to cut their prices to win a bid. It may also enable manufacturers to lower their distribution and commercial costs. Many types of drugs are covered under the program, including drugs made by international pharmaceutical companies and generics made by domestic Chinese manufacturers. For example, in January 2020, ABRAXANE and its generic forms were included in the program. We won the bid and became one of the three companies who were awarded a government contract, with a price that will be significantly lower than the price that we have been charging in 2019 and into 2020. Once ABRAXANE is included in the centralized procurement process, we anticipate that demand will increase significantly, which could have a material impact on our commercialization efforts and results of operations. Moreover, the program may change how generic drugs are priced and procured in China and is likely to accelerate the replacement of originator drugs with generics. We cannot be sure whether there will be any changes to the program in the future. The implementation of the program may negatively impact our existing commercial operations in China as well as our strategies on how to commercialize our drugs in China, especially if one of our drugs is included in the program but does not win the bid, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products. We cannot be sure that reimbursement will be available for any drug that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any drug which we commercialize. Obtaining or maintaining reimbursement for our drugs may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with drugs administered under the supervision of a physician. If reimbursement is not available or is available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any drug and drug candidate that we in-license or successfully develop.
There may be significant delays in obtaining reimbursement for approved drugs, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the drug is approved by the FDA or other comparable regulatory authorities outside the United States. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that any drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim payments for new drugs, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Payment rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower cost drugs that are already reimbursed, and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future weakening of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and profitable payment rates from both government-funded and private payors for
our drugs and any new drugs that we develop could have a material adverse effect on our business, our operating results, and our overall financial condition.
We intend to seek approval to market our drug candidates in the United States, China, Europe and in other jurisdictions. In some non-U.S. countries, particularlyfor example those in the European Union,EU, the pricing of drugs and biologics is subject to governmental control, which can take considerable time even after obtaining regulatory approval. Market acceptance and sales of our drugs will depend significantly on the availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for drugs and may be affected by existing and future health care reform measures.
Recently enacted and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to obtain regulatory approval of and commercialize our drugs and drug candidates and affect the prices we may obtain.
In the United States, China, the European UnionEU and some other jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding healthcare that could prevent or delay regulatory approval of our drug candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell our drugs and any drug candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval. We expect that healthcare reform measures may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved drug. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our drugs.drugs and drug candidates.
Legislative and regulatory proposals have been made to expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for pharmaceutical products. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the regulatory approvals of our drug candidates, if any, may be.
In recent years, there have been and will likely continue to be efforts to enact administrative or legislative changes to healthcare laws and policies, including modification, repeal, or replacement of all, or certain provisions of, the Affordable Care Act, or ACA. The implications of the ACA, its possible repeal, any legislation that may be proposed to replace the ACA, modifications to the implementation of the ACA, and the political uncertainty surrounding any repeal or replacement legislation for our business and financial condition, if any, are not yet clear.
Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Drugs and Drug Candidates
If we are not able to obtain, or experience delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to commercialize our drug candidates, and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.
Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any drug candidate for a target indication, we must demonstrate in preclinical studies and well-controlled clinical trials, and, with respect to approval in the United States, to the satisfaction of the FDA, that the drug candidate is safe and effective, or the biologic drug candidate is safe, pure, and potent, for use for that target indication and that the manufacturing facilities, processes and controls are adequate. In addition to preclinical and clinical data, the NDA or BLA must include significant information regarding the chemistry, manufacturing and controls for the drug candidate. Obtaining approval of an NDA or BLA is a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process, and approval may not be obtained. If we submit an NDA or BLA to the FDA, the FDA decides whether to accept or reject the submission for filing. We cannot be certain that any submissions will be accepted for filing and review by the FDA.
We have not yet demonstrated an ability to receive regulatory approval for our drug candidates. For example, we have limited experience in preparing the required materials for regulatory submission and do not have experience navigating the regulatory approval process. As a result, our ability to successfully submit an NDA or BLA and obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates may involve more inherent risk, take longer, and cost more than it would if we were a company with experience in obtaining regulatory approvals.
Regulatory authorities outside of the United States, such as the NMPA and EMA, also have requirements for approval of drugs for commercial sale with which we must comply prior to marketing in those areas. Regulatory requirements can vary widely from country to country and could delay or prevent the introduction of our drug candidates. Clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries, and obtaining regulatory approval in one country does not mean that regulatory approval will be obtained in any other country. Approval processes vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and validation and additional administrative review periods. Seeking non-U.S. regulatory approval could require additional nonclinical studies or clinical trials, which could be costly and time consuming. The non-U.S.
regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. For all of these reasons, we may not obtain non-U.S. regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all.
The process to develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize drug candidates is long, complex and costly both inside and outside the United States and China, and approval is never guaranteed. Even if our drug candidates were to successfully obtain approval from the regulatory authorities, any approval might significantly limit the approved indications for use, or require that precautions, contraindications or warnings be included on the product labeling, or require expensive and time-consuming post-approval clinical trials or surveillance as conditions of approval. Following any approval for commercial sale of our drug candidates, certain changes to the drug, such as changes in manufacturing processes and additional labeling claims, may be subject to additional review and approval by the FDA, NMPA and EMA and comparable regulatory authorities. Also, regulatory approval for any of our drug candidates may be withdrawn. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates in one or more jurisdictions, or any approval contains significant limitations, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our drug candidates will be harmed. Furthermore, we may not be able to obtain sufficient funding or generate sufficient revenue and cash flows to continue the development of any other drug candidate in the future.
We have limited manufacturing capability and must rely on third-party manufacturers to manufacture our clinical supplies and commercial products, if and when approved, and if they fail to meet their obligations, the development and commercialization of our products could be adversely affected.
We have limited manufacturing capabilities and experience. Our drug candidates are composed of multiple components and require specialized formulations for which scale-up and manufacturing could be difficult. We have limited experience in such scale-up and manufacturing requiring us to depend on a limited number of third parties, who may not be able to deliver in a timely manner, or at all. In order to develop products, apply for regulatory approvals, and commercialize our products, we will need to develop, contract for, or otherwise arrange for the necessary manufacturing capabilities. There are risks inherent in pharmaceutical manufacturing that could affect the ability of our contract manufacturers to meet our delivery time requirements or provide adequate amounts of material to meet our needs.
Additionally, our internally-developed drug candidates have not yet been manufactured for commercial use. If any of our drug candidates become approved for commercial sale, we will need to establish either internal or third-party manufacturing capacity. Manufacturing partner requirements may require us to fund capital improvements, perhaps on behalf of third parties, to support the scale-up of manufacturing and related activities. We may not be able to establish scaled manufacturing capacity for an approved drug in a timely or economic manner, if at all. If we or our third-party manufacturers are unable to provide commercial quantities of such an approved drug, we will have to successfully transfer manufacturing technology to a different manufacturer. Engaging a new manufacturer for such an approved drug could require us to conduct comparative studies or utilize other means to determine bioequivalence of the new and prior manufacturers’ products, which could delay or prevent our ability to commercialize such an approved drug. If we or any of these manufacturers is unable or unwilling to increase its manufacturing capacity or if we are unable to establish alternative arrangements on a timely basis or on acceptable terms, the development and commercialization of such an approved drug may be delayed or there may be a shortage in supply. Any inability to manufacture our drug candidates or future approved drugs in sufficient quantities when needed would seriously harm our business.
Manufacturers of our approved drugs, if any, must comply with cGMP requirements enforced by the FDA, NMPA and other comparable foreign health authorities through facilities inspection programs. These requirements include quality control, quality assurance, and the maintenance of records and documentation. Manufacturers of our approved drugs, if any, may be unable to comply with these cGMP requirements and with other FDA, NMPA, state, and foreign regulatory requirements. A failure to comply with these requirements may result in fines and civil penalties, suspension of production, suspension or delay in product approval, product seizure or recall, or withdrawal of product approval. If the safety of any quantities supplied is compromised due to a manufacturer’s failure to adhere to applicable laws or for other reasons, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our products, which would seriously harm our business.
Our drugs and any future approved drug candidates may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
Our drugs and any future approved drug candidates may fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. For example, current cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy are well established in the medical community, and doctors may continue to rely on these treatments to the exclusion of our drugs and drug candidates. In addition, physicians, patients and third-party payors may prefer other novel products to ours. If our drugs and drug candidates do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate
significant product revenues and we may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our drugs and drug candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:
the clinical indications for which our drugs and drug candidates are approved;
physicians, hospitals, cancer treatment centers and patients considering our drugs and drug candidates as a safe and effective treatment;
the potential and perceived advantages of our drugs and drug candidates over alternative treatments;
the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
product labeling or product insert requirements of regulatory authorities;
limitations or warnings contained in the labeling approved by regulatory authorities;
the timing of market introduction of our drugs and drug candidates as well as competitive drugs;
the cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments;
the availability of adequate coverage, reimbursement and pricing by third-party payors and government authorities;
the willingness of patients to pay out-of-pocket in the absence of coverage and reimbursement by third-party payors and government authorities; and
the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts.
If any drugs that we commercialize fail to achieve market acceptance among physicians, patients, hospitals, cancer treatment centers or others in the medical community, we will not be able to generate significant revenue. Even if our drugs achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to maintain that market acceptance over time if new products or technologies are introduced that are more favorably received than our drugs, are more cost effective or render our drugs obsolete.
We have limited experience in marketing third-party drugs and no experience in launching an internally-developed drug candidate. If we are unable to further develop marketing and sales capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell our drug candidates and third-party drugs, we may not be able to generate product sales revenue.
In connection with our strategic collaboration with Celgene, we were granted an exclusive license in China, excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, to commercialize Celgene’s approved cancer therapies, ABRAXANE®, REVLIMID®, and VIDAZA®, and Celgene’s investigational agent avadomide (CC-122) in clinical development, and acquired Celgene’s commercial operations in China, excluding certain functions. We started marketing Celgene’s approved drugs in September 2017. We continue to build our salesforce in China to market these drugs and our drug candidates, in the event they receive commercial approval, and any additional drugs or drug candidates that we may in-license, which will require significant capital expenditures, management resources and time.
We have not yet demonstrated an ability to launch and commercialize any of our drug candidates. For example, we do not have experience in building a commercial team, conducting a comprehensive market analysis, obtaining state licenses and reimbursement, or managing distributors and a sales force for our internally-developed drug candidates. As a result, our ability to successfully commercialize our drug candidates may involve more inherent risk, take longer, and cost more than it would if we were a company with experience launching drug candidates.
We will have to compete with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to recruit, hire, train and retain marketing and sales personnel. If we are unable to, or decide not to, further develop internal sales, marketing and commercial distribution capabilities for any or all of our drugs, we will likely pursue collaborative arrangements regarding the sales and marketing of our drugs. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to establish or maintain such collaborative arrangements, or if we are able to do so, that they will have effective sales forces. Any revenue we receive will depend upon the efforts of such third parties. We would have little or no control over the marketing and sales efforts of such third parties, and our revenue from product sales may be lower than if we had commercialized our drugs ourselves. We also face competition in our search for third parties to assist us with the sales and marketing efforts for our drugs.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to further develop and successfully maintain in-house sales and commercial distribution capabilities or establish or maintain relationships with third-party collaborators to successfully commercialize any product, and as a result, we may not be able to generate product sales revenue.
We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing competing drugs before or more successfully than we do.
The development and commercialization of new drugs is highly competitive. We face competition from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide. There are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell drugs or are pursuing the development of drugs for the treatment of cancer for which we are commercializing our drugs or developing our drug candidates. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.
Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize drugs that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any drugs that we commercialize or may develop. Our competitors also may obtain approval from the FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory authorities for their drugs more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market and or slow our regulatory approval.
Many of the companies against which we are competing or against which we may compete in the future have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved drugs than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller and other early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.
The market opportunities for our drugs and drug candidates may be limited to those patients who are ineligible for or have failed prior treatments and may be small.
In markets with approved therapies, we expect to initially seek approval of our drug candidates as a later stage therapy for patients who have failed other approved treatments. Subsequently, for those drugs that prove to be sufficiently beneficial, if any, we would expect to seek approval as a second line therapy and potentially as a first line therapy, but there is no guarantee that our drug candidates, even if approved, would be approved for second line or first line therapy.
Our projections of both the number of people who have the cancers we are targeting, as well as the subset of people with these cancers in a position to receive later stage therapy and who have the potential to benefit from treatment with our drug candidates, are based on our beliefs and estimates and may prove to be inaccurate or based on imprecise data. Further, new studies may change the estimated incidence or prevalence of these cancers. The number of patients may turn out to be lower than expected. Additionally, the potentially addressable patient population for our drugs and drug candidates may be limited or may not be amenable to treatment with our drugs and drug candidates. Even if we obtain significant market share for our drug candidates, because the potential target populations are small, we may never achieve profitability without obtaining regulatory approval for additional indications, including use as a first or second line therapy.
We may be subject, directly or indirectly, to applicable anti-kickback, false claims laws, physician payment transparency laws, fraud and abuse laws or similar healthcare and security laws and regulations in the United States and other jurisdictions, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm and diminished profits and future earnings.
Healthcare providers, physicians and others play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain regulatory approval. If we obtain FDA approval for any of our drug candidates and begin commercializing those drugs in the United States, our operations may be subject to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal False Claims Act, and physician payment sunshine laws and regulations. These laws may impact, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs. In addition, we may be subject to patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business.
Additionally, we are subject to state and non-U.S. equivalents of each of the healthcare laws described above, among others, some of which may be broader in scope and may apply to healthcare services reimbursed by any source, not just governmental payors, including private insurers. In addition, some states have passed laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the April 2003 Office of Inspector General Compliance Program Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and/or other voluntary industry codes of conduct. Several states also impose other marketing restrictions or require pharmaceutical companies to make marketing or price disclosures to the state. There are ambiguities as to what is required to comply with these state requirements, and if we fail to comply with an applicable state law requirement, we could be subject to penalties.
Violations of fraud and abuse laws may be punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, including penalties, fines and/or exclusion or suspension from federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and debarment from contracting with the U.S. government. In addition, private individuals have the ability to bring actions on behalf of the U.S. government under the federal False Claims Act as well as under the false claims laws of several states.
Neither the U.S. government nor the U.S. courts have provided definitive guidance on the applicability of fraud and abuse laws to our business. Law enforcement authorities are increasingly focused on enforcing these laws, and it is possible that some of our practices may be challenged under these laws. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, disgorgement, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. In addition, the approval and commercialization of any of our drug candidates outside the United States will also likely subject us to non-U.S. equivalents of the healthcare laws mentioned above, among other non-U.S. laws.
If any of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we expect to do business are found to be not in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs, which may also adversely affect our business.
We may explore the licensing of commercialization rights or other forms of collaboration worldwide, which will expose us to additional risks of conducting business in additional international markets.
Non-U.S. markets are an important component of our growth strategy. For example, in connection with the Celgene transactions, we retained exclusive rights for the development and commercialization of tislelizumab for hematological cancers globally and for solid tumors in China and the rest of Asia, other than Japan. We initially intend to focus on opportunities in China, in particular. If we fail to obtain licenses or enter into collaboration arrangements with third parties in other markets, or if these parties are not successful, our revenue-generating growth potential will be adversely affected. Moreover, international business relationships subject us to additional risks that may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or sustain profitable operations, including:
efforts to enter into collaboration or licensing arrangements with third parties in connection with our international sales, marketing and distribution efforts may increase our expenses or divert our management’s attention from the acquisition or development of drug candidates;
difficulty of effective enforcement of contractual provisions in local jurisdictions;
potential third-party patent rights or potentially reduced protection for intellectual property rights;
unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements, including the loss of normal trade status between China and the United States;
economic weakness, including inflation;
compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees traveling abroad;
the effects of applicable non-U.S. tax structures and potentially adverse tax consequences;
currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue;
workforce uncertainty and labor unrest;
failure of our employees and contracted third parties to comply with Office of Foreign Asset Control rules and regulations and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-bribery and corruption laws; and
business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, including trade disputes, war and terrorism, or natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, floods, hurricanes and fires.
These and other risks may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or sustain revenue from international markets.
The illegal distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit versions of our drugs or stolen products could have a negative impact on our reputation and business.
Third parties might illegally distribute and sell counterfeit or unfit versions of our drugs, which do not meet our or our collaborators’ rigorous manufacturing and testing standards. A patient who receives a counterfeit or unfit drug may be at risk for a number of dangerous health consequences. Our reputation and business could suffer harm as a result of counterfeit or unfit drugs sold under our or our collaborators’ brand name(s). In addition, thefts of inventory at warehouses, plants or while in-transit, which are not properly stored and which are sold through unauthorized channels, could adversely impact patient safety, our reputation and our business.Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital
We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance.
We are a commercial-stage biotechnology company formed in October 2010. Our operations to date have focused on organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, establishing our intellectual property portfolio, conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials of our drug candidates, developing and operating internal manufacturing capabilities, and the commercialization of our in-licensed and internally-discovered drugs. We have not yet completedlimited experience in completing large-scale, pivotal or registrational clinical trials obtainedand obtaining, maintaining or expanding regulatory approvals for our drugs and drug candidates. Additionally, we have limited experience in manufacturing, sales, marketing or manufactured or had manufactured a commercial scale drug.distribution of pharmaceutical products. We have no internally-developed productstwo internally developed drugs approved for commercial sale and have notonly generated anylimited revenue from internally-developedinternally developed product sales. Since September 2017, we have generated revenues from the sale of drugs in China licensed from Celgene.BMS and we expect to begin generating revenues from our internally developed products in 2020. Our limited operating history, particularly in light of the rapidly evolving cancer treatment field, may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and reliably predict our future performance. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors. If we do not address these risks and difficulties successfully, our business will suffer.
We have incurred significant net losses since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future and may never become profitable.
Investment in pharmaceutical drug development is highly speculative. It entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that a drug candidate will fail to gain regulatory approval or become commercially viable. We continue to incur significant expenses related to our ongoing operations. As a result, we have incurred losses in each period since our inception, except in the third quarter of 2017, when we were profitable due to revenue recognized from an up-front license fee from Celgene.BMS. As of December 31, 20182019 and 2017,2018, we had an accumulated deficit of $1.0$2.0 billion and $330.5 million,$1.0 billion, respectively. Substantially all of our operating losses have resulted from costs incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from selling, general and administrative expenses associated with our operations.
We expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect these losses to increase in the near term as we continue and expand our development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our drug candidates, and our manufacturing facilities, commercialize our drugs and continuelaunch new drugs, if approved, maintain and expand regulatory approvals, contribute up to $1.25 billion to the global development of 20 Amgen pipeline assets, and commercialize the drugs that we have licensed from CelgeneBMS and drugs that we have the right to commercialize under our collaboration with Amgen in China and any other drugs that we may successfully develop or license. Typically, it takes many years to develop one new drug from the time it is discovered to when it is available for treating patients. In addition, we will continue to incur costs associated with operating as a public company in the United States and Hong Kong. We will also incur costs in support of our growth as a commercial-stage
global biotechnology company. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the number and scope of our drug development programs and the associated costs of those programs, the cost of our manufacturing activities, the cost of commercializing anyour approved products, our ability to generate revenues and the timing and amount of milestones and other
payments we make or receive with arrangements with third parties. If any of our drug candidates fail in clinical trials or do not gain regulatory approval, or if approved, fail to achieve market acceptance, we may never become profitable. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, maintain our research, development, manufacturing and developmentcommercialization efforts, expand our business or continue our operations.
We willmay need to obtain additional financing to fund our operations, and if we are unable to obtain such financing, we may be unable to complete the further development and commercialization of our primarydrugs and drug candidates.
Our drugs and drug candidates will require the completion of clinical development, regulatory review, scale up and availability of manufacturing resources, significant marketing efforts and substantial investment before they can provide us with product sales revenue. Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception. Our operating activities used $547.7$750.3 million and provided $12.8$547.7 million of net cash during the years ended December 31, 20182019 and 2017,2018, respectively. We recorded negative net cash flows from operating activities in 2019 and 2018 primarily due to our net losslosses of $950.6 million and $674.0 million.million, respectively. Although we recorded positive net cash flows from operating activities in 2017, primarily due to the upfront fees received from the CelgeneBMS collaboration, we cannot assure you that we will be able to generate positive cash flows from operating activities in the future. In January 2020, we received gross proceeds of approximately $2.78 billion from the issuance of our ordinary shares in the form of ADSs to Amgen. Under the collaboration with Amgen, we will equally share profits/losses with Amgen for Amgen’s oncology products in China during each product’s respective commercialization period and will also be eligible to receive royalties on sales of Amgen’s products in China or outside of China in the future, based on specified terms.
Our liquidity and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected by the negative net cash flows, and we cannot assure you that we will have sufficient cash from other sources to fund our operations. If we resort to other financing activities to generate additional cash, we will incur financing costs and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain the financing on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and if we raise financefinancing by issuing further equity securities your interest in our company may be diluted. If we have negative operating cash flows in the future, our liquidity and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
We expect to continue to spend substantial amounts on drug discovery, advancing the clinical development of our drug candidates, contributing to the global development of 20 Amgen pipeline assets, developing our manufacturing capabilities and securing drug supply, commercializing our drugs and launching and commercializing our and our collaborators' drugs and any additional drug candidates for which we receive regulatory approval, including building our ownand maintaining a commercial organization to address markets in China, the United States and other markets.countries.
WhileSince September 2017, we have generated product revenuerevenues from the sale of drugs in China since September 2017 from sales of our drugs licensed from Celgene, theseBMS, and we expect to begin generating revenues from our internally developed products in 2020. These revenues are not sufficient to support our operations. Although it is difficult to predict our liquidity requirements, based upon our current operating plan, we believe that we have sufficient cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to meet our projected operating requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments willmay not be sufficient to enable us to complete all global development or commercially launch all of our current drugs and drug candidates for the currently anticipated indications and to invest in additional programs. Accordingly, we willmay require further funding through public or private offerings, debt financing, collaboration and licensing arrangements or other sources. Our forecast of the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary as a result of a number of factors, including the factors discussed elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
our ability to successfully market our approved drugs;
the progress, timing, scope and costs of our clinical trials, including the ability to timely enroll patients in our planned and potential future clinical trials;
the outcome, timing and cost of regulatory approvals of our drug candidates;
the number and characteristics of drugs and drug candidates that we may in-license and develop;
the amount and timing of the development, milestone and royalty payments we receive from our collaborators;
the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
selling and marketing costs associated with our drugs in China and any future drug candidates that may be approved, including the cost and timing of expanding our marketing and sales capabilities;
the terms and timing of any potential future collaborations, licensing or other arrangements that we may establish;
cash requirements of any future acquisitions, licensing and/or the development of other drug candidates;
the cost and timing of development and completion of commercial-scale internal or outsourced manufacturing activities; and
our headcount growth and associated costs.
Adequate additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our research and development programs or future commercialization efforts. Our inability to obtain additional funding when we need it could seriously harm our business.
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our shareholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or drug candidates.
We may seek additional funding through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations and licensing arrangements. 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 may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a holder of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs. The incurrence of additional indebtedness or the issuance of certain equity securities could result in increased fixed payment obligations and could also result in certain additional restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt or issue additional equity, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. In addition, issuance of additional equity securities, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our ADSs and/or ordinary shares to decline. In the event that we enter into collaborations or licensing arrangements in order to raise capital, we may be required to accept unfavorable terms, including relinquishing or licensing to a third party on unfavorable terms our rights to technologies or drug candidates that we otherwise would seek to develop or commercialize ourselves or potentially reserve for future potential arrangements when we might be able to achieve more favorable terms.
Fluctuations in exchange rates could result in foreign currency exchange losses and could materially reduce the value of your investment.
We incur portions of our expenses, and derive revenues, in currencies other than the U.S. dollar or Hong Kong dollar, in particular, the RMB, the Euro, and Australian dollar. As a result, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange risk as our results of operations and cash flows are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We do not regularly engage in hedging transactions to protect against uncertainty in future exchange rates between particular foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. A decline in the value of the U.S. dollar against currencies in countries in which we conduct clinical trials could have a negative impact on our research and development costs. We cannot predict the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, and foreign currency fluctuations in the future may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions and the foreign exchange policy proposed or adopted by the People’s Republic of China, or PRC, Australia and other non-U.S. governments. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC, Australia, other non-U.S. governments and U.S. government policies may impact the exchange rate of RMB and the U.S. dollar or any other currencies in the future. There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt a more flexible currency policy, including from the U.S. government, which has threatened to label China as a “currency manipulator,” which could result in greater fluctuation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar.
Substantially all of our revenues are denominated in U.S. dollars and RMB, and our costs are denominated in U.S. dollars, Australian dollars, RMB and RMB,Euro, and a large portion of our financial assets and a significant portion of our debt is denominated in U.S. dollars and RMB. Any significant revaluation of the RMB may materially reduce any dividends payable on our ordinary shares and/or ADSs in U.S. dollars. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into RMB for our operations, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive. Conversely, if we decide to convert RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our
ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount we would receive.
In addition, there are limited instruments available for us to reduce our foreign currency risk exposure at reasonable costs. Furthermore, we are also currently required to obtain the State Administration of Foreign Exchange'sExchange ("SAFE")'s approval before converting significant sums of foreign currencies into RMB. All of these factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, and could reduce the value of, and dividends payable on, our ordinary shares and/or ADSs in foreign currency terms.
Our business, profitability and liquidity may be adversely affected by deterioration in the credit quality of, or defaults by, our distributors and customers, and an impairment in the carrying value of our short-term investments could negatively affect our consolidated results of operations.
We are exposed to the risk that our distributors and customers may default on their obligations to us as a result of bankruptcy, lack of liquidity, operational failure or other reasons. As we continue to expand our business, the amount and duration of our credit exposure will be expected to increase over the next few years, as will the breadth of the entities to which we have credit exposure. Although we regularly review our credit exposure to specific distributors and customers that we believe may present credit concerns, default risks may arise from events or circumstances that are difficult to detect or foresee.
Also, the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments represent the maximum amount of loss due to credit risk. We had cash and cash equivalents of $712.9$618.0 million and $239.6$712.9 million, restricted cash of $27.8$2.8 million and nil$27.8 million and short-term investments of $364.7 million and $1.1 billion and $597.9 million at December 31, 20182019 and 2017,2018, respectively, most of which are deposited in financial institutions outside of China. Although our cash and cash equivalents in China are deposited with various major reputable financial institutions, the deposits placed with these financial institutions are not protected by statutory or commercial insurance. In the event of bankruptcy of one of these financial institutions, we may be unlikely to claim our deposits back in full. As of December 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, our short-term investments consisted primarily of U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. agency securities and time deposits. securities.
Although we believe that the U.S. Treasury securities U.S. agency securities and time deposits are of high credit quality, and continually monitor the credit worthiness of these institutions, concerns about, or a default by, one institutionor more institutions in the U.S. market could lead to significant liquidity problems, losses or defaults by other institutions, which in turn could adversely affect us.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our drug candidates and drugs through intellectual property rights, or if the scope of such intellectual property rights obtained is not sufficiently broad, third parties may compete directly against us.
Our success depends in large part on our ability to protect our proprietary technology and drug candidates and drugs from competition by obtaining, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights, including patent rights. We seek to protect the drugs, drug candidates and technology that we consider commercially important by filing patent applications in the United States, the PRC and other countries, relying on trade secrets or pharmaceutical regulatory protection or employing a combination of these methods. This process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection.
The patent prosecution process is expensive, time-consuming and complex, and we may not be able to file, prosecute, maintain, enforce or license all necessary or desirable patents and/or patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. As a result, we may not be able to prevent competitors from developing and commercializing competitive drugs in all such fields and territories.
Patents may be invalidated and patent applications may not be granted for a number of reasons, including known or unknown prior art, deficiencies in the patent applications or the lack of novelty of the underlying invention or technology. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output in time to obtain patent protection. Although we enter into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to confidential or patentable aspects of our research and development output, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and any other third parties, any of these parties may breach such agreements and disclose such output before a patent application is filed, thereby jeopardizing our ability to seek patent protection. In addition, 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 were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or pending
patent applications or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. Furthermore, the PRC and, recently, the United States have adopted the “first-to-file” system under which whoever first files a patent application will be awarded the patent if all other patentability requirements are met. Under the first-to-file system, third parties may be granted a patent relating to a technology which we invented.
In addition, under the PRC patent law,Patent Law, any organization or individual that applies for a patent in a foreign country for an invention or utility model accomplished in China is required to report to the National Intellectual Property Administration, or NIPA, for security examination. Otherwise, if an application is later filed in China, the patent right will not be granted.
The coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before the patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted after issuance. Even if patent applications we license or own currently or in the future issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors or other third parties from competing with us, or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. In addition, the patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions, and has been the subject of much litigation in recent years. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, and our patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States, PRC and other countries. We may be subject to a third-party preissuance submission of prior art to the USPTOUnited States Patent and Trademark Office (the "USPTO") or become involved in opposition, derivation, revocation, re-examination, post-grant and inter partes review, or interference proceedings or similar proceedings in foreign jurisdictions challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or drugs or drug candidates and compete directly with us without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize drugs or drug candidates without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating third-party patent rights. Moreover, we may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the USPTO to determine priority of invention or in post-grant challenge proceedings, such as oppositions in a foreign patent office, that challenge the priority of our invention or other features of patentability of our patents and patent applications. Such challenges may result in loss of patent rights, loss of exclusivity, or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology, drugs, and drug candidates. Such proceedings also may result in substantial costs and require significant time from our scientists and management, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us. Consequently, we do not know whether any of our technology or drugs or drug candidates will be protectable or remain protected by valid and enforceable patents. Our competitors or other third parties may be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner.
Furthermore, although various extensions may be available, the life of a patent and the protection it affords, is limited. For example, the approved cancer therapies we have licensed from CelgeneBMS in China, ABRAXANE®, REVLIMID®,ABRAXANE, REVLIMID, and VIDAZA®,VIDAZA, face or are expected to face competition from generic medications, and we may face similar competition for any approved drug candidatesdrugs even if we successfully obtain patent protection once the patent life has expired for the drug or if the patents are not enforced.protection. Manufacturers of generic drugs may challenge the scope, validity or enforceability of our patents in court, and we may not be successful in enforcing or defending those intellectual property rights and, as a result, may not be able to develop or market the relevant product exclusively, which would have a material adverse effect on any potential sales of that product. The issued patents and pending patent applications, if issued, for our drugs and drug candidates are expected to expire on various dates as described in “Part I-Item 1-Business-Intellectual Property” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.2019. Upon the expiration of our issued patents or patents that may issue from our pending patent applications, we will not be able to assert such patent rights against potential competitors and our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new drug candidates, patents protecting such drug candidates might expire before or shortly after such drug candidates are commercialized. As a result, our patents and patent applications may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours. Moreover, some of our patents and patent applications are, and may in the future be, co-owned with or licensed from third parties. If we are unable to obtain an exclusive license to any such third-party co-owners’ interest in such patents or patent applications, such co-owners may be able to license their rights to other third parties, including our competitors, and our competitors could market competing products and technology. In addition, we may need the cooperation of any such co-owners or the licensors of our patents in order to enforce such patents against third parties, and such cooperation may not be provided to us. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial conditions, results of operations and prospects.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting, maintaining and defending patents on drugs or drug candidates in all countries throughout the world could be prohibitively expensive for us, and our intellectual property rights in some non-U.S. countries can have a different scope and strength than do those in the United States. In addition, the laws of certain non-U.S. countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as U.S. federal and state laws do. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing drugs made using our inventions in and into the United States or non-U.S. jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own drugs and further, may export otherwise infringing drugs to non-
U.S.non-U.S. jurisdictions where we have patent protection, but where enforcement rights are not as strong as those in the United States. These drugs may compete with our drugs and drug candidates and our patent rights or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or adequate to prevent them from competing. In addition, we may not be able to enforce patents that we in-license from third parties, who may delay or decline to enforce patents in the licensed territory.
We currently hold issued trademark registrations and have trademark applications pending, any of which may be the subject of a governmental or third-party objection, which could prevent the maintenance or issuance of the same. If we are unsuccessful in obtaining trademark protection for our primary brands, we may be required to change our brand names, which could materially adversely affect our business. Moreover, as our products mature, our reliance on our trademarks to differentiate us from our competitors will increase, and as a result, if we are unable to prevent third parties from adopting, registering or using trademarks and trade dress that infringe, dilute or otherwise violate our trademark rights, our business could be materially adversely affected.
Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain jurisdictions, including China. The legal systems of some countries do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property, particularly those relating to biopharmaceutical products, which could make it difficult in those jurisdictions for us to stop the infringement or misappropriation of our patents or other intellectual property rights, or the marketing of competing drugs in violation of our proprietary rights.
We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful. Our patent rights relating to our drugs and drug candidates could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in court or before the USPTO or comparable non-U.S. authority.
Competitors may infringe our patent rights or misappropriate or otherwise violate our intellectual property rights. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of our own intellectual property rights or the proprietary rights of others. This can be expensive and time consuming. Any claims that we assert against perceived infringers could also provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights. Many of our current and potential competitors have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce and/or defend their intellectual property rights than we can. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put our patent, as well as any patents that may issue in the future from our pending patent applications, at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable 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 patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace, and there are numerous grounds upon which a third party can assert invalidity or unenforceability of a patent. Third parties may also raise similar claims before administrative bodies in the United States or abroad, even outside the context of litigation. Such mechanisms include ex parte re-examination, inter partes review, post-grant review, derivation and equivalent proceedings in non-U.S. jurisdictions, such as opposition proceedings. Such proceedings could result in revocation or amendment to our patents in such a way that they no longer cover and protect our drugs or drug candidates. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity of our patents, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art of which we, our patent counsel, and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our drugs or drug candidates. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business.
We may not be able to prevent misappropriation of our trade secrets or confidential information, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the United States.
If we are sued for infringing intellectual property rights of third parties, such litigation could be costly and time consuming and could prevent or delay us from developing or commercializing our drugs or drug candidates.
Our commercial success depends in part on our avoiding infringement of the valid patents and other intellectual property rights of third parties. We are aware of numerous issued patents and pending patent applications belonging to third parties that exist in fields in which we are developingof our drugs and drug candidates. There may also be third-party patents or patent applications of which we are currently unaware, and given the dynamic area in which we operate, additional patents are likely to issue that relate to aspects of our business. There is a substantial amount of litigation and other claims and proceedings involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries generally. As the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our drugs and drug candidates may give rise to claims of infringement of the patent rights of others.
Third parties may assert that we are using technology in violation of their patent or other proprietary rights. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, could involve substantial litigation expense and divert our technical personnel, management personnel, or both from their normal responsibilities. Even in the absence of litigation, we may seek to obtain licenses from third parties to avoid the risks of litigation, and if a license is available, it could impose costly royalty and other fees and expenses on us.
If third parties bring successful claims against us for infringement of their intellectual property rights, we may be subject to injunctive or other equitable relief, which could prevent us from developing and commercializing one or more of our drugs and drug candidates. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. In the event of a successful claim against us of infringement or misappropriation, or a settlement by us of any such claims, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees in the case of willful infringement, pay royalties or redesign our infringing drugs and drug candidates, which may be impossible or require substantial time and cost. In the event of an adverse result in any such litigation, or even in the absence of litigation, we may need to obtain licenses from third parties to advance our research or allow commercialization of our drugs or drug candidates. Any such license might not be available on reasonable terms or at all. In the event that we are unable to obtain such a license, we would be unable to further develop and commercialize one or more of our drug and drug candidates, which could harm our business significantly. We may also elect to enter into license agreements in order to settle patent infringement claims or to resolve disputes prior to litigation, and any such license agreements may require us to pay royalties and other fees that could significantly harm our business.
