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x | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
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Delaware | 22-3868459 | |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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450 West 15th Street, Suite 505 New York, NY |
10011 | |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Title of each class | Name of each exchange on which registered | |
Common Stock, $0.001 par value | NASDAQ Global Select Market |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.Yes o No x
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 x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. 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 x | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Smaller reporting company o |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).Yes o No x
The aggregate market value of the registrants voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (without admitting that any person whose shares are not included in such calculation is an affiliate) computed by reference to the price at which the common stock was last sold on June 30, 2016 was approximately $3,520,761,550. As of January 31, 2017 there were 24,831,471 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.
The registrant intends to file a definitive proxy statement pursuant to Regulation 14A in connection with its 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Portions of such proxy statement are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, plans, objectives of management and expected market growth, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
The words anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intend, may, plan, predict, project, target, potential, will, would, could, should, continue, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about:
| our ability to successfully commercialize Ocaliva® (obeticholic acid, or OCA) in primary biliary cholangitis, or PBC, and our ability to maintain our regulatory approval of Ocaliva in PBC in the United States, Europe and other jurisdictions in which we may receive marketing authorization; |
| the initiation, cost, timing, progress and results of our development activities, preclinical studies and clinical trials; |
| the timing of and our ability to obtain regulatory approval of OCA in indications other than PBC and regulatory approval of any other product candidates we may develop such as INT-767; |
| conditions that may be imposed by regulatory authorities on our marketing approvals for our products and product candidates, such as the need for clinical outcomes data (and not just results based on achievement of a surrogate endpoint), and any related restrictions, limitations and/or warnings in the label of any products or product candidates; |
| our plans to research, develop and commercialize our products and product candidates; |
| our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our products and product candidates; |
| our ability to successfully commercialize our products and product candidates; |
| the size and growth of the markets for our products and product candidates and our ability to serve those markets; |
| the rate and degree of market acceptance of any products, which may be affected by the reimbursement received from payors; |
| the success of competing drugs that are or become available; |
| regulatory developments in the United States and other countries; |
| the performance of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers; |
| our collaborators election to pursue research, development and commercialization activities; |
| our ability to attract collaborators with development, regulatory and commercialization expertise; |
| our need for and ability to obtain additional financing; |
| our estimates regarding expenses, revenues and capital requirements and the accuracy thereof; |
| our use of cash and short term investments; and |
| our ability to attract and retain key scientific or management personnel. |
These forward-looking statements are only predictions and we may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, so you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have based these forward-looking
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statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and operating results. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in Item 1.A. Risk Factors, that could cause actual future results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.
You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K presents projected adjusted operating expense, which is a financial measure not calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, and should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, operating expense that we prepare and announce in accordance with GAAP. We exclude certain items from adjusted operating expense, such as stock-based compensation and other non-cash items, that management does not believe affect our basic operations and that do not meet the GAAP definition of unusual or non-recurring items. For the year ended December 31, 2016, adjusted operating expense also excludes a one-time $45 million net expense for the settlement of a purported class action lawsuit. Other than the net class action lawsuit settlement amount, which is a one-time expense, we anticipate that stock-based compensation expense will represent the most significant non-cash item that is excluded in adjusted operating expenses as compared to operating expenses under GAAP. A reconciliation of projected non-GAAP adjusted operating expense to operating expense calculated in accordance with GAAP is not available on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable effort due to an inability to make accurate projections and estimates related to certain information needed to calculate, for example, future stock-based compensation expense. Management also uses adjusted operating expense to establish budgets and operational goals and to manage our companys business. Other companies may define this measure in different ways. We believe this presentation provides investors and management with supplemental information relating to operating performance and trends that facilitate comparisons between periods and with respect to projected information.
The Intercept Pharmaceuticals® name and logo and the Ocaliva® name and logo are either registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks, service marks or other tradenames appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective owners.
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All brand names or trademarks appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective holders. Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to Intercept, the Company, we, us, and our refer to Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Item 1. | Business |
We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics to treat non-viral, progressive liver diseases with high unmet medical need utilizing our proprietary bile acid chemistry. Our marketed product and clinical product candidates have the potential to treat orphan and more prevalent liver diseases for which, currently, there are limited therapeutic solutions.
Our lead product candidate, obeticholic acid, or OCA, is a bile acid analog, a chemical substance that has a structure based on a naturally occurring human bile acid, that selectively binds to and activates the farnesoid X receptor, or FXR. We believe OCA has broad liver-protective properties and may effectively counter a variety of chronic insults to the liver that cause fibrosis, or scarring, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis, liver transplant and death.
OCA was approved in the United States in May 2016 for use in patients with primary biliary cholangitis, or PBC, under the brand name Ocaliva®. We commenced sales and marketing of Ocaliva in the United States shortly after receiving such marketing approval, and Ocaliva is now available to patients primarily through a network of specialty pharmacy distributors. In December 2016, the European Commission granted conditional approval for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC and we commenced our European commercial launch in January 2017. We have also filed for regulatory approval for OCA in PBC in Canada and plan to file for marketing authorization in other target markets.
OCA is also being developed to treat a variety of other non-viral progressive liver diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC, and biliary atresia. We are currently evaluating our future development strategy for OCA in other indications, for our product candidate INT-767 and for our pre-clinical candidates.
OCA has been tested in five placebo-controlled clinical trials, including a Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with PBC and two Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with NASH or a precursor disease to NASH known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. OCA met the primary efficacy endpoint in each of these trials with statistical significance. In addition, in October 2015, we announced results from a Phase 2 dose ranging trial of OCA in 200 patients with NASH in Japan conducted by our collaborator, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd., or Sumitomo Dainippon. The results of this trial were mixed. Sumitomo Dainippon has informed us that it is exploring the initiation of its registrational trials for OCA in NASH patients intended to support the registration of this indication in Japan.
OCA has received orphan drug designation in the United States and the European Union for the treatment of PBC and PSC and breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the treatment of NASH patients with liver fibrosis.
OCA achieved the primary endpoint in a Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of NASH, known as the FLINT trial, which was sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, or NIDDK, a part of the National Institutes of Health. The FLINT trial was completed in late July 2014. We have an ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial in non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis, known as the REGENERATE trial. REGENERATE includes a pre-planned histology-based interim analysis after 72 weeks of treatment. We are targeting completion of enrollment of the cohort of patients needed for this analysis by mid-2017, with results from the interim analysis anticipated in 2019. We also have an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial, known as the CONTROL trial, to characterize the lipid metabolic effects of OCA and cholesterol management effects of concomitant statin administration in NASH patients. We completed enrollment of the targeted number of patients for our CONTROL trial in October 2016 and expect top-line
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results in 2017. We continue to work towards expanding our overall NASH development program with additional trials and studies, including a Phase 3 trial in NASH patients with cirrhosis, which we expect to initiate in 2017.
In addition to PBC and NASH, we continue to invest in research of OCA for additional patient populations with other liver diseases. In September 2016, we completed enrollment of the targeted number of patients in our Phase 2 AESOP trial in PSC to evaluate the effects of 24 weeks of treatment with varying doses of OCA compared to placebo. We expect top-line results from the AESOP trial in 2017. In October 2015, we initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial, known as the CARE trial, of OCA in pediatric patients with biliary atresia. This trial will evaluate the effects of 11 weeks of OCA treatment where patients with biliary atresia are randomized to varying doses of OCA or a control group receiving only their current treatment. As part of our development program, we completed a Phase 1 clinical trial of our second product candidate to enter clinical development, called INT-767, a dual FXR and TGR5 agonist, in healthy volunteers. Following analysis of the results, we plan to evaluate next steps for a Phase 2 trial of INT-767 in NASH patients with liver fibrosis in 2017.
The following chart shows the current stage of development of OCA in different patient populations and the programs for certain of our other product candidates.
Our current plan is to commercialize OCA ourselves in the United States and Europe and other target markets such as Canada for the treatment of PBC, NASH and other indications primarily by targeting physicians who specialize in the treatment of liver and intestinal diseases, including both hepatologists and gastroenterologists. We own worldwide rights to OCA except for Japan, China and Korea, where we have exclusively licensed OCA to Sumitomo Dainippon along with an option to exclusively license OCA in certain other Asian countries. We own or have rights to various trademarks, copyrights and trade names used in our business, including Ocaliva.
By virtue of our patent portfolio and the proprietary know-how of our employees and our collaborators at the University of Perugia, we believe that we hold a leading position in the fields of bile acid chemistry and therapeutics. Starting with OCA and its underlying patents, which were assigned to us under our agreements with Professor Roberto Pellicciari, Ph.D., one of our co-founders, other researchers and the University of Perugia, our collaboration has resulted in a pipeline of bile acid analogs in addition to OCA, such as INT-767 and INT-777. Through our collaboration with Professor Pellicciari and TES Pharma Srl, we are continuing our
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research to rationally design compounds that bind selectively and potently to FXR and other bile acid receptors. Our current patents for OCA are scheduled to expire at various times through 2033.
Our strategy is to develop and commercialize novel therapeutics for patients with progressive non-viral liver diseases, beginning with OCA for the treatment of PBC, NASH and other follow-on indications that we believe are underserved by existing marketed therapies. The key elements of our strategy are to:
| commercialize OCA in the United States, Europe and other countries, initially for the treatment of PBC; |
| continue to develop OCA for the treatment of NASH and seek regulatory approval of OCA in this indication; |
| continue to develop OCA in other orphan and more prevalent liver diseases; and |
| advance the development of earlier-stage product candidates in our pipeline. |
In order to achieve our strategic objectives, we have, and will remain, focused on hiring and retaining a highly skilled management team and employee base with extensive experience and specific skill sets relating to the selection, development and commercialization of therapies for liver diseases with high unmet medical need.
The liver performs many functions that are crucial for survival, including the regulation of bile acid metabolism. Bile acids are natural detergent-like emulsifying agents that are released from the gallbladder into the intestine when food is ingested, and are essential for the absorption of dietary cholesterol and other nutrients. Cholesterol bound by bile acids is taken up by the liver, where the cholesterol is then converted into one of two primary bile acids. The bile acids are then actively secreted into bile ducts, which eventually empty into the gallbladder. This digestive cycle of bile flow from gallbladder to intestine to liver and back is called the enterohepatic recirculation of bile.
In addition to facilitating nutrient absorption, bile acids have a much broader role than previously realized in regulating multiple biological functions. They are also complex signaling molecules that integrate metabolic and immune pathways involved in the healthy functioning of various tissues and organs. For example, the actions of bile acids in the liver, intestine and kidney regulate repair mechanisms that modulate inflammation and fibrosis, or scarring, which can lead to progressive organ damage.
The biological effects of bile acids are mediated through dedicated receptors. The best understood is the farnesoid X receptor, a nuclear receptor that regulates bile acid synthesis and clearance from the liver, thereby preventing excessive bile acid build-up in the liver, which may be toxic. As a result, FXR is a target for the treatment of liver diseases such as PBC and PSC that involve impaired bile flow, a condition called cholestasis, in which the liver is exposed to higher than normal levels of bile acids, causing significant damage over time due to the detergent effects of bile acids. In addition, bile acid activation of FXR induces anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-steatotic and other mechanisms that are necessary for the normal regeneration of the liver and may play a role in the treatment of more prevalent liver diseases such as NASH and alcoholic hepatitis. Based on the discovery of similar FXR-mediated protective mechanisms in other organs exposed to bile acids, we believe that FXR may also be a potential target for the treatment of a number of intestinal, kidney and other diseases.
OCA was approved in the United States in May 2016 under the accelerated approval pathway for use in patients with PBC under the brand name Ocaliva. We commenced sales and marketing of Ocaliva in the United States shortly after receiving such marketing approval, and Ocaliva is now available to patients primarily through a network of specialty pharmacy distributors. In December 2016, the European Commission granted conditional approval for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC and we commenced our European commercial launch in certain markets in January 2017. We have submitted or are in the process of submitting dossiers to a number of reimbursement authorities in the European Union.
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We are commercializing Ocaliva in the United States and Europe using our internal commercial organization. We believe that our commercial organization is equipped to address more than 4,000 physicians, covering 70% to 80% of patients with PBC in the United States, and 7,000 physicians in Europe. We are marketing to this target audience with our dedicated sales team. We have built and plan to continue to expand an internal commercial infrastructure in Europe, Canada and Australia and will likely seek to commercialize OCA through distribution or other collaboration arrangements outside of the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia, subject to obtaining necessary marketing approvals. We also have a team of field-based medical science liaisons, who play an important role in providing medical information about Ocaliva to clinicians and other health care professionals.
