result in slowing AD progression. The initial pre-clinical side effect rates potentially allow for higher clinical doses. On August 1, 2005 the Company announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its investigational new drug (IND) application allowing phase I clinical testing of Posiphen. The first Phase I clinical study is expected to begin shortly and will primarily evaluate the safety of Posiphen in healthy volunteers.
BisNorCymcerine (BNC) is a highly selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibiter. Butyrylcholinesterase is found in high concentration in the plaques taken from individuals who have died from AD. Butyrylcholinesterase appears to have an increasing role with advancing Alzheimer’s disease and its primary mechanism of action results in a dose dependent reduction of Acetylcholine. The initial pre-clinical side effect rate potentially allows higher clinical doses. A secondary mechanism of action is associated with dose dependent reductions of beta APP and amyloid beta. BNC, the lead compound from our butyrylcholinesterase family, is currently in full pre-IND development and we plan an IND submission in fourth quarter 2005 followed by the initiation of Phase I clinical studies in first quarter 2006.
In December 2000, the Company incorporated Axonyx Europe BV, a wholly owned subsidiary, in the Netherlands. Gosse Bruinsma, M.D., currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Axonyx Inc., is also the President of Axonyx Europe BV. The majority of our clinical development activities and a significant amount of our pre-clinical development activities are carried out in Europe. The Axonyx Europe BV office manages, directs, and controls these activities. Axonyx Europe BV explores and pursues in-licensing and out-licensing opportunities for the Company’s licensed technologies and facilitates communication with the Company’s European shareholders and Serono.
In June 2005, the Company appointed Paul Feuerman as its General Counsel. Mr. Feuerman is a founding member of Pharm Advisors LLC, a consulting firm serving pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. Formerly, he was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Schein Pharmaceutical Inc., a New York Stock Exchange listed specialty pharma/generics company.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operations since the inception of the Company in 1997. Our net losses for the three fiscal years ended 2002, 2003 and 2004 were $6,256,000, $8,106,000 and $28,780,000 respectively, and our net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2005 was $18,612,000. We have no products available for sale and we do not expect to have any products commercially available for several years, if at all.
The Company had no revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2005 and $433,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2004. The Company had revenue of $403,000 and $911,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Revenue in 2005 and 2004 was derived from the sale of research assays and fine chemicals at OXIS. The reduction in revenue for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2005 from prior year levels results from the fact that OXIS operations are no longer being consolidated with our results effective March 1, 2005 as discussed in Note 1 to the condensed consolidated financial statements.
The Company’s costs of sales were entirely related to its subsidiary, OXIS. The percentage of cost of sales for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2005 were 55% and 52% respectively.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses were $7,351,000 and $5,782,000 for the quarters ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Research and development expenses were $16,673,000 and $9,834,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 respectively. In 2004, the Company was conducting both a Phase IIb and Phase III trial for Phenserine, its lead drug compound. In 2005, two additional Phase III trials were underway, as well as continuing costs associated with the earlier two trials. This accounts for the majority of the increase in research and development expenses. Additionally, preclinical studies in carcinogenicity and absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) increased by $195,000 from the same six month period in 2004. Posiphen preclinical costs increased by $1,024,000 over the prior six month period as the Company advances Posiphen preclinical testing. The six month period also includes costs incurred with the Company’s third compound, Bisnorcymserine.
Sales, General and Administrative
Sales, general and administrative expenses were $1,213,000 and $2,127,000 for the quarters ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Sales, general and administrative expenses were $2,876,000 and $4,498,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Non-cash charges relating to stock option grants to consultants were $1,399,000 lower in the six months ended June 30, 2005 than the six months ended June 30, 2004. Professional fees were $1,585,000 compared to $601,000 in the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase in professional fees is primarily attributed to utilization of additional outside counsel, patent filing costs, legal costs related to class action securities litigation, Sarbanes Oxley compliance and board member fees. The reduction in sales, general and administrative expenses for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2005 from prior year levels results from the fact that OXIS operations are no longer consolidated with our results effective March 1, 2005 as discussed in Note 1 to the condensed consolidated financial statements.
Other Income (Expense)
Interest income was $558,000 and $241,000 for the quarters ending June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Interest income was $1,130,000 and $426,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increase reflects the higher cash and cash equivalent balances held in 2005 resulting from the private placements completed in 2004 and a rise in short term yields.
Foreign exchange for the quarter ended June 30, 2005 was a loss of $56,000 compared to a foreign exchange gain of $34,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2004. Foreign exchange losses of $81,000 and $37,000 were incurred for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 respectively. The loss in 2005 reflects the strength of the Euro against the US dollar in 2005.
