UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(MARK ONE)
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þ | | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2008
OR
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o | | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO .
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 0-50632
ANADYS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
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Delaware | | 22-3193172 |
(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION) | | (I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NO.) |
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3115 Merryfield Row San Diego, California | | 92121 |
(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES) | | (ZIP CODE) |
Company’s telephone number, including area code: 858-530-3600
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
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Large accelerated filer o | | Accelerated filer þ | | Non-accelerated filer o | | Smaller reporting company o |
| | (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes o No þ
The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of the close of business on April 29, 2008:
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Class | | Number of Shares Outstanding |
Common Stock, $0.001 par value | | 28,696,948 |
ANADYS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
ANADYS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| | | | | | | | |
| | March 31, | | | December 31, | |
| | 2008 | | | 2007 | |
| | (Unaudited) | | | (Note) | |
Assets | | | | | | | | |
Current assets: | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents | | $ | 32,811 | | | $ | 34,669 | |
Securities available-for-sale | | | 15,988 | | | | 21,826 | |
Accounts receivable | | | 33 | | | | — | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | | | 840 | | | | 1,004 | |
| | | | | | |
Total current assets | | | 49,672 | | | | 57,499 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Property and equipment, net | | | 2,442 | | | | 2,647 | |
Other assets | | | 1,380 | | | | 1,380 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total assets | | $ | 53,494 | | | $ | 61,526 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | | | | | | | | |
Current liabilities: | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | | $ | 3,580 | | | $ | 4,850 | |
Current portion of deferred rent | | | 558 | | | | 565 | |
| | | | | | |
Total current liabilities | | | 4,138 | | | | 5,415 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Long-term portion of deferred rent | | | 206 | | | | 367 | |
Other long-term liabilities | | | 65 | | | | 65 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Commitments and contingencies | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Stockholders’ equity: | | | | | | | | |
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized at March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007; no shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007. | | | — | | | | — | |
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 90,000,000 shares authorized at March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007; 28,696,948 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007. | | | 29 | | | | 29 | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | 279,894 | | | | 279,221 | |
Accumulated other comprehensive income | | | 258 | | | | 81 | |
Accumulated deficit | | | (231,096 | ) | | | (223,652 | ) |
| | | | | | |
Total stockholders’ equity | | | 49,085 | | | | 55,679 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | | $ | 53,494 | | | $ | 61,526 | |
| | | | | | |
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
| | |
Note: | | The balance sheet at December 31, 2007, has been derived from audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. |
3
ANADYS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
| | | | | | | | |
| | For the three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2008 | | | 2007 | |
Revenues: | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Collaborative agreements | | $ | — | | | $ | 1,102 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total revenues | | | — | | | | 1,102 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Expenses: | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Research and development | | | 6,009 | | | | 6,698 | |
General and administrative | | | 2,045 | | | | 2,119 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total operating expenses | | | 8,054 | | | | 8,817 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Interest income and other | | | 610 | | | | 1,032 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (7,444 | ) | | $ | (6,683 | ) |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net loss per share, basic and diluted | | $ | (0.26 | ) | | $ | (0.23 | ) |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Shares used in calculating net loss per share, basic and diluted | | | 28,697 | | | | 28,620 | |
| | | | | | |
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
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ANADYS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statements
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
| | | | | | | | |
| | For the three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2008 | | | 2007 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Operating Activities: | | | | | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (7,444 | ) | | $ | (6,683 | ) |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | | | | | | | | |
Depreciation and amortization | | | 276 | | | | 371 | |
Share-based compensation expense | | | 661 | | | | 1,089 | |
Rent expense related to warrants issued in connection with lease | | | 12 | | | | 12 | |
Loss on disposal of property and equipment | | | 3 | | | | — | |
Loss on the sale of available-for-sale securities | | | 24 | | | | — | |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | | | | | | | | |
Accounts receivable | | | (33 | ) | | | 348 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | | | 164 | | | | (26 | ) |
Other assets | | | — | | | | 22 | |
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | | | (1,270 | ) | | | (660 | ) |
Deferred revenue | | | — | | | | (726 | ) |
Deferred rent | | | (168 | ) | | | (101 | ) |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net cash used in operating activities | | | (7,775 | ) | | | (6,354 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Investing Activities: | | | | | | | | |
Purchases of securities available-for-sale | | | — | | | | (4,165 | ) |
Proceeds from sale and maturity of securities available-for-sale | | | 5,991 | | | | — | |
Purchases of property and equipment | | | (74 | ) | | | (85 | ) |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | | | 5,917 | | | | (4,250 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Financing Activities: | | | | | | | | |
Proceeds from exercise of stock options | | | — | | | | 87 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net cash provided by financing activities | | | — | | | | 87 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents | | | (1,858 | ) | | | (10,517 | ) |
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | | | 34,669 | | | | 62,387 | |
| | | | | | |
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Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | | $ | 32,811 | | | $ | 51,870 | |
| | | | | | |
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Supplemental Disclosure of Non-Cash Investing and Financing Activities: | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Unrealized gain on securities available-for-sale | | $ | 177 | | | $ | 43 | |
| | | | | | |
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
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ANADYS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
1. Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (together with its wholly owned subsidiaries, Anadys Pharmaceuticals Europe GmbH and Anadys Development Limited, the Company) should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related disclosures included in the Company’s 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 5, 2008. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information, in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and the guidance in Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, since they are interim financial statements, the accompanying financial statements do not include all of the information and disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair statement of the results of operations for the interim periods presented. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the financial statements and notes thereto. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
2. Revenue Recognition
The Company may receive payments from collaborators for compound licenses, technology access fees, option fees, research services, milestones and royalty obligations. These payments are recognized as revenue or reported as deferred revenue until they meet the criteria for revenue recognition as outlined in Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 104,Revenue Recognition,which provides guidance on revenue recognition in financial statements, and is based on the interpretations and practices developed by the SEC and Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue 00-21,Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.The Company recognizes revenue when (1) persuasive evidence of the arrangement exists; (2) delivery has occurred or services were rendered; (3) the price is fixed or determinable and (4) the collectibility is reasonably assured. In addition, the Company has applied the following principles in recognizing revenue:
| • | | Revenue from milestones is recognized when earned, as evidenced by written acknowledgment from the collaborator or other persuasive evidence that the milestone has been achieved, provided that (i) the milestone event is substantive and its achievability was not reasonably assured at the inception of the agreement, (ii) the Company’s performance obligations after the milestone achievement will continue to be funded by the collaborator at the comparable level and (iii) the milestone is not refundable or creditable. If all of these criteria are not met, the milestone payment is recognized over the remaining minimum period of the Company’s performance obligations under the agreement. Upfront fees under collaborations, such as technology access fees, are recognized over the period the related services are provided. Non-refundable upfront fees not associated with the Company’s future performance are recognized when received. |
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| • | | Fees that the Company receives for research services are generally recognized as the services are provided, as long as the amounts received are not refundable regardless of the results of the research project. |
3. Net Loss Per Share
The Company calculates basic and diluted net loss per share for all periods presented in accordance with the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 128,Earnings Per Share. Basic net loss per share was calculated by dividing the net loss for the period by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents. Diluted net loss per share was calculated by dividing the net loss for the period by the weighted-average number of common stock equivalents outstanding during the period determined using the treasury-stock method. For purposes of this calculation, options and warrants are considered to be common stock equivalents and are only included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share when their effect is dilutive. The Company has excluded all outstanding options and warrants from the calculation of diluted net loss per common share because all such securities are anti-dilutive for all periods presented.
6
| | | | | | | | |
| | Three months ended March 31, |
| | 2008 | | 2007 |
| | (In thousands) |
Historical outstanding anti-dilutive securities not included in diluted net loss per share calculation: | | | | | | | | |
Options to purchase common stock | | | 5,528 | | | | 4,851 | |
Warrants | | | 71 | | | | 279 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | 5,599 | | | | 5,130 | |
| | | | | | | | |
4. Comprehensive Loss
Comprehensive loss is comprised of net loss adjusted for changes in market values in securities available-for-sale. Below is a reconciliation of net loss to comprehensive loss for the periods presented.
| | | | | | | | |
| | For the three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2008 | | | 2007 | |
| | (in thousands) | |
Net loss | | $ | (7,444 | ) | | $ | (6,683 | ) |
Unrealized gain on securities available-for-sale | | | 177 | | | | 43 | |
| | | | | | |
Comprehensive loss | | $ | (7,267 | ) | | $ | (6,640 | ) |
| | | | | | |
5. Share-Based Payment
The Company calculates share-based compensation expense for all periods presented in accordance with the SFAS 123(R),Share-Based Payment. Under the provisions of SFAS 123(R), share-based compensation cost is estimated at the grant date based on the award’s fair value as calculated by a Black-Scholes option-pricing model and is recognized as expense evenly over the requisite service period. The Company accounts for compensation expense for options granted to non-employees other than directors in accordance with SFAS 123(R) and EITF Issue 96-18,Accounting for Equity Instruments that are Issued to Other than Employees for Acquiring, or in Conjunction with Selling Goods or Services. Such expense is based on the fair value of the options issued using the Black-Scholes method and is periodically re-measured as the underlying options vest in accordance with EITF Issue 96-18.