The approval of Ocaliva in the United States and Europe was supported by the results of the pivotal Phase 3 POISE trial, which was completed in March 2014. The POISE data showed that Ocaliva, at both a 10 mg dose and a 5 mg dose titrated to 10 mg, met the trials primary endpoint of achieving a reduction in serum alkaline phosphatase, or ALP, to below a threshold of 1.67 times the upper limit of normal, or ULN, with a minimum of 15% reduction in ALP level from baseline, and a normal bilirubin level after 12 months of therapy. The percentage of patients meeting the POISE trial primary endpoint was 10% in the placebo group, 47% in the 10 mg OCA group and 46% in the OCA titration group (both dose groups p < 0.0001 as compared to placebo) in an intention-to-treat analysis. The placebo group experienced a mean decrease in ALP from baseline of 5%, compared to a significant mean decrease of 39% in the 10 mg OCA dose group and 33% in the OCA titration group (both dose groups p < 0.0001 as compared to placebo). Pruritus, generally mild to moderate, was the most frequently reported adverse event associated with OCA treatment.
We are currently conducting a Phase 4 confirmatory outcomes trial of Ocaliva in PBC, known as the COBALT trial, to support post-marketing regulatory requirements. Full approval for Ocaliva in PBC may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.
PBC is a rare liver disease that primarily results from autoimmune destruction of the bile ducts that transport bile acids out of the liver, resulting in cholestasis. As the disease progresses, persistent toxic build-up of bile acids causes progressive liver damage marked by chronic inflammation and fibrosis. In response to the bile acid mediated toxicity seen in PBC, liver cells release ALP, a liver enzyme that is a key biomarker of the disease pathology. Elevated blood levels of ALP are used as the primary means of diagnosis of PBC and are closely monitored in patients as the most important indicator of treatment response and prognosis.
While PBC is rare, it is the most common cholestatic liver disease. An estimated 90% of patients are women, with approximately one in 1,000 women over the age of 40 afflicted by the disease. The mean age of diagnosis is about 40 years and the typical initial presentation occurs between the ages of 30 and 65 years. In the United States, the disease is currently the second leading indication for liver transplant among women. A majority of PBC patients are asymptomatic at the time of initial diagnosis, but most develop symptoms over time. Fatigue and pruritus, or itching, are the most common symptoms in PBC patients. Less common symptoms include dry eyes and mouth, as well as jaundice, which can be seen in more advanced disease. Based on the guidelines of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, or AASLD, and the European Association for the Study of the Liver, or EASL, the clinical diagnosis of PBC is established based on the presence of (i) a positive anti-mitochondrial antibody, or AMA, a marker of this autoimmune disease seen in up to 95% of PBC patients, and (ii) elevated serum levels of ALP. In the earlier stages of PBC, ALP is often the only abnormally elevated liver enzyme, rising to between two to ten times higher than normal values. Bilirubin is a marker of liver function and is also monitored in PBC to provide an indication of how well the liver is functioning. Liver biopsy can be used to confirm the diagnosis of PBC, but is not required and is becoming less-frequently performed.
For the year ended December 31, 2016, all of our $18.2 million of net product sales for Ocaliva in PBC were generated in the United States. Financial information related to our significant customers is set forth in Note 3, Concentration of Credit Risk and Accounts Receivable to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Other financial information such as our total assets, net loss and operating expenses can be found in our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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A number of published clinical studies have demonstrated that lower levels of ALP, both independently or in conjunction with normal bilirubin levels, correlate with a significant reduction in adverse clinical outcomes such as liver transplant and/or death in PBC patients. These studies include the result of meta-analyses of PBC clinical outcomes data of more than 6,000 PBC patients from 15 academic centers in eight countries that have been compiled by the Global PBC Study Group, which we sponsored, as well as a dataset of over 6,000 PBC patients across the United Kingdom compiled by the UK PBC Group. These represent the largest PBC clinical datasets assembled to analyze the correlation of biochemical therapeutic response with clinical outcomes in PBC patients.
Disease progression in PBC varies significantly, with median survival in untreated patients of 7.5 years if symptomatic at diagnosis and up to 16 years if asymptomatic at diagnosis. PBC patients whose disease is progressing have persistently elevated levels of ALP and other liver enzymes, with abnormal bilirubin levels heralding more advanced disease. Data from published long-term studies demonstrate that a significant portion of such patients with advancing disease progress to liver failure, transplant or death within five to ten years, despite receiving ursodiol, the standard of care therapy.
Prior to Ocaliva, the only approved drug for the treatment of PBC was ursodeoxycholic acid, available generically as ursodiol, which is the standard initial course of therapy for all PBC patients. Ursodiol is a naturally occurring bile acid found in small quantities in humans and it is the least detergent of the various types of bile acids that make up the bile pool. In PBC patients, the typical daily dose of ursodiol of approximately one gram represents more than one-fifth of the entire bile pool and, after ongoing therapy, it will comprise at least half of the entire bile pool. It is believed that ursodiol treatment results in the bile pool being less toxic to the liver due to ursodiols dilution of other more detergent bile acids.
In patients for whom ursodiol is effective, the treatment slows the progression of PBC, reducing the likelihood of liver failure and the need for transplant. As shown in numerous clinical trials of ursodiol treatment, a positive therapeutic response is primarily determined by sustained reduction of ALP levels, along with maintenance of normal bilirubin levels, indicating adequately compensated liver function. This biochemical improvement has been shown to correlate well with improved clinical outcomes such as transplant-free survival.
According to our analysis of industry data, there are approximately 290,000 people with PBC in our target markets, consisting of the United States, certain European countries, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Based on our analysis of this data, we believe approximately 119,000 patients in our target markets have been diagnosed and are under the care of a physician for PBC. We currently are focusing our commercial efforts on the estimated 37,000 diagnosed PBC patients who have elevated ALP levels of at least 1.67 times ULN, despite receiving treatment with ursodiol. Of those PBC patients, approximately 15,000 are estimated to be in the United States and 22,000 in our target countries outside of the United States. In addition, we believe another 8,000 patients in our target countries, including approximately 4,000 patients in the United States, are intolerant to ursodiol or have discontinued ursodiol treatment due to lack of efficacy. Finally, we believe there are approximately an additional 35,000 patients in our target countries, including approximately 15,000 in the United States, who have an elevated ALP greater than ULN but less than 1.67 times ULN who may be treated with Ocaliva.
Our estimates of the potential market opportunity for OCA for the treatment of PBC include a number of key assumptions related to prevalence rates, patients access to healthcare, diagnosis rates and patients response to or tolerance of OCA, which are based on available literature and epidemiology research in PBC, our industry knowledge gained through market research and other methods, industry publications, third-party research reports and other surveys.
As part of accelerated approval in the United States and conditional approval in the European Union, we are currently conducting a Phase 4 confirmatory outcomes trial of Ocaliva, known as the COBALT trial, to support post-marketing regulatory requirements. The goal of the trial is to confirm that reduction of ALP with OCA treatment is associated with a longer term benefit on liver-related clinical outcomes. This trial is currently enrolling patients and is expected to be completed on a post-marketing basis.
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COBALT is designed to assess the effect of a once-daily dose of 5 mg or 10 mg of OCA in approximately 430 PBC patients with an inadequate therapeutic response to ursodiol or who are unable to tolerate ursodiol. In this trial, eligible patients with PBC continue their ursodiol treatment, except for those patients unable to tolerate ursodiol, and are being randomized into one of two arms of approximately 175 patients each. Patients receive, in addition to ursodiol, either placebo or 5 mg of OCA increasing over the course of the trial to 10 mg of OCA based on tolerability. The primary endpoint of the trial is based on clinical outcomes as measured by time to first occurrence of any of the following adjudicated events: death (all-cause), liver transplant, Model of End stage Liver Disease, or MELD, score greater than 15, hospitalization due to variceal bleeding, encephalopathy or spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, uncontrolled ascites or hepatocellular carcinoma.
We are currently discussing modifications to the COBALT trial to potentially include a broader cross-section of PBC patients with early, moderately advanced and advanced disease according to the so-called Rotterdam criteria. We have agreed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Ocaliva in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment and as monotherapy in patients with PBC. Finally, we have also agreed to develop and characterize a lower dose formulation of Ocaliva to allow for once daily dosing in patients with moderate or advanced hepatic impairment.
NASH is a common and serious chronic liver disease caused by excessive fat accumulation in the liver, or steatosis, that induces inflammation and may lead to progressive fibrosis and cirrhosis, followed by eventual liver failure and death. In NASH patients, for reasons that are as yet not completely understood, steatosis and other factors such as insulin resistance induce chronic inflammation in the liver and may lead to progressive fibrosis and cirrhosis, followed by eventual liver failure and death.
Although difficult to precisely estimate, current epidemiology research estimates that 5% of the total U.S. population and roughly 4% of the total population in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, or the EU5 countries, has NASH. More than 30% of patients are believed to have fibrosis of stage 2 or greater. We believe that similar prevalence will be found in other European countries, Japan and other developed countries. Additionally, NASH has become a highly prevalent liver disease in developing countries such as India and China. Although the prevalence of NASH is lower in children, it has also become a serious disease burden in the pediatric population. There are currently no drugs approved for the treatment of NASH.
Other common co-existing conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are present in a majority of NASH patients, are important risk factors. NASH has been linked in both developed and developing countries to the adoption of a Western diet, with increased consumption of processed foods containing polyunsaturated fatty acids and fructose. More than 20% of NASH patients progress to cirrhosis within a decade of diagnosis. Owing to the rapidly increasing prevalence of the disease, NASH has become the second most common reason for liver transplant in the United States and is projected to become the leading indication for transplant in the next few years, overtaking both chronic hepatitis C infection and alcoholic liver disease. NASH patients have a ten-fold greater risk of liver-related mortality as compared to the general population. Additionally, NASH is now considered to be the leading, and a rapidly increasing, cause of hepatocellular carcinoma, or primary liver cancer, of which up to 40% of cases in NASH patients develop prior to developing cirrhosis.
Currently, a definitive diagnosis of NASH is based on a histologic assessment of a liver biopsy for several key features associated with NASH, including, but not limited to, steatosis, lobular inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning. However, non-invasive methods of diagnosis are being explored, including transient elastography (an ultrasound technology approved in Europe and more recently in the United States for the measurement of liver fibrosis), magnetic resonance imaging and serum biomarkers. NASH diagnosis rates in the United States and the EU5 countries are very low, driven by a lack of approved treatment options and a lack of non-invasive diagnosis options. We believe the availability of novel therapeutics and non-invasive technologies will be critical to increase diagnosis rates.
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There are currently no drugs approved for the treatment of NASH. However, various therapeutics are used off-label, such as vitamin E (an antioxidant), insulin sensitizers (e.g., metformin), antihyperlipidemic agents (e.g., gemfibrozil), pentoxifylline and ursodiol. Lifestyle changes, including modification of diet and exercise to reduce body weight, as well as treatment of concomitant diabetes and dyslipidemia, are commonly accepted as the standard of care, but have not conclusively been shown to prevent disease progression.
Although some of the off-label treatments described above have been studied as possible treatments for NASH, none has been approved by the FDA or European Medicines Agency, or EMA, as a treatment for this disease. Currently, the outlook and treatment options for end-stage NASH patients are limited. Although liver transplant can be curative, many patients fail to receive a donor organ in time, and for those who do, there are very significant clinical risks, such as infection and organ rejection, as well as significant costs. In addition, the post-transplant recurrence rate of NASH has been shown to be as high as 25% at 18 months. Given the lack of available treatment options, we believe that there is a significant unmet need for a novel therapy for NASH, particularly in those patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis and those with a high risk of disease progression due to other co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes.
FXR activation has been shown to play a key role in the regulation of the metabolic pathways relevant to NASH, highlighting FXR as a potential drug target for treatment of the disease. Given the significant unmet medical need of patients with NASH, we believe that the potent ability of OCA to activate FXR could result in a major clinical benefit through potential amelioration or reversal of liver fibrosis, inflammation, steatosis, and insulin resistance. We believe that OCA has the potential to provide the following benefits in the treatment of NASH:
| Pharmacological Activity. In addition to achieving the primary endpoint in the Phase 2b FLINT trial in NASH patients, a significantly greater number of OCA-treated patients achieved an improvement of at least one fibrosis stage (35% vs 19%, p = 0.004), with OCA showing greater response rates as compared to placebo across all stages of fibrosis. In animal models, sustained FXR activation with OCA treatment has resulted in the reversal of liver fibrosis, the reversal of portal hypertension, the prevention of atherosclerosis, and improvements in triglycerides, inflammation, steatosis and insulin sensitivity. Mice that lack functional FXR (so-called knockout mice) spontaneously develop NASH accompanied by hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance, and go on to develop hepatocellular carcinoma, or primary liver cancer. We believe that the combined mechanisms of FXR activation, coupled with the occurrence of NASH in animals lacking FXR, support the potential disease-modifying therapeutic potential of OCA in directly addressing the underlying disease pathology in NASH. |
| Ease of Use. We anticipate seeking approval of OCA for the treatment of NASH at a single daily dose. |
We previously completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial of OCA in 64 type 2 diabetic patients with NAFLD. In this trial, OCA therapy significantly improved insulin sensitivity both in the liver and peripheral tissues, thereby meeting the primary endpoint in the trial with a mean improvement in liver insulin sensitization from baseline of approximately 24.5% in the combined OCA dose groups, as compared to a worsening of approximately 5.5% in the placebo group (p = 0.011). Insulin resistance, particularly in the liver, is considered to be an important contributor to NASH disease pathology. In this trial, significant improvements in weight loss were also noted in patients receiving OCA therapy, along with improvements in liver enzymes such as GGT and AST.
