In addition, the loss or corruption of, or other damage to, clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. Likewise, we rely on third parties for the manufacture of our drug candidates or any future drug candidates and to conduct clinical trials, and similar events relating to their systems and operations could also have a material adverse effect on our business and lead to regulatory agency actions. The risk of a security breach or disruption, particularly through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, foreign governments, and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity, and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. Sophisticated cyber attackers (including foreign adversaries engaged in industrial espionage) are skilled at adapting to existing security technology and developing new methods of gaining access to organizations’ sensitive business data, which could result in the loss of proprietary information, including trade secrets. We may not be able to anticipate all types of security threats, and we may not be able to implement preventive measures effective against all such security threats. The techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launched, and can originate from a wide variety of sources, including outside groups such as external service providers, organized crime affiliates, terrorist organizations, or hostile foreign governments or agencies.
Any security breach or other event leading to the loss or damage to, or unauthorized access, use, alteration, disclosure, or dissemination of, personal information, including personal information regarding clinical trial subjects, contractors, directors, or employees, our intellectual property, proprietary business information, or other confidential or proprietary information, could directly harm our reputation, enable competitors to compete with us more effectively, compel us to comply with federal and/or state breach notification laws and foreign law equivalents, subject us to mandatory corrective action, or otherwise subject us to liability under laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of personal information. Each of the foregoing could result in significant legal and financial exposure and reputational damage that could adversely affect our business. Notifications and follow-up actions related to a security incident could impact our reputation or cause us to incur substantial costs, including legal and remediation costs, in connection with these measures and otherwise in connection with any actual or suspected security breach. We expect to incur significant costs in an effort to detect and prevent security incidents and otherwise implement our internal security and business continuity measures, and actual, potential, or anticipated attacks may cause us to incur increasing costs, including costs to deploy additional personnel and protection technologies, train employees, and engage third-party experts and consultants.
The costs related to significant security breaches or disruptions could be material, and our insurance policies may not be adequate to compensate us for the potential losses arising from any such disruption in, or failure or security breach of, our systems or third-party systems where information important to our business operations or commercial development is stored or processed. In addition, such insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Further, our insurance may not cover all claims made against us and could have high deductibles in any event, and defending a suit, regardless of its merit, could be costly and divert management attention. Furthermore, if the information technology systems of our third-party vendors and other contractors and consultants become subject to disruptions or security breaches, we may have insufficient recourse against such third parties and we may have to expend significant resources to mitigate the impact of such an event, and to develop and implement protections to prevent future events of this nature from occurring.
Major public health issues, and specifically the pandemic caused by the spread of COVID-19, could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations and other aspects of our business.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, was first detected in Wuhan, China, and has since spread around the world. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that the rapidly spreading COVID-19 outbreak had evolved into a pandemic. In response to the pandemic, many governments around the world are implementing a variety of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including travel restrictions and bans, instructions to residents to practice social distancing, quarantine advisories, shelter-in-place orders and required closures of non-essential businesses.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains, and created significant volatility and disruption of financial markets. Although COVID-19 has not had a material adverse effect on our business to date, no assurance can be given that it will not in the future if the situation persists or worsens. The extent to which the coronavirus impacts our business and operating results will depend on future developments that are highly