Loss on issuance of subsidiary stock was $320,000 net for the six months ended June 30, 2005. This net loss on issuance of subsidiary stock results from common stock equity transactions in OXIS and the adjustment discussed in Note 2 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Equity in loss of OXIS of $147,000 reflects the Company’s proportional share of OXIS losses from March 1, 2005 forward under the equity method of accounting.
Interest expense reflects the cost of borrowing incurred by OXIS in obtaining temporary short term financing.
Net Loss
The Company experienced net losses of $8,179,000 ($0.15 per share-basic and diluted) and $7,132,000 ($0.14 per share-basic and diluted) for the quarters ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The Company experienced net losses of $18,612,000 ($0.35 per share-basic and diluted) and $13,123,000 ($0.28 per share-basic and diluted) for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 respectively. The increase in the net loss is primarily due to the expense of the ongoing Phase IIB and Phase III clinical trials for Phenserine, initiation of the 2nd Phase III clinical trial and an increase in the non-cash stock and option charges.
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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
As of June 30, 2005 we had $70,305,000 in cash and cash equivalents, and $62,133,000 in working capital. We do not have any available lines of credit. Since inception we have financed our operations from private placements of equity securities, the exercise of common stock purchase warrants, license fees, interest income and loans from a shareholder.
Net cash used in operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2005 was $17,633,000 resulting primarily from a net loss of $18,612,000 and an increase in accounts payable of $1,682,000 partially offset by a decrease in accrued expenses of $886,000.
Net cash used in investing activities was $4,956,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2005 resulting principally from the deconsolidation of OXIS of $4,907,000.
Net cash provided by financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2005 was $2,303,000. In January 2005 OXIS received $2,250,000 of stock subscriptions receivable from a December 31, 2004 private placement.
We plan to finance our needs principally from the following:
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| • | our existing capital resources and interest earned on that capital; |
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| • | future private placement financing or other equity financings. |
We believe that we have sufficient capital resources to finance our plan of operation at least through September 30, 2006. However, as this is a forward-looking statement, and there may be changes that could consume available resources significantly before such time. Our long term capital requirements and the adequacy of our available funds will depend on many factors, including the eventual contract costs of undertaking large later stage clinical trials with our three compounds under development, the potential cost of developing compounds that we may license in, regulatory delays, patent costs for filing, prosecuting, maintaining and defending our patent rights, and defending our current class action securities litigation, among others.
We may be periodically seeking potential equity financing, sub-licensing and other collaborative arrangements that may generate additional capital for us in order to support our research and development activities. We cannot assure you that we will generate sufficient additional capital or revenues, if any, to fund our operations beyond September 30, 2006, that any future equity financings will be successful, or that other potential financings through bank borrowings, debt or equity offerings, or otherwise, will be available on acceptable terms or at all.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
This discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our financial statements that have been prepared under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have disclosed all significant accounting policies in note B to the financial statements included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004. Our critical accounting policies are:
Principles of consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Axonyx Europe, B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary organized in The Netherlands. The financial statements also include the accounts of OXIS from the acquisition date of January 15, 2004 when the company acquired approximately 52% of the common voting stock of OXIS. The Company’s ownership in OXIS was reduced to 34% on
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December 31, 2004 as the result of a third party financing by OXIS. Although the Company has less than a majority ownership at December 31, 2004, the accounts of OXIS continued to be consolidated as the Company then controlled the board of directors of OXIS. Effective March 1, 2005 the Company no longer controls the OXIS board. Thus the financial statements of OXIS have been consolidated through February 28, 2005 and equity method accounting has been applied beginning March 1, 2005. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Revenue recognition: We defer recognition of revenue from fees received in advance unless they represent the culmination of a separate earnings process. Such deferred fees are recognized as revenue over the term of the arrangement as they are earned, in accordance with the agreement. License fees represent the culmination of a separate earnings process if they are sold separately without obligating us to perform research and development activities or other services. Right to license fees are recognized over the term of the arrangement. Nonrefundable, non-creditable license fees that represent the culmination of a separate earnings process are recognized upon execution of the license agreement. Revenue from the achievement of milestone events stipulated in the agreements will be recognized when the milestone is achieved. Royalties will be recognized as revenue when the amounts earned become fixed and determinable.
Research, development costs: Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Stock-based compensation: We account for stock-based employee compensation under the intrinsic value method prescribed by Accounting Principles Board (“APB”) Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”, and related interpretations. We have adopted the disclosure-only provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” and SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation - Transition and Disclosure”, which was released in December 2002 as an amendment of SFAS No. 123. We follow the fair value based method of accounting for awards to non-employees.
Accounting for Investment in OXIS:Beginning March 1, 2005, the Company accounts for its investment in OXIS under the equity method of accounting, as prescribed by Accounting Principals Board Opinion No. 18 “The Equity Method of Accounting for Investments in Common Stock”. Pursuant to APB No. 18 a loss in value of an investment which is other than a temporary decline should be recognized the same as a loss in value of other long-term assets.