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OCA was generally well-tolerated by the trial patients, with side effects in the treatment groups not meaningfully different than those reported on placebo (apart from mild constipation in the 50 mg group). Consistent with anticipated FXR-related lipid metabolic effects starting with the clearance of excess lipid load from the liver, there were changes in mean serum lipid profiles observed in the OCA treatment groups compared with the placebo group that included decreased concentrations of triglycerides, increased concentrations of LDL-C and slightly decreased concentrations of HDL-C from baseline. In our publication of the results, we observed that once-daily treatment for six weeks at the 25 mg OCA dose, which we subsequently selected to advance in our NASH development program, led to an approximately 12% decrease in mean triglycerides to 170 mg/dL from a baseline mean level of 193 mg/dL, an approximately 22% increase in mean LDL cholesterol to 120 mg/dL from a baseline mean level of 98 mg/dL, and an approximately 5% decrease in mean HDL cholesterol to 35 mg/dL from a baseline mean level of 37 mg/dL.
OCA achieved the primary endpoint in the Phase 2b trial for the treatment of NASH, known as the FLINT trial, which was sponsored by the NIDDK, a part of the National Institutes of Health. A significantly greater number of OCA-treated patients also achieved an improvement of at least one fibrosis stage (35% vs 19%, p = 0.004), with OCA showing greater response rates as compared to placebo across all stages of fibrosis. The results from the FLINT trial were published in the Lancet in November 2014. This trial was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a once-daily dose of 25 mg of OCA or placebo given for 72 weeks in 283 patients with biopsy-proven NASH.
The percentage of patients meeting the FLINT primary histological endpoint, defined as a decrease in the NAFLD Activity Score, or NAS, of at least two points with no increase in the fibrosis score following 72 weeks of treatment, was 45% in the OCA treatment group and 21% in the placebo group (p = 0.0002, n = 219). The mean pre-treatment baseline NAS for patients in the OCA treatment group was 5.3 of a total possible score of eight (comprised of hepatocellular ballooning 0 2, lobular inflammation 0 3 and steatosis 0 3). Subgroup analyses showed significant response rates in the OCA treatment group in patients with risk factors for disease progression, including baseline fibrosis stage, co-morbid type 2 diabetes mellitus, ALT, insulin resistance and severe obesity (each factor p < 0.05 for OCA compared to placebo based on 95% confidence interval of published odds ratios). The graph below shows the results of the primary endpoint in the FLINT trial and the improvements in NAS for various subgroups published in the Lancet.
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* | p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001. P-values calculated with the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test, stratified by clinic and diabetes status. |
A significantly greater number of OCA-treated patients also achieved an improvement of at least one fibrosis stage (35% versus 19%, p = 0.004). Based on our retrospective analyses of the FLINT data, more OCA-treated patients exhibited fibrosis improvement of at least two fibrosis stages (15% versus 6%, not significant) and exhibited fibrosis improvements regardless of baseline fibrosis stage and a significantly greater number of OCA-treated patients also achieved complete resolution of fibrosis (17% versus 5%, p = 0.0018). Also, our retrospective analysis of the FLINT data showed that fewer OCA-treated patients progressed to bridging fibrosis (15% versus 18%, not significant) or to cirrhosis (2% versus 5%, not significant). The NASH clinical research network fibrosis staging system was used to categorize the pattern of fibrosis and architectural remodeling of the liver: no fibrosis (F0), perisinusoidal or periportal fibrosis (F1), perisinusoidal and periportal fibrosis (F2), bridging fibrosis (F3) and cirrhosis (F4). Fibrosis sub-stages 1a, 1b and 1c were considered F1 for the analysis.
The secondary endpoint of NASH resolution, based on a global histological assessment, also showed improvement, although not statistically significant (22% versus 13%, p = 0.0832, not significant). A central reading of all baseline and end-of-trial biopsies was performed at the end of the trial, based on which only 80% of patients were confirmed to have definite NASH, while the remaining 20% were diagnosed as borderline NASH (10%) or not-NASH (10%). A retrospective subgroup analysis on the completer population comprised only of definite NASH patients at baseline showed that a significantly greater number of OCA-treated patients achieved NASH resolution compared with placebo-treated patients (19% versus 8%; p = 0.0278).
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The graph below shows these results from the FLINT trial for fibrosis improvement, fibrosis resolution, fibrosis progression and NASH resolution.
* | p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. P-values calculated with the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test, stratified by clinic and diabetes status. NS indicates that the results are not significant. |
Retrospective analyses after the unblinding of results can potentially introduce bias and regulatory authorities typically give greatest weight to results from pre-specified analyses as compared to retrospective analyses.
More OCA-treated patients experienced significant improvements in the major histological features of NASH, including steatosis (61% versus 38%, p = 0.001), lobular inflammation (53% versus 35%, p = 0.006) and hepatocellular ballooning (46% versus 31%, p = 0.03), as compared to the placebo treatment group. Trends were similar between the two treatment groups for portal inflammation, which is not a component of the NAS and is typically mild in adult NASH patients.
The histological improvements observed in OCA-treated patients versus placebo were accompanied by significant reductions in relevant biochemical parameters, including the serum liver enzymes ALT (p < 0.0001), AST (p = 0.0001) and GGT (p < 0.0001), each of which were above generally accepted normal limits at baseline, and total bilirubin (p = 0.002). A modest but statistically significant increase in ALP (p < 0.0001) in the OCA treatment group was also observed, but levels remained within typical normal limits.
OCA treatment was associated with serum lipid changes, including average increases in total cholesterol and LDL-C and an average decrease in HDL-C, that developed within 12 weeks of treatment initiation, then began reversing through the end of treatment and returned to baseline during the 24-week post-treatment follow-up phase. Based on these observations, lipid management was emphasized partway into the trial, using generally accepted guidelines. At 72 weeks as compared to baseline, the following effects were observed in the OCA treatment group: an increase in mean total cholesterol (0.16 mmol/L or 6 mg/dL increase OCA versus 0.19 mmol/L or 7mg/dL decrease placebo, p < 0.0009), an increase in mean LDL-C (0.22 mmol/L or 9 mg/dL increase OCA versus 0.22 mmol/L or 8 mg/dL decrease placebo, p < 0.0001), a decrease in mean
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HDL-C (0.02 mmol/L or 1 mg/dL decrease OCA versus 0.03 mmol/L or 1 mg/dL increase placebo, p = 0.01) and a decrease in triglycerides (0.22 mmol/L or 20 mg/dL decrease OCA versus 0.08 mmol/L or 7 mg/dL decrease placebo, p = 0.88, not significant).
A post-hoc analysis showed OCA-treated patients who initiated statins during the FLINT trial (n=26) experienced a rapid reversal of their observed mean LDL-C increase to below baseline levels, with a mean decrease after 72 weeks of treatment of -18.9 mg/dL. In contrast, other OCA-treated patients with no reported initiation or change in statin therapy experienced an increase in LDL-C that peaked at week 12 and was sustained over the 72 week treatment period. Patients treated with statins at baseline who maintained statin treatment over the duration of the study (n=50) experienced a mean LDL-C increase of 8.7 mg/dL at 72 weeks. Patients not treated with statins during the study (n=65) experienced a mean LDL-C increase of 16.0 mg/dL. Treatment related LDL-C increases in all groups reversed with treatment discontinuation. This analysis suggests that the OCA-associated LDL-C increase reaches a maximum peak and plateaus soon after initiation of therapy and that concomitant statin use in NASH patients receiving OCA may mitigate treatment-related LDL-C increases.
In the FLINT trial, statistically significant weight loss of an average of 2.3 kilograms was observed in OCA patients compared to no weight loss in the placebo group (p = 0.008), and this weight loss reverted towards baseline during the 24-week follow-up phase. A pre-specified sensitivity analysis conducted by the investigators showed that weight loss was not a driver of the primary endpoint. An increase in a marker of hepatic insulin resistance known as HOMA-IR (calculated using the product of fasting plasma insulin and glucose) was observed at 72 weeks in the OCA treatment group (p = 0.01). However, there was an imbalance in baseline plasma insulin levels (201 pmol/L OCA versus 138 pmol/L placebo), and an even larger relative and absolute increase in HOMA-IR was observed in the placebo group at the conclusion of the 24-week follow-up phase. This is potentially attributable to the inherent variability in HOMA-IR measurements, particularly in patients with type 2 diabetes, that have been shown to make single time-point to time-point changes of this magnitude clinically uninterpretable. There were virtually no changes in mean hemoglobin A1c, a measure of average blood sugar control over a period of approximately three months, in either OCA or placebo groups at 72 weeks. In a previous study of OCA in diabetic NAFLD patients, described in more detail above, employing the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic insulin clamp, the gold standard for detecting changes in insulin resistance, OCA improved the glucose disposal rate consistent with reduced insulin resistance.
OCA was generally well tolerated in the FLINT trial. Adverse events were generally mild to moderate in severity and the incidence in the OCA and placebo treatment groups was similar for all symptoms except pruritus. Pruritus in the OCA treatment group occurred more frequently (23% versus 6%, p < 0.0001), at a higher grade (predominantly moderate pruritus) but resulted in only one patient discontinuation. The incidence of severe or life threatening events was not different between the two treatment groups and most of the events in both groups were deemed to be unrelated to treatment, including all severe or life threatening cardiovascular events. As previously disclosed, two deaths occurred in the OCA treatment group, but neither was considered related to OCA treatment.
In October 2015, we announced the results of a 72-week Phase 2 dose ranging trial of OCA in 200 adult patients with NASH in Japan. The trial was conducted by our collaborator, Sumitomo Dainippon. In this trial, 202 Japanese biopsy-proven NASH patients (NAFLD Activity Score, or NAS, of 5-8) were randomized into one of four arms to receive either a 10mg, 20mg or 40mg dose of OCA, or placebo, and 200 of these patients 50 per group initiated treatment for a 72-week double-blind treatment phase, followed by a 24-week off treatment phase. The primary endpoint was histologic improvement defined as at least a two point improvement in NAS with no worsening of fibrosis.
The primary efficacy analysis was conducted on an intention to treat, or ITT, basis, testing the dose dependent effects of once daily OCA (10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg) versus placebo on the primary endpoint. The ITT analysis included all randomized patients who received treatment (50 per group), and patients who discontinued or did not have a repeat biopsy were treated as non-responders. A pre-specified completer
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analysis was conducted on the patients who had biopsies at both baseline and 72 weeks (45, 44, 44 and 37 patients in the placebo, 10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg OCA groups, respectively).
This trial did not meet its primary endpoint with statistical significance. The ITT results in the table below show a dose dependent increase in the percentage of OCA treated patients compared to placebo who achieved the primary endpoint (p=0.053, not significant). The 40 mg OCA dose group achieved statistical significance on the primary endpoint compared to placebo (p=0.0496). Dose-dependent trends not reaching statistical significance were also observed for several other pre-specified histologic endpoints, including the percentage of patients with steatosis and inflammation improvement, ballooning resolution and NASH resolution. No difference was seen in fibrosis improvement in the OCA groups compared to placebo.
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ITT Results | Placebo N=50 |
10 mg N=50 |
20 mg N=50 |
40 mg N=50 |
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NAS improvement ≥ 2 points with no worsening of fibrosis | 10 (20)% | 11 (22)% p=0.8070** |
14 (28)% p=0.3378** |
19 (38)% p=0.0496** |
p=0.053* |
* | Primary efficacy analysis is a stratified Cochran-Armitage test with multiple contrast coefficients. Statistical significance is based on a p-value < 0.05. |
** | The secondary efficacy analysis is a CMH (Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel) test stratified by baseline fibrosis stage for Pairwise comparison of each OCA group compared to the placebo group. The multiplicity was not adjusted. |
In the completer analysis, similar dose dependent effects were observed, with 51% of patients in the 40 mg dose group compared to 22% in the placebo group meeting the primary endpoint (p=0.0061).
With the exception of dose dependent pruritus, OCA appeared to be generally safe and well tolerated. The number of pruritus associated discontinuations were 0, 0, 2 and 5 patients in the placebo, 10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg OCA groups, respectively. Changes in lipid parameters, including LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides, appeared to be consistent with previously reported lipid changes in Western NASH patients. No other meaningful differences in the rate of adverse events between the OCA and placebo groups were noted.
We have been informed by Sumitomo Dainippon that it is exploring the initiation of its registrational trials for OCA in NASH patients intended to support the registration of this indication in Japan.