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A summary of the Company’s stock options and related information as of March 31, 2008 is as follows:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Weighted- | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Average | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Remaining | | | | |
| | | | | | Weighted | | | Contractual | | | Aggregate | |
| | Options | | | Average | | | Term in | | | Intrinsic | |
| | Outstanding | | | Exercise Price | | | Years | | | Value | |
| | (in thousands) | | | | | | | | | | | (in thousands) | |
Balance at March 31, 2008 | | | 5,528 | | | $ | 4.36 | | | | 7.31 | | | $ | 1 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Exercisable at March 31, 2008 | | | 3,005 | | | $ | 5.22 | | | | 5.86 | | | $ | — | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
The Company has reported the following amounts of share-based compensation expense in the Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2008 and 2007 (in thousands, except per share data):
| | | | | | | | |
| | For the three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2008 | | | 2007 | |
Research and development expense | | $ | 310 | | | $ | 644 | |
General and administrative expense | | | 351 | | | | 445 | |
| | | | | | |
Total share-based compensation expense | | $ | 661 | | | $ | 1,089 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net share-based compensation expense, per common share basic and diluted | | $ | 0.02 | | | $ | 0.04 | |
| | | | | | |
As of March 31, 2008, there was an additional $4.3 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested share-based awards granted under the Company’s stock option plans. This unrecognized compensation cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.61 years.
The following assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of options granted for the three months ended March 31, 2008 and 2007:
| | | | | | | | |
| | For the three months ended March 31, |
| | 2008 | | 2007 |
Stock Options: | | | | | | | | |
Dividend yield | | | 0.0 | % | | | 0.0 | % |
Expected volatility | | | 67.3 | % | | | 70.0 | % |
Risk-free interest rate | | | 3.62 | % | | | 4.68 | % |
Expected life of the option term (in years) | | | 5.87 | | | | 6.06 | |
Stock-based compensation expense recognized in accordance with SFAS 123(R) is based on awards ultimately expected to vest, and therefore is reduced by expected forfeitures. The Company estimates forfeitures based upon historical forfeiture rates, and will adjust its estimate of forfeitures if actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from such estimates.
6. Fair Value Disclosures
In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No, 157,Fair Value Measurements,(SFAS 157). SFAS 157 defines fair value, provides a consistent framework for measuring fair value under U.S. GAAP and expands fair value financial statement disclosure requirements. SFAS 157 does not require any new fair value measurements. It only applies to accounting pronouncements that already require or permit fair value measures, except for standards that relate to share-based payments (SFAS 123(R)).
SFAS 157’s valuation techniques are based on observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect readily obtainable data from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s market assumptions. SFAS 157 classifies these inputs into the following hierarchy;
Level 1 Inputs— Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.
Level 2 Inputs— Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; and quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active.
Level 3 Inputs— Instruments with primarily unobservable value drivers.
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As of March 31, 2008, the Company has $48.8 million of marketable securities consisting of money market funds, U.S. government sponsored enterprise securities and corporate debt securities with maturities that range from 1 day to 29 months with an overall average months to maturity of 6.5 months. The Company has the ability to liquidate these investments without restriction. The Company determines fair value for marketable securities with level 1 inputs through quoted market prices. The Company determines fair value for marketable securities with level 2 inputs through broker or dealer quotations or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. The Company adopted SFAS 157 effective January 1, 2008. The adoption of SFAS 157 had no effect on the valuation of the Company’s marketable securities.
The following table presents the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2008 (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | Fair Value Measurement at Reporting Date Using | |
| | | | | | Quoted Prices | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | in Active | | | Significant | | | | |
| | | | | | Markets for | | | Other | | | Significant | |
| | | | | | Identical | | | Observable | | | Unobservable | |
| | | | | | Assets | | | Inputs | | | Inputs | |
| | March 31, 2008 | | | (Level 1) | | | (Level 2) | | | (Level 3) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Description | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Money market funds | | $ | 178 | | | $ | 178 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Commercial paper | | | 18,491 | | | | — | | | | 18,491 | | | | — | |
U.S. government sponsored enterprise securities | | | 16,146 | | | | — | | | | 16,146 | | | | — | |
Corporate debt securities | | | 13,982 | | | | — | | | | 13,982 | | | | — | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | $ | 48,797 | | | $ | 178 | | | $ | 48,619 | | | $ | — | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
In February 2007, the FASB issued Statement No. 159,The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities—Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115(SFAS 159). SFAS 159 provides companies with an option to report selected financial assets and liabilities at fair value. Furthermore, SFAS 159 establishes presentation and disclosure requirements designed to facilitate comparisons between companies that choose different measurement attributes for similar types of assets and liabilities. The Company adopted SFAS 159 effective January 1, 2008. The adoption of SFAS 159 did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
7. Restructuring
During the third quarter of 2007, the Company initiated a strategic restructuring which included a workforce reduction. The Company provided cash severance payments, continuation of benefits and outplacement services to employees directly affected by the workforce reduction. As of December 31, 2007, the Company had a remaining accrual of $0.2 million associated with this restructuring. During the three months ended March 31, 2008, no additional amounts were accrued for the restructuring and all remaining payments associated with the restructuring were made.
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this Quarterly Report) and the audited consolidated financial statements and notes as of and for the year ended December 31, 2007 included with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 5, 2008. Operating results are not necessarily indicative of results that may occur in future periods.
This Quarterly Report contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include statements about our strategies, objectives, discoveries, collaborations, clinical trials, internal programs, financial forecasts and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be preceded by the words “intend,” “will,” “plan,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “aim,” “seek,” “believe,” “hope” or similar words. For such statements, we claim the protection of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers of this Quarterly Report are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements. Actual events or results may differ materially from our expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risk factors identified in our SEC reports, including this Quarterly Report.
Overview
Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving patient care by developing novel medicines in the areas of hepatitis C and oncology. We are developing ANA598, a small-molecule, non-nucleoside inhibitor of the NS5b polymerase for the treatment of hepatitis C and ANA773, an oral Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist prodrug for cancer. During April 2008, we filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for ANA598, and subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowance, we plan to initiate a Phase 1 single, ascending dose clinical trial in healthy volunteers in the second quarter of 2008 to assess the safety and pharmacokinetics of ANA598. Following the healthy volunteer study, we plan to initiate in the third quarter of 2008 a short-term Phase Ib study of ANA598 in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In February 2008, patient dosing commenced in a Phase I clinical trial of ANA773 in cancer patients in the United States. This first-in-human trial is a safety and tolerability study designed to identify pharmacologically active doses and preliminary anti-tumor activity as well as to select the dose and schedule for Phase II trials.
We have made the strategic decision to accelerate certain non-clinical development activities for ANA598. If ANA598 is successful in early stage clinical trials, it is anticipated that the acceleration of these non-clinical activities into 2008 will enable a more rapid and continuous development path into mid-stage clinical trials during 2009. The acceleration of the ANA598 program is expected to be partially offset by a somewhat slower pace of the ANA773 program compared to previous expectations. While Anadys expects the rate of enrollment in the ANA773 oncology trial to increase in the coming quarters, the Company now expects that the pace of the program will accelerate more slowly than had been anticipated, in part due to the increased focus on the ANA598 program, making it less likely that specific tumor types and a recommended Phase II dose will be identified during 2008. We continue to explore the safety and tolerability profile of ANA773 in the ongoing Phase I trial and expect to identify pharmacologically active doses and establish the profile of immune stimulation this year, which information will support the future design of clinical trials of ANA773 (alone or in combinations) in specific tumor types.
We have incurred significant operating losses since our inception and, as of March 31, 2008, our accumulated deficit was $231.1 million. We expect to incur substantial losses for at least the next several years as we:
| • | | continue the development of ANA598 for the treatment of HCV; |
|
| • | | continue the development of ANA773 for the treatment of cancer; |
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| • | | develop methods for and scale-up manufacturing of ANA598 and ANA773 for clinical trials and potential commercialization; |
|
| • | | commercialize any product candidates that receive regulatory approval; and |
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| • | | potentially in-license technology and acquire or invest in businesses, products or technologies that are synergistic with our own. |
10
Critical Accounting Policies
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP). The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We review our estimates on an on-going basis and make adjustments to the financials statements as considered necessary. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Revenue Recognition.We may receive payments from collaborators for compound licenses, technology access fees, option fees, research services, milestones and royalty obligations. These payments are recognized as revenue or reported as deferred revenue until they meet the criteria for revenue recognition as outlined in Staff Accounting Bulletin, No. 104,Revenue Recognition,which provides guidance on revenue recognition in financial statements, and is based on the interpretations and practices developed by the SEC, and Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue 00-21,Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.We recognize revenue when (1) persuasive evidence of the arrangement exists; (2) delivery has occurred or services were rendered; (3) the price is fixed or determinable and (4) the collectibility is reasonably assured. Specifically, we have applied the following policies in recognizing revenue:
| • | | Revenue from milestones is recognized when earned, as evidenced by written acknowledgment from the collaborator or other persuasive evidence that the milestone has been achieved, provided that (i) the milestone event is substantive and its achievability was not reasonably assured at the inception of the agreement, (ii) our performance obligations after the milestone achievement will continue to be funded by the collaborator at the comparable level and (iii) the milestone is not refundable or creditable. If all of these criteria are not met, the milestone payment is recognized over the remaining minimum period of our performance obligations under the agreement. Upfront fees under our collaborations, such as technology access fees, are recognized over the period the related services are provided. Non-refundable upfront fees not associated with our future performance are recognized when received. |
|
| • | | Fees that we receive for research services are generally recognized as the services are provided, as long as the amounts received are not refundable regardless of the results of the research project. |
Drug Development Costs.We review and accrue drug development costs based on work performed, relying on estimates of total costs incurred based on subject enrollment, estimated timeline for completion of studies and other events. These costs and estimates vary based on the type of clinical trial, the site of the clinical trial and the length of dose period for each subject as well as other factors. Drug development cost accruals are subject to revisions as trials and studies progress to completion. Expense is adjusted for revisions in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known.