We are aware of U.S. patents with claims covering certain antibodies that are relevant to tislelizumab for which patents are expected to expire in 2023 or 2024; complexes of irreversible BTK inhibitors that are relevant to zanubrutinibBRUKINSA for which the patent is expected to expire in 2027; and the use of PARP inhibitors to treat certain cancers that are relevant to pamiparib for which patents are expected to expire between 2027 and 2031. We are also aware of issued patents in Europe and China relevant to pamiparib. Although we believe that the relevant claims of these patents would likely be held invalid, we can provide no assurance that a court or an administrative agency would agree with our assessment. If the validity of the relevant claims of one or more of these patents were to be upheld upon a validity challenge, and our related drug or drug candidate was to be approved for sale in the United States before the expiration of the relevant patents, we would need a license to commercialize the drug or drug candidate in the United States before the expiration of the relevant patents. In addition, depending upon the circumstances, we may need licenses for jurisdictions outside of the United States where we wish to commercialize a particular drug or drug candidate before the expiration of corresponding patents covering that drug or drug candidate. In such cases, we can provide no assurance that we would be able to obtain a license or licenses on commercially reasonable terms or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our business.
Even if litigation or other proceedings are resolved in our favor, 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 market price of the ordinary shares and/or ADSs. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing or distribution activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct such litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their 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.
Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment, and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for noncompliance with these requirements.
Periodic maintenance fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the USPTO and other patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patent. The USPTO and various non-U.S. governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment, and other similar provisions during the patent application process. Although an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Noncompliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees, and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. In any such event, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
If we do not obtain patent term extension and dataregulatory exclusivity for any drugs or drug candidates we may develop, our business may be materially harmed.
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of any FDA marketing approval of any drugs or drug candidates we may develop, one or more of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Action of 1984, or Hatch WaxmanHatch-Waxman Amendments. The Hatch WaxmanHatch-Waxman Amendments permit a patent extension term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during clinical trials and the FDA regulatory review process. A patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of drug approval, only one patent may be extended and only those claims covering the approved drug, a method for using it, or a method for manufacturing it may be extended. However, we may not be granted an extension because of, for example, failing to exercise due diligence during the testing phase or regulatory review process, failing to apply within applicable deadlines, failing to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents, or otherwise failing to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the applicable time period or the scope of patent protection afforded could be less than we request. In addition, no patent term extension system has been established in the PRC beyond the new pilot program,yet, and implementation of the pilot programpatent term extension proposed in the Innovation Opinion and the Trade Agreement may not occur quickly. As a result, the patents we have in the PRC are not yet eligible to be extended for patent term lost during clinical trials and the regulatory review process. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or term of any such extension is less than we request, our competitors may obtain approval of competing products following our patent expiration, and our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects could be materially harmed.
Changes in patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our drugs or drug candidates.
The United States has recently enacted and is currently implementing wide-ranging patent reform legislation. Recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have narrowed the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances and weakened the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents once obtained, if any. Depending on decisions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future. There could be similar changes in the laws of foreign jurisdictions that may impact the value of our patent rights or our other intellectual property rights.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed. We may be subject to claims that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.
In addition to our issued patent and pending patent applications, we rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position and to protect our drugs and drug candidates. We seek to protect these trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties that have access to them, such as our employees, 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 such agreements and disclose our proprietary information, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret can be difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. 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 and our competitive position would be harmed.
Furthermore, many of our employees, including our senior management, were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Some of these employees, including each member of our senior management, executed proprietary rights, non-disclosure and non-competition agreements in connection with such previous employment. 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. We are not aware of any threatened or pending claims related to these matters or concerning the agreements with our senior management, but in the future litigation may be necessary to defend against such 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.
In addition, while we typically require our employees, consultants and contractors who may be involved in the development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who in fact develops intellectual property that we regard as our own, which may result in claims by or against us related to the ownership of such intellectual property. If we fail in prosecuting or defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights. Even if we are successful in prosecuting or defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to our management and scientific personnel.
We may not be successful in obtaining or maintaining necessary rights for our development pipeline through acquisitions and in-licenses.
Because our programs may involve additional drug candidates that may require the use of proprietary rights held by third parties, the growth of our business may depend in part on our ability to acquire and maintain licenses or other rights to use these proprietary rights. We may be unable to acquire or in-license any compositions, methods of use, or other third-party intellectual property rights from third parties that we identify. The licensing and acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and a number of more established companies are also pursuing strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, cash resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities. If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required third-party intellectual property rights, our business, financial condition and prospects for growth could suffer.
If we fail to comply with our obligations in the agreements under which we license intellectual property rights from third parties or otherwise experience disruptions to our business relationships with our licensors, we could be required to pay monetary damages or could lose license rights that are important to our business.
We have entered into license agreements with third parties providing us with rights under various third-party patents and patent applications. These license agreements impose diligence, development or commercialization timelines and milestone payment, royalty, insurance and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with our obligations under our current or future license agreements, our counterparties may have the right to terminate these agreements, in which event we might not be able to develop, manufacture or market any drug or drug candidate that is covered by the licenses provided for under these agreements or we may face claims for monetary damages or other penalties under these agreements. Such an occurrence could diminish the value of these products and our company. Termination of the licenses provided for under these agreements or reduction or elimination of our rights under these agreements may result in our having to negotiate new or reinstated agreements with less favorable terms, or cause us to lose our rights under these agreements, including our rights to important intellectual property or technology.
Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties
If we fail to maintain an effective distribution channel for our drugs, our business and sales of the relevant drugs could be adversely affected.
We rely on third-party distributors to distribute our approved drugs. For example, we rely on a sole third-party distributor to distribute BMS’s approved cancer therapies, ABRAXANE, REVLIMID, and VIDAZA, and multiple third-party distributors for the distribution of BRUKINSA and tislelizumab. We also expect to rely on third-party distributors to distribute our other internally developed drug products, if approved, and the oncology products of Amgen to be commercialized by us in China under the collaboration with Amgen. Our ability to maintain and grow our business will depend on our ability to maintain an effective distribution channel that ensures the timely delivery of our drugs to the relevant markets where we generate market demand through our sales and marketing activities. However, we have relatively limited control over our distributors, who may fail to distribute our drugs in the manner we contemplate. For example, while we have long-standing business relationship with our sole distributor for the in-licensed products from BMS, the agreement we entered into with our sole distributor can be terminated by both parties upon six months’ written notice. If price controls or other factors substantially reduce the margins
our distributors can obtain through the resale of our products to hospitals, medical institutions and sub-distributors, they may terminate their relationship with us. While we believe alternative distributors are readily available, there is a risk that, if the distribution of our drugs is interrupted, our sales volumes and business prospects could be adversely affected.
We rely on third parties to manufacture at least a portion of our commercial and clinical drug supplies. Our business could be harmed if those third parties fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of product or fail to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices.
Although we currently have manufacturing facilities that may be used for clinical-scale manufacturing and processing and are building a biologics manufacturing facility in China, we intend to at least partially rely on outside vendors to manufacture supplies and process our drugs and drug candidates. For example, we have entered into a commercial supply agreement for tislelizumab with Boehringer Ingelheim Biopharmaceuticals (China) Ltd. ("Boehringer Ingelheim") and entered into a commercial supply agreement for BRUKINSA with Catalent Pharma Solutions, LLC ("Catalent"). In addition, we rely on BMS and its third-party manufacturers for supply of ABRAXANE, REVLIMID, and VIDAZA in China. We will be dependent on Amgen for the supply of the drugs that we plan to develop and commercialize in China under the collaboration with Amgen. We have limited experience in manufacturing or processing our drugs and drug candidates on a commercial scale, including BRUKINSA and tislelizumab. Additionally, we have limited experience in managing the manufacturing process, and our process may be more difficult or expensive than the approaches currently in use.
Although we intend to further develop our own manufacturing facilities, we also intend to use third parties as part of our manufacturing process and for the clinical and commercial supply of our drugs and drug candidates. Our anticipated reliance on a limited number of third-party manufacturers exposes us to the following risks:
we may be unable to identify manufacturers on acceptable terms or at all because the number of potential manufacturers is limited and the FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory authorities must evaluate and/or approve any manufacturers as part of their regulatory oversight of our drugs and drug candidates. This evaluation would require new testing and GMP-compliance inspections by FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory authorities;
our manufacturers may have little or no experience with manufacturing our drugs and drug candidates, and therefore may require a significant amount of support from us in order to implement and maintain the infrastructure and processes required to manufacture our drugs and drug candidates;
our third-party manufacturers might be unable to timely manufacture our drugs and drug candidates or produce the quantity and quality required to meet our clinical and commercial needs, if any. For example, we encountered supply disruptions of ABRAXANE in 2019, which may recur in the future;
manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic unannounced inspection by the FDA and corresponding state agencies in the United States to ensure strict compliance with GMPs and other government regulations and by other comparable regulatory authorities for corresponding non-U.S. requirements. We do not have control over third-party manufacturers’ compliance with these regulations and requirements;
we may not own, or may have to share, the intellectual property rights to any improvements made by our third-party manufacturers in the manufacturing process for our drugs and drug candidates;
raw materials and components used in the manufacturing process, particularly those for which we have no other source or supplier, may not be available or may not be suitable or acceptable for use due to material or component defects; and
our contract manufacturers and critical drug component suppliers may be subject to disruptions in their business, including unexpected demand for or shortage of raw materials or components, cyber-attacks on supplier systems, labor disputes or shortage and inclement weather, as well as natural or man-made disasters.
Each of these risks could delay or prevent the completion of our clinical trials or the approval of any of our drug candidates, result in higher costs or adversely impact development or commercialization of our drugs. In addition, we will rely on third parties to perform certain specification tests on our drugs and drug candidates prior to delivery to patients. If these tests are not appropriately done and test data are not reliable, patients could be put at risk of serious harm and regulatory authorities could place significant restrictions on our company until deficiencies are remedied.
Currently, the raw materials for our manufacturing activities are supplied by multiple source suppliers, although portions of our supply chain may rely on sole source suppliers. We have agreements for the supply of drug materials with manufacturers or suppliers that we believe have sufficient capacity to meet our demands. In addition, we believe that adequate alternative sources
for such supplies exist. However, there is a risk that, if supplies are interrupted, it would materially harm our business. For example, the COVID-19 outbreak could have a broad impact on the production and supplies of active ingredients or other raw materials and result in a potential shortage of supply, as a large portion of such active ingredients or raw materials used by drug manufacturers worldwide are from China. Therefore, drug manufacturers including us could be negatively impacted.
Manufacturers of drug and biological products often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up or out, validating the production process, and assuring high reliability of the manufacturing process (including the absence of contamination). These problems include logistics and shipping, difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product, product testing, operator error, availability of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced federal, state and non-U.S. regulations. Furthermore, if contaminants are discovered in the supply of our drugs and drug candidates or in the manufacturing facilities, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination. We cannot assure you that any stability failures or other issues relating to the manufacture of our drugs and drug candidates will not occur in the future. Additionally, our manufacturers may experience manufacturing difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of labor disputes or unstable political environments. If our manufacturers were to encounter any of these difficulties, or otherwise fail to comply with their contractual obligations, our ability to provide our drugs for commercial sale and our drug candidates to patients in clinical trials would be jeopardized. Any delay or interruption in the supply of clinical trial supplies could delay the completion of clinical trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining clinical trial programs and, depending upon the period of delay, require us to begin new clinical trials at additional expense or terminate clinical trials completely.
If third-party manufacturers fail to comply with manufacturing regulations, our financial results and financial condition will be adversely affected.
Before a third party can begin commercial manufacture of our drugs and drug candidates, contract manufacturers are subject to regulatory inspections of their manufacturing facilities, processes and quality systems. Due to the complexity of the processes used to manufacture drug and biological products and our drug candidates, any potential third-party manufacturer may be unable to initially pass federal, state or international regulatory inspections in a cost-effective manner in order for us to obtain regulatory approval of our drug candidates. If our contract manufacturers do not pass their inspections by the relevant regulatory authorities, our commercial supply of drug product or substance will be significantly delayed and may result in significant additional costs, including the delay or denial of any marketing application for our drug candidates or disruption in sales. In addition, drug and biological manufacturing facilities are continuously subject to inspection by regulatory authorities, before and after drug approval, and must comply with GMPs. Our contract manufacturers may encounter difficulties in achieving quality control and quality assurance and may experience shortages in qualified personnel. In addition, contract manufacturers’ failure to achieve and maintain high manufacturing standards in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, or the incidence of manufacturing errors, could result in patient injury, product liability claims, product shortages, product recalls or withdrawals, delays or failures in product testing or delivery, cost overruns or other problems that could seriously harm our business. If a third-party manufacturer with whom we contract is unable to comply with manufacturing regulations, we may also be subject to fines, unanticipated compliance expenses, recall or seizure of our drugs, product liability claims, total or partial suspension of production and/or enforcement actions, including injunctions, and criminal or civil prosecution. These possible sanctions could materially adversely affect our financial results and financial condition.
Furthermore, changes in the manufacturing process or procedure, including a change in the location where the product is manufactured or a change of a third-party manufacturer, could require prior review by regulatory authorities and/or approval of the manufacturing process and procedures in accordance with applicable requirements. This review may be costly and time consuming and could delay or prevent the launch of a product or impact commercialization or continuous supply of approved drugs. The new facility will also be subject to pre-approval inspection. In addition, we have to demonstrate that the product made at the new facility is equivalent to the product made at the former facility by physical and chemical methods, which are costly and time consuming. It is also possible that regulatory authorities may require clinical testing as a way to prove equivalency, which would result in additional costs and delay.
We rely on third parties to conduct our preclinical studies and clinical trials and we must work effectively with collaborators to develop our drug candidates. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our drugs and drug candidates and our business could be substantially harmed.
We have relied upon and plan to continue to rely upon third-party CROs to monitor and manage data for our ongoing preclinical and clinical programs. We rely on these parties for execution of our preclinical studies and clinical trials, and control
only certain aspects of their activities. Nevertheless, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our studies is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal and regulatory requirements and scientific standards, and our reliance on the
CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. We, our CROs for our clinical programs and our clinical investigators are required to comply with GCPs, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA, NMPA, EMA and other comparable regulatory authorities for all of our drugs in clinical development. If we or any of our CROs or clinical investigators fail to comply with applicable GCPs and other regulatory requirements, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA, NMPA, EMA or comparable regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. In addition, our pivotal clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under cGMPGMP regulations. Our failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process. We could also be subject to government investigation and enforcement actions.
If any of our relationships with these third-party CROs terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or to do so on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, our CROs are not our employees, and except for remedies available to us under our agreements with such CROs, we cannot control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our ongoing clinical and nonclinical programs. If CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, if they need to be replaced or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they or our clinical investigators obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols, regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our drug candidates. As a result, our results of operations and the commercial prospects for our drug candidates would be harmed, our costs could increase and our ability to generate revenues could be delayed.
Switching or adding additional CROs involves additional cost and delays, which can materially influence our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. There can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.
Our future revenues are dependent on, among other factors, our ability to identify a collaboration partner and negotiate acceptable terms for a collaboration agreement and to work effectively with collaborators to develop our drugs and drug candidates, including to obtain regulatory approval. Our arrangements with collaborators will be critical to successfully bringing products to market and commercializing them. We rely on collaborators in various respects, including to undertake research and development programs and conduct clinical trials, manage or assist with the regulatory filings and approval process and to assist with our commercialization efforts. We do not control our collaborators; therefore, we cannot ensure that these third parties will adequately and timely perform all of their obligations to us. If they fail to complete the remaining studies successfully, or at all, it could delay, adversely affect or prevent regulatory approval. We cannot guarantee the satisfactory performance of any of our collaborators and if any of our collaborators breach or terminate their agreements with us, we may not be able to successfully commercialize the licensed product which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
We expect to rely on third parties to manufacture at least a portion of our clinical and commercial drug supplies. Our business could be harmed if those third parties fail to provide us with sufficient quantities of product or fail to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices.
Although we currently have a facility that may be used as our clinical-scale manufacturing and processing facility and are building manufacturing facilities in China, we intend to at least partially rely on outside vendors to manufacture supplies and process our drugs and drug candidates. For example, we have entered into a commercial supply agreement for tislelizumab with Boehringer Ingelheim Biopharmaceuticals (China) Ltd. In addition, we rely on Celgene and its third-party manufacturers for supply of ABRAXANE®, REVLIMID®, and VIDAZA® in China. Our drug candidates have not yet been manufactured or processed on a commercial scale and we may not be able to do so for any of our drug candidates. We have limited experience in managing the manufacturing process, and our process may be more difficult or expensive than the approaches currently in use.
Although we intend to further develop our own manufacturing facilities, we also intend to use third parties as part of our manufacturing process and for the clinical and commercial supply of our drugs and drug candidates. Our anticipated reliance on a limited number of third-party manufacturers exposes us to the following risks:
we may be unable to identify manufacturers on acceptable terms or at all because the number of potential manufacturers is limited and the FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory authorities must evaluate and/or approve any manufacturers as part of their regulatory oversight of our drug candidates. This evaluation would require new testing and cGMP-compliance inspections by FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory authorities;
our manufacturers may have little or no experience with manufacturing our drug candidates, and therefore may require a significant amount of support from us in order to implement and maintain the infrastructure and processes required to manufacture our drug candidates;
our third-party manufacturers might be unable to timely manufacture our drugs and drug candidates or produce the quantity and quality required to meet our clinical and commercial needs, if any;
manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic unannounced inspection by the FDA and corresponding state agencies in the United States to ensure strict compliance with cGMPs and other government regulations and by other comparable regulatory authorities for corresponding non-U.S. requirements. We do not have control over third-party manufacturers’ compliance with these regulations and requirements;
we may not own, or may have to share, the intellectual property rights to any improvements made by our third-party manufacturers in the manufacturing process for our drug candidates and drugs;
raw materials and components used in the manufacturing process, particularly those for which we have no other source or supplier, may not be available or may not be suitable or acceptable for use due to material or component defects; and
our contract manufacturers and critical drug component suppliers may be subject to disruptions in their business, including inclement weather, as well as natural or man-made disasters.