Accounting for stock sales by subsidiary: The Company accounts for stock sales by a subsidiary (OXIS) in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 51. Sales of shares by OXIS result in a change in the carrying value of the investment in OXIS.
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Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk. |
We have foreign currency accounts that are exposed to currency exchange risk. These foreign currency accounts have been utilized to fund the operations of our wholly owned subsidiary, Axonyx Europe, based in the Netherlands. We had a net foreign exchange loss of $81,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and a loss of $37,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2004. If the foreign currency rates were to fluctuate by 10% from rates at June 30, 2005 and 2004, the effect on our financial statements would not be material. However, there can be no assurance there will not be a material impact in the future. During 2003, we adopted a policy to limit the purchase of foreign currencies to the amounts necessary to cover firm contractual commitments in foreign currencies for the forward six months. However, as long as we continue to fund our foreign operations, we will be exposed to some currency exchange risks. The majority of our ongoing clinical trials are being conducted in Europe.
We consider our investments in money market accounts, short term commercial paper and time deposits as cash and cash equivalents. The carrying values of these investments approximate fair value because of the short maturities (three months or less) of these instruments and accounts. Therefore, changes in the market’s interest rates do not affect the value of the investments as recorded by us.
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We do not enter into or trade derivatives or other financial instruments or conduct any hedging activities.
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Item 4. | Controls and Procedures. |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report on Form 10-Q. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures are effective and designed to ensure that the information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the requisite time periods.
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met and cannot detect all deviations. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud or deviations, if any within the company have been detected. While we believe that our disclosure controls and procedures have been effective, in light of the foregoing, we intend to continue to examine and refine our disclosure control and procedures to monitor ongoing developments in this area.
Changes in Internal Controls
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) identified in connection with the evaluation of our internal control performed during our last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II | OTHER INFORMATION |
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Item 1. | Legal Proceedings. |
Axonyx, Dr. M. Hausman, Dr. G. Bruinsma and Mr. S. Colin Neill have been named as defendants in nine purported shareholder class action lawsuits commencing in February 2005 alleging violations of federal securities laws, one of which has been voluntarily dismissed. Eight of those lawsuits remain pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and assert claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder on behalf of a class of purchasers of our common stock during the period from June 26, 2003, through and including February 4, 2005 (the “Class Period”). The complaints allege generally that the defendants knowingly or recklessly made false or misleading statements during the Class Period regarding the prospects of a trial regarding the effectiveness of Phenserine in treating mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, which had the effect of, among other things, artificially inflating the price of our shares. The complaints seek unspecified damages. Axonyx and the other defendants have not yet filed their responses to these purported class actions.
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In addition to the federal securities cases, a purported shareholder derivative lawsuit was filed in New York State Supreme Court in March 2005 against Marvin S. Hausman, Gosse B. Bruinsma, S. Colin Neill, Louis G. Cornacchia, Steven H. Ferris, Gerard J. Vlak, Ralph Snyderman, Michael A. Griffith and Axonyx (as a nominal defendant). The plaintiff in the derivative action alleges, among other things, that the defendants named in that case breached their fiduciary duties, wasted corporate assets and were unjustly enriched. The allegations in the derivative action arise from the same and related purported facts as those alleged in the federal securities actions. On July 29, 2005, we and the other named defendants moved to dismiss the shareholder derivative suit with prejudice.
We believe the complaints are without merit and intend to defend these lawsuits vigorously. However, we cannot assure you that we will prevail in these actions, and, if the outcome is unfavorable to Axonyx, our reputation, operations and share price could be adversely affected.
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Item 4. | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders |
At the Company’s 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on June 16, 2005, the Company’s shareholders voted on the following matters:
a) Election of the following directors
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| Director | | | For | | Withheld |
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| Marvin S. Hausman, MD | | 38,493,726 | | 3,222,615 |
| Gosse B. Bruinsma, MD | | 38,547,266 | | 3,169,125 |
| Louis G. Cornacchia | | 37,854,333 | | 3,862,058 |
| Steven H. Ferris | | 37,836,377 | | 3,880,014 |
| Steven B. Ratoff | | 41,018,911 | | 697,480 |
| Ralph Snyderman, MD | | 38,594,411 | | 3,121,980 |
b) Ratification of the selection of independent auditors
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| For | | Against | | Abstain | | Broker Non-votes |
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| 41,249,771 | | 325,395 | | 141,225 | | 0 |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
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Dated August 8, 2005. | | |
| | AXONYX INC. |
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| | By: /s/ Gosse B. Bruinsma, M.D. |
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| | Gosse B. Bruinsma, M.D. |
| | President and Chief Executive Officer |
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| | By: /s/ S. Colin Neill | |
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| | | |
| | S. Colin Neill |
| | Chief Financial Officer, |
| | Secretary and Treasurer |
| | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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