Share-Based Compensation.We account for share-based compensation in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123(R) (SFAS 123(R)),Share-Based Payment. Under the provisions of SFAS 123(R), share-based compensation cost is estimated at the grant date based on the award’s fair-value as calculated by a Black-Scholes option-pricing model and is recognized as expense evenly over the requisite service period. The determination of the fair value of stock-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model is affected by our stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, our expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, the risk-free interest rate and the expected term of the awards. If any of the assumptions used in the model change significantly, share-based compensation expense may differ materially in the future from that recorded in the current period.
Pending Adoption of Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) ratified the consensus reached by the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) on EITF Issue 07-1,Accounting for Collaborative Arrangements(EITF 07-1). EITF 07-1 requires collaborators to present the results of activities for which they act as the principal on a gross basis and report any payments received from (made to) other collaborators based on other applicable U.S. GAAP or, in the absence of other applicable U.S. GAAP, based on analogy to authoritative accounting literature or a reasonable, rational, and consistently applied accounting policy election. Further, EITF 07-1 clarified that the determination of whether transactions within a collaborative arrangement are part of a vendor-customer (or analogous) relationship subject to EITF 01-9,Accounting for Consideration Given by a Vendor to a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s Products). EITF 07-1 will be effective for us beginning on January 1, 2009. The adoption of EITF 07-1 is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
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Results of Operations
Three Months Ended March 31, 2008 and 2007
Revenue.During the first quarter of 2008 we did not recognize any revenue. The Company had revenue of $1.1 million for the first quarter of 2007. This revenue was primarily derived from the amortization of an upfront payment and milestone payment under our former collaboration with Novartis for the development of ANA975 that was discontinued in 2007.
Research and Development Expenses.Research and development expenses were $6.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2008 compared to $6.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007. The $0.7 million decrease is primarily due to cost savings associated with our completed strategic restructuring, which included the halting of early stage discovery efforts and the termination of our collaborations with both Novartis and LG Life Sciences. These decreases were partially offset by increases in development costs for ANA598 and ANA773, which can be attributed to our continued focus towards bringing ANA598 into clinical development and our on-going Phase 1 clinical trial of ANA773. Our non-cash share-based compensation expense was $0.3 million and $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
The following summarizes our research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2008 and 2007. Facility costs, depreciation and amortization, research and development support personnel and other indirect personnel related costs are included as a component of infrastructure and support personnel.
| | | | | | | | |
| | Three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2008 | | | 2007 | |
| | (In thousands) | |
ANA773 | | | 2,260 | | | | 675 | |
ANA598 | | | 2,105 | | | | 1,824 | |
ANA380 | | | — | | | | 489 | |
ANA975, net of reimbursement | | | 15 | | | | 145 | |
Discovery stage programs | | | — | | | | 779 | |
Infrastructure and support personnel | | | 1,319 | | | | 2,142 | |
Non-cash employee and non-employee share-based compensation | | | 310 | | | | 644 | |
| | | | | | |
Total research and development expense | | $ | 6,009 | | | $ | 6,698 | |
| | | | | | |
General and Administrative Expenses.General and administrative expenses were $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2008 compared to $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007. The $0.1 million decrease is primarily due to a decrease in share-based compensation expense. Non-cash share-based compensation expense for the three months ended March 31, 2008 and 2007 was $0.4 million and $0.5 million, respectively.
Interest Income and Other, net.Interest income and other, net was $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2008 compared to $1.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007. The $0.4 million decrease in our interest income and other, net from the three months ended March 31, 2007 to the three months ended March 31, 2008 was primarily the result of a lower average cash, cash equivalents and securities available-for-sale balances, which were invested in interest bearing securities, during the three months ended March 31, 2008 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2007. The decrease in our interest income from the three months ended March 31, 2007 to the three months ended March 31, 2008 was also driven by a reduction in the yield on our investment portfolio which was driven by a decrease in short-term interest rates over this same period.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our cash, cash equivalents and available-for sale securities decreased by $7.7 million from December 31, 2007 to March 31, 2008 which represents the use of our cash, cash equivalents and securities available-for-sale to fund our operations during the three months ended March 31, 2008. As of March 31, 2008, we have $48.8 million of marketable securities consisting of money market funds, U.S. government sponsored enterprise securities and corporate debt securities with maturities that range from 1 day to 29 months with an overall average months to maturity of 6.5 months. We have the ability to liquidate these investments without restriction. As of March 31, 2008 we do not own any securities which are classified as asset-backed securities or auction rate securities.
We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and securities available-for-sale will be sufficient to meet our projected operating requirements for at least the next twelve months. We expect to incur substantial expenses for at least the next several years as we continue our research and development activities, including manufacturing and development expenses for compounds in preclinical and clinical studies. We continue to review our programs and resource requirements. Changes to our current operating plan may require us to consume available capital resources significantly sooner than we expect.
Until we can generate significant cash from our operations, we expect to continue to fund our operations with existing cash resources that were primarily generated from the proceeds of offerings of our equity securities and cash receipts from former
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collaboration agreements. In addition, we likely will need to finance future cash needs through the sale of other equity securities, new strategic collaboration agreements, project financing or debt financing. However, we may not be successful in obtaining collaboration agreements, or in receiving milestone or royalty payments under those agreements. In addition, we cannot be sure that our existing cash and securities available-for-sale resources will be adequate or that additional financing will be available when needed or that, if available, financing will be obtained on terms favorable to us or our stockholders. Having insufficient funds may require us to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate some or all of our research or development programs or to relinquish greater or all rights to product candidates at an earlier stage of development or on less favorable terms than we would otherwise choose. Failure to obtain adequate financing also may adversely affect our ability to operate as a going concern. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, substantial dilution to existing stockholders would likely result. If we raise additional funds by incurring debt financing, the terms of the debt may involve significant cash payment obligations as well as covenants and specific financial ratios that may restrict our ability to operate our business.
Cash Flows from Operating Activities and Investing Activities:
Our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows are summarized as follows:
| | | | | | | | |
| | For the three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2008 | | | 2007 | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Net cash used in operating activities | | $ | (7,775 | ) | | $ | (6,354 | ) |
| | | | | | |
Investing Activities: | | | | | | | | |
Purchases of securities available-for-sale | | $ | — | | | $ | (4,165 | ) |
Proceeds from sale and maturity of securities available-for-sale | | | 5,991 | | | | — | |
Purchases of property and equipment | | | (74 | ) | | | (85 | ) |
| | | | | | |
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | | $ | 5,917 | | | $ | (4,250 | ) |
| | | | | | |
Cash flows used in operating activities increased by $1.4 million from the three months ended March 31, 2007 to the three months ended March 31, 2008. The increase was primarily due to the receipt of $1.0 million from Novartis during the three months ended March 31, 2007 compared to no cash receipts from Novartis during the three months ended March 31, 2008. We expect to continue to utilize cash to fund our operating activities as we continue to advance our wholly owned product candidates: ANA598 and ANA773. We are not currently party to any development collaborations and therefore cash to fund future operations will most likely have to be obtained from one of the following sources: our current investment portfolio, the sale of other equity securities, new strategic collaboration agreements, project financing or debt financing.
Cash flows provided by investing activities increased by $10.2 million from the three months ended March 31, 2007 to the three months ended March 31, 2008. The overall increase in the cash flows provided by investing activities from the three months ended March 31, 2007 to the three months ended March 31, 2008 is primarily related to the timing of the purchases and maturities of marketable securities. We expect to continue to fund operations over the next several quarters utilizing the securities currently included in our investment portfolio. The use of these securities may be partially offset by the receipt of funds from other financing sources.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows are summarized as follows:
| | | | | | | | |
| | For the three months ended March 31, | |
| | 2008 | | | 2007 | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Financing Activities: | | | | | | | | |
Proceeds from exercise of stock options | | $ | — | | | $ | 87 | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net cash provided by financing activities | | $ | — | | | $ | 87 | |
| | | | | | |
Cash flows provided by financing activities decreased by $0.1 million from the three months ended March 31, 2007 to the three months ended March 31, 2008. There were no stock option exercises during the three months ended March 31, 2008 therefore resulting in the decrease from the three months ended March 31, 2007.
