| Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in these consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the accrual for research and development expenses, the valuation of common shares prior to the Company’s IPO, the valuation of share-based awards and the valuation of derivative liabilities. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience, known trends and other market-specific or other relevant factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates its estimates, as there are changes in circumstances, facts and experience. Actual results may differ from those estimates or assumptions. Consolidation The Company consolidates entities in which it has a controlling financial interest. The Company evaluates each of its subsidiaries to determine whether the entity represents a variable interest entity (“VIE”), for which consolidation should be evaluated under the VIE model, or, alternatively, if the entity is a voting interest entity, for which consolidation should be evaluated using the voting interest model. The Company has concluded that none of its subsidiaries is a VIE and has consolidated each subsidiary under the voting interest model because it has majority voting control of each subsidiary. Ownership interests in the Company’s subsidiaries that are held by entities other than the Company are reported as non-controlling interests in the consolidated balance sheets. Losses attributed to non-controlling interests and to the Company are reported separately in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company consolidated its non-controlling interest in Spero Gyrase, Inc. Concentrations of Credit Risk and of Significant Suppliers Financial instruments that potentially expose the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains most of its cash and cash equivalents at one accredited financial institution. The Company does not believe that it is subject to unusual credit risk beyond the normal credit risk associated with commercial banking relationships. The Company is dependent on third-party manufacturers to supply products for research and development activities in its programs. In particular, the Company relies and expects to continue to rely on a small number of manufacturers to supply it with its requirements for the active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulated drugs related to these programs. These programs could be adversely affected by a significant interruption in the supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients and formulated drugs. Deferred Offering Costs The Company capitalizes certain legal, professional accounting and other third-party fees that are directly associated with in-process equity financings as deferred offering costs until such financings are consummated. After consummation of the equity financing, these costs are recorded in stockholders’ deficit as a reduction of additional paid-in capital generated as a result of the offering. Should the planned equity financing be abandoned, the deferred offering costs will be expensed immediately as a charge to operating expenses in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Marketable Securities Marketable securities consist of investments with original maturities greater than 90 days. The Company considers its investment portfolio of investments to be available-for-sale. Accordingly, these investments are recorded at fair value, which is based on quoted market prices. Investments with maturities beyond one year are generally classified as short term, based on their highly liquid nature and because such marketable securities represent the investment of cash that is available for current operations. Unrealized gains and losses are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity. Realized gains and losses and declines in value judged to be other than temporary are included as a component of other income (expense), net based on the specific identification method. When determining whether a decline in value is other than temporary, the Company considers various factors, including whether the Company has the intent to sell the security, and whether it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost basis. Property and Equipment Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense is recognized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each asset as follows:
Estimated Useful Life
Laboratory equipment
5 years
Computer software and equipment
3 years
Office furniture and equipment
7 years
Manufacturing equipment
5 years
Leasehold improvements
Shorter of life of lease or 5 years Costs for capital assets not yet placed into service are capitalized as construction in progress and are depreciated in accordance with the above guidelines once placed into service. Upon retirement or sale, the cost of assets disposed of and the related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in loss from operations. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. Other Assets Other assets consist of long-term prepayments and deposits. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Long-lived assets consist of property and equipment. Long-lived assets to be held and used are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. Factors that the Company considers in deciding when to perform an impairment review include significant underperformance of the business in relation to expectations, significant negative industry or economic trends and significant changes or planned changes in the use of the assets. If an impairment review is performed to evaluate a long-lived asset group for recoverability, the Company compares forecasts of undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the long-lived asset group to its carrying value. An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of an asset group are less than its carrying amount. The impairment loss would be based on the excess of the carrying value of the impaired asset group over its fair value, determined based on discounted cash flows. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company recorded a loss of $0.2 million related to the write-off of fixed assets at its Watertown, Massachusetts laboratory facility. The Company did not record any impairment losses on long-lived assets during the years ended December 31, 2017 or 2016. Fair Value Measurements Certain assets and liabilities are carried at fair value under GAAP. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the fair value hierarchy, of which the first two are considered observable and the last is considered unobservable:
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Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
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Level 2—Observable inputs (other than Level 1 quoted prices), such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar assets or liabilities, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.