In September 2015, we initiated the previously announced international Phase 3 trial of OCA in patients with non-cirrhotic NASH with advanced liver fibrosis, known as the REGENERATE trial, which is currently enrolling patients. The REGENERATE trial was designed following discussions with the FDA and EMA. The study population is expected to primarily be comprised of Western NASH patients with histologic evidence of stage 2 or stage 3 liver fibrosis. In addition, the trial will include an exploratory cohort of NASH patients with histologic evidence of early stage 1 liver fibrosis and concomitant diabetes, obesity or elevated ALT, who are at increased risk of progression to cirrhosis. These patients with early stage 1 liver fibrosis will not be included in the primary endpoint analysis.
REGENERATE is designed as a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial and is expected to enroll approximately 2,000 NASH patients at up to 350 qualified centers worldwide and assess the potential benefits of OCA treatment on liver-related and other clinical outcomes. Patients are being randomized into one of three groups receiving a once-daily dose of placebo, 10 mg OCA or 25 mg OCA. The trial will include a pre-planned interim histology analysis after 72 weeks of treatment in patients with stage 2 or 3 liver fibrosis. If successful, the interim analysis for REGENERATE is intended to serve as the basis for seeking initial U.S. and international marketing approvals of OCA for the treatment of NASH patients with liver fibrosis. The REGENERATE trial will remain blinded after the interim analysis and continue to follow patients until the occurrence of a pre-specified number of adverse liver-related clinical events, including progression to cirrhosis, to confirm clinical benefit on a post-marketing basis.
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In February 2017, we announced modifications to the REGENERATE trial primary endpoint. Based on discussions with the FDA, the primary endpoint for the interim analysis for REGENERATE may be achieved based on one of: (i) the proportion of OCA-treated patients relative to placebo achieving at least one stage of liver fibrosis improvement with no worsening of NASH (defined as no increase in hepatocellular ballooning or lobular inflammation) or (ii) the proportion of OCA-treated patients relative to placebo achieving NASH resolution with no worsening of liver fibrosis. Prior to this modification of the interim analysis, each of the two endpoints was required to be achieved as a co-primary endpoint. Furthermore, we selected a definition for NASH resolution for the trial, which defines a responder as a patient achieving a histologic score of 0 for ballooning and 0 or 1 for inflammation.
In a retrospective analysis of data from the Phase 2 FLINT trial conducted in a REGENERATE-matched patient cohort, approximately 43% of OCA-treated patients as compared to approximately 21% of patients on placebo achieved at least a one stage improvement in liver fibrosis without any worsening of NASH (p=0.0059). In a similar retrospective analysis on the FLINT data using the definition we selected for NASH resolution, approximately 20% of OCA-treated patients as compared to approximately 6% of patients on placebo achieved NASH resolution with no worsening of fibrosis (p=0.0289).
As a result of these changes, we anticipate that the interim analysis cohort for REGENERATE will consist of approximately 750 NASH patients with stage 2 or 3 fibrosis. We also anticipate completing the enrollment of the interim analysis cohort by mid-2017, with data from the interim analysis anticipated in 2019.
In December 2015, we initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial, known as the CONTROL trial, to characterize the lipid metabolic effects of OCA and cholesterol management effects of concomitant statin administration in NASH patients. CONTROL enrolled 80 NASH patients who are naïve to statin therapy or have undergone a statin washout, and will include a 16-week double-blind phase followed by an optional two year long term safety extension phase. We expect to report data from CONTROL in 2017.
We intend to initiate a Phase 3 program in NASH patients with cirrhosis in 2017. The objectives of this trial are to understand the safety and tolerability of OCA in NASH patients with cirrhosis, and assess the ability of OCA to reverse fibrosis in this patient population.
In January 2015, OCA received breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA for the treatment of NASH patients with liver fibrosis. The breakthrough therapy designation was created by the FDA to speed the availability of new therapies for serious or life-threatening conditions. Drugs qualifying for this designation must show credible evidence of a substantial improvement on a clinically significant endpoint over available therapies, or over placebo if there is no available therapy. The breakthrough therapy designation constitutes one of four expedited programs for serious conditions including accelerated approval, priority review and fast-track designation, all of which can also be granted to the same drug if relevant criteria are met. The breakthrough therapy designation confers several benefits, including intensive FDA guidance and discussion and eligibility for submission of a rolling NDA.
We intend to seek initial U.S. and international marketing approvals of OCA for the treatment of NASH patients with liver fibrosis based on the interim results for our Phase 3 REGENERATE trial.
PSC is a rare, serious life-threatening, chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by progressive destruction of bile ducts with eventual onset of cirrhosis and its complications.
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PSC is usually diagnosed by preliminary assessment of liver biochemistry, with or without reported symptoms, and confirmed by cholangiography, typically magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP. ALP is elevated in most PSC patients, consistent with cholestasis, and ALT and GGT are also typically elevated, but not in all cases. Bilirubin is often normal in early-stage PSC but increases with progression of the disease. The mean age at diagnosis is 40 years. Approximately 75% of PSC patients have overlapping inflammatory bowel disease, principally ulcerative colitis.
Median survival for PSC patients has been previously estimated as 8 to 12 years from diagnosis in symptomatic patients, depending upon stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Complications involving the biliary tree are common and include cholangitis as well as ductal strictures and gallstones, both of which may require frequent endoscopic or surgical interventions. PSC is often complicated by the development of malignancies, with cholangiocarcinoma being the most common.
Despite evaluation of multiple treatments, liver transplant is currently the only treatment shown to improve clinical outcomes. Ursodiol is often used for the treatment of PSC due to improvements in liver biochemistry following initiation of therapy. Despite general biochemical improvement, ursodiol has not been shown to improve transplant-free survival and, at high doses, has been associated with increased risk for serious complications. However, as there are no approved drugs for the treatment of PSC, some physicians treat patients with ursodiol, typically at a dose of 13 to 15 mg/kg/day. PSC is the fourth leading indication for liver transplant. However, the post-transplant recurrence rate of PSC has been shown to be as high as 20%.
In September 2016, we completed enrollment in an international Phase 2 clinical trial, referred to as the AESOP trial, to evaluate the effects of 24 weeks of treatment with varying doses of OCA compared to placebo in patients with PSC. The primary endpoint is the reduction of serum ALP levels, as compared to placebo. In addition, OCAs effect on other secondary liver function endpoints, as well as symptoms of ulcerative colitis (a disease occurring in a majority of patients with PSC), will be assessed. Following the completion of the 24-week double-blind portion of the trial, patients will be given the option to enroll in an open-label long-term safety and efficacy extension trial.
Biliary atresia is a life-threatening condition in infants in which the bile ducts inside or outside the liver do not have normal openings. With biliary atresia, bile becomes trapped, builds up, and damages the liver. The damage leads to scarring, loss of liver tissue, and cirrhosis. The two types of biliary atresia are fetal and perinatal. Fetal biliary atresia appears while the baby is in the womb. Perinatal biliary atresia is much more common and does not become evident until two to four weeks after birth. Some infants, particularly those with the fetal form, also have birth defects in the heart, spleen, or intestines. Biliary atresia is rare and only affects about one out of every 18,000 infants. The disease is more common in females, premature babies, and children of Asian or African American heritage. Biliary atresia is not an inherited disease and is most likely caused by an event in the womb or around the time of birth. No single test can definitively diagnose biliary atresia, resulting in the need for a series of tests. All infants who still have jaundice two to three weeks after birth, or who have gray or white stools after two weeks of birth, should be checked for liver damage.
Once diagnosed, biliary atresia is treated with a liver transplant or, more frequently, a surgery called the Kasai procedure, in which the bile ducts are connected directly to the small intestine. After the Kasai procedure, some infants continue to have liver problems and, even with the return of bile flow, some infants develop cirrhosis. Possible complications after the Kasai procedure include ascites, bacterial cholangitis, portal hypertension, and pruritus. Even after a successful Kasai surgery, most infants with biliary atresia slowly develop cirrhosis over the years and require a liver transplant by adulthood.
In October 2015, we initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial of OCA, referred to as the CARE trial, in pediatric patients with biliary atresia. The CARE trial will evaluate the effects of 11 weeks of OCA treatment where patients with biliary atresia are randomized to varying doses of OCA or a control group receiving only their current treatment. The primary endpoint is to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and the safety and tolerability of
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OCA treatment. In addition, OCAs effect on hepatobiliary indices and biomarkers will be assessed. This trial is anticipated to enroll approximately 60 patients in the United States and Europe. All patients will be given the option to enroll in an open-label long-term safety and efficacy extension trial. In addition to studying the effects of OCA treatment in biliary atresia, this trial is a part of the approved Pediatric Investigation Plan, or PIP, in support of the Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, for OCA in PBC in the European Union.
In addition to OCA, we are developing other novel bile acid analog compounds targeting FXR and a second dedicated bile acid receptor called TGR5, which is a target of interest for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and other gastrointestinal indications. We intend to continue advancing these and other product candidates as we build our pipeline.
INT-767 is an orally administered dual FXR and TGR5 agonist that, like OCA, is derived from the primary human bile acid CDCA. This product candidate has been shown to be approximately three times more potent than OCA as an FXR agonist. In animal models of chronic liver, intestinal and kidney diseases, INT-767 has consistently demonstrated greater anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects than OCA.
We have received assignments of rights to the INT-767 patent portfolio from all inventors, with the exception of one inventor. That inventor is contractually obligated to provide an assignment to us. Thus, we believe that we are the owner of the INT-767 patent portfolio by virtue of this contractual obligation and the patent assignments we have received.
We have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial of INT-767 in healthy volunteers. The goal of the Phase 1 trial was to assess safety and pharmacokinetics in a single ascending dose escalation phase followed by a multiple ascending dose phase in healthy volunteers. Following analysis of the results, we plan to evaluate next steps for a Phase 2 trial of INT-767 in NASH patients with liver fibrosis in 2017.
INT-777 is an orally administered TGR5 agonist that is derived from the primary human bile acid cholic acid. We have completed the preclinical studies necessary for the filing of an IND. By virtue of the patent assignments we have received and other contractual obligations owed to us, we believe we are the exclusive owner of the INT-777 patent portfolio.
Our in vitro studies of INT-777 showed that the product candidate has the potential to selectively target TGR5, a receptor that has been shown to directly regulate the release of glucagon like peptide-1, or GLP-1, in the intestine with resulting insulin sensitizing effects. There are several important and effective marketed drugs that enhance the effects of GLP-1 through different mechanisms, but none are able to induce the endogenous production of this hormone, and we believe there is interest in the potential for a TGR5 agonist to provide additive benefits. TGR5 has also been shown in animal models to regulate other metabolic pathways in brown fat and skeletal muscle that drive energy expenditure. The receptor may also play a role in the control of inflammation, which is increased in insulin resistant diabetic conditions.
In animal models of diabetes, treatment with INT-777 induced GLP-1 secretion, with resulting insulin sensitivity and normalization of glycemic control, increased basal energy expenditure and prevention of weight gain, and a reduction in blood lipid levels together with liver steatosis and fibrosis. We believe that these preclinical results could support further development of INT-777 and our other TGR5 agonists in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, associated metabolic disorders and other gastrointestinal indications. We intend to continue development of INT-777 through potential collaborations with third parties, over the next several years.
On March 29, 2011, we entered into a license agreement with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd., under which we granted Sumitomo Dainippon an exclusive license to research, develop and commercialize OCA as a therapeutic for the treatment of PBC and NASH in Japan and China (excluding Taiwan). Under the
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terms of the agreement, Sumitomo Dainippon is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize OCA in its licensed territories for the treatment of PBC and NASH, and we are obligated under the agreement to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop OCA outside of Sumitomo Dainippons licensed territories. We are also responsible for supplying Sumitomo Dainippon with clinical and commercial supply of OCA requested by Sumitomo Dainippon pursuant to clinical and commercial supply agreements that include terms specified in the agreement. Sumitomo Dainippon has agreed during the term of the agreement to not commercialize any compound that is an FXR agonist for use in the treatment of PBC or NASH other than pursuant to the agreement.
We granted Sumitomo Dainippon an option under the agreement to obtain an exclusive license to commercialize OCA for indications other than PBC and NASH on the same terms as are set forth in the agreement. Sumitomo Dainippon may exercise this option with respect to any indication at any time during the two-year period commencing on the date we notify Sumitomo Dainippon of the commencement of a Phase 3 clinical trial involving OCA for such indication, subject to Sumitomo Dainippons payment of an option fee for each additional indication. No option fee is required to be paid by Sumitomo Dainippon if it exercises its option for any additional indication only in China.
In addition to Japan and China, which are the original licensed territories, we also granted Sumitomo Dainippon an option under the agreement to add Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and/or Indonesia to its exclusive license on the same terms as are set forth in the agreement. Sumitomo Dainippon may exercise this option with respect to any such country at any time up until the date on which regulatory approval to commercialize OCA is granted in Japan, subject to Sumitomo Dainippons payment of an option fee for each country. If we accept or make a bona fide offer of exclusive rights to a third party to develop and commercialize OCA in any of these countries, we must first notify Sumitomo Dainippon and Sumitomo Dainippon has the right to exercise its option with respect to any such country. In addition, prior to accepting or making a bona fide offer of any exclusive development and commercialization rights involving OCA in the United States and Canada to a third party, we must first engage in good faith negotiations with Sumitomo Dainippon with respect to the grant to Sumitomo Dainippon of exclusive rights to develop and commercialize OCA in such countries. In May 2014, Sumitomo Dainippon exercised its option to add Korea to its licensed territories.