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Future Cash Requirements
We expect our development expenses to be substantial as we continue the advancement of our current development programs. The lengthy process of completing clinical trials and seeking regulatory approval for our product candidates requires the expenditure of substantial resources. Any failure by us or delay in completing clinical trials, or in obtaining regulatory approvals, could cause our research and development expenses to increase and, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our future capital uses and requirements depend on numerous forward-looking factors. These factors include but are not limited to the following:
| • | | the progress of our clinical trials; |
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| • | | the progress of our preclinical development activities; |
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| • | | our ability to establish strategic collaborations; |
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| • | | the costs involved in enforcing or defending patent claims and other intellectual property rights; |
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| • | | the costs and timing of regulatory approvals; |
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| • | | the costs of establishing or expanding manufacturing, sales and distribution capabilities; |
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| • | | the costs related to development and manufacture of pre-clinical, clinical and validation lots for regulatory and commercialization of drug supply; |
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| • | | the success of the commercialization of ANA598, ANA773, or any other product candidates we may develop; and |
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| • | | the extent to which we acquire or invest in other products, technologies and businesses. |
We expect our development expenses to be substantial as we continue the advancement of our current development programs. The lengthy process of completing clinical trials and seeking regulatory approval for our product candidates requires the expenditure of substantial resources. Any failure by us or delay in completing clinical trials, or in obtaining regulatory approvals, could cause our research and development expenses to increase and, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
As of March 31, 2008 and 2007, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. In addition, we do not engage in trading activities involving non-exchange traded contracts. As such, we are not materially exposed to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risk that could arise if we had engaged in these relationships.
Fair Value Inputs
We adopted SFAS 157, as of January 1, 2008. See Note 4 and Note 6 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Fair value is a market-based measurement that is determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset.
We value our marketable securities by using quoted market prices, broker or dealer quotations or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. The types of securities valued based on quoted market prices in active markets include money market securities. We do not adjust the quoted price for such securities. The types of instruments valued based on quoted prices in markets that are not active, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency include Commercial paper, U.S. government sponsored enterprise securities and corporate debt securities. The price for each security at the measurement date is sourced from an independent pricing vendor. Periodically, management assesses the reasonableness of these sourced prices by comparing them to the prices provided by our portfolio managers to derive the fair value of these financial instruments. Historically, we did not experience significant deviation between the prices from the independent pricing vendor and our portfolio managers. Management assesses the inputs of the pricing in order to categorize the financial instruments into the appropriate hierarchy levels.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Our primary exposure to market risk is interest income sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates, particularly because the majority of our investments are in short-term marketable securities. Due to the nature of our short-term investments, we believe that we are not subject to any material market risk exposure. We do not have any foreign currency or other derivative financial instruments.
Item 4.Controls and Procedures
Our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-l5(e) and l5d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act)) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report. Based on that evaluation, our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer concluded that as of the date of such evaluation, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in our periodic reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. It should be noted that the design of any system of controls is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and can therefore only provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the design will succeed in achieving its stated goals.
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1A. Risk Factors
You should consider carefully the following information about the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Quarterly Report and in our other public filings before making any investment decisions regarding our stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects would likely be materially and adversely affected. In these circumstances, the market price of our common stock would likely decline, and you may lose all or part of the money you paid to buy our common stock.
The risk factors set forth below with an asterisk (*) next to the title are new risk factors or risk factors containing changes, including any material changes, from the risk factors previously disclosed in our annual report onForm 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Risks Related to Our Business
We are at an early stage of development, and we may never attain product sales.
Our existing organizational structure was formed in May 2000. Since then, most of our resources have been dedicated to the development of our proprietary drug discovery technologies, research and development and preclinical and early-stage clinical testing of compounds. In 2007 we discontinued the development of ANA975 and ANA380, and our current product candidates have either not yet been studied in clinical trials or are at the very early stages of clinical trials. ANA598, ANA773 and any other compounds that we may develop, may never be approved for commercial sales. These compounds will require extensive and costly development, preclinical testing and clinical trials prior to seeking regulatory approval for commercial sales. The time required to attain product sales and profitability is lengthy and highly uncertain, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve or maintain product sales.
*We expect our net operating losses to continue for at least several years, and we are unable to predict the extent of future losses and when we will become profitable in our business operations, if ever.
We have incurred net operating losses since our incorporation in 1992, and through March 31, 2008 we have an accumulated deficit of $231.1 million. Our operating losses are attributable in large part to the significant research and development costs required to identify and validate potential product candidates and conduct preclinical studies and clinical trials. To date, we have generated limited revenues, consisting of one-time or limited payments associated with past collaborations or grants, and we do not anticipate generating product revenues for at least several years, if ever. We expect to increase our operating expenses over at least the next several years as we plan to fund the development costs of our product candidates, further our development activities and potentially acquire or license new technologies and product candidates. As a result, we expect to continue to incur significant and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with our research and product development efforts, we are unable to predict the extent of any future losses or when we will become profitable in our business operations, if ever. Even if we do achieve profitability in our business operations, we may not be able to sustain or increase such profitability on an ongoing basis.
The technologies on which we rely are unproven and may not result in the development of commercially viable products.
Our current product candidates, ANA598 and ANA773, were selected based on the presumption that intervention at their respective targets, HCV polymerase and TLR7, offers a therapeutic benefit. There can be no assurance that intervention at either target will offer sufficient benefit and acceptable toxicity to warrant continued development and approval. ANA773 relies on the biology of a specific receptor, or protein, named Toll-Like Receptor-7, or TLR7. However, the interaction between small molecules and TLR7 represents a relatively new mechanism of action for the treatment of disease, and there is no guarantee that an acceptable balance between therapeutic benefit and risk will be achieved with TLR7 agonists. For example, in June 2006 we suspended dosing of ANA975, a TLR7 agonist prodrug, in our then on-going ANA975 clinical trials due to information from 13-week toxicology studies in animals which showed intense immune stimulation. We subsequently conducted additional pre-clinical studies and were unable to identify an acceptable balance between therapeutic benefit and risk using a daily dosing schedule over 13-weeks. Accordingly, we subsequently discontinued the development of ANA975 as a therapy for HCV infection. More specifically, the use of a TLR7 agonist represents a new mechanism of action for the treatment of cancer, and there is no guarantee that an acceptable balance between therapeutic benefit and risk will be achieved with ANA773 in cancer patients. The science underlying ANA598 is also new and unproven, as no products acting at the HCV polymerase have been approved for marketing. ANA598 has not been studied in clinical trials and ANA773 is at only the very beginning stage of clinical investigation. The process of successfully discovering product candidates is expensive, time-consuming and unpredictable, and the historical rate of failure for drug candidates is extremely high. If
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our approaches to drug discovery and development are not successful, we will not be able to establish or maintain a clinical development portfolio or generate product revenue.
*Any set-back or failure of ANA598 or ANA773 will have a large negative impact on our business and stock price.
Our portfolio currently consists of only ANA598 and ANA773 and thus entails highly concentrated risk of failure. If one or both of these compounds fail or have set-backs, our business and stock price will suffer.
In 2007 we terminated our ANA975 development program due to challenges seen in animal toxicology studies. To the extent that the ANA975 toxicology observations are mechanism related, our ANA773 program for cancer could be negatively impacted, causing our stock price to decline.
ANA975 is an oral prodrug of isatoribine, a TLR7 agonist. In 2007 we discontinued the development of ANA975 as a treatment for HCV infection due to intense immune stimulation in animals. To the extent that any of the ANA975 toxicology observations are mechanism related, rather than compound specific, we will need to determine whether the level of immune stimulation induced by TLR7 agonists can be modulated to achieve a potential therapeutic benefit with an acceptable safety profile. If we are unable to modulate the immunomodulatory effect with a dose and schedule that provides therapeutic benefit without causing unacceptable adverse events, then the future development of ANA773 may be terminated, which would materially and adversely affect our business and cause our stock price to decline significantly.
*We have recently initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of ANA773 and are currently recruiting cancer patients. If patient enrollment does not move as quickly as we would like, our future development activities for ANA773 could be delayed, which could cause our stock price to decline.
We have recently begun dosing patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial of ANA773 and the investigators at our clinical sites continue to recruit cancer patients with advanced solid tumors to participate in the trial. Our future development activities for ANA773 depend upon us enrolling a sufficient number of patients in this Phase I clinical trial. Development activities could be delayed if there is insufficient patient enrollment in this Phase I trial, which is a function of many factors, including the size and nature of the patient population, the nature of the protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the number of other products under development competing for the same patients in trials and the eligibility criteria for the clinical trial. The eligibility criteria for clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors is somewhat limiting. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the institutions and investigators conducting the clinical trials will devote adequate time and resources to our trials, perform as contractually required or meet our desired timeline.
*We will need additional funding and may be unable to raise capital when needed, which would force us to delay, reduce or eliminate our development programs.