Each of these risks could delay or prevent the completion of our clinical trials or the approval of any of our drug candidates, result in higher costs or adversely impact commercialization of our drugs. In addition, we will rely on third parties to perform certain specification tests on our drugs and drug candidates prior to delivery to patients. If these tests are not appropriately done and test data are not reliable, patients could be put at risk of serious harm and regulatory authorities could place significant restrictions on our company until deficiencies are remedied.
Currently, the raw materials for our manufacturing activities are supplied by multiple source suppliers, although portions of our supply chain may rely on sole source suppliers. We have agreements for the supply of drug materials with manufacturers or suppliers that we believe have sufficient capacity to meet our demands. In addition, we believe that adequate alternative sources for such supplies exist. However, there is a risk that, if supplies are interrupted, it would materially harm our business.
Manufacturers of drug and biological products often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up or out, validating the production process, and assuring high reliability of the manufacturing process (including the absence of contamination). These problems include logistics and shipping, difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including stability of the product, product testing, operator error, availability of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced federal, state and non-U.S. regulations. Furthermore, if contaminants are discovered in the supply of our drugs and drug candidates or in the manufacturing facilities, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination. We cannot assure you that any stability failures or other issues relating to the manufacture of our drug candidates will not occur in the future. Additionally, our manufacturers may experience manufacturing difficulties due to resource constraints or as a result of labor disputes or unstable political environments. If our manufacturers were to encounter any of these difficulties, or otherwise fail to comply with their contractual obligations, our ability to provide our drugs for commercial sale and our drug candidates to patients in clinical trials would be jeopardized. Any delay or interruption in the supply of clinical trial supplies could delay the completion of clinical trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining clinical trial programs and, depending upon the period of delay, require us to begin new clinical trials at additional expense or terminate clinical trials completely.
If third-party manufacturers fail to comply with manufacturing regulations, our financial results and financial condition will be adversely affected.
Before a third party can begin commercial manufacture of our drugs and drug candidates, contract manufacturers are subject to regulatory inspections of their manufacturing facilities, processes and quality systems. Due to the complexity of the processes used to manufacture drug and biological products and our drug candidates, any potential third-party manufacturer may be unable to initially pass federal, state or international regulatory inspections in a cost-effective manner in order for us to obtain regulatory approval of our drug candidates. If our contract manufacturers do not pass their inspections by the relevant regulatory authorities, our commercial supply of drug product or substance will be significantly delayed and may result in significant additional costs, including the delay or denial of any marketing application for our drug candidates or disruption in sales. In addition, drug and biological manufacturing facilities are continuously subject to inspection by regulatory authorities,
before and after drug approval, and must comply with cGMPs. Our contract manufacturers may encounter difficulties in achieving quality control and quality assurance and may experience shortages in qualified personnel. In addition, contract manufacturers’ failure to achieve and maintain high manufacturing standards in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, or the incidence of manufacturing errors, could result in patient injury, product liability claims, product shortages, product recalls or withdrawals, delays or failures in product testing or delivery, cost overruns or other problems that could seriously harm our business. If a third-party manufacturer with whom we contract is unable to comply with manufacturing regulations, we may also be subject to fines, unanticipated compliance expenses, recall or seizure of our drugs, product liability claims, total or partial suspension of production and/or enforcement actions, including injunctions, and criminal or civil prosecution. These possible sanctions could materially adversely affect our financial results and financial condition.
Furthermore, changes in the manufacturing process or procedure, including a change in the location where the product is manufactured or a change of a third-party manufacturer, could require prior review by regulatory authorities and/or approval of the manufacturing process and procedures in accordance with applicable requirements. This review may be costly and time consuming and could delay or prevent the launch of a product. The new facility will also be subject to pre-approval inspection. In addition, we have to demonstrate that the product made at the new facility is equivalent to the product made at the former facility by physical and chemical methods, which are costly and time consuming. It is also possible that regulatory authorities may require clinical testing as a way to prove equivalency, which would result in additional costs and delay.
We have entered into collaborations such as with Celgene, and may form or seek collaborations or strategic alliances or enter into additional licensing arrangements in the future, and we may not realize the benefits of such collaborations, alliances or licensing arrangements.
We may form or seek strategic alliances, create joint ventures or collaborations, or enter into additional licensing arrangements with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our research, development and commercialization efforts with respect to our drugs and drug candidates and any future drugs and drug candidates that we may develop. Any of these relationships may require us to incur non-recurring and other charges, increase our near and long-term expenditures, issue securities that dilute our existing shareholders, or disrupt our management and business.
Our strategic collaboration withIn August 2017, we acquired Celgene involves numerous risks. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully manage and integrate Celgene’sCorporation's commercial operations in China and an exclusive license to Celgene's (now BMS’s) commercial cancer portfolio in China, ABRAXANE, REVLIMID, and VIDAZA (the “BMS China License”). On October 31, 2019, we entered into a strategic collaboration with Amgen with respect to its personnelcommercial-stage oncology products XGEVA, KYPROLIS and BLINCYTO and 20 clinical- and late-preclinical-stage oncology pipeline products. We are authorized to commercialize the three oncology products in China for five or seven years and have the option to retain one of the three oncology products to commercialize for as long as the product is sold in China. For each pipeline product that is approved in China, we have the right to commercialize the pipeline product for seven years in China and the right to retain approximately one of every three approved pipeline assets, up to a total of six, other than AMG 510, for commercialization in China.
Our strategic collaborations with Amgen and BMS involve numerous risks. For our collaboration with Amgen, we cannot be certain that we will achieve the financial and other benefits that led us to enter into our business, which could disrupt our business and harm our financial results.the collaboration. Moreover, we may not
achieve the revenue and cost synergies expected from our collaborationcollaborations with CelgeneAmgen or BMS for their commercial products in China, and the joint development of tislelizumab outside of Asia (other than Japan), and our management’s attention may be diverted from our drug discovery and development business. These synergies are inherently uncertain, and are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond our control. If we achieve the expected benefits, they may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame. Also, the synergies from our collaboration with Celgene may be offset by costs incurred in integrating Celgene’s commercial operations in China, increases in other expenses, operating losses or problems in the business unrelated to our collaboration with Celgene. As a result, there can be no assurance that these synergies will be achieved. Lastly, strategic collaborations can be terminated for various reasons. For example, in January 2019, Celgene announced that it was expected to be acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in the third quarter of 2019. As a result of this transaction, our licensing agreementstrategic collaboration with Celgene for the development and commercialization of tislelizumab, which we entered into in connection with the BMS China License in 2017, was terminated in June 2019 in advance of the acquisition of Celgene by BMS, and we received a $150 million payment and regained global rights to tislelizumab. The termination of the collaboration agreement for tislelizumab did not impact the BMS China License, which remains in effect.
Additionally, from time to time, we may enter into joint ventures with other companies. Establishment of a joint venture involves significant risks and uncertainties, including (i) our ability to cooperate with our strategic partner, (ii) our strategic partner having economic, business, or legal interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours, and (iii) the potential that our strategic partner may be terminated.unable to meet its economic or other obligations, which may require us to fulfill those obligations alone.
We face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic partners and the negotiation process is time-consuming and complex. Moreover, we may not be successful in our efforts to establish a strategic partnership or other alternative arrangements for our drugs and drug candidates because they may be deemed to be at too early of a stage of development for collaborative effort and third parties may not view our drugs and drug candidates as having the requisite potential to demonstrate safety and efficacy or commercial viability. If and when we collaborate with a third party for development and commercialization of a drug or drug candidate, we can expect to relinquish some or all of the control over the future success of that drug or drug candidate to the third party. For any drugs or drug candidates that we may seek to in-license from third parties, we may face significant competition from other pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies with greater resources or capabilities than us, and any agreement that we do enter may result in the anticipated benefits.
Further, collaborations involving our drugs and drug candidates are subject to numerous risks, which may include the following:
collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to a collaboration;
collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of our drugs and drug candidates or may elect not to continue or renew development or commercialization programs based on clinical trial results, changes in their strategic focus due to the acquisition of competitive drugs, availability of funding, or other external factors, such as a business combination that diverts resources or creates competing priorities;
collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for a clinical trial, stop a clinical trial, abandon a drug candidate, repeat or conduct new clinical trials, or require a new formulation of a drug candidate for clinical testing;
collaborators could independently develop, or develop with third parties, drugs that compete directly or indirectly with our drugs or drug candidates;
a collaborator with marketing and distribution rights to one or more drugs may not commit sufficient resources to their marketing and distribution;
collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our intellectual property or proprietary information in a way that gives rise to actual or threatened litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property or proprietary information or expose us to potential liability;
disputes may arise between us and a collaborator that cause the delay or termination of the research, development or commercialization of our drugs and drug candidates, or that result in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management attention and resources;
collaborations may be terminated and, if terminated, may result in a need for additional capital to pursue further development or commercialization of the applicable drugs and drug candidates; and
collaborators may own or co-own intellectual property covering our drugs that results from our collaborating with them, and in such cases, we would not have the exclusive right to commercialize such intellectual property.
As a result, we may not be able to realize the benefit of current or future collaborations, strategic partnerships or the license of our third-party drugs and drug candidates if we are unable to successfully integrate such products with our existing operations and company culture, which could delay our timelines or otherwise adversely affect our business. We also cannot be certain that, following a strategic transaction or license, we will achieve the revenue or specific net income that justifies such transaction. If we are unable to reach agreements with suitable collaborators on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all, we may have to curtail the development of a drug 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 any sales or marketing activities, or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to fund and undertake development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional expertise and additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we fail to enter into collaborations and do not have sufficient funds or expertise to undertake the necessary development and commercialization activities, we may not be able to further develop our drugs and drug candidates or bring them to market and generate product sales revenue, which would harm our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to maintain an effective distribution channel for our products, our business and sales of the relevant products could be adversely affected.
We rely on a third-party distributor to distribute Celgene’s approved cancer therapies, ABRAXANE®, REVLIMID®, and VIDAZA®, and we expect to rely on third-party distributors for the distribution of our internally developed drug products, if approved. Our ability to maintain and grow our business will depend on our ability to maintain an effective distribution channel that ensures the timely delivery of our products to the relevant markets where we generate market demand through our sales and marketing activities. However, we have relatively limited control over our distributors, who may fail to distribute our products in the manner we contemplate. While we have long-standing business relationship with our distributor for the in-licensed products from Celgene, the agreement we entered into with our distributor can be terminated by both parties upon six months’ written notice. If PRC price controls or other factors substantially reduce the margins our distributor can obtain through the resale of our products to hospitals, medical institutions and sub-distributors, it may terminate its relationship with us. As of the date of this report, we rely on one distributor to distribute our products. While we believe alternative distributors are readily available in China, there is a risk that, if the distribution of our drugs is interrupted, our sales volumes and business prospects could be adversely affected.
We may be restricted from transferring our scientific data abroad.
On March 17, 2018, the General Office of the State Council promulgated the Measures for the Management of Scientific Data, or the Scientific Data Measures, which provides a broad definition of scientific data and relevant rules for the management of scientific data. According to the Scientific Data Measures, enterprises in China must seek governmental approval before any scientific data involving a state secret may be transferred abroad or to foreign parties. Further, any researcher conducting research funded at least in part by the Chinese government is required to submit relevant scientific data for management by the entity to which such researcher is affiliated before such data may be published in any foreign academic journal. Given that the term state secret is not clearly defined, if and to the extent our research and development of drug candidates will be subject to the Scientific Data Measures and any subsequent laws as required by the relevant government authorities, we cannot assure you that we can always obtain relevant approvals for sending scientific data (such as the results of our preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted within China) abroad or to our foreign partners in China. If we are unable to obtain necessary approvals in a timely manner, or at all, our research and development of drug candidates may be hindered, which may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. If the relevant government authorities consider the transmission of our scientific data to be in violation of the requirements under the Scientific Data Measures, we may be subject to fines and other administrative penalties imposed by those government authorities.Risks Related to Our Industry, Business and Operations
Our future success depends on our ability to retain key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.
We are highly dependent on Xiaodong Wang, Ph.D., our Co-Founder, Chairman of our scientific advisory board, which may from time to time provide us assistance upon our request, and director; John V. Oyler, our Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors; and the other principal members of our management and scientific teams. Although we have formal employment agreements or offer letters with each of our executive officers, these agreements do not prevent our executives from terminating their employment with us at any time. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or other employees. The loss of the services of any of these persons could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives.
To induce valuable employees to remain at our company, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we have provided share option, restricted share unit and restricted share grants that vest over time. The value to employees of these equity grants that vest over time may be significantly affected by movements in the ADS and/or ordinary share price that are beyond our control and may at any time be insufficient to counteract more lucrative offers from other companies. Although we have employment agreements or offer letters with our key employees, any of our employees could leave our employment at any time, with or without notice.
Recruiting and retaining qualified scientific, clinical, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel will also be critical to our success. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating and executing our discovery, clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization strategy. The loss of the services of our executive officers or other key employees and consultants could impede the achievement of our research, development, manufacturing and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy.
Furthermore, replacing executive officers, key employees or consultants may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize products. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel or consultants on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel.
We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, our ability to pursue our growth strategy will be limited.
We have significantly increased the size and capabilities of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing our growth.
At the beginning of 2018,2019, we had 8762,070 employees, and we ended the year with 2,0703,359 employees, an increase of approximately 136%62%. Most of our employees are full-time. As our research, development, manufacturing and commercialization plans and strategies evolve, we must add a significant number of additional managerial, operational, manufacturing, sales, marketing, financial and other personnel. Our recent growth and any future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:
identifying, recruiting, integrating, maintaining, and motivating additional employees;
managing our internal development efforts effectively, including the clinical and regulatory authority review process for our drug candidates, while complying with our contractual obligations to contractors and other third parties; and
improving our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures.
Our future financial performance and our ability to develop and commercialize our drugs and drug candidates will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage our recent growth and any future growth, and our management may also have to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from day-to-day activities in order to devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities.
We currently rely, and for the foreseeable future will continue to rely, on certain independent organizations, advisors and consultants to provide certain services. There can be no assurance that the services of these independent organizations, advisors and consultants will continue to be available to us on a timely basis when needed, or that we can find qualified replacements. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage our existing consultants or find other competent outside contractors and consultants on economically reasonable terms, if at all.
If we are not able to effectively manage our growth and further expand our organization by hiring new employees and expanding our groups of consultants and contractors as needed, we may not be able to successfully implement the tasks necessary to further develop, manufacture and commercialize our drugs and drug candidates and, accordingly, may not achieve our research, development, manufacturing and commercialization goals.
We incur significant costs as a result of operating as a public company in the United States and Hong Kong, and our management is required to devote substantial time to compliance requirements, including establishing and maintaining internal controls over financial reporting. We may be exposed to potential risks if we are unable to comply with these requirements.
As a public company in the United States and Hong Kong, we are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and the listing rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market ("Nasdaq"), and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Ltd.Limited (the "HKEx"), or HKEx, and incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or Sarbanes-Oxley Act,(the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act"), together with rules implemented by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and applicable market regulators, and the listing rules of the Nasdaq and HKEx. These rules impose various requirements on public companies, including requiring certain corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel devote a substantial amount of time to these requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costly.
For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal controls for financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluations and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We have limited experience in complying with Section 404, and such compliance may require that we incur substantial accounting expenses and expend significant management efforts. Our testing may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. In the event we identify significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal controls that we cannot remediate in a timely manner, the market price of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs could decline if investors and others lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, HKEx or other applicable regulatory authorities and our business could be harmed.
If we engage in acquisitions or strategic partnerships, this may increase our capital requirements, dilute our shareholders, cause us to incur debt or assume contingent liabilities, and subject us to other risks.
From time to time, we may evaluate various acquisitions and strategic partnerships, including licensing or acquiring complementary products, intellectual property rights, technologies or businesses. Any completed, in-process or potential acquisition or strategic partnership may entail numerous risks, including:
increased operating expenses and cash requirements;
the assumption of additional indebtedness or contingent or unforeseen liabilities;
the issuance of our equity securities;
assimilation of operations, intellectual property and products of an acquired company, including difficulties associated with integrating new personnel;
the diversion of our management’s attention from our existing product programs and initiatives in pursuing such a strategic merger or acquisition;
retention of key employees, the loss of key personnel, and uncertainties in our ability to maintain key business relationships;
risks and uncertainties associated with the other party to such a transaction, including the prospects of that party and their existing drugs or drug candidates and regulatory approvals; and
our inability to generate revenue from acquired technology and/or products sufficient to meet our objectives in undertaking the acquisition or even to offset the associated acquisition and maintenance costs.
In addition, if we undertake acquisitions, we may issue dilutive securities, assume or incur debt obligations, incur large one-time expenses and acquire intangible assets that could result in significant future amortization expense. For example, in connection with the Amgen transaction, we issued to Amgen a total of 206,635,013 ordinary shares in the form of ADSs, representing 20.5% of the issued share capital of the Company after giving effect to the share issuance, which resulted in Amgen becoming our largest shareholder and the ownership of our existing shareholders being diluted.
PRC regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions, including the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors or the M(the "M&A Rules,Rules"), and other recently adopted regulations and rules with respect to mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. For example, the M&A Rules require that the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC or the MOFCOM,(the "MOFCOM") be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have impact on the national economic security, or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. Moreover, according to the Anti-Monopoly Law of the PRC and the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings or the Prior(the "Prior Notification RulesRules") issued by the State Council, the concentration of business undertakings by way of mergers, acquisitions or contractual arrangements that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to the State Administration of Market Regulation or SAMR,(the "SAMR") when the threshold is crossed and such concentration shall not be implemented without the clearance of prior notification. In addition, the Regulations on Implementation of Security Review System for the Merger and Acquisition of Domestic Enterprise by Foreign Investors or the Security(the "Security Review Rules,Rules") issued by the MOFCOM specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire the de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review by structuring the transaction through, among other things, trusts, entrustment or contractual control arrangements.
We may also be subject to similar review and regulations in other jurisdictions, such as the laws and regulations on foreign investment in the United States under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (the "CFIUS") and other agencies, including the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (the "FIRRMA"), adopted in August 2018.
In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from CFIUS, the SAMR, the MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. It is unclear whether those complementary businessbusinesses we may acquire in the future would be deemed to be in an industry that raises “national defense and security” or “national security” concerns.