Sumitomo Dainippon made up-front payments to us in the amount of $16.0 million, including $1.0 million upon the exercise of its option to add Korea to its licensed territories. In addition, Sumitomo Dainippon may be required to pay us up to an aggregate of approximately $30.0 million for the achievement of development milestones, $70.0 million for the achievement of regulatory approval milestones and $200.0 million for the achievement of sales milestones based on aggregate sales amounts. As of December 31, 2016, we had achieved $6.0 million of the development and regulatory milestones under our collaboration agreement with Sumitomo Dainippon. Sumitomo Dainippon is also obligated to pay us tiered royalties ranging from the tens to the twenties in percent based on net sales of OCA products in Japan and the other Asian countries covered by this agreement. The term of the agreement, and Sumitomo Dainippons obligation to pay royalties to us for each OCA product, expires on a country-by-country basis on the later of the expiration of the exclusivity period in such country, whether through the expiration of applicable patents or the introduction of generic drugs that compete with the OCA product, or ten years after the first commercial sale of such OCA product for the first or second indication in that country. Royalty rates are subject to reduction under the agreement in specified circumstances, including, with respect to any country in the exclusive territory, if sales of generic products reach a certain threshold market share in that country over a specified period.
Sumitomo Dainippon may terminate the agreement in its entirety or on a country-by-country or indication-by-indication basis upon 90 days written notice. Either we or Sumitomo Dainippon may terminate the agreement in the event of the uncured material breach by or bankruptcy of the other party, subject to certain dispute resolution procedures. If Sumitomo Dainippon were to terminate the agreement for our material breach, it would have a perpetual license following the effective date of termination, subject to the payment by Sumitomo Dainippon of a royalty based on net sales of OCA products, the amount of which will depend on whether the effective date of termination occurs prior to or after the date of first commercial sale of
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an OCA product. If we were to terminate the agreement for Sumitomo Dainippons material breach or if Sumitomo Dainippon were to voluntarily terminate the agreement, Sumitomo Dainippons license under the agreement would terminate.
The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by intense competition and rapid innovation. Although we believe that we hold a leading position in bile acid chemistry, our competitors may be able to develop other compounds or drugs that are able to achieve similar or better results. Our potential competitors include major multinational pharmaceutical companies, established biotechnology companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and universities and other research institutions. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large, established companies. We believe the key competitive factors that will affect the development and commercial success of our product candidates are efficacy, safety and tolerability profile, reliability, convenience of dosing, price, the level of generic competition and reimbursement.
OCA is an FXR agonist. We are aware of other companies, including Novartis International AG, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Allergan Plc, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., ENYO Pharma SAS and Metacrine, Inc., that have FXR agonists in Phase 2 or earlier stages of clinical or preclinical development that could be used to treat PBC, NASH and the other liver diseases we are targeting.
OCA is marketed in the United States and Europe under the brand name Ocaliva as a second line treatment for PBC where ursodiol is the only therapy that is approved for treatment and is generically available at a significantly lower cost than branded products. While fibrates are not approved for use in PBC, off-label use of fibrate drugs has been reported, though many fibrates are specifically contraindicated for use in PBC due to potential concerns over acute and long-term safety in this patient population. Ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of PBC include an investigator-sponsored trial of bezafibrate, a fibrate that has not been approved for commercialization by the FDA and is only available outside of the United States, and a combination of ursodiol and budesonide, a steroid, sponsored by Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH. We are aware of several other companies that have FXR agonists in Phase 2 or earlier clinical or preclinical development for the treatment of PBC, including, FXR agonists from Novartis International AG (LJN452), Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GS-9674) and Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (EDP-305). Additional product candidates in Phase 2 or earlier clinical or preclinical development for the treatment of PBC include Genfit SAs dual PPAR alpha/delta agonist (elafibranor), Cymabay Therapeutics, Inc.s PPAR delta agonist (MBX-8025), Bristol-Myers Squibbs marketed anti-CTL4 fusion protein (abatacept), and FF Pharmaceuticals anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody (FFP104). Additionally, several companies have product candidates aimed at the cholestatic-induced pruritus associated with PBC, including apical sodium dependent bile acid transport inhibitors being developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK2330672).
There are currently no therapeutic products approved for the treatment of NASH, NAFLD, portal hypertension, complications of cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis. There are several marketed therapeutics that are currently used off-label for the treatment of NASH, such as vitamin E (an antioxidant), insulin sensitizers (e.g., metformin), antihyperlipidemic agents (e.g., gemfibrozil), pentoxifylline and ursodiol, but none has been clearly shown in clinical trials to show a significant reversal in liver fibrosis. Ongoing and announced Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of NASH include Genfit SAs PPAR alpha/delta agonist (elafibranor), Gilead Sciences, Inc.s ASK-1 inhibitor (GS-4997) and Allergans dual CCR2 and CCR5 inhibitor (cenicriviroc). We are aware of several other companies that have FXR agonists in Phase 2 or earlier clinical or preclinical development for the treatment of NASH, including, FXR agonists from Novartis International AG (LJN452), Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GS-9674) and Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (EDP-305). Additional product candidates in Phase 2 or earlier clinical or preclinical development for the treatment of PBC include Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Novo Nordisk A/S, Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cempra Pharmaceuticals, Cymabay Therapeutics, Inc., Islet Sciences, Inc., Galectin Therapeutics Inc., Zydus Pharmaceuticals Inc., NGM Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Galmed Medical Research Ltd., MediciNova, Inc., Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., FibroGen, Inc., Viking Therapeutics, Inc., AstraZeneca plc, Durect Corporation, Immuron Ltd., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, MiNA Therapeutics, NuSirt Biopharma, Inc., Protalix Biotherapeutics, and Medivation, Inc. While there is no approved treatment for PSC, ursodiol is often prescribed off-label for PSC patients. We are aware of several companies that have product candidates in Phase 2 clinical or earlier stage preclinical
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development for the treatment of PSC, including Allergan Plc, Biotie Therapies Corp. (acquired by Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.), Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH, Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Shire plc.
We believe that OCA offers key potential advantages over ursodiol and other products in development that could enable OCA, if approved for these indications, to capture meaningful market share. However, many of our potential competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we do, as well as greater experience in the discovery and development of product candidates, obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals of products and the commercialization of those products. Accordingly, our competitors may be more successful than us in obtaining approval from the FDA or from other regulators for drugs and achieving widespread market acceptance. Our competitors drugs may be more effective, or more effectively marketed and sold, than any product candidate we may commercialize and may render our product candidates obsolete or non-competitive before we can recover the expenses of their development and commercialization. We anticipate that we will face intense and increasing competition as new drugs enter the market and other advanced technologies become available. Finally, the development of new treatment methods for the diseases we are targeting could render our product candidates non-competitive or obsolete. NASH is a complex disease and it is unlikely that any one therapeutic option will be optimal for every NASH patient. In addition, our ability to compete may be affected because in many cases insurers or other third-party payors seek to encourage the use of generic products.
The proprietary nature of, and protection for, our product candidates and our discovery programs, processes and know-how are important to our business. We have sought patent protection in the United States and internationally for OCA, INT-767 and INT-777, and our discovery programs, and other inventions to which we have rights, where available and when appropriate. Our policy is to pursue, maintain and defend patent rights, whether developed internally or licensed from third parties, and to protect the technology, inventions and improvements that are commercially important to the development of our business. We also rely on trade secrets that may be important to the development of our business.
Our commercial success will depend in part on obtaining and maintaining patent protection and trade secret protection of our current and future product candidates and the methods used to develop and manufacture them, as well as successfully defending these patents against third-party challenges. Our ability to stop third parties from making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing our products depends on the extent to which we have rights under valid and enforceable patents or trade secrets that cover these activities. We cannot be sure that patents will be granted with respect to any of our pending patent applications or with respect to any patent applications filed by us in the future, nor can we be sure that any of our existing patents or any patents that may be granted to us in the future will be commercially useful in protecting our product candidates, discovery programs and processes. For this and more comprehensive risks related to our intellectual property, please see Item 1A. Risk Factors Risks Relating to Our Intellectual Property.
The patent portfolio for OCA contains patents and patent applications directed to compositions of matter, manufacturing methods, and methods of use. As of December 31, 2016, we owned eight U.S. patents, nine pending U.S. patent applications, and corresponding foreign patents and patent applications. Foreign patents have been granted in 30 European countries as well as Australia, Canada, China, India, Israel, Japan, and Macao. We expect the composition of matter patents, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire in 2022 (worldwide) at the soonest and 2033 at the latest. In conjunction with the accelerated approval of Ocaliva in the United States, we have applied to extend the 2022 expiration date of the composition of matter patent in the United States by five additional years under the provisions of the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, or the Hatch-Waxman Act. We have also made a similar application in Europe in conjunction with the conditional approval of Ocaliva for a supplementary protection certificate to extend the composition of matter patent in Europe by five additional years. Patent term extension may be available in certain foreign countries upon regulatory approval. We expect the other patents in the portfolio, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity, or other governmental fees are paid, to expire from 2022 to 2033.
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The patent portfolio for INT-767 contains patents and patent applications directed to compositions of matter and methods of use. As of December 31, 2016, we owned three U.S. patents, three pending U.S. patent applications, and corresponding foreign patents and patent applications. Foreign patents have been granted in Australia, Canada, China, 32 European countries as well as Hong Kong, India, Israel and Japan. We expect the issued composition of matter patent in the United States, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire in 2029. It is possible that the term of the composition of matter patent in the United States may be extended up to five additional years under the provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Act. We expect the foreign composition of matter patents, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire in 2027. Patent term extension may be available in certain foreign countries upon regulatory approval. We expect the other patents in the portfolio, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire from 2027 to 2029. We have received assignments of rights to the INT-767 patent portfolio from all inventors, with the exception of one inventor. That inventor is contractually obligated to provide an assignment to us. Thus, we believe that we are the owner of the INT-767 patent portfolio by virtue of this contractual obligation and the patent assignments we have received.
The patent portfolio for INT-777 contains patents and patent applications directed to compositions of matter and methods of use. As of December 31, 2016, we owned four U.S. patents, two pending U.S. patent applications, and corresponding foreign patents and patent applications. Foreign patents have been granted in Australia, China, 9 Eurasian countries, 30 European countries, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Macao, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, and South Africa. We expect the composition of matter patent in the United States, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire in 2030. It is possible that the term of the composition of matter patent in the United States may be extended up to five additional years under the provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Act. We expect the foreign composition of matter patents, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire beginning in 2028. Patent term extension may be available in certain foreign countries upon regulatory approval. We expect the other patents in the portfolio, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire from 2028 to 2030.
In addition to patents, we rely on trade secrets and know-how to develop and maintain our competitive position. Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our proprietary processes, in part, by confidentiality agreements and invention assignment agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, contractors and commercial partners. These agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information. We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data, trade secrets and know-how by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems.
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of Ocaliva or any of our product candidates, nor do we have plans to develop our own manufacturing operations in the foreseeable future. We currently rely on third-party contract manufacturers for all of our required raw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, and finished product for commercial sales and for our clinical trials and preclinical studies.
We currently have a commercial manufacturing and supply agreement with PharmaZell GMBH for the API used in Ocaliva and are currently seeking to qualify one or more back-up API manufacturers. We do not have any current contractual relationships for the manufacture of commercial supplies of any of our products or product candidates other than OCA. We currently obtain these supplies and services from our third-party contract manufacturers on a purchase order basis. We intend to enter into agreements with a third-party contract manufacturer and one or more back-up manufacturers for the commercial production of those product candidates.
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Contract manufacturers are subject to extensive governmental regulation and we depend on them to manufacture Ocaliva and our product candidates in accordance with applicable current good manufacturing practice regulations or cGMPs. Development and commercial quantities of any products that we develop will need to be manufactured in facilities, and by processes, that comply with the requirements of the FDA, EMA and the regulatory agencies of other jurisdictions in which we are seeking approval. We currently employ internal resources to manage our manufacturing contractors.