Our March 31, 2008 cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balance was $48.8 million. We believe that this balance will be sufficient to satisfy our anticipated cash needs for at least the next twelve months. However, we may need or choose to seek additional funding within this period of time. In addition, we will need to raise additional capital at least within the next couple of years to, among other things:
| • | | fund our development programs; |
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| • | | acquire rights to products or product candidates, technologies or businesses; |
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| • | | establish and maintain manufacturing, sales and marketing operations; |
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| • | | commercialize our product candidates, if any, that receive regulatory approval. |
Our future funding requirements will depend on, and could increase significantly as a result of many factors, including:
| • | | the progress of our clinical trials; |
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| • | | the progress of our preclinical development activities; |
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| • | | our ability to establish and maintain strategic collaborations; |
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| • | | the costs involved in enforcing or defending patent claims and other intellectual property rights; |
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| • | | the pace and timing of development activities conducted under joint development arrangements we may establish ; |
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| • | | the cost and timing of regulatory approvals; |
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| • | | the costs of establishing or expanding manufacturing, sales and distribution capabilities; |
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| • | | the costs related to development and manufacture of pre-clinical, clinical and validation lots for regulatory and commercialization of drug supply; |
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| • | | the success of the commercialization of ANA598, ANA773 and any additional products; and |
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| • | | the extent to which we acquire or invest in other products technologies and businesses. |
We do not anticipate that we will generate significant continuing revenues for at least several years, if ever. Until we can generate significant continuing revenues, we expect to satisfy our future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements, project financing and grant funding, as well as through interest income earned on cash balances. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our research or development programs or our commercialization efforts.
Raising additional funds by issuing securities or through debt or project financing or collaboration and licensing arrangements may cause dilution to existing stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish proprietary rights.
We may raise additional funds through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, project financings or corporate collaborations and licensing arrangements. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders’ ownership will be diluted. Other financing activities may also have an equity component which may lead to dilution. Any debt or project financing we enter into may involve covenants that restrict our operations. These restrictive covenants may include limitations on borrowing, specific restrictions on the use of our assets as well as prohibitions on our ability to create liens, pay dividends, redeem capital stocks or make investments. In addition, if we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish potentially valuable rights to our potential products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. For example, we might be forced to relinquish all or a portion of our sales and marketing rights with respect to potential products or license intellectual property that enables licensees to develop competing products.
If we fail to establish new collaborations, we may be unable to advance our programs, which could cause our stock price to decline.
Our near and long-term viability will depend in part on our ability to successfully establish new strategic collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Since we do not currently possess the resources necessary to independently fully develop and commercialize ANA598 and ANA773, we will either need to develop or acquire these resources on our own, which will require substantial funding, time and effort, or will need to enter into collaborative agreements to assist in the development and commercialization of these potential products. Establishing strategic collaborations is difficult and time-consuming. Potential collaborators may reject collaborations based upon their assessment of our financial, regulatory or intellectual property position or based on existing collaborations. If we fail to establish a sufficient number of additional collaborations on acceptable terms, we may not generate sufficient revenue. Even if we successfully establish new collaborations, these relationships may never result in the successful development or commercialization of any product candidates or the generation of sales or royalty revenue.
Our operating results may be harmed if our restructuring plans do not achieve the anticipated results or cause undesirable consequences.
In August 2007, we implemented a restructuring, including an immediate reduction of approximately one-third of our workforce and a subsequent identification of several additional positions that were eliminated in early 2008. Our restructuring activities may yield unintended consequences, such as attrition beyond our planned reduction in workforce and reduced employee morale which may cause our employees to seek alternate employment. Additional attrition could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance. In addition, as a result of the restructuring and the reduction in our workforce, we face an increased risk of employment litigation.
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Because the results of preclinical studies and initial clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results, we can provide no assurances that ANA598 or ANA773 will have favorable results in clinical trials, or receive regulatory approval.
Positive results from preclinical studies or early clinical trials should not be relied upon as evidence that later or larger-scale clinical trials will succeed. There is typically an extremely high rate of attrition from the failure of drug candidates proceeding through clinical trials. Furthermore, if concurrent toxicology studies have unexpected results, the clinical development of the compound at issue could be suspended, delayed and/or terminated. If ANA598, ANA773, or any other product candidate, fails to demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy in any clinical trial or shows unexpected findings in concurrent toxicology studies, we would experience potentially significant delays in, or be required to abandon, development of that product candidate. If we delay or abandon our development efforts related to ANA598 or ANA773, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenues to become profitable, and our reputation in the industry and in the investment community would likely be significantly damaged, each of which would cause our stock price to decrease significantly.
Delays in the commencement of clinical testing of our current and potential product candidates could result in increased costs to us and delay our ability to generate revenues.
Our potential drug products will require additional preclinical testing and extensive clinical trials prior to submission of any regulatory application for commercial sales. Previously, we have conducted only early-stage clinical trials on our own, and were involved with Phase IIa trials only as part of our former collaboration with LG Life Sciences. As a result, we have very limited experience conducting clinical trials. In part because of this limited experience, we cannot be certain that planned clinical trials will begin or be completed on time, if at all. Delays in the commencement of clinical testing could significantly increase our product development costs and delay product commercialization. In addition, many of the factors that may cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to denial of regulatory approval of a product candidate.
The commencement of clinical trials can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays in:
| • | | demonstrating sufficient safety and efficacy to obtain regulatory approval to commence a clinical trial; |
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| • | | reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations and trial sites; |
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| • | | manufacturing sufficient quantities or producing drug meeting our quality standards of a product candidate; |
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| • | | obtaining approval of an IND application or proposed trial design from the FDA; and |
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| • | | obtaining institutional review board approval to conduct a clinical trial at a prospective site. |
In addition, the commencement of clinical trials may be delayed due to insufficient patient enrollment, which is a function of many factors, including the size and nature of the patient population, the nature of the protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the availability of effective treatments for the relevant disease, the number of other products under development competing for the same patients in trials and the eligibility criteria for the clinical trial.
Delays in the completion of, or the termination of, clinical testing of our current and potential product candidates could result in increased costs to us and delay or prevent us from generating revenues.
Once a clinical trial has begun, it may be delayed, suspended or terminated by us, potential future collaborators, the FDA, or other regulatory authorities due to a number of factors, including:
| • | | ongoing discussions with the FDA or other regulatory authorities regarding the scope or design of our clinical trials; |
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| • | | failure to conduct clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements; |
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| • | | lower than anticipated enrollment or retention rate of patients in clinical trials; |
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| • | | inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial sites by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold; |
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| • | | lack of adequate funding to continue clinical trials; |
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| • | | negative results of clinical trials; |
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| • | | negative or potentially problematic results of ongoing and concurrent pre-clinical toxicology studies; |
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| • | | requests by the FDA for supplemental information on, or clarification of, the results of clinical trials conducted in other countries; |
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| • | | insufficient supply or deficient quality of drug candidates or other materials necessary for the conduct of our clinical trials; or |
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| • | | serious adverse events or other undesirable drug-related side effects experienced by participants. |
Many of the factors that may lead to a delay, suspension or termination of clinical testing of a current or potential product candidate may also ultimately lead to denial of regulatory approval of a current or potential product candidate. If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of, clinical testing, our financial results and the commercial prospects for our product candidates may be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues will be delayed.
If our efforts to obtain rights to new products or product candidates from third parties do not yield product candidates for clinical development or are not otherwise successful, we may not generate product revenues or achieve profitability.
Our long-term ability to earn product revenue depends in part on our ability to identify and obtain new products or product candidates through licenses from third parties. If our internal development programs that are focused on the development of small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of HCV and cancer fail, we will need to obtain rights to new products or product candidates from third parties. We may be unable to obtain suitable product candidates or products from third parties for a number of reasons, including:
| • | | we may be unable to purchase or license products or product candidates on terms that would allow us to make an appropriate return from resulting products; |
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| • | | competitors may be unwilling to assign or license product or product candidate rights to us; or |
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| • | | we may be unable to identify suitable products or product candidates. |
If we are unable to obtain rights to new products or product candidates from third parties, our ability to generate product revenues and achieve profitability may suffer.
Even if we successfully complete clinical trials of ANA598, ANA773 or any future product candidate, there are no assurances that we will be able to submit, or obtain FDA approval of, a new drug application.
There can be no assurance that if our clinical trials of ANA598, ANA773 or any other potential product candidate are successfully completed, we will be able to submit a new drug application, or NDA, to the FDA or that any NDA we submit will be approved by the FDA in a timely manner, if at all. If we are unable to submit a NDA with respect to ANA598, ANA773 or any future product candidate, or if any NDA we submit is not approved by the FDA, we will be unable to commercialize that product in the U.S. The FDA can and does reject NDAs and may require additional clinical trials, even when drug candidates performed well or achieved favorable results in large-scale Phase III clinical trials. If we fail to commercialize ANA598, ANA773 or any future product candidate, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenues to attain profitability, and our reputation in the industry and in the investment community would likely be damaged, each of which would cause our stock price to decrease.
If we successfully develop products but those products do not achieve and maintain market acceptance, our business will not be profitable.