However, theCFIUS, MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish explanations in the future determining that certain of the complementary business is in an industry subject to the security review, in which case our future acquisitions in the United States and the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected.
If we fail to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other anti-bribery and corruption laws, our reputation may be harmed and we could be subject to penalties and significant expenses that have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or FCPA.(the "FCPA"). The FCPA generally prohibits us from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject to the anti-bribery and
corruption laws of other jurisdictions, particularly China. The anti-bribery laws in China generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or securing any other improper advantage. As our business has expanded, the applicability of the FCPA and other anti-bribery and corruption laws to our operations has increased.
We do not fully control the interactions our employees, distributors and third-party promoters have with hospitals, medical institutions and doctors, and they may try to increase sales volumes of our products through means that constitute violations of theUnited States, PRC or other countries’ anti-corruption and other related laws. If our employees, distributors or third-party promoters engage in corrupt or other improper conduct that results in violation of applicable anti-corruption laws in the United States, PRC or other jurisdictions, our reputation could be harmed. Furthermore, we could be held liable for actions taken by our employees, distributors or third-party promoters, which could expose us to regulatory investigations and penalties.
Although we have policies and procedures designed to ensure that we, our employees and our agents comply with anti-bribery laws, there is no assurance that such policies or procedures will prevent our agents, employees and intermediaries from engaging in bribery activities. Our procedures and controls to monitor anti-bribery and corruption compliance may fail to protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. If we, due to either our own deliberate or inadvertent acts or those of others, fail to comply with applicable anti-bribery and corruption laws, our reputation could be harmed and we could incur criminal or civil penalties, including but not limited to imprisonment, criminal and civil fines, suspension of our ability to do business with the government, denial of government reimbursement for our products and/or exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, other sanctions and/or significant expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects.
If we or our CROs or contract manufacturing organizations or CMOs,("CMOs") fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.
We and third parties, such as our CROs or CMOs, are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. In addition, our construction projects can only be put into operation after certain regulatory procedures with the relevant administrative authorities in charge of environmental protection, health and safety have been completed. Our operations involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials. Our operations also produce hazardous waste products. We generally contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from our use of hazardous materials, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources.resources or insurance coverage. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties.
Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses that we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of or exposure to hazardous materials, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage, use or disposal of biological or hazardous materials.
In addition, we may be required to incur substantial costs to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.
Our internal computerinformation technology systems, or those used by our CROs, CMOs, or other collaborators, contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches.breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our product development and commercialization programs.
Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computerinformation technology systems and those of our CROs, CMOs and other collaborators, contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from internal or external events, such as computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war, and unauthorized access.telecommunication and electrical failures, which compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the systems. Although to our knowledge we have not experienced any material system failure or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our research, development, manufacturing, gaining regulatory approval for our drug candidates and commercialization efforts and our business operations.
In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including, among other things, legally protected patient health information, personally identifiable information about our employees, intellectual property, and proprietary business information. We manage and maintain our applications and data utilizing on-site systems and outsourced vendors.
These applications and data encompass a wide variety of business-critical information including research and development
information, commercial information and business and financial information. Because information systems, networks and other technologies are critical to many of our operating activities, shutdowns or service disruptions at our company or vendors that provide information systems, networks, or other services to us pose increasing risks. Such disruptions may be caused by events such as computer hacking, phishing attacks, ransomware, dissemination of computer viruses, worms and other destructive or disruptive software, denial of service attacks and other malicious activity, as well as power outages, natural disasters (including extreme weather), terrorist attacks or other similar events. Such events could have an adverse impact oncause loss of data, damage to system and data and leave us andunable to utilize key business systems or access important data needed to operate our business, including lossconducting research and development, gaining regulatory approval for our drug candidates or manufacturing and selling our products. Our CROs, CMOs or other collaborators, contractors or consultants may face similar risks, and service disruptions or security breaches of data and damagetheir systems could adversely affect our security, leave us without access to equipment andimportant systems, products, raw materials, components, services or information or expose our confidential data. In addition, system redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate, and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient to cover all eventualities. Significant events could result in a disruption of our operations, damage to our reputation or a loss of revenues. In addition, we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for any losses associated with such events.
We could be subject to risks caused by misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification or intentional or accidental release or loss of information maintained in the information systems and networks of our company and our vendors, including personal information of our employees and patients, and company and vendor confidential data. In addition, outside parties may attempt to penetrate our systems or those of our vendors or fraudulently induce our personnel or the personnel of our vendors to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data and/or systems. Like other companies, we have on occasion experienced, and will continue to experience, threats to our data and systems, including malicious codes and viruses, phishing, business email compromise attacks, or other cyber-attacks. The number and complexity of these threats continue to increase over time. If a material breach of our information technology systems or those of our vendors occurs, the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed and our reputation and credibility could be damaged. We could be required to expend significant amounts of money and other resources to respond to these threats or breaches and to repair or replace information systems or networks and could suffer financial loss or the loss of valuable confidential information. In addition, we could be subject to regulatory actions and/or claims made by individuals and groups in private litigation involving privacy issues related to data collection and use practices and other data privacy laws and regulations, including claims for misuse or inappropriate disclosure of data, as well as unfair or deceptive practices. Although we develop and maintain systems and controls designed to prevent these events from occurring, and we have a process to identify and mitigate threats, the development and maintenance of these systems, controls and processes is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become increasingly sophisticated. Moreover, despite our efforts, the possibility of these events occurring cannot be eliminated entirely. As we outsource more of our information systems to vendors, engage in more electronic transactions with payors and patients, and rely more on cloud-based information systems, the related security risks will increase and we will need to expend additional resources to protect our technology and information systems. In addition, there can be no assurance that our internal information technology systems or those of our CROs, CMOs and other collaborators, contractors, or our consultants’ efforts to implement adequate security and control measures, will be sufficient to protect us against breakdowns, service disruption, data deterioration or loss in the event of a system malfunction, or prevent data from being stolen or corrupted in the event of a cyberattack, security breach, industrial espionage attacks or insider threat attacks that could adversely affect our business and operations and/or result in the loss or exposure of critical, proprietary, private, confidential or otherwise sensitive data, which could result in financial, legal, business or reputational harm to us.
Our failure to comply with data protection laws and regulations could lead to government enforcement actions and significant penalties against us, and adversely impact our operating results.
The regulatory framework for the collection, use, safeguarding, sharing, transfer and other processing of personal information worldwide is rapidly evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. Regulatory authorities in virtually every jurisdiction in which we operate have implemented and are considering a number of legislative and regulatory proposals concerning personal data protection.
In the United States, we are subject to laws and regulations that address privacy, personal information protection and data security at both the federal and state levels. Numerous laws and regulations, including security breach notification laws, health information privacy laws, and consumer protection laws, govern the collection, use, disclosure and protection of health-related and other personal information. Given the variability and evolving state of these laws, we face uncertainty as to the exact interpretation of the new requirements, and we may be unsuccessful in implementing all measures required by regulators or courts in their interpretation.
Regulatory authorities in Europe have implemented and are considering a number of legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR"), which became effective in May 2018, imposes a broad range of strict requirements on companies subject to the GDPR, such as us, including, but not limited to, requirements relating to having legal bases for processing personal information, including personal health data, relating to identifiable individuals and transferring such information outside the European Economic Area (including to the United States), providing detailsinformation to those individuals regarding the data processing of their personal information, keepingimplementing safeguards to keep personal information secure and confidential, having data processing agreements with third parties who process personal information, acquiring consent of the individuals to whom the personal data relates, 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, and recordkeeping. The GDPR imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area, including the United States, and also imposes restrictions on cross-border data transfers. The GDPR substantially increases the penalties to which we could be subject in the event of any non-compliance, including fines of up to 10,000,000 Euros€10 million or up to 2% of our total worldwide annual turnover for certain comparatively minor offenses, or up to 20,000,000 Euros€20 million or up to 4% of our total
worldwide annual turnover for more serious offenses. The GDPR also confers a private right of action on data subjects and consumer associations to lodge complaints with supervisory authorities, seek judicial remedies, and obtain compensation for damages resulting from violations of the GDPR. Given the new law, we face uncertainty as to the exact interpretation of the new requirements, and we may be unsuccessful in implementing all measures required by data protection authorities or courts in interpretation of the new law. Despite our best efforts to comply, there is a risk that we may be subject to fines and penalties, litigation, and reputational harm in connection with our European activities. The GDPR may increase our responsibility and liability in relation to personal data that we process where such processing is subject to the GDPR, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms to ensure compliance with the GDPR, including as implemented by individual countries. National laws of member states of the EU are in the process of being adapted to the requirements under the GDPR. Because the GDPR specifically gives member states flexibility with respect to certain matters, national laws may partially deviate from the GDPR and impose different obligations from country to country, leading to additional complexity and uncertainty. Further, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU, often referred to as Brexit, has created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the United Kingdom. In particular, it is unclear how data transfers to and from the United Kingdom will be regulated now that the United Kingdom has left the EU.
Regulatory authorities in China have implemented and are considering a number of legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection. For example, China’sthe Cyber Security Law of the PRC (the "Cyber Security Law"), which became effective in June 2017, created China’s first national-level data protection for “network operators,” which may include all organizations in China that provide services over the internet or another information network. Numerous regulations, guidelines and other measures are expected to be adopted under the umbrella of the Cyber Security Law. Drafts of some of these measures have now been published, including the draft rules on cross-border transferstransfer of personal information published by the China Cyberspace Administration in 2017 and 2019, which may, upon enactment, require security review before transferring human health-related data out of China. In addition, certain industry-specificindustry- specific laws and regulations affect the collection and transfer of personal data in China. The Interim Measures forFor example, the Regulation on the Administration of Human Genetic Resources and implementation guidelines issuedpromulgated by the MinistryState Council (the “HGR Regulation”), which became effective on July 1, 2019, applies to activities that involve sampling, biobanking, use of ScienceHGR materials and Technology, for example, require approvalassociated data, in China, and provision of such to foreign parties. The HGR Regulation prohibits both onshore or offshore entities established or actually controlled by foreign entities and individuals from the Ministry of Science and Technology before the commencement of clinical trials where foreign sponsors and their Chinese clinical trial sites obtain human genetic resources,sampling or biobanking any China HGR in China and additionalrequire approval for the sampling of certain HGR and biobanking of all HGR by Chinese parties. Approval for any export or cross-bordercross- border transfer of the HGR samplesmaterial is also required. The HGR Regulation also requires that foreign parties should ensure the full participation of Chinese parties in international collaborations and all records and data must be shared with the Chinese parties. If the Chinese parties fail to comply with data protection laws, regulations and practice standards, and our research data is obtained by unauthorized persons, used or associated data. See “Part I-Item 1-Business-Government Regulation-PRC Regulation-Human Genetic Resources Approval”.disclosed inappropriately or destroyed, it could result in a loss of our confidential information and subject us to litigation and government enforcement actions. It is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices, potentially resulting in confiscation of HGR samples and associated data and administrative fines.fines, disgorgement of illegal gains, or temporary or permanent debarment of our entities and responsible persons from further HGR projects. In addition, the interpretation and application of data protection laws in China and elsewhere are often uncertain and in flux.
We expect that these areas will receive greater attention and focus from regulators going forward and we will continue to face uncertainty as to whether our efforts to comply with evolving obligations under global data protection, privacy and security laws will be sufficient. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in reputational damage or proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, individuals or others. These proceedings or actions could subject us to significant civil or criminal penalties and negative publicity, result in the delayed or halted transfer or confiscation of certain personal information, require us to change our business practices, increase our costs and materially harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our current and future
relationships with customers, vendors, pharmaceutical partners and other third parties could be negatively affected by any proceedings or actions against us or current or future data protection obligations imposed on them under applicable law, including the GDPR.GDPR and Cyber Security Law. In addition, a data breach affecting personal information, including health information, could result in significant management resources, legal and financial exposure and reputational damage that could potentially have an adverse effect on our business.
We may be restricted from transferring our scientific data from China abroad.
In March 2018, the General Office of the State Council promulgated the Measures for the Management of Scientific Data (the "Scientific Data Measures"), which provides a broad definition of scientific data and relevant rules for the management of scientific data in China. According to the Scientific Data Measures, enterprises in China must seek governmental approval before any scientific data involving a state secret may be transferred abroad or to foreign parties. Further, any researcher conducting research funded at least in part by the Chinese government is required to submit relevant scientific data for management by the entity to which such researcher is affiliated before such data may be published in any foreign academic journal. Given that the term state secret is not clearly defined, if and to the extent our research and development of drug candidates will be subject to the Scientific Data Measures and any subsequent laws as required by the relevant government authorities, we cannot assure you that we can always obtain relevant approvals for sending scientific data (such as the results of our preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted within China) abroad or to our foreign partners in China. If we are unable to obtain necessary approvals in a timely manner, or at all, our research and development of drug candidates may be hindered, which may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. If the relevant government authorities consider the transmission of our scientific data to be in violation of the requirements under the Scientific Data Measures, we may be subject to fines and other administrative penalties imposed by those government authorities.
If we or parties on whom we rely fail to maintain the necessary licenses for the development, production, sales and distribution of our products, our ability to conduct our business could be materially impaired.
We are required to obtain, maintain and renew various permits, licenses and certificates to develop, produce, promote and sell our products. Third parties, such as distributors, third-party promoters and third-party manufacturers, on whom we may rely to develop, produce, promote, sell and distribute our products may be subject to similar requirements. We and third parties on whom we rely may be also subject to regular inspections, examinations, inquiries or audits by the regulatory authorities, and an adverse outcome of such inspections, examinations, inquiries or audits may result in the loss or non-renewal of the relevant permits, licenses and certificates. Moreover, the criteria used in reviewing applications for, or renewals of permits, licenses and certificates may change from time to time, and there can be no assurance that we or the parties on whom we rely will be able to meet new criteria that may be imposed to obtain or renew the necessary permits, licenses and certificates. Many of such permits, licenses and certificates are material to the operation of our business, and if we or parties on whom we rely fail to maintain or renew material permits, licenses and certificates, our ability to conduct our business could be materially impaired. Furthermore, if the interpretation or implementation of existing laws and regulations change, or new regulations come into effect, requiring us or parties on whom we rely to obtain any additional permits, licenses or certificates that were previously not required to operate our business, there can be no assurance that we or parties on whom we rely will successfully obtain such permits, licenses or certificates.
Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.
Our operations, and those of our third-party research institution collaborators, CROs, CMOs, suppliers and other contractors and consultants, could be subject natural or man-made disasters, public health epidemics or other business interruptions, for which we are predominantly self-insured. In addition, we partially rely on our third-party research institution collaborators for conducting research and
development of our drug candidates, and they may be affected by such business interruptions, government shutdowns or withdrawn funding. The occurrence of any of these business disruptionsinterruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. We partially rely on third-party manufacturers to produce and process our drugs and drug candidates. Our ability to obtain supplies of our drugs and drug candidates could be disrupted if the operations of these suppliers are affected by a man-made or natural disasterdisasters, public health epidemics or other business interruption.interruptions. Damage or extended periods of interruption to our or our vendors' corporate, development, research or manufacturing facilities due to fire, natural disaster, power loss, communications failure, unauthorized entry, public health epidemics or other events could cause us to ceasedelay or delaycease development or commercialization of some or all of our drugs and drug candidates. Although we maintain property damage and business interruption insurance coverage on these facilities, our insurance might not cover all losses under such circumstances and our business may be seriously harmed by such delays and interruption. For example, the COVID-19 outbreak could negatively impact our business and our financial performance. Our clinical development and commercial efforts could be delayed or otherwise negatively impacted, as patients may be reluctant to go to the hospitals to receive treatment. Additionally, the commercial or clinical supply of our drugs and drug candidates could be
negatively impacted due to reduced operations or a shutdown of our or our third-party manufacturing facilities, distribution channels and transportation systems, or shortages of raw materials and drug product.
Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected by public health crises and natural catastrophes or other disasters outside of our control in the locations in which we, our suppliers, CROs, CMOs and other contractors operate.
Our global operations expose us to risks associated with public health crises, such as epidemics and pandemics, natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, or floods, or other disasters such as fires, explosions and terrorist activity or war that are outside of our control, including government reactions due to such events. Our business operations and those of our suppliers, CROs, CMOs and other contractors may potentially suffer interruptions caused by any of these events.
In December 2019, the COVID-19 virus began to impact the population of Wuhan, China and other cities. The COVID-19 outbreak has caused the Chinese government to implement various temporary measures, including quarantines of Wuhan and surrounding areas, travel and work restrictions at the national level, and the shutdown of certain businesses. As a result, our operations in China have and may continue to be impacted by delays in business activities and commercial transactions, workplace disruptions, and general uncertainties about the adverse impact on the Chinese economy. We expect that the COVID-19 outbreak will have a negative impact on our operations in China, including clinical trial recruitment and participation, regulatory interactions and inspections, and commercial revenue, particularly in the first quarter of 2020 and possibly longer depending on the scope and duration of the disruption.
Currently, it is unclear if the Chinese government will further extend any of the current restrictions or if further measures will be put into place. Additionally, the COVID-19 virus has spread to other countries outside of China, which has caused a broader impact globally, such as restrictions on travel and quarantine policies put into place by businesses and governments. The potential economic impact brought by and the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak may be difficult to assess or predict, where actual effects will depend on many factors beyond our control. The extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak impacts our operations remains uncertain, and we are closely monitoring its impact on us. Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected directly, as well as to the extent that the COVID-19 outbreak or any other epidemic harms the Chinese, United States, and global economy in general.
Product liability claims or lawsuits could cause us to incur substantial liabilities.
We face an inherent risk of product liability as a result of the commercialization of our drugs in China and the United States and the clinical testing and any future commercialization of our drug candidates globally. For example, we may be sued if our drugs or drug candidates cause or are perceived to cause injury or are found to be otherwise unsuitable during clinical testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the drug, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under applicable consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against or obtain indemnification from our collaborators for product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our drugs and drug candidates. Even successful defense would require significant financial and management resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in: decreased demand for our drugs; injury to our reputation; withdrawal of clinical trial participants and inability to continue clinical trials; initiation of investigations by regulators; costs to defend the related litigation; a diversion of management’s time and our resources; substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients; product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions; loss of revenue; exhaustion of any available insurance and our capital resources; the inability to commercialize any drug or drug candidate; and a decline in theour ADS or ordinary share price.