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Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to determining the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques. The Company’s cash equivalents and derivative liabilities are carried at fair value, determined according to the fair value hierarchy described above (see Note 3). The carrying values of the Company’s accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these liabilities. Derivative Liabilities In connection with certain equity financings, licensing transactions and research collaborations, the Company has identified certain embedded and freestanding derivatives, which are recorded as liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet and are remeasured to fair value at each reporting date until the derivative is settled. Changes in the fair value of the derivative liabilities are recognized as other income (expense) in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Classification and Accretion of Bridge Units and Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares The Company has classified bridge units and redeemable convertible preferred shares outside of stockholders’ equity (deficit) because the shares contain certain redemption features that are not solely within the control of the Company. The carrying values of these instruments are accreted to their respective redemption values from the date of issuance through the earliest date of redemption. Segment Information The Company manages its operations as a single segment for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions. The Company’s singular focus is on identifying, developing and commercializing novel treatments for MDR bacterial infections. All of the Company’s tangible assets are held in the United States. Government Contracts and Revenue Recognition The Company generates revenue from government contracts that reimburse the Company for certain allowable costs for funded projects. For contracts with government agencies, when the Company has concluded that it is the principal in conducting the research and development expenses and where the funding arrangement is considered central to the Company’s ongoing operations, the Company classifies the recognized funding received as revenue. The Company has concluded to recognize funding received from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (“BARDA”), the U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (“NIAID”) of the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) and Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (“CARB-X”) as revenue, rather than as a reduction of research and development expenses, because the Company is the principal in conducting the research and development activities and these contracts are central to its ongoing operations. Revenue is recognized as the qualifying expenses related to the contracts are incurred. Revenue recognition commences once the Company has substantially accomplished what it must do to be entitled to the benefits represented by the revenues. Revenue recognized upon incurring qualifying expenses in advance of receipt of funding is recorded in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as other receivables. The related costs incurred by the Company are included in research and development expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Government Tax Incentives For available government tax incentives that the Company may earn without regard to the existence of taxable income and that require the Company to forego tax deductions or the use of future tax credits and net operating loss carryforwards, the Company classifies the funding recognized as a reduction of the related qualifying research and development expenses incurred. Since the fourth quarter of 2016 and through December 31, 2018, the Company’s operating subsidiary in Australia has met the eligibility requirements to receive a 43.5% tax incentive for qualifying research and development activities (see Note 14). The Company recognizes these incentives as a reduction of research and development expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the same period that the related qualifying expenses are incurred. Reductions of research and development expense recognized upon incurring qualifying expenses in advance of receipt of tax incentive payments are recorded in the consolidated balance sheet as tax incentive receivables. Collaboration Agreements For collaboration agreements with a third party, to determine the appropriate statement of operations classification of the recognized funding, the Company first assesses whether the collaboration arrangement is within the scope of the accounting guidance for collaboration arrangements. If it is, the Company evaluates the collaborative arrangement for proper classification in the statement of operations based on the nature of the underlying activity and the Company assesses the payments to and from the collaborative partner. If the payments to and from the collaborative partner are not within the scope of other authoritative accounting guidance, the Company bases the statement of operations classification for the payments received on a reasonable, rational analogy to authoritative accounting guidance, applied in a consistent manner. Conversely, if the collaboration arrangement is not within the scope of accounting guidance for collaboration arrangements, the Company assesses whether the collaboration arrangement represents a vendor/customer relationship. If the collaborative arrangement does not represent a vendor/customer relationship, the Company then classifies the funding payments received in the statement of operations and comprehensive loss as a reduction of the related expense that is incurred. In 2014, the Company entered into a research and development services and support agreement with Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. and certain of its affiliates (“Roche”) and concluded that the agreements were not within the scope of the accounting guidance for collaboration arrangements (see Note 13). Due to the co-funded nature of the payments and the Company’s assessment that it did not have a vendor/customer relationship with Roche, the Company recognized the nonrefundable payments received under the agreement as a reduction to the research