Even if ANA598, ANA773 or any future product candidates are approved for commercial sale by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, the degree of market acceptance of any approved product candidate by physicians, healthcare professionals and third-party payors and our profitability and growth will depend on a number of factors, including:
| • | | our ability to provide acceptable evidence of safety and efficacy; |
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| • | | relative convenience and ease of administration; |
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| • | | the prevalence and severity of any adverse side effects; |
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| • | | availability of alternative treatments; |
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| • | | pricing and cost effectiveness; |
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| • | | effectiveness of our or our collaborators’ sales and marketing strategy; and |
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| • | | our ability to obtain sufficient third-party insurance coverage or reimbursement. |
If ANA598 does not provide additional clinical benefit when included within a treatment regimen, that product likely will not be accepted favorably by the market. Similarly, if ANA773 does not provide additional clinical benefit when included within a treatment regimen, that product will likewise not be accepted favorably by the market. If any products we or our collaborations may develop do not achieve market acceptance, then we will not generate sufficient revenue to achieve or maintain profitability.
| | In addition, even if our products 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 products, are more cost effective or render our products obsolete; or |
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| • | | complications, such as long-term toxicities and viral resistance, arise with respect to use of our products. |
We depend on outside parties to conduct our clinical trials, which may result in costs and delays that prevent us from obtaining regulatory approval or successfully commercializing product candidates.
Although we have designed and managed our preclinical studies relating to ANA598 and ANA773 to date, we plan to engage clinical investigators and medical institutions to enroll patients in planned clinical trials and contract research organizations to perform data collection and analysis and other aspects of our preclinical studies and clinical trials. As a result, we will depend on these clinical investigators, medical institutions and contract research organizations to properly perform the studies and trials. If these parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated. We may not be able to enter into replacement arrangements without undue delays or excessive expenditures. If there are delays in testing or regulatory approvals as a result of the failure to perform by third-parties, our drug development costs will increase and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize our product candidates. In addition, we may not be able to maintain any of these existing relationships, or establish new ones on acceptable terms, if at all.
We do not have internal manufacturing capabilities, and if we fail to develop and maintain supply relationships with future collaborators or other outside manufacturers, we may be unable to develop or commercialize any of our products.
Our ability to develop and commercialize products will depend in part on our ability to manufacture, or arrange for collaborators or other parties to manufacture, our products at a competitive cost, in accordance with regulatory requirements and in sufficient quantities for clinical testing and eventual commercialization. Our current manufacturing agreements reflect a much smaller scale than would be required for commercialization. If we are unable to enter into or maintain commercial-scale manufacturing agreements with future collaborators or capable contract manufacturers on acceptable terms the development and commercialization of our products could be delayed, which would adversely affect our ability to generate revenues and would increase our expenses.
If we are unable to establish sales and marketing capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to sell and market any products we may develop, we may not be able to generate product revenue.
We do not currently have the capabilities for the sales, marketing and distribution of pharmaceutical products. In order to commercialize any products, we must build our sales, marketing, distribution, managerial and other non-technical capabilities or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services. The establishment and development of our own sales force to market any products we may develop in the U.S. will be expensive and time-consuming and could delay any product launch, and we cannot be certain that we would be able to successfully develop this capacity. If we are unable to establish our sales and marketing capability or any other non-technical capabilities necessary to commercialize any product we may develop, we will need to contract with third parties to market and sell any products we may develop in the U.S. We will also need to develop a plan to market and sell any products we may develop outside the U.S. If we are unable to establish adequate sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, whether independently or with third parties, we may not be able to generate product revenue and may not become profitable.
*If we are unable to attract and retain key management and scientific staff, we may be unable to successfully develop or commercialize our product candidates.
We are a small company, with approximately 50 employees, and our success depends on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified management and scientific personnel. In particular, our programs depend on our ability to retain highly
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skilled chemists, biologists, and preclinical and clinical personnel in the fields of HCV and oncology. We may not be able to attract or retain qualified management and scientific personnel in the future due to the intense competition for qualified personnel among biotechnology and pharmaceutical businesses, particularly in the San Diego, California area. We may also experience recruitment challenges due to our recent restructuring. If we are not able to attract and retain the necessary personnel to accomplish our business objectives, we may experience constraints that will impede significantly the achievement of our development objectives. In addition, all of our employees are “at will” employees, which means that any employee may quit at any time and we may terminate any employee at any time. Currently we do not have employment agreements with any employees or members of senior management that provide any guarantee of continued employment by us. We do not currently carry “key person” insurance covering members of senior management other than Steve Worland, Ph.D., our President and Chief Executive Officer. The insurance covering Dr. Worland is in the amount of $1.5 million. If we lose the services of Dr. Worland, James T. Glover, our Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer, James L. Freddo, M.D., our Chief Medical Officer, or other members of our senior management team or key personnel, we may not be able to find suitable replacements, and our business may be harmed as a result.
Our quarterly results and stock price may fluctuate significantly.
We expect our results of operations to be subject to quarterly fluctuations. The level of our revenues, if any, and results of operations at any given time, will be based primarily on the following factors:
| • | | the status of development of ANA598, ANA773 and our other product candidates, including results of preclinical studies and clinical trials and changes in regulatory status; |
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| • | | our execution of collaborative, licensing or other arrangements, and the timing and accounting treatment of payments we make or receive under these arrangements; |
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| • | | whether or not we achieve specified research or commercialization milestones under any agreement that we enter into with collaborators and the timely payment by commercial collaborators of any amounts payable to us; |
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| • | | variations in the level of expenses related to our product candidates or potential product candidates during any given period; and |
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| • | | the effect of competing technological and market developments. |
These factors, some of which are not within our control, may cause the price of our stock to fluctuate substantially. In particular, if our quarterly operating results fail to meet or exceed the expectations of securities analysts or investors, our stock price could drop suddenly and significantly. In addition, fluctuations in the stock prices of other companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries and in the financial markets generally may affect our stock price. We believe that quarterly comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
If we engage in any acquisition, we will incur a variety of costs, and we may never realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition.
We may attempt to acquire businesses, technologies, services or products or in-license technologies that we believe are a strategic fit with our business, at the appropriate time and as resources permit. We believe that strategic acquisitions of complementary businesses, technologies, services or products are a material component of our business strategy to provide us with access to new compounds that are potentially synergistic with our existing product candidate portfolio. If we undertake any acquisition, the process of integrating the acquired business, technology, service or product may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures and may divert significant management attention from our ongoing business operations. These operational and financial risks include:
| • | | exposure to unknown liabilities; |
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| • | | disruption of our business and diversion of our management’s time and attention to acquiring and developing acquired products or technologies; |
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| • | | incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of securities to pay for acquisitions; |
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| • | | higher than expected acquisition and integration costs; |
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| • | | increased amortization expenses; |
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| • | | negative effect on our earnings (or loss) per share; |
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| • | | difficulty and cost in combining and integrating the operations and personnel of any acquired businesses with our operations and personnel; |
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| • | | impairment of relationships with key suppliers, contractors or customers of any acquired businesses due to changes in management and ownership; and |
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| • | | inability to retain key employees of any acquired businesses. |
We have limited experience in identifying acquisition targets, successfully completing potential acquisitions and integrating any acquired businesses, technologies, services or products into our current infrastructure. Moreover, we may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition or devote resources to potential acquisitions that are never completed. If we fail to successfully identify strategic opportunities, complete strategic transactions or integrate acquired businesses, technologies, services or products, we may not be able to successfully expand our product candidate portfolio to provide adequate revenue to attain and maintain profitability.
Earthquake or wildfire damage to our facilities could delay our research and development efforts and adversely affect our business.
Our headquarters and research and development facilities in San Diego, California, are located in a seismic zone, and there is the possibility of an earthquake, which could be disruptive to our operations and result in delays in our research and development efforts. In addition, San Diego has experienced several severe wildfires during the past several years which have destroyed or damaged many businesses and residences in the San Diego area. In the event of an earthquake or a severe wildfire, if our facilities or the equipment in our facilities are significantly damaged or destroyed for any reason, or we are otherwise required to shut down our operations, we may not be able to rebuild or relocate our facility or replace any damaged equipment, or otherwise recommence our business operations, in a timely manner and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Risks Related to Our Industry
Because our product candidates and development and collaboration efforts depend on our intellectual property rights, adverse events affecting our intellectual property rights will harm our ability to commercialize products.
Our commercial success depends on obtaining and maintaining patent protection and trade secret protection of our product candidates, proprietary technologies and their uses, as well as successfully defending these patents against third-party challenges. We will only be able to protect our product candidates, proprietary technologies and their uses from unauthorized use by third parties to the extent that valid and enforceable patents or effectively-protected trade secrets cover them.
Due to evolving legal standards relating to the patentability, validity and enforceability of patents covering pharmaceutical inventions and the scope of claims made under these patents, our ability to obtain and enforce patents is uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions. Accordingly, rights under any issued patents may not provide us with sufficient protection for ANA598 or ANA773 or provide sufficient protection to afford us a commercial advantage against competitive products or processes. In addition, we cannot guarantee that any patents will issue from any pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us.