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 our drugs and drug candidates. Although we currently hold product liability coverage which we believe to be sufficient in light of our current products and clinical programs, the amount of such insurance coverage may not be adequate, and we may be unable to maintain such insurance at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise, or we may not be able to obtain additional or replacement insurance at a reasonable cost, if at all. Our insurance policies may also have various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. We may have to pay any amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient capital to pay such amounts. Even if our agreements with any future collaborators entitle us to indemnification against losses, such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise.
We are subject to the risks of doing business globally.
Because we operate in China and other countries outside of the United States, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business globally. Accordingly, our business and financial results in the future could be adversely affected due to a variety of
factors, including: changes in a specific country’s or region’s political and cultural climate or economic condition; unexpected changes in laws and regulatory requirements in local jurisdictions; difficulty of effective enforcement of contractual provisions in local jurisdictions; inadequate intellectual property protection in certain countries; enforcement of anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, such as the FCPA; trade-protection measures or disputes, import or export licensing requirements such as Export Administration Regulations promulgated by the United States Department of Commerce and fines, penalties or suspension or revocation of export privileges; laws and regulations on foreign investment in the United States under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS and other agencies, including the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, or FIRRMA adopted in August 2018; the effects of applicable local tax regimes and potentially adverse tax consequences; the impact of public health epidemics on employees, our operations and the global economy, such as the COVID-19 outbreak impacting China and elsewhere; restrictions on international travel and commerce; and significant adverse changes in local currency exchange rates.
For example, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU effective on January 31, 2020, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” may cause increased economic volatility, affecting our operations and business. In addition, on July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), announced that it will no longer require banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR to the LIBOR administrator after 2021, and it is anticipated that LIBOR will be phased out and replaced by 2022. While various replacement reference rates have been proposed, an alternative reference rate to LIBOR has not yet been widely adopted. As such, the replacement of LIBOR could have an adverse effect on the market for, or value of, LIBOR-linked financial instruments.
We manufacture and intend to continue to manufacture ourselves at least a portion of our drug candidates and our drugs, if approved. Delays in completing and receiving regulatory approvals for our manufacturing facilities, or damage to, destruction of or interruption of production at such facilities, could delay our development plans or commercialization efforts.
We currently have manufacturing facilities in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Suzhou, China and are building a biologics manufacturing facility in Guangzhou, China. These facilities may encounter unanticipated delays and expenses due to a number of factors, including regulatory requirements. If construction or expansion, regulatory evaluation and/or approval of our facilities are delayed, we may not be able to manufacture sufficient quantities of our drugs and drug candidates, and our drugs, if approved, which would limit our development and commercialization activities and our opportunities for growth. Cost overruns associated with constructing or maintaining our facilities could require us to raise additional funds from other sources.
In addition to the similar manufacturing risks described in “-Risks“Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties,” our manufacturing facilities will be subject to inspection in connection with clinical development and new drug approvals and ongoing, periodic inspection by the FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with cGMPGMP and other regulatory requirements. Our failure to follow and document our adherence to such cGMPGMP regulations or other regulatory requirements may lead to significant delays in the availability of products for clinical or commercial use, may result in the termination of or a hold on a clinical trial, or may delay or prevent filing or approval of marketing applications for our drug candidates or the commercialization of our drugs, if approved.drugs. We also may encounter problems with the following:
achieving adequate or clinical-grade materials that meet FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory agency standards or specifications with consistent and acceptable production yield and costs;
shortages of qualified personnel, raw materials or key contractors; and
ongoing compliance with cGMPGMP regulations and other requirements of the FDA, NMPA, EMA or other comparable regulatory agencies.
Failure to comply with applicable regulations could also result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, a requirement to suspend or put on hold one or more of our clinical trials, failure of regulatory authorities to grant marketing approval of our drug candidates, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, supply disruptions, license revocation, seizures or recalls of drug candidates or drugs, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could harm our business.
Developing advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls is required to fully utilize our facilities. Advances in manufacturing techniques may render our facilities and equipment inadequate or obsolete.
To supply commercial quantities for our marketed products, produce our drugs in the quantities that we believe will be required to meet anticipated market demand, and to supply clinical drug material to support the continued growth of our drug candidates if approved,clinical programs, we will need to increase, or “scale up,” the production process by a significant factor over the initial level of production.production, which will require substantial additional expenditures and various regulatory approvals and permits. If we are unable to do so, are delayed, or if the cost of this scale up is not economically feasible for us or we cannot find a third-party supplier, we may not be able to produce our drugs in a sufficient quantity to meet future demand.
In addition to the similar manufacturing risks described in “-Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties,” if our manufacturing facilities or the equipment in them is damaged or destroyed, we may not be able to quickly or inexpensively replace our manufacturing capacity or replace it at all. In the event of a temporary or protracted loss of the facilities or equipment, we might not be able to transfer manufacturing to a third party. Even if we could transfer manufacturing to a third party, the shift would likely be expensive and time-consuming, particularly since the new facility would need to comply with the necessary regulatory requirements and we would need regulatory agency approval before selling any drugs manufactured at that facility. Such an event could delay our clinical trials or reduce our product sales. Any interruption in manufacturing operations at our manufacturing facilities could result in our inability to satisfy the demands of our clinical trials or commercialization. Any disruption that impedes our ability to manufacture our drug candidates or drugs in a timely manner could materially harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
Currently, we maintain insurance coverage against damage to our property, plant and equipment in amounts we believe are reasonable. However, our insurance coverage may not reimburse us, or may not be sufficient to reimburse us, for any expenses or losses we may suffer. We may be unable to meet our requirements for our drug candidates and drugs if there were a catastrophic event or interruption or failure of our manufacturing facilities or processes.
Future operating results could be negatively affected by changes in tax rates, the adoption of new tax legislation in the jurisdictions in which we operate, or exposure to additional tax liabilities.
The nature of our international operations subjects us to local, state, regional and national tax laws in jurisdictions around the world. Our future tax expense could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities or changes in tax laws or their interpretation. Additionally, tax rules governing cross-border activities are continually subject to modification as a result of both coordinated actions by governments and unilateral measures designed by individual countries, both intended to tackle concerns over base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and perceived international tax avoidance techniques. For example, the Cayman Islands has enacted the International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Law (2020 Revision) (the “Economic Substance Law”), which originally took effect on January 1, 2019, and which is accompanied by Guidance on Economic Substance for Geographically Mobile Activities (Version 2.0; April 30, 2019) published by the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority. The Economic Substance Law embraces a global initiative to combat BEPS and demonstrates the continued commitment of the Cayman Islands to international best practice. The Economic Substance Law provides that relevant entities that existed before January 1, 2019 and that had been conducting relevant activities by that date must comply with the economic substance requirements from July 1, 2019, and relevant entities that are established from January 1, 2019 onwards have to comply with the requirements from the date they commence the relevant activity. Although we believe that we currently are not required to comply with the economic substance requirements under the Economic Substance Law, we cannot predict any changes to the legislation or its interpretation in the future. If we are subject to compliance with the economic substance requirements in the future, our business and results of operations could be negatively impacted if we are required to make changes to our business in order to gain compliance or if we fail to comply.
We have received tax rulings from various governments that have jurisdictional authority over our operations. If we are unable to meet the requirements of such agreements, or if they expire or are renewed on less favorable terms, the result could negatively impact our future earnings. Additionally, the European Commission has opened formal investigations into specific tax rulings granted by several countries to specific taxpayers. While we believe that our rulings are different than those being discussed, the ultimate resolution of such activities cannot be predicted and could also have an adverse impact on future operating results.
If we are not able to successfully develop and commercialize Amgen’s oncology products in China, the expected benefits of the collaboration will not materialize.
We have a Collaboration Agreement with Amgen pursuant to which we and Amgen have agreed to collaborate on (i) the commercialization of Amgen’s oncology products XGEVA, KYPROLIS and BLINCYTO in China, and (ii) the global development and commercialization in China of 20 Amgen clinical- and late-preclinical-stage pipeline products. The Amgen transaction involves numerous risks, including unanticipated costs and diversion of our management’s attention from our other drug discovery and development business. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully develop and commercialize Amgen’s oncology products in China, which could disrupt our business and harm our financial results.
Moreover, we may not achieve the revenue and cost synergies expected from the Amgen transaction. These synergies are inherently uncertain, and are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond our control. If we achieve the expected benefits, they may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame. Also, the synergies from the Amgen transaction may be offset by increases in other expenses,
operating losses or problems in our business unrelated to the Amgen transaction. As a result, there can be no assurance that such synergies will be achieved.
Risks Related to Our Doing Business in the PRC
The pharmaceutical industry in China is highly regulated, and such regulations are subject to change, which may affect approval and commercialization of our drugs.drugs and drug candidates.
A large portion of our business is conducted in China. The pharmaceutical industry in China is subject to comprehensive government regulation and supervision, encompassing the approval, registration, manufacturing, packaging, licensing and marketing of new drugs. In recent years, the regulatory framework in China regarding the pharmaceutical industry has undergone significant changes, which we expect will continue. While we believe our strategies regarding pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing and commercialization in China are aligned with the Chinese government's policies, they may in the future diverge, requiring a change in our strategies. Any such change may result in increased compliance costs on our business or cause delays in or prevent the successful research, development, manufacturing or commercialization of our drug candidates or drugs in China and reduce the current benefits we believe are available to us from developing and manufacturing drugs in China.
Chinese authorities have become increasingly vigilant in enforcing laws in the pharmaceutical industry. Any failure by us or our partners to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations or obtain and maintain required licenses and permits may result in the suspension or termination of our business activities in China. Reports of what have come to be viewed as significant quality-control failures by Chinese vaccine manufacturers have led to enforcement action against officials responsible for implementing national reforms favorable to innovative drugs (such as ours). While not directly affecting us, this macro-industry event could cause state or private resources to be diverted away from fostering innovation and be redirected toward regulatory enforcement, which could adversely affect our research, development, manufacturing and commercialization activities and increase our compliance cost.
Changes in the political and economic policies of the PRC government or in relations between China and the United States or other governments may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.
Due to our extensive operations in China, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by economic, political, legal and social conditions in the PRC or changes in government relations between China and the United States or other governments.governments, such as the ongoing trade war between the United States and China. China’s economy differs from the economies of developed countries in many respects, including with respect to the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth over the past four decades, growth has been uneven across different regions and among various economic sectors of the PRC. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic development and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall PRC economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are currently applicable to us. In addition, in the past the PRC government implemented certain measures, including interest rate increases, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in the PRC, which may adversely affect our business and results of operation. More generally, if the business environment in the PRC deteriorates from the perspective of domestic or international investment, or if relations between China and the United States or other governments deteriorate, our business in the PRC may also be adversely affected.
There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations.
A large portion of our operations are conducted in the PRC through our PRC subsidiaries, and are governed by PRC laws, rules and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to laws, rules and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.
In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws, rules and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investment in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws, rules and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China or may be subject to significant degrees of interpretation by PRC regulatory agencies. In particular, because these laws, rules and regulations are relatively new and often give the relevant regulator significant discretion in how to enforce them, and because of the limited number of published decisions and the nonbinding nature of such decisions, the interpretation and
enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations involve uncertainties and can be inconsistent and unpredictable. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all, and which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until after the occurrence of the violation.
The MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law orof the 2015 DraftPRC (the “Foreign Investment Law”) and the Implementing Rules to the Foreign Investment Law in January 2015 and completed the solicitation of comments on this draft in February 2015. In December 2018, the PRC National People’s Congress Standing Committee reviewed and published a revised draft(the “Implementing Rules”) came into force on January 1, 2020. The Foreign Investment Law orand the 2018 DraftImplementing Rules embody an expected regulatory trend to rationalize China’s foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. The Foreign Investment Law which was further revised byand its Implementing Rules are drafted at a level of general principle, there is a reasonable possibility that various other new regulations and legislative changes will be issued to implement the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in its second review meeting held on January 29, 2019. The 2018 Draft Foreign Investment Law will replace the major existing laws and regulations governing foreign investment in China upon its enactment.Law. There are substantialstill uncertainties with respect to the enactment timetableinterpretation and the final contentimplementation of the Foreign Investment Law and its implementation rules. The 2018 Draftthe Implementing Rules. For example, the Foreign Investment Law requires foreign investors or applicableand its Implementing Rules provide that foreign invested entities or FIEs,established according to reportthe previous laws regulating foreign investment informationprior to government authorities. Although the 2018 Draftimplementation of the Foreign Investment Law does not specifymay maintain their structure and corporate governance within a five-year transition period. It is uncertain whether the form, content, scope and frequency of such information reporting, it provides monetary fines of up to RMB 500,000 on non-compliance of such information reporting obligations. The PRC governmental authorities may promulgate implementation rules afterrequire us to adjust the Foreign Investment Law is enactedstructure and further clarify the detailed information reportingcorporate governance of certain of our PRC subsidiaries in such transition period. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to meet any of these or similar regulatory compliance requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs. In that case,could materially affect our current corporate governance practices and business operations may be materially affected and our compliance costs may increase significantly.
Additionally, the NMPA’s recent reform of the drug and approval system may face implementation challenges. The timing and full impact of such reforms is uncertain and could prevent us from commercializing our drug candidates in a timely manner.
In addition, any administrative and court proceedings in the PRC may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding our employee equity plans and investments in offshore companies by PRC residents may subject the PRC plan participants and PRC-residentsPRC-resident beneficial owners or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.
We and our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC residents have participated in our employee equity plans. We are an overseas listed company, and therefore, we and our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who have resided in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted restricted share units, restricted shares, options or other forms of equity incentives or rights to acquire equity are subject to the Notice on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Share Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, according to which, employees, directors, supervisors and other management members participating in any share incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC citizens residing in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to limited exceptions, are required to register with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or the SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. We also face
regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional equity incentive plans for our directors and employees under PRC law.
Some of our existing shareholders, each of whom owns our ordinary shares as a result of exercising share options, are PRC residents under the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles or ("SAFE Circular 37.37"). These shareholders have undertaken to (i) apply to register with local SAFE branch or its delegated commercial bank as soon as possible after exercising their options, and (ii) indemnify and hold harmless us and our subsidiaries against any loss suffered arising from their failure to complete the registration. We do not have control over such shareholders and our other beneficial owners and cannot assure you that all of our PRC-resident beneficial owners have complied with, and will in the future comply with, SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules.
If we or our directors, executive officers or other employees who are PRC citizens or who have resided in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted equity awards or other rights to acquire equity fail to register the employee equity plans or their exercise of options or vesting of equity awards, or such PRC-resident beneficial owners fails to register or amend their SAFE registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, we and such
employees and PRC-beneficial owners may be subject to (i) legal or administrative sanctions imposed by the SAFE or other PRC authorities, including fines; (ii) restrictions on our cross-border investment activities; (iii) limits on the ability of our wholly owned subsidiaries in China to distribute dividends or the proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us; and (iv) prohibitions on our ability to inject additional capital into these subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with the various foreign exchange registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for circumventing applicable foreign exchange restrictions.
We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.
We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and we may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders or to service any debt we may incur. If any of our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries may pay dividends only out of their respective accumulated profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a certain statutory reserve fund, until the aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. Such reserve funds cannot be distributed to us as dividends. At its discretion, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to an enterprise expansion fund, or a staff welfare and bonus fund. In addition, registered share capital and capital reserve accounts are also restricted from withdrawal in the PRC, up to the amount of net assets held in each operating subsidiary. As of December 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, these restricted assets totaled $93.3$109.6 million and $29.9$93.3 million, respectively.
Our PRC subsidiaries generate primarily all of their revenue in RMB, which is not freely convertible into other currencies. As a result, any restriction on currency exchange may limit the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to use their RMB revenues to pay dividends to us.
In response to the persistent capital outflow in the PRC and RMB’s depreciation against the U.S. dollar in the fourth quarter of 2016, China’s People’s Bank of China or PBOC,("PBOC") and the SAFE promulgated a series of capital control measures, including stricter vetting procedures for domestic companies to remit foreign currency for overseas investments, dividends payments and shareholder loan repayments.
The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls, and more restrictions and substantial vetting process may be put forward by the SAFE for cross-border transactions falling under both the current account and the capital account. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other kinds of payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
The Enterprise Income Tax Law or the EIT Law,(the "EIT Law") and its implementation rules provide that China-sourced income of foreign enterprises, such as dividends paid by a PRC subsidiary to its equity holders that are non-PRC resident enterprises, will normally be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10%, unless any such foreign investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation
has a tax treaty with China that provides for a different withholding arrangement. As a result, dividends paid to us by our PRC subsidiaries are expected to be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10%.
Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income or the Hong(the "Hong Kong Tax Treaty,Treaty"), BeiGene HK, the shareholder of some of our PRC subsidiaries, may be subject to a withholding tax at a rate of 5% on dividends received from our PRC operating subsidiaries as a Hong Kong tax resident. Pursuant to the Hong Kong Tax Treaty, subject to certain conditions, this reduced withholding tax rate will be available for dividends from PRC entities provided that the recipient can demonstrate it is a Hong Kong tax resident and it is the beneficial owner of the dividends. The SAT promulgated SAT Circular 9 in February 2018, which became effective from April 2018 and stipulates that in determining whether a non-resident enterprise has the status as a beneficial owner, comprehensive analysis shall be conducted based on the factors listed therein and the actual circumstances of the specific case shall be taken into consideration. Specifically, it expressly excludes an agent or a designated payee from being considered as a “beneficial owner.” BeiGene HK currently does not hold a Hong Kong tax resident certificate from the Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong and there is no assurance that the reduced withholding tax rate will be available.
We may be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the EIT Law and we may therefore be subject to PRC income tax on our worldwide taxable income. Dividends payable to foreign investors and gains on the sale of our ADSs or ordinary shares by our foreign investors may become subject to PRC tax.