Government authorities in the United States, at the federal, state and local level, and analogous authorities in other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, labeling, packaging, promotion, storage, advertising, distribution, marketing and export and import of products such as Ocaliva and those we are developing. Our product candidates must be approved by the FDA through the NDA process before they may be legally marketed in the United States and by the European Commission following a favorable assessment provided by the EMA through the MAA process for a product falling within the scope of the Centralized procedure or a national MAA process (albeit through the process of Mutual Recognition or Decentralized procedure) before they may be legally marketed in the European Union. Our product candidates will be subject to similar requirements in other countries prior to marketing in those countries. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with applicable federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or the FDCA, and implementing regulations. An applicant seeking approval to market and distribute a new drug product in the United States must typically undertake the following:
| completion of preclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies in compliance with the FDAs good laboratory practice, or GLP, regulations; |
| submission to the FDA of an IND, which must take effect before human clinical trials may begin; |
| approval by an independent institutional review board, or IRB, representing each clinical site before each clinical trial may be initiated; |
| performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with good clinical practices, or GCP, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug product for each indication; |
| preparation and submission to the FDA of an NDA; |
| review of the product by an FDA advisory committee, where appropriate or if applicable; |
| satisfactory completion of one or more FDA inspections of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the product, or components thereof, are produced to assess compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, requirements and to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the products identity, strength, quality and purity; |
| satisfactory completion of FDA audits of clinical trial sites to assure compliance with GCP and the integrity of the clinical data; |
| payment of user fees and securing FDA approval of the NDA; and |
| compliance with any post-approval requirements, including Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies, or REMS, and post-approval outcomes studies required by the FDA. |
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Once a pharmaceutical candidate is identified for development, it enters the preclinical or nonclinical testing stage. Nonclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies. An IND sponsor must submit the results of the nonclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, to the FDA as part of the IND. Some nonclinical testing may continue even after the IND is submitted. In addition to including the results of the nonclinical studies, the IND will also include a protocol detailing parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated if the first phase lends itself to an efficacy determination. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day time period, places the IND on clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before clinical trials can begin. A clinical hold may occur at any time during the life of an IND, and may affect one or more specific studies or all studies conducted under the IND.
All clinical trials must be conducted under the supervision of one or more qualified investigators in accordance with GCPs. They must be conducted under protocols detailing the objectives of the trial, dosing procedures, research subject selection and exclusion criteria and the safety and effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. Each protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND, and progress reports detailing the status of the clinical trials must be submitted to the FDA annually. Sponsors also must timely report to FDA serious and unexpected adverse reactions, any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigation brochure, or any findings from other studies or animal or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk in humans exposed to the drug. An IRB at each institution participating in the clinical trial must review and approve the protocol before a clinical trial commences at that institution and must also approve the information regarding the trial and the consent form that must be provided to each research subject or the subjects legal representative, monitor the study until completed and otherwise comply with IRB regulations.
Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
| Phase 1. The drug is initially introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution and elimination. In the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, especially when the product may be inherently too toxic to ethically administer to healthy volunteers, the initial human testing is often conducted in patients. |
| Phase 2. Clinical trials are performed on a limited patient population intended to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage. |
| Phase 3. Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy and safety in an expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical study sites. These studies are intended to establish the overall risk-benefit ratio of the product and provide an adequate basis for product labeling. |
Human clinical trials are inherently uncertain and Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 testing may not be successfully completed. The FDA or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time for a variety of reasons, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRBs requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients. In some cases, clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the trial sponsor, or the clinical monitoring board or data safety monitoring board, or DSMB. This group provides authorization for whether or not a trial may move forward at designated check points. These decisions are based on the limited access to data from the ongoing trial.
Sponsors of clinical trials of certain FDA-regulated products, including prescription drugs, are required to register and disclose clinical trial information related to the product, patient population, phase of investigation, clinical trial sites and investigator, and other aspects of the clinical trial on a public website maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Sponsors are also obligated to disclose the results of these clinical trials after completion. Disclosure of the results of these clinical trials can be delayed until the product or new
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indication being studied has been approved. Competitors may use this publicly-available information to gain knowledge regarding the design and progress of our development programs.
During the development of a new drug, sponsors are given opportunities to meet with the FDA at certain points. These points may be prior to the submission of an IND, at the end of Phase 2 and before an NDA is submitted. Meetings at other times may be requested. These meetings can provide an opportunity for the sponsor to share information about the data gathered to date and for the FDA to provide advice on the next phase of development. Sponsors typically use the meeting at the end of Phase 2 to discuss their Phase 2 clinical results and present their plans for the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial that they believe will support the approval of the new drug. If a Phase 2 clinical trial is the subject of discussion at the end of Phase 2 meeting with the FDA, a sponsor may be able to request a special protocol assessment, or SPA, the purpose of which is to reach agreement with the FDA on the Phase 3 clinical trial protocol design and analysis that will form the primary basis of an efficacy claim.
According to published guidance on the SPA process, a sponsor which meets the prerequisites may make a specific request for an SPA and provide information regarding the design and size of the proposed clinical trial. The FDA is supposed to evaluate the protocol within 45 days of the request to assess whether the proposed trial is adequate, and that evaluation may result in discussions and a request for additional information. An SPA request must be made before the proposed trial begins, and all open issues must be resolved before the trial begins. If a written agreement is reached, it will be documented and made part of the record. The agreement will be binding on the FDA and may not be changed by the sponsor or the FDA after the trial begins except with the written agreement of the sponsor and the FDA or if the FDA determines that a substantial scientific issue essential to determining the safety or efficacy of the drug was identified after the testing began.
Concurrent with clinical trials, sponsors usually complete additional animal safety studies and also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the drug and finalize a process for manufacturing commercial quantities of the product in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the drug and the manufacturer must develop methods for testing the quality, purity and potency of the drug. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the drug candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its proposed shelf-life.
The results of product development, nonclinical studies and clinical trials, along with descriptions of the manufacturing process, analytical tests and other control mechanisms, proposed labeling and other relevant information are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA requesting approval to market the product. The submission of an NDA or a supplemental NDA is subject to the payment of user fees, but a waiver of such fees may be obtained under specified circumstances. Currently, the application fee is approximately $2.0 million for NDAs with clinical information and approximately $1.0 million for supplemental NDAs with clinical information. The manufacturer and/or sponsor under an approved NDA is also subject to annual product and establishment user fees, currently $97,750 per product and $512,200 per establishment. These fees are typically modified annually. The FDA reviews all NDAs submitted to ensure that they are sufficiently complete for substantive review before it accepts them for filing. It may request additional information rather than accept an NDA for filing. In this event, the NDA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing.
Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth review. NDAs receive either standard or priority review. A drug representing a significant improvement over available therapies in treatment, prevention or diagnosis of disease may receive priority review. The FDA may refuse to approve an NDA if the applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied or may require additional clinical or other data. Even if such data are submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. The FDA reviews an NDA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe and effective for its intended use and whether its manufacturing is cGMP-compliant. The FDA may refer the NDA to an advisory committee for review and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it
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generally follows such recommendations. Before approving an NDA, the FDA will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured and tested.
The FDA is authorized to designate certain products for expedited review if they are intended to address an unmet medical need in the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition. These programs are fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation and priority review designation.
Specifically, the FDA may designate a product for fast track review if it is intended, whether alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and it demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for such a disease or condition. For fast track products, sponsors may have greater interactions with the FDA and the FDA may initiate review of sections of a fast track products NDA before the application is complete.
A product may also be designated as a breakthrough therapy if it is intended, either alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The FDA may take certain actions with respect to breakthrough therapies, including holding meetings with the sponsor throughout the development process; providing timely advice to the product sponsor regarding development and approval; involving more senior staff in the review process; assigning a cross-disciplinary project lead for the review team; and taking other steps to design the clinical trials in an efficient manner. In January 2015, OCA received breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA for the treatment of NASH patients with liver fibrosis.
The FDA may also designate a product for priority review if it is a drug that treats a serious condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness. The FDA determines, on a case-by-case basis, whether the proposed drug represents a significant improvement when compared with other available therapies. A priority designation is intended to direct overall attention and resources to the evaluation of such applications, and to shorten the FDAs goal for taking action on a marketing application from ten months to six months.
In addition, the FDA may grant accelerated approval to a drug for a serious or life-threatening condition that provides meaningful therapeutic advantage to patients over existing treatments based upon a determination that the drug has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. The FDA may also grant accelerated approval for such a condition when the product has an effect on an intermediate clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality, or IMM, and that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. Drugs granted accelerated approval must meet the same statutory standards for safety and effectiveness as those granted traditional approval. In the case of unprecedented accelerated approval endpoints, this determination occurs during the review of the NDA. Unless otherwise informed by the FDA, an applicant must submit to the FDA for consideration during the preapproval review period copies of all promotional materials, including promotional labeling as well as advertisements, intended for dissemination or publication within 120 days following marketing approval. After 120 days following marketing approval, unless otherwise informed by the FDA, the applicant must submit promotional materials at least 30 days prior to the intended time of initial dissemination of the labeling or initial publication of the advertisement.
As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a drug receiving accelerated approval perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical trials. Approval of a drug may be withdrawn if trials fail to verify clinical benefit or do not demonstrate sufficient clinical benefit to justify the risks associated with the drug (e.g., show a significantly smaller magnitude or duration of benefit than was anticipated based on the observed effect on the surrogate).
Ocaliva was granted fast track designation by the FDA for the treatment of patients with PBC who have an inadequate response to or are intolerant of ursodiol. In August 2015, the FDA accepted for review our
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NDA and granted priority review for Ocaliva in PBC. On May 27, 2016, Ocaliva was approved under the accelerated approval pathway in the United States.
Drugs manufactured or distributed pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to recordkeeping, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution, advertising and promotion and reporting of adverse experiences with the product. Once an approval is granted, the FDA may withdraw the approval if compliance with regulatory requirements is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product may result in restrictions on the product or even complete withdrawal of the product from the market. After approval, some types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes and additional labeling claims, are subject to further FDA review and approval. In addition, the FDA may require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the effect of approved products that have been commercialized, and the FDA has the power to prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of these post-marketing programs.
Drug manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drugs are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and some state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws. Changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated and often require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMP and impose reporting and documentation requirements upon the sponsor and any third-party manufacturers that the sponsor may decide to use. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money, and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance.
Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process or approval process, or after approval, may subject us to administrative or judicial sanctions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us.
These sanctions could include:
| refusal to approve pending applications; |
| withdrawal of an approval; |
| imposition of a clinical hold; |
| warning letters; |
| product seizures; |
| total or partial suspension of production or distribution; or |
| injunctions, fines, disgorgement, or civil or criminal penalties. |
The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Drugs may be promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability. Additional regulations apply for advertising and promotion of products approved under the accelerated approval pathway. Unless otherwise informed by the FDA, an applicant must submit to the FDA for consideration during the preapproval review period copies of all promotional materials, including promotional labeling as well as advertisements, intended for dissemination or publication within 120 days following marketing approval. After 120 days following marketing approval, unless otherwise informed by the FDA, the applicant must submit promotional materials at least 30 days prior to the intended time of initial dissemination of the labeling or initial publication of the advertisement.
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We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of our products. Future FDA and state inspections may identify compliance issues at the facilities of our contract manufacturers that may disrupt production or distribution, or require substantial resources to correct.
From time to time, legislation is drafted, introduced and passed in Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the approval, manufacturing and marketing of products regulated by the FDA. In addition, FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the agency in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. It is impossible to predict whether legislative changes will be enacted, or FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations changed or what the impact of such changes, if any, may be.
In accordance with the applicable requirements under the accelerated approval pathway, we initiated our Phase 4 COBALT clinical outcomes confirmatory trial for Ocaliva in PBC in December 2014, following discussions with the FDA. COBALT will be completed on a post-marketing basis. As part of the post-marketing requirements, we are discussing modifications to the COBALT trial to potentially include a broader cross-section of PBC patients with early, moderately advanced and advanced disease according to the so-called Rotterdam criteria. We have agreed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Ocaliva in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment and as monotherapy in patients with PBC. Finally, we have also agreed to develop and characterize a lower dose formulation of Ocaliva to allow for once daily dosing in patients with moderate or advanced hepatic impairment.
The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, or FDAAA, created a new section of the FDCA which authorizes the FDA to require a REMS when necessary to ensure that the benefits of a drug outweigh the risks. Under a REMS, the FDA may require various measures to address serious risks, such as training or registries, as well as steps to monitor and assess the effectiveness of those measures. Such requirements may impose significant burdens on prescribers, pharmacists or patients.
We do not have a REMS for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC.
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA approval of the use of our drug candidates, some of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Act. The Hatch-Waxman Act permits an extension patent term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, the extension of patent term cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the products approval date. The patent term extension period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND, and the submission date of an NDA, plus the time between the submission date of an NDA and the approval of that application. Only one patent applicable to an approved drug is eligible for the extension and the application for extension must be made prior to expiration of the patent. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration. In conjunction with the accelerated approval of Ocaliva in the United States, we have applied to extend the 2022 expiration date of the OCA composition of matter patent in the United States by five additional years under the provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Act. In the future, we intend to apply for restorations of patent term for some of our currently owned or licensed patents to add patent life beyond their current expiration date, depending on the expected length of clinical trials and other factors involved in the submission of the relevant NDA.