and development expenses incurred, based on a proportional methodology comparing the total expenses incurred in the period under the project to the total expenses expected to be incurred under the project. The Company terminated the agreement with Roche in August 2016. Research and Development Costs Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses are comprised of costs incurred in performing research and development activities, including personnel salaries, share-based compensation and benefits, allocated facilities costs, depreciation, manufacturing expenses, costs related to the Company’s government contract and grant arrangements, and external costs of outside vendors engaged to conduct preclinical development activities, clinical trials as well as the cost of licensing technology. Upfront payments and milestone payments made for the licensing of technology are expensed as research and development in the period in which they are incurred. Advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses. The prepaid amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed. Clinical Trial and other Research Contract Costs and Accruals The Company has entered into various research and development contracts with clinical research organizations and other companies both inside and outside of the United States. These agreements are generally cancelable, and related payments are recorded as research and development expenses as incurred. There may be instances in which payments made to these vendors exceed the level of service provided and will result in a prepayment of the expense. The Company records accruals for estimated ongoing research and clinical trial costs based on the services received and efforts expended pursuant to multiple contracts with these vendors. When evaluating the adequacy of the accrued liabilities, the Company analyzes the progress of the studies or trials, including the phase or completion of events, invoices received and contracted costs. Significant judgments and estimates are made in determining the accrued balances at the end of any reporting period. Actual results could differ from the Company’s estimates. The Company’s historical accrual estimates have not been materially different from the actual costs. Patent Costs All patent-related costs incurred in connection with filing and prosecuting patent applications are expensed as incurred due to the uncertainty about the recovery of the expenditure. Amounts incurred are classified as general and administrative expenses. Share-Based Compensation The Company measures all share-based awards granted to employees and directors based on the fair value on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Compensation expense of those awards is recognized over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. Generally, the Company issues awards with only service-based vesting conditions and records the expense for these awards using the straight-line method over the requisite service period, net of any actual forfeitures. The Company classifies share-based compensation expense in its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the same manner in which the award recipient’s payroll costs are classified or in which the award recipient’s service payments are classified. Comprehensive Loss Comprehensive loss includes net loss as well as other changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) that result from transactions and economic events other than those with shareholders. For the year ended December 31, 2018, these changes related to unrealized gains and losses on the Company’s available-for-sale marketable securities. There were no reclassifications out of comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2018. There was no difference between net loss and comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. Net Income (Loss) per Share Attributable to Spero Therapeutics, Inc. The Company follows the two-class method when computing net income (loss) per share, as the Company has issued shares that meet the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net income (loss) per share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires income available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based upon their respective rights to receive dividends as if all income for the period had been distributed. Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders is calculated based on net income (loss) attributable to Spero Therapeutics, Inc. and excludes net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests. Basic net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Diluted net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders is computed by adjusting net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders to reallocate undistributed earnings based on the potential impact of dilutive securities. Diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the diluted net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period, including potential dilutive common shares assuming the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents. The Company’s preferred stock contractually entitles the holders of such shares to participate in dividends but does not contractually require the holders of such shares to participate in losses of the Company. Accordingly, in periods in which the Company reports a net loss, such losses are not allocated to such participating securities. In periods in which the Company reports a net loss attributable to common stockholders of Spero Therapeutics, Inc., diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders of Spero Therapeutics, Inc. is the same as basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders of Spero Therapeutics, Inc., since dilutive common shares are not assumed to have been issued if their effect is anti-dilutive. The Company reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of Spero Therapeutics, Inc. for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016. Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the consolidated financial statements or in the Company’s tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded in the provision for income taxes. The Company assesses the likelihood that its deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent it believes, based upon the weight of available evidence, that it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is established through a charge to income tax expense. Potential for recovery of deferred tax assets is evaluated by estimating the future taxable profits expected and considering prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. The Company accounts for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in the consolidated financial statements by applying a two-step process to determine the amount of tax benefit to be recognized. First, the tax position must be evaluated to determine the likelihood that it will be sustained upon external examination by the taxing authorities. If the tax position is deemed more-likely-than-not to be sustained, the tax position is then assessed to determine the amount of benefit to recognize in the consolidated financial statements. The amount of the benefit that may be recognized is the largest amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The provision for income taxes includes the effects of any resulting tax reserves, or unrecognized tax benefits, that are considered appropriate as well as the related net interest and penalties. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the FASB”) issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard outlines a five-step process to achieve this principle, and will require companies to use more judgment and make more estimates than under the current guidance. The Company expects that these judgments and estimates will include identifying performance obligations in the customer contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. ASU 2014-09 also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date , which delays the effective date of ASU 2014-09 such that the standard is effective for public entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (“ASU 2016-08”), which further clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations in ASU 2014-09. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensin g, clarifying the implementation guidance on identifying performance obligations and licensing. Specifically, the amendments in this update reduce the cost and complexity of identifying promised goods or services and improve the guidance for determining whether promises are separately identifiable. The amendments in this update also provide implementation guidance on determining whether an entity’s promise to grant a license provides a customer with either a right to use the entity’s intellectual property (which is satisfied at a point in time) or a right to access the entity’s intellectual property (which is satisfied over time). In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients (“ASU 2016-12”), which clarifies the objective of the collectability criterion, presentation of taxes collected from customers, non-cash consideration, contract modifications at transition, completed contracts at transition and how guidance in ASU 2014-09 is retrospectively applied. ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 have the same effective dates and transition requirements as ASU 2014-09. The Company adopted this standard using the modified retrospective approach, however the Company determined that government grant revenue is outside the scope of ASC 606. Therefore, the adoption of ASC 606 did not impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows as its only existing revenue source as of December 31, 2018 is government grants. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows: Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18 Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) The inclusion of restricted cash increased the beginning and ending balances of the consolidated statement of cash flows by $50,000 for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. In January 2017, FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842 Leases Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements The Company has elected to adopt ASU 2016-02 effective January 1, 2019 through a cumulative-effect adjustment under ASU 2018-11. This standard provides a number of optional practical expedients in transition. The Company plans to apply the package of practical expedients to leases that commenced prior to the effective date whereby it will elect to not reassess the following: (i) whether any expired or existing contracts contain leases; (ii) the lease classification for any expired or existing leases; and (iii) initial direct costs for any existing leases. The Company expects to elect the short-term lease recognition exemption for all leases that qualify, where a right-of-use asset or lease liability will not be recognized for short term leases. The Company has substantially completed its assessment of the adoption of ASU 2016-02 and expects that the most significant effects of adoption will be to the recognition of material new ROU assets and corresponding liabilities on its consolidated balance sheet related to its existing facility operating leases (see Note 11). In July 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480), Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) I. Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features II. Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral for Mandatorily Redeemable Financial Instruments of Certain Nonpublic Entities and Certain Mandatorily Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests with a Scope Exception In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Ímprovements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which sets forth amendments to simplify the accounting for share-based payment awards to nonemployees by aligning the measurement and classification guidance, with certain exceptions, to that for share-based payment awards to employees. The amendments expand the scope of the accounting standard for share-based payment awards to include share-based payment awards granted to non-employees in exchange for goods or services used or consumed in an entity’s own operations and supersedes the guidance related to equity-based payments to non-employees. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard will have a material impact to its consolidated statement of operations, as awards to non-employees are not material. |