Even with respect to patents that have issued or will issue, we cannot guarantee that the claims of these patents are, or will be valid, enforceable or will provide us with any significant protection against competitive products or otherwise be commercially valuable to us. For example:
• | | we might not have been the first to make, conceive, or reduce to practice the inventions covered by all or any of our pending patent applications and issued patents; |
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• | | we might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions; |
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• | | others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies; |
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• | | it is possible that none of our pending patent applications will result in issued patents; |
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• | | our issued or acquired patents may not provide a basis for commercially viable products, may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be challenged by third parties; |
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• | | our issued patents may not be valid or enforceable; |
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• | | we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; or |
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• | | the patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business. |
Patent applications in the U.S. are maintained in confidence for up to 18 months after their filing. Consequently, we cannot be certain that we were the first to invent, or the first to file patent applications on our product candidates. In the event that a third party has also filed a U.S. patent application relating to our product candidates or a similar invention, we may have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the U.S. Patent Office to determine priority of invention in the U.S. The costs of these proceedings could be substantial and it is possible that our efforts would be unsuccessful, resulting in a material adverse effect on our U.S. patent position. Furthermore, we may not have identified all U.S. and foreign patents or published applications that affect our business either by blocking our ability to commercialize our drugs or by covering similar technologies that affect our drug market.
In addition, some countries, including many in Europe, do not grant patent claims directed to methods of treating humans, and in these countries patent protection may not be available at all to protect our drug candidates. Even if patents issue, we cannot guarantee that the claims of those patents will be valid and enforceable or provide us with any significant protection against competitive products, or otherwise be commercially valuable to us. We may be particularly affected by this because we expect that ANA598, if approved, will be marketed in foreign countries with high incidences of HCV infection.
Other companies may obtain patents and/or regulatory approvals to use the same drugs to treat diseases other than HCV or cancer. As a result, we may not be able to enforce our patents effectively because we may not be able to prevent healthcare providers from prescribing, administering or using another company’s product that contains the same active substance as our products when treating patients infected with HCV or who have cancer.
If we fail to obtain and maintain patent protection and trade secret protection of ANA598 or ANA773, proprietary technologies and their uses, the competition we face would increase, reducing our potential revenues and adversely affecting our ability to attain or maintain profitability.
If we are sued for infringing intellectual property rights of others, it will be costly and time- consuming, and an unfavorable outcome in that litigation would have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our commercial success also depends upon our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our product candidates and use our proprietary technologies without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. We may be exposed to future litigation by third parties based on claims that our product candidates, technologies or activities infringe the intellectual property rights of others. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications owned by others exist in HCV and cancer. These could materially affect our ability to develop our drug candidates or sell our products. Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending applications, unknown to us, which may later result in issued patents that our product candidates or technologies may infringe. There also may be existing patents, of which we are not aware, that our product candidates or technologies may inadvertently infringe. Further, there may be issued patents and pending patent applications in fields relevant to our business, of which we may become aware from time to time, that we believe we do not infringe or that we believe are invalid or relate to immaterial portions of our overall drug discovery and development efforts. We cannot assure you that third parties holding any of these patents or patent applications will not assert infringement claims against us for damages or seeking to enjoin our activities. We also cannot assure you that, in the event of litigation, we will be able to successfully assert any belief we may have as to non-infringement, invalidity or immateriality, or that any infringement claims will be resolved in our favor.
There is a substantial amount of litigation involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries generally. Any litigation or claims against us, with or without merit, may cause us to incur substantial costs, could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business and harm our reputation. In addition, intellectual property litigation or claims could result in substantial damages and force us to do one or more of the following if a court decides that we infringe on another party’s patent or other intellectual property rights:
| • | | cease selling, incorporating or using any of our product candidates or technologies that incorporate the challenged intellectual property; |
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| • | | obtain a license from the holder of the infringed intellectual property right, which license may be costly or may not be available on reasonable terms, it at all; or |
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| • | | redesign our processes or technologies so that they do not infringe, which could be costly and time-consuming and may not be possible. |
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If we find during clinical evaluation that our drug candidates for the treatment of HCV or cancer should be used in combination with a product covered by a patent held by another company or institution, and that a labeling instruction is required in product packaging recommending that combination, we could be accused of, or held liable for, inducing infringement of the third-party patents covering the product recommended for co-administration with our product. In that case, we may be required to obtain a license from the other company or institution to use the required or desired package labeling, which may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all.
If we fail to obtain any required licenses or make any necessary changes to our technologies, we may be unable to develop or commercialize some or all of our product candidates.
We may be involved in lawsuits or proceedings to protect or enforce our patent rights, trade secrets or know-how, which could be expensive and time- consuming.
The defense and prosecution of intellectual property suits and related legal and administrative proceedings can be both costly and time-consuming. Litigation and interference proceedings could result in substantial expense to us and significant diversion of effort by our technical and management personnel. Further, the outcome of patent litigation is subject to uncertainties that cannot be adequately quantified in advance, including the demeanor and credibility of witnesses and the identity of the adverse party. This is especially true in biotechnology related patent cases that may turn on the testimony of experts as to technical facts upon which experts may reasonably disagree and which may be difficult to comprehend by a judge or jury. An adverse determination in an interference proceeding or litigation with respect to ANA598 or ANA773, to which we may become a party could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties or require us to seek licenses from third parties. If required, the necessary licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Adverse determinations in a judicial or administrative proceeding or failure to obtain necessary licenses could prevent us from commercializing ANA598 or ANA773, which could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations.
Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of pre-trial document and witness discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. In addition, during the course of this kind of litigation, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock.
Confidentiality agreements with employees and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information and may not adequately protect our intellectual property.
We also rely on trade secrets to protect our technology, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. In order to protect our proprietary technology and processes, we also rely in part on confidentiality and intellectual property assignment agreements with our corporate partners, employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators and sponsored researchers and other advisors. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information nor result in the effective assignment to us of intellectual property, and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information or other breaches of the agreements. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets and proprietary information, and in such case we could not assert any trade secret rights against such party. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the U.S. may be less willing to protect trade secrets. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to seek to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position.
Many competitors have significantly more resources and experience, which may harm our commercial opportunity.
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are subject to intense competition and rapid and significant technological change. We have many potential competitors, including major drug and chemical companies, specialized biotechnology firms, academic institutions, government agencies and private and public research institutions. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources, experience and expertise in:
| • | | research and development; |
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| • | | preclinical testing; |
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| • | | clinical trials; |
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| • | | regulatory approvals; |
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| • | | manufacturing; and |
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| • | | sales and marketing of approved products. |
Smaller or early-stage companies and research institutions may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established pharmaceutical or other companies. We will also face competition from these parties in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, and acquiring and in-licensing technologies and products complementary to our programs or potentially advantageous to our business. If any of our competitors succeed in obtaining approval from the FDA or other regulatory authorities for their products sooner than we do or for products that are more effective or less costly than ours, our commercial opportunity could be significantly reduced.
If our competitors develop treatments for HCV or cancer that are approved faster, marketed better or demonstrated to be more effective than ANA598, ANA773, or any other products that we may develop, our commercial opportunity will be reduced or eliminated.
We believe that a significant number of drugs are currently under development and may become available in the future for the treatment of HCV and certain cancers. Potential competitors may develop treatments for HCV or certain cancers that are more effective or less costly than our product candidates or that would make our product candidates obsolete or non-competitive. Some of these products may use therapeutic approaches that compete directly with ANA598 or ANA773. In addition, less expensive generic forms of currently marketed drugs could lead to additional competition upon patent expiration or invalidations.
ANA598, a non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor, was selected as a development candidate in June, 2007. If approved, ANA598 would likely be used in combination with the current standard of care and/or other direct antiviral agents such as protease inhibitors and polymerase inhibitors. Any product currently approved or approved in the future for the treatment of HCV infection could decrease or eliminate the commercial opportunity of ANA598. Other non nucleoside inhibitors would likely be the most direct competitors for ANA598. To our knowledge, non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor programs are currently under clinical evaluation by Pfizer, Gilead and ViroChem. Further, a number of companies have non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor research and pre-clinical development programs.
Other potential competitors are products currently approved for the treatment of HCV infection: Peg-Intron (pegylated interferon-alpha-2b), Rebetol (ribavirin), and Intron-A (interferon-alpha-2b), which are marketed by Schering-Plough, Pegasys (pegylated interferon-alpha-2a), Copegus (ribavirin USP), and Roferon-A (interferon-alpha-2a), which are marketed by Roche. Additional compounds in late state clinical trials for HCV include Albuferon, in development by Human Genome Sciences and Novartis, VX-950, in development by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceutica, SCH503034, in development by Schering-Plough, ITMN-191, in development by Intermune and Roche, TMC-435350, in development by Tibotec and Medivir , R-1626, in development by Roche and R-7128 in development by Pharmasset and Roche.
ANA773 is a prodrug of a TLR7 agonist under evaluation for oncology indications. Any product currently approved or approved in the future for the treatment of cancer could decrease or eliminate the commercial opportunity of ANA773. Programs that most directly compete with ANA773 at this time are other TLR agonists under evaluation for oncology indications, including PF-3512676, in development by Pfizer, IMO-2055, in development by Idera and Merck KGaA and a cancer program in development by Dynavax.
If we cannot establish pricing of our product candidates acceptable to the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors, any product sales will be severely hindered.