Under the EIT Law an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management bodies” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise,” meaning that it is treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax or EIT,("EIT") purposes. The implementing rules of the EIT Law define “de facto management bodies” as “management bodies that exercise substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise. In addition, the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese-Controlled Offshore Incorporated Enterprises as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De Facto Management Bodies or ("Circular 82,82") specifies that certain Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprises, defined as enterprises incorporated under the laws of foreign countries or territories and that have PRC enterprises or enterprise groups as their primary controlling shareholders, will be classified as resident enterprises if all of the following are located or resident in China: (i) senior management personnel and departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management; (ii) financial and personnel decision-making bodies; (iii) key properties, accounting books, company seal, and minutes of board meetings and shareholders’ meetings; and (iv) half or more of senior management or directors having voting rights. The State Administration of Taxation or the SAT,(the "SAT") has subsequently provided further guidance on the implementation of Circular 82.
Although BeiGene, Ltd. does not have a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as its primary controlling shareholder and is therefore not a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise within the meaning of Circular 82, in the absence of guidance specifically applicable to us, we have applied the guidance set forth in Circular 82 to evaluate the tax residence status of BeiGene, Ltd. and its subsidiaries organized outside of the PRC.
We are not aware of any offshore holding company with a corporate structure similar to ours that has been deemed a PRC “resident enterprise” by the PRC tax authorities. Accordingly, we do not believe that our company or any of our overseas subsidiaries should be treated as a PRC resident enterprise.
However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term "de facto management body." If the PRC tax authorities determine that our Cayman Islands holding company is a resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow and we may be subject to enterprise income tax at a rate of 25% on our worldwide taxable income, as well as to PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid on our ordinary shares or ADSs, and any gain realized from the transfer of our ordinary shares or ADSs, may be treated as income derived from sources within the PRC. As a result, dividends paid to non-PRC resident enterprise ADS holders or shareholders may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10% (or 20% in the case of non-PRC individual ADS holders or shareholders) and gains realized by non-PRC resident enterprises ADS holders or shareholders from the transfer of our ordinary shares or ADSs may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% (or 20% in the case of non-PRC individual ADS holders or shareholders).
We and our shareholders face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company, or other assets attributable to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company.
Pursuant to the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax and Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises or ("Bulletin 7,7"), which was amended by the Announcement on Issues Relating to Withholding at Source of Income Tax on Non-resident Enterprises issued by SAT or ("Announcement 37,37"), an “indirect transfer” of “PRC taxable assets,” including equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be recharacterized and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax. When determining whether there is a “reasonable commercial purpose” of the transaction arrangement, factors to be taken into consideration include: whether the main value of the equity interest of the relevant offshore enterprise derives from PRC taxable assets; whether the assets of the relevant offshore enterprise mainly consists of direct or indirect investment in the PRC or if its income mainly derives from the PRC; whether the offshore enterprise and its subsidiaries directly or indirectly holding PRC taxable assets have real commercial nature which is evidenced by their actual function and risk exposure; the duration of existence of the business model and organizational structure; the replicability of the transaction by direct transfer of PRC taxable assets; and the tax situation of such indirect transfer and applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements. In respect of an indirect offshore transfer of assets of a PRC establishment, the resulting gain is to be reported on with the enterprise income tax filing of the PRC establishment or place of business being transferred and would consequently be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Where the underlying transfer relates to equity investments in a PRC resident enterprise, which is not related to a PRC establishment or place of business of a non-resident
enterprise, a PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 10% would apply, subject to available preferential tax treatment under applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements. Late payment of applicable tax will subject the transferor to default interest. Gains derived from the sale of shares by investors through a public stock exchange are not subject to the PRC enterprise income tax pursuant to Bulletin 7 where such shares were acquired in a transaction through a public stock exchange. As such, the sale of the ADSs or ordinary shares on a public stock exchange will not be subject to PRC enterprise income tax pursuant to Bulletin 7. However, the sale of our ordinary shares or ADSs by a non-PRC resident enterprise outside a public stock exchange may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax under Bulletin 7.
There are uncertainties as to the application of Bulletin 7. Bulletin 7 may be determined by the tax authorities to be applicable to sale of the shares of our offshore subsidiaries or investments where PRC taxable assets are involved. The transferors and transferees may be subject to the tax filing and withholding or tax payment obligation, while our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing. Furthermore, we, our non-resident enterprises and PRC subsidiaries may be required to spend valuable resources to comply with Bulletin 7 or to establish that we and our non-resident enterprises should not be taxed under Bulletin 7, for our previous and future restructuring or disposal of shares of our offshore subsidiaries, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under Bulletin 7 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the taxable assets transferred and the cost of investment. If the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of the transactions under Announcement 37, or Bulletin 7, our income tax costs associated with such potential acquisitions or disposals will increase, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to utilize our revenue effectively.
The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of the PRC. A portion of our revenue is denominated in RMB. Shortages in availability of foreign currency may then restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to remit sufficient foreign currency to our offshore entities for our offshore entities to pay dividends or make other payments or otherwise to satisfy our foreign currency denominated obligations. The RMB is currently convertible under the “current account,” which includes dividends, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not under the “capital account,” which includes foreign direct investment and loans, including loans we may secure from our onshore subsidiaries. Currently, our PRC subsidiaries may purchase foreign currency for settlement of “current account transactions,” including payment of dividends to us, without the approval of SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, the relevant PRC governmental authorities may limit or eliminate our ability to purchase foreign currencies in the future for current account transactions. Since a portion of our revenue is denominated in RMB, any existing and future restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to utilize revenue generated in RMB to fund our business activities outside of the PRC or pay dividends in foreign currencies to holders of our ordinary shares and the ADSs. Foreign exchange transactions under the capital account remain subject to limitations and require approvals from, or
registration with, SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities or designated banks. This could affect our ability to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing for our subsidiaries.
Our business benefits from certain financial incentives and discretionary policies granted by local governments. Expiration of, or changes to, these incentives or policies would have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
Local governments in the PRC have granted certain financial incentives from time to time to our PRC subsidiaries as part of their efforts to encourage the development of local businesses. The timing, amount and criteria of government financial incentives are determined within the sole discretion of the local government authorities and cannot be predicted with certainty before we actually receive any financial incentive. We generally do not have the ability to influence local governments in making these decisions. Local governments may decide to reduce or eliminate incentives at any time. In addition, some of the government financial incentives are granted on a project basis and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including compliance with the applicable financial incentive agreements and completion of the specific project therein. We cannot guarantee that we will satisfy all relevant conditions, and if we do so we may be deprived of the relevant incentives. We cannot assure you of the continued availability of the government incentives currently enjoyed by us. Any reduction or elimination of incentives would have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Government grant and subsidies recognized in the income statement for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and 2017 were $4.4$6.2 million and $11.3$4.4 million, respectively.
The audit report included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC is prepared by auditors who are not inspected fully by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board or the PCAOB,(the "PCAOB"), and as such, investors are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.
As an auditor of companies that are publicly traded in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP is required under the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB. However,
because we have substantial operations within the PRC, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese government authorities, our auditor and its audit work is not currently inspected fully by the PCAOB.
Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside the PRC have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in the PRC prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections and may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.
As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China’s, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress, which if passed, would require the SEC to maintain a list of issuers for which PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate an auditor report issued by a foreign public accounting firm. The proposed Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges (“EQUITABLE”) Act prescribes increased disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges such as the NASDAQ Global Market of issuers included on the SEC’s list for three consecutive years. Enactment of this legislation or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of our ADSs and ordinary shares could be adversely affected. It is unclear if this proposed legislation will be enacted. Furthermore, there has been recent deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. If any such policies were to materialize, the resulting legislation, if it were to apply to us, would likely have a material adverse impact on our business and the price of our ADSs and ordinary shares.
Proceedings instituted by the SEC against five PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in our financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.
In December 2012, the SEC brought administrative proceedings against five accounting firms in China, including our independent registered public accounting firm, alleging that they had refused to produce audit work papers and other documents related to certain other PRC-based companies under investigation by the SEC. On January 22, 2014, an initial administrative law decision was issued, censuring these accounting firms and suspending four of these firms from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. The decision is neither final nor legally effective unless and until reviewed and approved by the SEC. On February 12, 2014, four of these PRC-based accounting firms appealed to the SEC against this decision. In February 2015, each of the four PRC-based accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC. These firms’ ability to continue to serve all their respective clients is not affected by the settlement. The settlement requires these firms to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the China Securities Regulatory Commission or the CSRC.(the "CSRC"). If these firms do not follow these procedures, the SEC could impose penalties such as suspensions, or it could restart the administrative proceedings. The settlement did not require these firms to admit to any violation of law and preserves these firms’ legal defenses in the event the administrative proceeding is restarted. In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding PRC-based, U.S.-listed companies and the market price of the ADSs and/or ordinary shares may be adversely affected.
If our independent registered public accounting firm was denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to deregistration from the SEC, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of the ADSs in the United States. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may adversely affect investor confidence in companies with substantial mainland China-based operations listed in the United States. All these would materially and adversely affect the market price of the ADSs and substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of the ADSs in the United States, and the market price of the ordinary shares may be adversely affected.
Risks Related to Our American Depositary Shares and Ordinary Shares
The trading prices of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs can be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to you.
The trading price of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs can be volatile and fluctuate widely in response to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in the PRCChina that have listed their securities in Hong Kong or the United States may affect the volatility in the price of and trading volumes for our ordinary shares and/or ADSs. Some of these companies have experienced significant volatility. The trading performances of these PRC companies’ securities may affect the overall investor sentiment towards other PRC companies listed in Hong Kong or the United States and consequently may impact the trading performance of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs.
In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ordinary shares and/or ADSs may be highly volatile for specific business reasons, including: announcements of regulatory approval or a complete response letter, or specific label indications or patient populations for its use, or changes or delays in the regulatory review process; announcements of therapeutic innovations, new products, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures or capital commitments by us or our competitors; adverse actions taken by regulatory agencies with respect to our clinical trials, manufacturing supply chain or sales and marketing activities; any adverse changes to our relationship with manufacturers or suppliers; the results of our testing and clinical trials; the results of our efforts to acquire or license additional drug candidates; variations in the level of expenses related to our existing drugs and drug candidates or preclinical, clinical development and commercialization programs; any intellectual property infringement actions in which we may become involved; announcements concerning our competitors or the pharmaceutical industry in general; fluctuations in product revenue, sales and marketing expenses and profitability; manufacture, supply or distribution shortages; variations in our results of operations; announcements about our results of operations that are not in line with analyst expectations, the risk of which is enhanced because it is our policy not to give guidance on results of operations; publication of operating or industry metrics by third parties, including government statistical agencies, that differ from expectations of industry or financial analysts; changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts; media reports, whether or not true, about our business, our competitors or our industry; additions to or departures of our management; fluctuations of exchange rates between the RMB, the U.S. dollar and Hong Kong dollar; release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding ordinary shares or ADSs; sales or perceived potential sales of additional ordinary shares or ADSs by us, our executive officers and directors or our shareholders; general economic and market conditions and overall fluctuations in the U.S.United States or Hong Kong equity markets; changes in accounting principles; trade disputes or U.S.-China government relations; and changes or developments in the United States, PRC, EU or global regulatory environment.
In addition, the stock market, in general, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. Further, the current volatility in the financial markets and related factors beyond our control may cause the ordinary share and/or ADS price to decline rapidly and unexpectedly.
The characteristics of the U.S. capital markets and the Hong Kong capital markets are different.
The Nasdaq and HKEx have different trading hours, trading characteristics (including trading volume and liquidity), trading and listing rules, and investor bases (including different levels of retail and institutional participation). As a result of these differences, the trading prices of our ordinary shares and the ADSs representing them might not be the same, even allowing for currency differences. Fluctuations in the price of our ADSs due to circumstances peculiar to its home capital market could materially and adversely affect the price of the ordinary shares.shares, and vice versa. Because of the different characteristics of the U.S. and Hong Kong equity markets, the historic market prices of our ADSs and ordinary shares may not be indicative of the performance of our securities (including the ordinary shares) going forward.
We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.
Companies that have experienced volatility in the volume and market price of their shares have been subject to an increased incidence of securities class action litigation.litigation, particularly in our industry in recent years. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, and, if adversely determined, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Future sales of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs in the public market could cause the ordinary shares and/or ADS price to fall.
OurThe price of our ordinary shareshares and/or ADS priceADSs could decline as a result of sales of a large number of the ordinary shares and/or ADSs or the perception that these sales could occur. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
As of February 15, 2019, 776,113,18414, 2020, 1,007,975,711 ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, were outstanding, of which 599,894,893846,730,482 ordinary shares were held in the form of 46,145,761 American Depositary Shares,65,133,114 ADSs, each representing 13 ordinary shares.
We filed a registration statement with the SEC on behalf of certain shareholders on May 26, 2017, registering 299,279,370 ordinary shares in the form of 23,021,490 ADSs to be resold by the selling shareholders identified therein and in any related prospectus supplement from time to time. Furthermore, we have registered or plan to register the offer and sale of all securities that we have issued and may issue in the future under our equity compensation plans, including upon the exercise of share options and vesting of restricted share units.units and under our employee share purchase plan. If these additional securities are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs could decline. We have also granted certain registration rights with respect to the shares issued to CelgeneBMS in the event that they are not eligible for sale under Rule 144. Amgen also has specified registration rights upon expiration of the lock-up.
In addition, in the future, we may issue additional ordinary shares, ADSs or other equity or debt securities convertible into ordinary shares or ADSs in connection with a financing, acquisition, license, litigation settlement, employee arrangements or otherwise. Any such issuance could result in substantial dilution to our existing shareholders and could cause the ordinary share and/or ADS price to decline.
Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on price appreciation of the ordinary shares and/or ADSs for return on your investment.
We intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in the ordinary shares and/or ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.
Our board of directors has significant discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual and regulatory restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the ordinary shares and/or ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ordinary shares and/or ADSs. There is no guarantee that the ordinary shares and/or ADSs will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ordinary shares and/or ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in the ordinary shares and/or ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ordinary shares and/or ADSs.
If securities or industry analysts do not continue to publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for the ordinary shares and/or ADSs and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for the ordinary shares and ADSs relies in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us or our business. We do not control these analysts. If research analysts do not maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades the ordinary shares and/or ADSs or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for the ordinary shares and/or ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for the ordinary shares and/or ADSs to decline significantly.
We are a Cayman Islands company. Because judicial precedent regarding the rights of shareholders is more limited under Cayman Islands law than under Hong Kong law or U.S. law, shareholders may have fewer shareholder rights than they would have under Hong Kong law or U.S. law and may face difficulties in protecting your interests.
We are an exempted company with limited liability incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (as may be further amended from time to time), the Companies Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. This common law is derived in part from comparatively
limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in Hong Kong and the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities law than Hong Kong or the United States. In addition, some states in the United States, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands.
In addition, as a Cayman Islands exempted company, our shareholders have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records and accounts or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies with the exception that the shareholders may request a copy of the current amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our directors have discretion under our amended and restated articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest. As a Cayman Islands company, we may not have standing to initiate a derivative action in a Hong Kong or U.S. federal court. As a result, you may be limited in your ability to protect your interests if you are harmed in a manner that would otherwise enable you to sue in a United States federal court. In addition, shareholders of Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in Hong Kong or U.S. federal courts.
Some of our directors and executive officers reside outside of Hong Kong and the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside of Hong Kong and the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the Cayman IslandsHong Kong or in Chinathe United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the securities laws of Hong Kong, the United States or otherwise. To the extent our directors and executive officers reside inoutside China or their assets are located inoutside China, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of process upon us or our management inside China. Even if you are successful in bringing an action, the laws of the Cayman Islands and China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. There is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, Hong Kong or China, although the courts of the Cayman Islands will generally recognize and enforce a non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a Hong Kong company or a U.S. company.
Your voting rights as a holder of the ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement. The depositary for the ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our ordinary shares underlying your ADSs if you do not vote at shareholders’ meetings, except in limited circumstances, which could adversely affect your interests.
You may exercise your voting rights with respect to the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs only in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Upon receipt of voting instructions from you in the manner set forth in the deposit agreement, the depositary for the ADSs will endeavor to vote your underlying ordinary shares in accordance with these instructions. Under our articles of association, the minimum notice period required for convening an annual general meeting is twenty-one calendar days and the minimum notice period required for convening an extraordinary general meeting is fourteen calendar days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient notice of a shareholders’ meeting to permit you to withdraw your ordinary shares to allow you to cast your vote with respect to any specific matter at the meeting. In addition, the depositary and its agents may not be able to send voting instructions to you or carry out your voting instructions in a timely manner. We will make all reasonable efforts to cause the depositary to extend voting rights to you in a timely manner, but you may not receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your shares. Furthermore, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the
manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may lack recourse if your ordinary shares are not voted as you requested.
Under the deposit agreement, for the ADSs, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs at shareholders’ meetings if you do not give voting instructions to the depositary, unless:
we have failed to timely provide the depositary with our notice of meeting and related voting materials;
we have instructed the depositary that we do not wish a discretionary proxy to be given;
we have informed the depositary that there is substantial opposition as to a matter to be voted on at the meeting; or
a matter to be voted on at the meeting would have a material adverse impact on shareholders.
The effect of this discretionary proxy is that, if you fail to give voting instructions to the depositary, you cannot prevent the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs from being voted, absent the situations described above, and it may make it more difficult for you to influence our management. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.
Anti-takeover provisions in our constitutional documents may discourage our acquisition by a third party, which could limit our shareholders’ opportunity to sell their shares at a premium.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association include provisions that could limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company, could modify our structure or could cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares, at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control in a tender offer or similar transaction.
For example, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix the powers and rights of these shares, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares. Preferred shares could thus be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control or make removal of management more difficult. In addition, if our board of directors authorizes the issuance of preferred shares, the market price of the ordinary shares and/or ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, the amended and restated articles of association permit the directors to vary all or any of the rights attaching to any class of shares in issue without the consent of the shareholder but only if such variation is considered by the directors not to have a material adverse effect upon such holder. The directors cannot vary the rights of shares if such variation would have a material adverse effect of the holder. The amended and restated articles of association provide that the holders must consent to any such material adverse changes in the manner set out therein.