Data exclusivity provisions under the FDCA also can delay the submission or the approval of certain applications. The FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent data exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to gain approval of an NDA for a new chemical entity. A drug is a new chemical entity if the FDA has not previously approved any other new drug containing the same active moiety, which is the molecule or ion responsible for the action of the drug substance. During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review an abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA. However, an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification of patent invalidity or non-infringement. The FDCA also
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provides three years of marketing exclusivity for an NDA, 505(b)(2) NDA or supplement to an approved NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application, for example, for new indications, dosages or strengths of an existing drug. This three-year exclusivity covers only the conditions associated with the new clinical investigations and does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs for drugs containing the original active agent for other conditions of use. Five-year and three-year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA; however, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all of the preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
Under the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, or BPCA, certain drugs may obtain an additional six months of exclusivity, if the sponsor submits information requested in writing by the FDA, or a Written Request, relating to the use of the active moiety of the drug in children. The FDA may not issue a Written Request for studies on unapproved or approved indications or where it determines that information relating to the use of a drug in a pediatric population, or part of the pediatric population, may not produce health benefits in that population.
We have not received a Written Request for such pediatric studies, although we may ask the FDA to issue a Written Request for such studies in the future. To receive the six-month pediatric market exclusivity, we would have to receive a Written Request from the FDA, conduct the requested studies in accordance with a written agreement with the FDA or, if there is no written agreement, in accordance with commonly accepted scientific principles, and submit reports of the studies. A Written Request may include studies for indications that are not currently in the labeling if the FDA determines that such information will benefit the public health. The FDA will accept the reports upon its determination that the studies were conducted in accordance with and are responsive to the original Written Request or commonly accepted scientific principles, as appropriate, and that the reports comply with the FDAs filing requirements.
In addition, the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, specifies that all applications for new active ingredients, new indications, new dosage forms, new dosing regimens or new routes of administration are required to contain an assessment of safety and effectiveness of the product for the claimed indications(s) in pediatric patients unless this requirement is waived, deferred or inapplicable. Under PREA, original NDAs, biologics license application and supplements thereto, must contain a pediatric assessment unless the sponsor has received a deferral or waiver. Products with orphan designation are exempt from PREA requirements. The required assessment must assess the safety and effectiveness of the product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The sponsor or FDA may request a deferral of pediatric studies for some or all of the pediatric subpopulations. A deferral may be granted for several reasons, including a finding that the drug or biologic is ready for approval for use in adults before pediatric studies are complete or that additional safety or effectiveness data needs to be collected before the pediatric studies begin. After April 2013, the FDA must send a non-compliance letter as applicable to any sponsor that fails to submit the required assessment, keep a deferral current or fails to submit a request for approval of a pediatric formulation. OCA received orphan drug designation for treatment of PBC and is, therefore, exempt from the PREA requirements for this indication.
In addition to regulations in the United States, we will be subject to regulations of other countries governing clinical trials and commercial sales and distribution of our products. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we must obtain approval by the comparable regulatory authorities of countries outside of the United States before we can commence clinical trials in such countries and approval of the regulators of such countries or economic areas, such as the European Union, before we may market products in those countries or areas. The approval process and requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary greatly from place to place, and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval.
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Under European Union regulatory systems, a company may submit marketing authorization applications under a centralized, decentralized or mutual recognition marketing authorization procedure. The centralized procedure provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization for a medicinal product by the European Commission on the basis of an opinion by the EMAs Committee for Human Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP). A centralized marketing authorization is valid for all European Union member states and the European Economic Area States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The decentralized marketing authorization procedure involves the submission of an application for marketing authorization to the competent authorities in each of the European Union member states chosen by the applicant in which the product is to be marketed. One national competent authority, selected by the applicant (Reference Member State) leads the assessment of the application for marketing authorization. The competent authorities of the other chosen European Union member states concerned by the procedure (Concerned Member States) are subsequently required to review the initial evaluation and, if the assessment is positive and all issues are resolved, grant marketing authorization for their territory on the basis of this assessment, except where grounds of potential serious risk to public health require this application for authorization to be refused. The mutual recognition procedure provides for mutual recognition of a marketing authorization which has already been granted by the national competent authority of a European Union member state by the competent authorities of the other European Union member states where further marketing authorizations are progressively sought. The holder of a national marketing authorization may submit an application to the competent authority of a European Union member state requesting that this authority recognize the marketing authorization granted by the competent authority of another European Union member state.
Prior to obtaining a marketing authorization in the European Union, applicants have to demonstrate compliance with all measures included in an EMA-approved Pediatric Investigation Plan, or PIP, covering all subsets of the pediatric population, unless the EMA has granted (1) a product-specific waiver, (2) a class waiver, or (3) a deferral for one or more of the measures included in the PIP. In the case of orphan medicinal products, completion of an approved PIP can result in an extension of the aforementioned market exclusivity period from ten to twelve years.
It is also possible that a marketing authorization from the EMA could be conditional on post-approval studies and not considered a full approval. A manufacturers ability to obtain and maintain conditional marketing authorization in the European Union will be limited to specific circumstances and subject to several conditions and obligations, if obtained at all. Conditional marketing authorizations can be granted, based on a clinical dataset that is not comprehensive. Granting of such an authorization may be granted for a limited number of medicinal products for human use referenced in the applicable European Union law governing conditional marketing authorization, including products designated as orphan medicinal products under European Union law, if (1) the risk-benefit balance of the product is positive, (2) it is likely that the applicant will be in a position to provide the required comprehensive clinical trial data, (3) unmet medical needs will be fulfilled and (4) the benefit to public health of the immediate availability on the market of the medicinal product outweighs the risk inherent in the fact that additional data are still required. Specific obligations, including with respect to the completion of ongoing or new studies, and with respect to the collection of pharmacovigilance data, may be specified in the conditional marketing authorization. Conditional marketing authorizations are valid for one year, and may be renewed annually, if the risk-benefit balance remains positive, and after an assessment of the need for additional or modified conditions.
Similarly to the United States, both marketing authorization holders and manufacturers of medicinal products are subject to comprehensive regulatory oversight by the EMA and the competent authorities of the individual European Union member states both before and after grant of the manufacturing and marketing authorizations. This includes European Union GMP rules, which govern quality control of the manufacturing process and require documentation policies and procedures. We and our third party manufacturers are required to ensure that all of our processes, methods, and equipment are compliant with GMP.
Failure by us or by any of our third party partners, including suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors to comply with European Union laws and the related national laws of individual European Union member states governing the conduct of clinical trials, manufacturing approval, marketing authorization of medicinal products and manufacturing and marketing of such products, both before and after grant of marketing authorization, may result in administrative, civil or criminal penalties. These penalties could include delays or refusal to
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authorize the conduct of clinical trials or to grant marketing authorization, product withdrawals and recalls, product seizures, suspension, withdrawal, or variation of the marketing authorization, total or partial suspension of production, distribution, manufacturing, or clinical trials, operating restrictions, injunctions, suspension of licenses, fines and criminal penalties.
In October 2016, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, of the EMA adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a conditional marketing authorization of Ocaliva in PBC. Based on the CHMPs positive recommendation, the European Commission granted a conditional marketing authorization of Ocaliva in PBC in December 2016. PBC does not occur in the pediatric population. Therefore, in accordance with applicable regulations, this marketing authorization required demonstration of compliance with all measures included in an EMA-approved Pediatric Investigation Plan for OCA for the treatment of biliary atresia, a pediatric cholestatic disease.
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation to drugs intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or more than 200,000 individuals in the United States and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug for this type of disease or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting an NDA. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in or shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.
If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan product exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug for the same indication, except in very limited circumstances, for seven years. Orphan drug exclusivity, however, could also block the approval of one of our products for seven years if a competitor obtains approval of the same drug as defined by the FDA or if our drug candidate is determined to be contained within the competitors product for the same indication or disease. Competitors may receive approval of different products for the indication for which the orphan product has exclusivity and may obtain approval for the same product but for a different indication. If a drug or drug product designated as an orphan product ultimately receives marketing approval for an indication broader than what was designated in its orphan product application, it may not be entitled to exclusivity.
As in the United States, we may apply for designation of a product as an orphan drug for the treatment of a specific indication in the European Union before the application for marketing authorization is made. Orphan drugs in Europe enjoy economic and marketing benefits, including up to ten years of market exclusivity for the approved indication. The market exclusivity period for the authorized therapeutic indication may be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the orphan designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity. In addition, a competing similar medicinal product may in limited circumstances be authorized prior to the expiration of the market exclusivity period, including if it is shown to be safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior to the orphan-designated product.
OCA has received orphan drug designation in the United States and the European Union for the treatment of PBC and PSC. Any of our orphan-designated products and product candidates can lose orphan designation, and the related benefits, if it is demonstrated that the orphan designation criteria are no longer met.
Sales of our products will depend, in part, on the extent to which the costs of our products will be covered by third-party payors, such as government health programs, commercial insurance plans and managed healthcare organizations. These third-party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and services. Additionally, the containment of healthcare costs has become a priority of federal and state governments and the prices of drugs have been a focus in this effort. The U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic
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products. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit our net revenue and results. If these third-party payors do not consider our products to be effective (or cost-effective in some markets outside of the United States) compared to other therapies, they may not cover our products after approved as a benefit under their plans or, if they do, the level of payment may not be sufficient to allow us to sell our products on a profitable basis.
Medicare is a U.S. federal healthcare program that provides coverage for certain healthcare items and services to individuals aged 65 years or older, as well as individuals of any age with certain disabilities and illnesses. Medicare Part D may affect reimbursement of our products upon approval. Under Part D, Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in prescription drug plans offered by private entities which will provide coverage of outpatient prescription drugs. Part D plans include both stand-alone prescription drug benefit plans and prescription drug coverage as a supplement to Medicare Advantage plans. Unlike Medicare Part A and B, Part D coverage is not standardized. Part D prescription drug plan sponsors are not required to pay for all covered outpatient drugs, and each Part D plan can develop its own drug formulary that identifies which drugs it will cover and at what tier or level. However, Part D plan drug formularies must include drugs within each therapeutic category and class of covered Part D drugs, though not necessarily all the drugs in each category or class. Any formulary used by a Part D prescription drug plan must be developed and reviewed by a pharmacy and therapeutic committee. Government payment for some of the costs of prescription drugs may increase demand for our products for which we receive marketing approval. However, any negotiated prices for our products covered by a Part D plan will likely be lower than the prices we might otherwise obtain. Moreover, while Part D provides prescription drug benefits only to Medicare beneficiaries, private payors often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own payment rates. Any reduction in payment made by Medicare may result in a similar reduction in payments from non-governmental payors.
Medicaid is a government healthcare program that provides coverage for certain healthcare items and services to low-income children, families, pregnant women and people with disabilities. It is jointly funded by the federal and state governments, and it is administered by individual states with parameters established by the federal government. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for drugs may vary by state Medicaid program. A manufacturer must enter into a Medicaid Rebate Agreement to have its products be eligible for coverage by Medicaid. Under the Medicaid program, and per the Medicaid Rebate Agreement, manufacturers agree to report certain prices to the government and pay rebates to state Medicaid programs based on Medicaid utilization of the manufacturers covered drugs. In January 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, released a final rule impacting the calculation and reporting of prices by manufacturers under the Medicaid program. We continue to evaluate how this final rule may affect the reimbursement of our product candidate and rebates paid to state Medicaid programs.
Federal law requires any company that participates in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to also participate in the Public Health Services 340B drug pricing program in order for federal funds to be available for the manufacturers drugs under Medicaid. The 340B pricing program requires participating manufacturers to charge statutorily-defined covered entities no more than the 340B ceiling price for the manufacturers covered outpatient drugs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, collectively referred to as the ACA, extended eligibility to participate in the 340B pricing program to certain additional types of hospitals (including critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, rural referral centers and freestanding cancer hospitals). However, for purposes of these newly eligible covered entities, the ACA specifically excluded from the definition of covered outpatient drugs certain drugs designated as orphan drugs under section 526 of the FDCA, such as our product candidate.
The ACA also improved the market for healthcare products in one respect, by expanding health insurance coverage. Starting in 2014, the ACA expanded health insurance coverage to many previously uninsured Americans, through a combination of federal subsidies for lower-income individuals who enrolled in health plans through health insurance Exchanges and enabling States to expand Medicaid eligibility with the federal government paying a high share of the cost. Following the November 2016 U.S. elections and the inauguration of the President, uncertainty exists about the future of this coverage expansion; the President and
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congressional leaders have expressed interest in repealing these ACA provisions and replacing them with alternatives that may be less costly and provide state Medicaid programs and private health plans more flexibility. It is possible that these repeal and replacement initiatives, if enacted into law, could ultimately result in fewer individuals having health insurance coverage and/or in individuals having insurance coverage with less generous benefits. The scope of potential future legislation to repeal and replace ACA provisions is highly uncertain in many respects, and it is possible that some of the ACA provisions that generally hurt the research-based pharmaceutical industry could also be repealed along with ACA coverage expansion provisions; however, at this time the coverage expansion provisions of the ACA appear most likely to be repealed and replaced.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides funding for the federal government to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness. A plan for the research will be developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Institutes for Health, and periodic reports on the status of the research and related expenditures will be made to Congress. Although the results of the comparative effectiveness studies are not intended to mandate coverage policies for public or private payors, it is not clear what effect, if any, the research will have on the sales of any product, if any such product or the condition that it is intended to treat is the subject of a study. It is also possible that comparative effectiveness research demonstrating benefits in a competitors product could adversely affect the sales of our product candidates. If third-party payors do not consider our products to be cost-effective compared to other available therapies, they may not cover our products as a benefit under their plans or, if they do, the level of payment may not be sufficient to allow us to sell our products on a profitable basis.