The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of health care costs to contain or reduce costs of health care may adversely affect:
| • | | our ability to set a price we believe is fair for any products we or our collaborators may develop; |
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| • | | our ability to generate adequate revenues and gross margins; and |
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| • | | the availability of capital. |
In certain foreign markets, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to government control. In the U.S., given recent federal and state government initiatives directed at lowering the total cost of health care, the U.S. Congress and state legislatures will likely continue to focus on health care reform, the cost of prescription pharmaceuticals and on the reform of the Medicare and Medicaid systems. The trend toward managed health care in the U.S., which could significantly influence the purchase of health care
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services and products, as well as legislative proposals to reform health care, control pharmaceutical prices or reduce government insurance programs, may result in lower prices for our product candidates. While we cannot predict whether any legislative or regulatory proposals affecting our business will be adopted, the announcement or adoption of these proposals could have a material and adverse effect on our potential revenues and gross margins.
If we cannot arrange for reimbursement policies favorable to our product candidates, their sales will be severely hindered.
Our ability to commercialize ANA598, ANA773 or any other product candidates successfully will depend in part on the extent to which governmental authorities, private health insurers and other organizations establish appropriate reimbursement levels for the cost of ANA598, ANA773 or any other products and related treatments. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and services, including treatments for HCV and cancer. Also, the trend toward managed health care in the U.S. as well as legislative proposals to reform health care, control pharmaceutical prices or reduce government insurance programs, may also result in exclusion of our product candidates from reimbursement programs. The cost containment measures that health care payors and providers are instituting and the effect of any health care reform could materially and adversely affect our ability to earn product revenue and generate significant profits and could impact our ability to raise capital.
Product liability claims may damage our reputation and, if insurance proves inadequate, the product liability claims may harm our results of operations.
We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure for claimed injuries related to the testing of our product candidates in human clinical trials, and will face an even greater risk if we or our collaborators sell our product candidates commercially. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we will incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in:
| • | | decreased demand for our product candidates; |
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| • | | injury to our reputation; |
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| • | | withdrawal of clinical trial participants; |
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| • | | the inability to establish new collaborations with potential collaborators; |
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| • | | substantial costs of related litigation; |
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| • | | substantial monetary awards to patients; and |
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| • | | the inability to commercialize our product candidates. |
We currently have product liability insurance that covers our clinical trials and plan to increase and expand this coverage as we commence larger scale trials. We also intend to expand our insurance coverage to include the sale of commercial products if marketing approval is obtained for any of our product candidates. However, insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost and we may not be able to obtain insurance coverage that will be adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.
Any claims relating to our improper handling, storage or disposal of biological, hazardous and radioactive materials could be time-consuming and costly.
Our research and development involves the controlled use of hazardous materials, including chemicals that cause cancer, volatile solvents, including ethylacetate and acetonitrile, radioactive materials and biological materials including plasma from patients infected with HCV or other infectious diseases that have the potential to transmit disease. Our operations also produce hazardous waste products. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and waste products. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations or with the conditions attached to our operating licenses, the licenses could be revoked, and we could be subjected to criminal sanctions and substantial liability or required to suspend or modify our operations. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of these materials comply with legally prescribed standards, we cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for damages or penalized with fines in an amount exceeding our resources, and our clinical trials could be suspended. In addition, we may have to incur significant costs to comply with future environmental laws and regulations. We do not currently have a pollution and remediation insurance policy.
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Our business and operations would suffer in the event of system failures.
Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. Any system failure, accident or security breach that causes interruptions in our operations could result in a material disruption of our drug discovery programs. To the extent that any disruption or security breach results in a loss or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we may incur liability as a result, our drug discovery programs may be adversely affected and the further development of our product candidates may be delayed. In addition, we may incur additional costs to remedy the damages caused by these disruptions or security breaches.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Future sales of our common stock may cause our stock price to decline.
Our current stockholders hold a substantial number of shares of our common stock that they are able to sell in the public market. Significant portions of these shares are held by a small number of stockholders. Sales by our current stockholders of a substantial number of shares or the expectation that such sale may occur, could significantly reduce the market price of our common stock.
Our stock price may be volatile.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, most of which we cannot control, including:
| • | | changes in the regulatory status of our product candidates, including the status and results of our clinical trials of ANA598 and ANA773; |
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| • | | significant contracts, new technologies, acquisitions, commercial relationships, joint ventures or capital commitments; |
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| • | | disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, trade secrets, litigation matters, and our ability to patent or otherwise protect our product candidates and technologies; |
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| • | | conditions or trends in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; |
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| • | | fluctuations in stock market prices and trading volumes of similar companies or of the markets generally; |
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| • | | variations in our quarterly operating results; |
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| • | | changes in securities analysts’ estimates of our financial performance; |
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| • | | failure to meet or exceed securities analysts’ or investors’ expectations of our quarterly financial results, clinical results or our achievement of milestones; |
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| • | | sales of large blocks of our common stock, or the expectation that such sales may occur, including sales by our executive officers, directors and significant stockholders; |
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| • | | additions or departures of key personnel; |
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| • | | discussion of our business, products, financial performance, prospects or our stock price by the financial and scientific press and online investor communities such as chat rooms; |
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| • | | regulatory developments in the U.S. and foreign countries; |
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| • | | economic and political factors, including wars, terrorism and political unrest; and |
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| • | | technological advances by our competitors. |
Our largest stockholders may take actions that are contrary to your interests, including selling their stock.
A small number of our stockholders hold a significant amount of our outstanding stock. These stockholders may support competing transactions and have interests that are different from yours. In addition, the average number of shares of our stock that
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trade each day is generally low. As a result, sales of a large number of shares of our stock by these large stockholders or other stockholders within a short period of time could adversely affect our stock price.
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law may discourage or prevent a change in control, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders, which could affect our stock price adversely and prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may delay or prevent a change in control, discourage bids at a premium over the market price of our common stock and adversely affect the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock. These provisions include:
| • | | dividing our board of directors into three classes serving staggered three-year terms; |
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| • | | prohibiting our stockholders from calling a special meeting of stockholders; |
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| • | | permitting the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or preferred stock without stockholder approval; |
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| • | | prohibiting our stockholders from making certain changes to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws except with 66 2/3% stockholder approval; and |
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| • | | requiring advance notice for raising matters of business or making nominations at stockholders’ meetings. |
We are also subject to provisions of the Delaware corporation law that, in general, prohibit any business combination with a beneficial owner of 15% or more of our common stock for five years unless the holder’s acquisition of our stock was approved in advance by our board of directors. Although we believe these provisions collectively provide for an opportunity to receive higher bids by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors, they would apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.
We have never paid cash dividends on our capital stock and we do not anticipate paying dividends in the foreseeable future.
We have paid no cash dividends on any of our classes of capital stock to date, and we currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. In addition, the terms of any future debt or credit facility may preclude us from paying any dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of potential gain for the foreseeable future.
29
Item 6. Exhibits
| | | | |
Exhibit | | | | |
Number | | Exhibit Description | | Incorporated by Reference or Attached Hereto |
3.1 | | Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant | | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on May 14, 2004. |
| | | | |
3.2 | | Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant | | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on December 5, 2007. |
| | | | |
4.1 | | Form of Specimen Common Stock Certificate | | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (SEC File No. 333-110528) filed on March 18, 2004. |
| | | | |
10.16# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and Stephen T. Worland, Ph.D. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.17# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and James T. Glover, CPA. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.18# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and James L. Freddo, M.D. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.19# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and Elizabeth E. Reed. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.20# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and Mary Yaroshevsky-Glanville. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.23# | | Executive Officer Bonus Plan | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.24# | | 2004 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Option Plan, as amended. | | Attached Hereto. |
| | | | |
31.1 | | Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1934, as amended | | Attached Hereto. |
| | | | |
31.2 | | Certification of Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1934, as amended | | Attached Hereto. |
| | | | |
32.1 | | Certifications of President and Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | | Attached Hereto. |
| | |
# | | Indicates management contract or compensatory plan. |
30
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.
| | | | |
Date: April 30, 2008 | ANADYS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. | |
| By: | /s/ Stephen T. Worland, Ph.D. | |
| Stephen T. Worland, Ph.D. | |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | |
|
| | |
| By: | /s/ James T. Glover | |
| James T. Glover | |
| Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer | |
31
EXHIBIT INDEX
| | | | |
Exhibit | | | | |
Number | | Exhibit Description | | Incorporated by Reference or Attached Hereto |
3.1 | | Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant | | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on May 14, 2004. |
| | | | |
3.2 | | Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant | | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on December 5, 2007. |
| | | | |
4.1 | | Form of Specimen Common Stock Certificate | | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (SEC File No. 333-110528) filed on March 18, 2004. |
| | | | |
10.16# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and Stephen T. Worland, Ph.D. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.17# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and James T. Glover, CPA. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.18# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and James L. Freddo, M.D. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.19# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and Elizabeth E. Reed. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.20# | | Amended and Restated Severance and Change in Control Agreement dated March 3, 2008 by and between the Registrant and Mary Yaroshevsky-Glanville. | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.23# | | Executive Officer Bonus Plan | | Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 in the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 10-K (SEC File No. 000-50632) filed on March 5, 2008. |
| | | | |
10.24# | | 2004 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Option Plan, as amended. | | Attached Hereto. |
| | | | |
31.1 | | Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1934, as amended | | Attached Hereto. |
| | | | |
31.2 | | Certification of Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1934, as amended | | Attached Hereto. |
| | | | |
32.1 | | Certifications of President and Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | | Attached Hereto. |
| | |
# | | Indicates management contract or compensatory plan. |