Because our directors are divided into three classes with staggered terms of three years each, shareholders can only elect or remove a limited number of our directors in any given year. The length of these terms could present an obstacle to certain actions, such as a merger or other change of control, which could be in the interest of our shareholders.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association designate courts in the Cayman Islands as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of Cayman Islands will be the sole and exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us, any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of us to us or our shareholders, any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands as amended from time to time, or the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the U.S. laws). This provision may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association inapplicable to, or
unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any shareholder bringing an unsuccessful action against us may be obligated to reimburse us for any costs we have incurred in connection with such unsuccessful action.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that under certain circumstances the fees, costs, and expenses that we incur in connection with actions or proceedings brought by any person or entity, which we refer to as claiming parties, may be shifted to such person or entity. If a claiming party asserts any claim; initiates any proceeding; or joins, offers substantial assistance to, or has a direct financial interest in any claim or proceeding against us, and such claiming party or the third party that received substantial assistance from the claiming party or in whole claim the claiming party had a direct financial interest is unsuccessful in obtaining a judgment on the merits in which the claiming party prevails, then such claiming party shall (to the fullest extent permitted by law) be obligated to reimburse us for all fees, costs, and expenses,
including but not limited to all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses, that we may incur in connection with such claim or proceeding.
Fee-shifting articles are relatively new and untested in the Cayman Islands, the United States and Hong Kong. The case law and potential legislative action on fee-shifting articles are evolving and there exists considerable uncertainty regarding the validity of, and potential judicial and legislative responses to, such articles. The application of our fee-shifting article in connection with claims under the Cayman Islands, the United States or Hong Kong securities laws, if any, will depend in part on future developments of the law. We cannot assure you that we will or will not invoke our fee-shifting article in any particular dispute. Consistent with our directors’ fiduciary duties to act in the best interests of the Company, the directors may in their sole discretion from time to time decide whether or not to enforce this article. In addition, given the unsettled state of the law related to fee-shifting articles, such as ours, we may incur significant additional costs associated with resolving disputes with respect to such articles, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
If a shareholder that brings any such claim or proceeding is unable to obtain the judgment sought, the attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses that might be shifted to a claiming party are potentiallymay be significant. This fee-shifting article, therefore, may dissuade or discourage current or former shareholders (and their attorneys) from initiating lawsuits or claims against us. In addition, it may impact the fees, contingency or otherwise, required by potential plaintiffs’ attorneys to represent our shareholders or otherwise discourage plaintiffs’ attorneys from representing our shareholders at all. As a result, this article may limit the ability of shareholders to affect the management and direction of our company, particularly through litigation or the threat of litigation.
Holders of the ADSs may be subject to limitations on transfer of their ADSs.
Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of your ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary think it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law, government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, as amended, or for any other reason, subject to your right to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares. Temporary delays in the cancellation of your ADSs and withdrawal of the underlying common shares may arise because the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books, the transfer of ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting or we are paying a dividend on our ordinary shares.
In addition, you may not be able to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares when you owe money for fees, taxes and similar charges and when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of ordinary shares or other deposited securities.
The depositary for the ADSs is entitled to charge holders fees for various services, including annual service fees. Dealings in the ordinary shares registered in our Hong Kong register of members will be subject to Hong Kong stamp duty.
The depositary for the ADSs is entitled to charge holders fees for various services including for the issuance of ADSs upon deposit of ordinary shares, cancellation of ADSs, distributions of cash dividends or other cash distributions, distributions of ADSs pursuant to share dividends or other free share distributions, distributions of securities other than ADSs and annual service fees. In the case of ADSs issued by the depositary into The Depository Trust Company or DTC,("DTC"), the fees will be charged by the DTC participant to the account of the applicable beneficial owner in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC participant as in effect at the time.
Additionally, dealings in the ordinary shares registered in our Hong Kong register of members will be subject to Hong Kong stamp duty.
Holders of the ADSs may not receive distributions on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.
The depositary of the ADSs has agreed to pay you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian for the ADSs receives on our ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of our ordinary shares that your ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible for making such payments or distributions if it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, it would be unlawful to make a distribution to a holder of ADSs if it consists of securities that require registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended or the Securities Act,(the "Securities Act"), but that are not properly registered or distributed pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. The depositary is not responsible for making a distribution available to any holders of ADSs if any government approval or registration required for such distribution cannot be obtained after reasonable efforts made by the depositary. We have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of the ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of the ADSs. This means that you may not receive the distributions we
make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may materially reduce the value of your ADSs.
Holders of the ADSs may not be able to participate in rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings.
From time to time, we may distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs or are registered under the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to try to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.
Our corporate actions are substantially controlled by our directors, executive officers and other principal shareholders, who can exert significant influence over important corporate matters, which may reduce the price of the ordinary shares and/or ADSs and deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your ordinary shares and/or ADSs.
Our directors, executive officers and principal shareholders beneficially owned approximately 52.6%68% of our outstanding ordinary shares as of February 15, 2019.14, 2020. These shareholders, if acting together, could exert substantial influence over matters such as electing directors and approving material mergers, acquisitions or other business combination transactions. This concentration of ownership may also discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the dual effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and reducing the price of our ordinary shares and/or ADSs. These actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders. In addition, these persons could divert business opportunities away from us to themselves or others.
We may be a passive foreign investment company in future taxable years, which may have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences for U.S. shareholders.
A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a “passive foreign investment company,” (or a “PFIC”company” (“PFIC”) for any taxable year if either (1) 75% or more of its gross income consists of certain types of passive income or (2) 50% or more of the average quarterly value of its assets during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income. Based upon the current and expected composition of our income and assets, we do not presently expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year. Nevertheless, because our PFIC status must be determined annually with respect to each taxable year and will depend on the composition and character of our assets and income, and the value of our assets (which may be determined, in part, by reference to the market value of our ADSs and ordinary shares, which may be volatile) over the course of such taxable year, we may be a PFIC in any taxable year. If we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of being a PFIC may substantially increase. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules and PFIC status is a factual determination made annually after the close of each taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for the current taxable year or any future taxable year. In addition, it is possible that the Internal Revenue Service may challenge our classification of certain income and assets as non-passive, which may result in our being or becoming a PFIC in the current or subsequent years. Further, U.S. investors should be aware that we determined we were a PFIC for 2016.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during a U.S. shareholder’s holding period of the ordinary shares or ADSs, then such U.S. shareholder may incur significantly increased United States income tax on gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of the ordinary shares or ADSs and on the receipt of distributions on the ordinary shares or ADSs to the extent such distribution
is treated as an “excess distribution” under the United States federal income tax rules. In addition, such holders may be subject to burdensome reporting requirements.
Further, if we are classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. shareholder holds our ordinary shares or ADSs, we will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. shareholder holds such ordinary shares or ADSs. Each U.S. shareholder should consult its tax advisor regarding the PFIC rules and the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the ordinary shares and ADSs.
If you are a “Ten Percent Shareholder,” you may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences if we are classified as a Controlled Foreign Corporation.
Each “Ten Percent Shareholder” (as defined below) in a non-U.S. corporation that is classified as a “controlled foreign corporation,” or a CFC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes is generally required to include in income for U.S. federal tax purposes such Ten Percent Shareholder’s pro rata share of the CFC’s “Subpart F income” and investment of earnings in U.S. property, even if the CFC has made no distributions to its shareholders. Each Ten Percent Shareholder is also required to
include in gross income its “global intangible low-taxed income,” which is determined by reference to the income of CFCs of which such Ten Percent Shareholder is a Ten Percent Shareholder. Ten Percent Shareholders that are corporations may be entitled to a deduction equal to the foreign portion of any dividend when a dividend is paid. A non-U.S. corporation will generally be classified as a CFC for U.S federal income tax purposes if Ten Percent Shareholders own in the aggregate, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of either the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of such corporation entitled to vote or of the total value of the stock of such corporation. A “Ten Percent Shareholder” is a U.S. person (as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended), who owns or is considered to own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote of such corporation or 10% of the value of all classes of stock of such corporation. The determination of CFC status is complex and includes attribution rules, the application of which is not entirely certain. Although we believe we are not a CFC now, we may become one or own interests in one in the future. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to our potential CFC status and the consequences thereof.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.
Item 2. Properties
We lease all of our facilities other than our manufacturing facility under construction in Guangzhou, China and our offices and laboratories in Changping, Beijing, and believe that our facilities are currently suitable and sufficient to meet our needs. We also lease an aggregate of approximately 42,00553,000 square meters of office space at approximately 1725 other locations across China, the United States and Europe, in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Guangzhou, China; Cambridge, MA:Massachusetts; Ridgefield Park, NJ;New Jersey; Emeryville and San Mateo, CA;California; and Basel, Switzerland, primarily for our offices and for our manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, pursuant to leases with various expiration dates, with the latest expiring in 2024. We intend to add new facilities or expand existing facilities as we add employees and enter new locations, and we believe that suitable additional or substitute space will be available as needed to accommodate any such expansion of our operations.
ReferPlease refer to “Note 24:23: Commitments and Contingencies” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our real property leases.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
From time to time we may become involved in legal proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently a party to any legal proceedings that, if determined adversely to us, would individually or taken together have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our ADSsAmerican Depositary Shares ("ADSs") have been publicly traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BGNE” since February 3, 2016. Our ordinary shares have been publicly traded on the HKEx under the stock code “06160” since August 8, 2018.
Shareholders
As of January 31, 2019,2020, we had approximately 166160 holders of record of our ordinary shares and 7nine holders of record of theour ADSs. This number does not include beneficial owners whose ordinary shares or ADSs are held by nominees in street name. Because many ordinary shares and ADSs are held by broker nominees, we are unable to estimate the total number of beneficial holders represented by these record holders.
Dividend Policy
Our board of directors has adopted a dividend policy. As stated in such policy, we currently intend to retain all available funds and earnings, if any, to fund the development and expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Subject to the applicable law and our amended and restated articles of association, any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and may be based on a number of factors, including our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant. If we pay dividends in the future, in order for us to distribute dividends to its shareholders and holders of ADSs, we may rely to some extent on any dividends distributed by our PRC subsidiaries. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. This dividend policy reflects our board of directors’ current views on our financial and cash flow position. We intend to continue to review our dividend policy from time to time, and there can be no assurance that dividends will be paid in any particular amount, if at all, for any given period.
We have never declared or paid any dividends on our ordinary shares or any other securities. We currently intend to retain all available funds and earnings, if any, to fund the development and expansion of our business and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. If we pay dividends in the future, in order for us to distribute dividends to our shareholders, we will rely to some extent on any dividends distributed by our PRC subsidiaries. Any dividend distributions from our PRC subsidiaries to us will be subject to PRC withholding tax. In addition, PRC regulations currently permit payment of dividends of a PRC company only out of accumulated distributable after-tax profits as determined in accordance with its articles of association and the accounting standards and regulations in China.
Investors should not purchase our ordinary shares or ADSs with the expectation of receiving cash dividends.
Performance Comparison Graph
This graph is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed “filed” with the SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference into any of our filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language in any such filing.
The following graph shows the total stockholder return of an investment of $100 in cash at market close on February 3, 2016 (the first day of trading of our ADSs) through December 31, 20182019 for our ADSs, the NASDAQ Composite Index (U.S.), and the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index.
Pursuant to applicable SEC rules, all values assume reinvestment of the full amount of any dividends, although no dividends have been declared to date. The stockholder return shown on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future performance, and we do not make or endorse any predictions as to future stockholder returns.
| | | 2/3/16 | | 3/31/16 | | 6/30/16 | | 9/30/16 | | 12/31/16 | | 3/31/17 | | 6/30/17 | | 9/30/17 | | 12/31/17 | | 3/31/18 | | 6/30/18 | | 9/30/18 | | 12/31/18 | 2/3/16 | | 3/31/16 | | 6/30/16 | | 9/30/16 | | 12/31/16 | | 3/31/17 | | 6/30/17 | | 9/30/17 | | 12/31/17 | | 3/31/18 | | 6/30/18 | | 9/30/18 | | 12/31/18 | | 3/31/19 | | 6/30/19 | | 9/30/19 | | 12/31/19 |
BeiGene, Ltd. | $ | 100.00 |
| | $ | 103.50 |
| | $ | 105.23 |
| | $ | 108.79 |
| | $ | 107.20 |
| | $ | 129.27 |
| | $ | 158.90 |
| | $ | 365.32 |
| | $ | 345.06 |
| | $ | 593.22 |
| | $ | 542.83 |
| | $ | 608.12 |
| | $ | 495.27 |
| 100.00 |
| | 103.50 |
| | 105.23 |
| | 108.79 |
| | 107.20 |
| | 129.27 |
| | 158.90 |
| | 365.32 |
| | 345.06 |
| | 593.22 |
| | 542.83 |
| | 608.12 |
| | 495.27 |
| | 466.10 |
| | 437.68 |
| | 432.42 |
| | 585.31 |
|
NASDAQ Composite | 100.00 |
| | 105.84 |
| | 105.58 |
| | 115.84 |
| | 117.20 |
| | 129.17 |
| | 134.58 |
| | 142.37 |
| | 151.45 |
| | 155.11 |
| | 164.94 |
| | 176.31 |
| | 145.93 |
| 100.00 |
| | 105.84 |
| | 105.60 |
| | 116.17 |
| | 118.10 |
| | 130.06 |
| | 135.47 |
| | 143.69 |
| | 153.10 |
| | 157.06 |
| | 167.44 |
| | 179.86 |
| | 148.75 |
| | 173.75 |
| | 180.47 |
| | 180.80 |
| | 203.33 |
|
NASDAQ Biotechnology | 100.00 |
| | 99.09 |
| | 96.20 |
| | 106.06 |
| | 98.61 |
| | 108.14 |
| | 114.15 |
| | 124.31 |
| | 117.43 |
| | 115.99 |
| | 119.12 |
| | 132.67 |
| | 106.51 |
| 100.00 |
| | 97.63 |
| | 96.54 |
| | 108.60 |
| | 99.57 |
| | 110.37 |
| | 116.84 |
| | 125.89 |
| | 121.12 |
| | 121.19 |
| | 124.92 |
| | 138.91 |
| | 110.38 |
| | 127.54 |
| | 124.67 |
| | 113.92 |
| | 138.10 |
|
Our equity compensation plan information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the information in “Part III—Item 12—Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” of this Annual Report.
None.
None.
The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty or withholding tax applicable to us or to any holder of the ADSs and ordinary shares. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the Government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or after execution brought within, the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. No stamp duty is payable in the Cayman Islands on the issue of shares by, or any transfers of shares of, Cayman Islands companies (except those which hold interests in land in the Cayman Islands). The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties that are applicable to any payments made to or by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of the ADSs and ordinary shares will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the ADSs or ordinary shares, as the case may be, nor will gains derived from the disposal of the ADSs or ordinary shares be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.
Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, or EIT Law, an enterprise established outside the PRC with a “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise,” which means that it is treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. The implementation rules of the EIT Law define “de facto management body” as a managing body that exercises substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting and properties of an enterprise. In addition, the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese‑Controlled Offshore Incorporated Enterprise as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De Facto Management Bodies, or Circular 82, issued by the State Administration of Taxation, which provides guidance on the determination of the tax residence status of a Chinese‑controlled offshore incorporated enterprise, defines Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise as an enterprise that is incorporated under the laws of a foreign country or territory and that has a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as its primary controlling shareholder. Although BeiGene, Ltd. does not have a PRC enterprise or enterprise group as our primary controlling shareholder and is therefore not a Chinese‑controlled offshore incorporated enterprise within the meaning of Circular 82, in the absence of guidance specifically applicable to us, we have applied the guidance set forth in Circular 82 to evaluate the tax residence status of BeiGene, Ltd. and its subsidiaries organized outside the PRC.
According to Circular 82, a Chinese‑controlled offshore incorporated enterprise will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having a “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its worldwide income only if all of the following criteria are met:
Currently, some of the members of our management team are located in China. However, we do not believe that we meet all of the conditions outlined in the immediately preceding paragraph. BeiGene, Ltd. and its offshore subsidiaries are incorporated outside the PRC. As a holding company, our key assets and records, including the resolutions and meeting minutes of our board of directors and the resolutions and meeting minutes of our shareholders, are located and maintained outside the PRC. We are not aware of any offshore holding companies with a corporate structure similar to ours that has been deemed a PRC “resident enterprise” by the PRC tax authorities. Accordingly, we believe that BeiGene, Ltd. and its offshore subsidiaries should not be treated as a “resident enterprise” for PRC tax purposes if the criteria for “de facto management body” as set forth in Circular 82 were deemed applicable to us. However, as the tax residency status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body” as applicable to our offshore entities, we will continue to monitor our tax status.
The implementation rules of the EIT Law provide that, (1) if the enterprise that distributes dividends is domiciled in the PRC or (2) if gains are realized from transferring equity interests of enterprises domiciled in the PRC, then such dividends or
capital gains are treated as China‑sourced income. It is not clear how “domicile” may be interpreted under the EIT Law, and it may be interpreted as the jurisdiction where the enterprise is a tax resident. Therefore, if we are considered as a PRC tax resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes, any dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders or ADS holders as well as gains realized by such shareholders or ADS holders from the transfer of our shares or ADSs may be regarded as China‑sourced income. As a result, dividends paid to non‑PRC resident enterprise ADS holders or shareholders may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10% (or 20% in the case of non‑PRC individual ADS holders or shareholders) and gains realized by non‑PRC resident enterprise ADS holders or shareholders from the transfer of our ordinary shares or ADSs may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% (or 20% in the case of non‑PRC individual ADS holders or shareholders). It is also unclear whether, if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our shares or ADSs would be able to claim the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas.
Item 6. Selected Consolidated Financial Data
The selected financial data set forth below is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and may not be indicative of future operating results. The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The selected financial data in this section are not intended to replace our consolidated financial statements and the related notes. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our future results.