In addition, in some non-U.S. jurisdictions, the proposed pricing for a drug must be approved before its cost may be funded within the respective national healthcare systems. The requirements governing drug pricing vary widely from country to country. For example, EU member states can restrict the range of medicinal products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and may control the prices of medicinal products for human use. A member state may approve a specific price for the medicinal product or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profits the medicinal product generates for the company placing it on the market. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our products on cost-effectiveness grounds. Historically, products launched in countries in the European Union do not follow price structures of the United States and generally their prices tend to be significantly lower.
Any present or future arrangements with third-party payors, healthcare providers and professionals and customers may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may restrict certain marketing and contracting practices. These laws include, and are not limited to, anti-kickback and false claims statutes.
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)) prohibits, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, to induce either the referral of an individual, or the furnishing, recommending, or arranging for any good or service, for which payment may be made under federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Remuneration is not defined in the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value, including for example, gifts, discounts, coupons, the furnishing of supplies or equipment, credit arrangements, payments of cash, waivers of payments, ownership interests and providing anything at less than its fair market value. This statute has been broadly interpreted to apply to manufacturer arrangements with prescribers, purchasers and formulary managers, among others.
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The federal False Claims Act imposes civil penalties, including through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. The government and qui tam relators have brought False Claims Act actions against pharmaceutical companies on the theory that their practices have caused false claims to be presented to the government. There is also a separate false claims provision imposing criminal penalties.
Other federal healthcare fraud-related laws also provide criminal liability for violations. The Criminal Healthcare Fraud statute (18 U.S.C. §1347) prohibits knowingly and willfully executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payers. Federal criminal law at 18 U.S.C. §1001, among other sections, prohibits knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, imposes criminal liability for executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and also imposes obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information.
HIPAA also imposes criminal liability for knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statements in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services.
The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requirements under the ACA, and its implementing regulations, require manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies to report to the Department of Health and Human Services information related to payments and other transfers of value made to covered recipients, such as physicians and teaching hospitals, and physician ownership and investment interests. Payments made to physicians and research institutions for clinical trials are included within the ambit of this law.
A number of states also have statutes or regulations similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs. Some state anti-kickback statutes apply not just to government payors, but to all payors, including commercial payors.
As of December 31, 2016, we had 456 employees, including 169 in research and development, 137 in our commercial organization, 66 in our medical affairs group and 84 in general and administrative supporting functions. Geographically, 332 of our employees were based in the United States and 124 were based outside the United States. None of our employees are represented by a labor union and we consider our employee relations to be good.
We were incorporated in the State of Delaware on September 4, 2002. Our principal executive offices are located at 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011, and our telephone number is (646) 747-1000. We also have administrative offices in San Diego, California and London, United Kingdom.
Our corporate website address is www.interceptpharma.com. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Securities and Exchange Commission maintains an internet site that contains our public filings with the Securities and Exchange
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Commission and other information regarding our company, at www.sec.gov. These reports and other information concerning our company may also be accessed at the Securities and Exchange Commissions Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the Securities and Exchange Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330. The contents of these websites are not incorporated into this Annual Report. Further, our references to the URLs for these websites are intended to be inactive textual reference only.
From time to time we are party to legal proceedings in the course of our business. We do not, however, expect any such pending legal proceedings to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
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Item 1A. | Risk Factors |
Except for the historical information contained herein, this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include projections about our accounting and finances, plans and objectives for the future, future operating and economic performance and other statements regarding future performance. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Important factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the following section, as well as those discussed in Part II, Item 7 entitled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and elsewhere throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
You should consider carefully the following risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If any of the following risks, either alone or taken together, or other risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe to not be significant, develop into actual events, then our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, the market price of our common stock could decline, and stockholders may lose all or part of their investment.
Ocaliva is our only drug that has been approved for sale and it has only been approved in the United States and the European Union for the treatment of PBC in combination with ursodiol in adults with an inadequate response to ursodiol or as monotherapy in adults unable to tolerate ursodiol.
Our ability to generate profits from operations and become profitable will depend on the success of commercial sales of Ocaliva. However, the successful commercialization of Ocaliva in PBC is subject to many risks. We are currently undertaking our first commercial launch with Ocaliva in PBC, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to do so successfully. There are numerous examples of unsuccessful product launches and failures to meet expectations of market potential, including by pharmaceutical companies with more experience and resources than us.
The commercial success of Ocaliva depends on the extent to which patients, physicians and payers accept and adopt Ocaliva as a treatment for PBC, and we do not know whether our or others estimates in this regard will be accurate. While we continue to conduct various activities, such as profiling of our customers, to better understand how physicians care for PBC patients, PBC is an orphan disease in which Ocaliva represented the first new therapy in approximately 20 years. As such, there is significant uncertainty in the degree of market acceptance Ocaliva will have in PBC. For example, if the patient population suffering from PBC is smaller than we estimate, or even if the patient population matches our estimate but Ocaliva is not widely accepted as a treatment for PBC, the commercial potential of Ocaliva will be limited. Physicians may not prescribe Ocaliva and patients may be unwilling to use Ocaliva if coverage is not provided or reimbursement is inadequate to cover a significant portion of the cost. Additionally, the use of Ocaliva in a non-trial setting may result in the occurrence of unexpected or a greater incidence of side effects, adverse reactions or misuse that may negatively affect the commercial prospects of Ocaliva. Furthermore, any negative development in any other development program of OCA or our failure to satisfy the post-marketing regulatory commitments and requirements to which we are or may become subject, including potential modifications to and the completion of our Phase 4 COBALT trial, may adversely impact the commercial results and potential of Ocaliva.
As a result, we cannot foresee if Ocaliva will ever be accepted as a therapy in PBC that eventually results in revenues that can sustain operations. It may take the passage of a significant amount of time to generate sufficient revenues to sustain operations even if Ocaliva becomes accepted as a therapy in PBC. Furthermore, because Ocaliva is still undergoing regulatory review outside of the United States and European Union, we may not be able to commercialize Ocaliva in PBC in such other jurisdictions, which may also limit
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our prospects. If the commercialization of Ocaliva for PBC is unsuccessful or perceived to be disappointing, the long-term prospects of Ocaliva and our company may be significantly harmed.
We have never been profitable and do not expect to be profitable in the foreseeable future. We have incurred net losses of $412.8 million, $226.4 million and $283.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through public and private securities offerings and payments received under our licensing and collaboration agreements with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd., or Sumitomo Dainippon, and Les Laboratoires Servier and Institut de Recherches Servier, which are collectively referred to as Servier. At December 31, 2016, we had $689.4 million in cash, cash equivalents and investment securities.
We have devoted substantially all of our resources to our development efforts relating to our product candidates, including conducting clinical trials of our product candidates, providing general and administrative support for these operations, protecting our intellectual property and engaging in activities to prepare for and commercially launch Ocaliva in PBC.
We expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect these losses to increase as we continue to commercialize Ocaliva for PBC in the United States and the European Union, seek regulatory approval for and prepare to commercially launch Ocaliva for PBC in other jurisdictions, develop and seek regulatory approvals for OCA in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, and other indications, and add infrastructure and personnel in the United States and internationally to support our product development and commercialization efforts and operations as a public company. We believe our prospects and ability to significantly grow revenues will be dependent on our ability to successfully develop and commercialize OCA for indications other than PBC such as NASH. As a result, we expect a significant amount of resources to continue to be devoted to our development programs for OCA.
As part of our product development activities, we anticipate that we will continue our Phase 4 COBALT trial of OCA in PBC including any modifications to the trial as may be agreed upon with regulatory authorities, continue our Phase 3 clinical program of OCA in NASH, including the Phase 3 REGENERATE trial in non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis, and continue our AESOP Phase 2 clinical trial of OCA for primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC. We also expect to continue the development of OCA in additional diseases, such as biliary atresia, a rare pediatric disease characterized by deficient bile duct development for which we initiated a Phase 2 trial in OCA called CARE. Our overall development program for OCA in NASH is expected to include a number of trials, such as a Phase 2 clinical trial, referred to as the CONTROL trial, to assess the lipid metabolic effects of OCA and the effects of concomitant statin administration in NASH patients. Furthermore, we recently completed a Phase 1 clinical trial for INT-767, an earlier stage product candidate, and we expect to incur further expenses as we continue to develop INT-767. Our expenses could increase if we are required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, to perform studies or trials in addition to those currently expected, or if there are any delays in completing our clinical trials or the development of any of our product candidates.
If OCA or any of our other product candidates fails in clinical trials or does not gain regulatory approval, or if our product candidates do not achieve market acceptance, we may never become profitable. Our net losses and negative cash flows have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our stockholders equity and working capital. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with pharmaceutical product development and commercialization, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. The amount of future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to generate revenues.
We are currently advancing OCA through clinical development for multiple indications and other product candidates through various stages of clinical and preclinical development. Developing pharmaceutical products, including conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, is expensive.
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In addition, subject to obtaining regulatory approval of any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses for product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. We have incurred and anticipate incurring significant expenses as we continue to commercialize Ocaliva in PBC, including significant expenses relating to our sales, marketing, distribution and drug manufacturing activities. As part of our longer-term strategy, we also anticipate incurring expenses in connection with increases in our product development, scientific, commercial and administrative personnel and expansion of our facilities and infrastructure in the United States and abroad. We expect to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company and further plan on expanding our operations in the United States, Europe and in certain other countries.
As of December 31, 2016, we had $689.4 million in cash, cash equivalents and investment securities. We currently project adjusted operating expenses in the range of $380 million to $420 million in the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017, which excludes stock-based compensation and other non-cash items. These expenses are planned to support the continued commercialization of Ocaliva in PBC in the United States and other markets, continued clinical development for OCA in PBC and NASH and the continued development of INT-767 and our other earlier stage pipeline programs. We may make additional investments over 2017 as our business evolves. Accordingly, we will continue to require substantial additional capital in connection with our continuing operations, including continuing our clinical development and commercialization activities, despite having started to generate revenues from product sales. Because successful development and commercialization of our products and product candidates is uncertain, we are unable to estimate the actual funds required to complete the research and development and commercialization of our products and product candidates.
Adjusted operating expense is a financial measure not calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. We anticipate that stock-based compensation expense will represent the most significant non-cash item that is excluded in adjusted operating expenses as compared to operating expenses under GAAP. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures for more information.
Due to the many variables inherent to the development and commercialization of novel therapies, such as the risks described in this Risk Factors section of this annual report on Form 10-K, and our rapid growth and expansion, we currently cannot accurately or precisely predict the duration beyond mid-2018 over which we expect our cash and cash equivalents to be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements. However, we currently believe that our cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient for us to:
| continue the initial commercialization of Ocaliva for PBC in the United States and the European Union; |
| prepare for and initiate the commercial launch of Ocaliva in PBC in certain other target markets across the world, but not commercially launch Ocaliva in PBC in other non-target countries across the world; |
| continue and expand our clinical development programs for OCA in PBC and NASH, such as continuing, but not completing, our planned Phase 3 clinical program for OCA in NASH, including the REGENERATE trial, and our ongoing COBALT confirmatory clinical outcomes trial of OCA in PBC; and |
| advance the continued development of INT-767, for which we completed a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2016, and our preclinical compounds, but not completing the clinical or preclinical development needed to obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize INT-767 or our preclinical compounds. |
Accordingly, we will continue to require substantial additional capital in connection with our continuing operations, including continuing our commercialization plans and our research and development activities and building our global infrastructure to support these activities.
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The amount and timing of our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:
| the rate of progress and cost of our continued commercialization activities for Ocaliva in PBC in the United States and European Union; |
| our ability to receive marketing approval of Ocaliva for PBC in countries outside of the United States and the European Union based on our regulatory submissions package and our work completed to date, including the willingness of the relevant regulatory authorities to accept the POISE trial, which is our completed Phase 3 clinical trial for PBC; |
| the degree of effort and time needed to prepare for and initiate the commercial launches of Ocaliva in PBC outside of the United States and the European Union if we receive marketing authorization; |
| the progress, costs, results of and timing of our clinical development programs for OCA in PBC, NASH and other indications, such as the sufficiency of the REGENERATE trial to be accepted as the sole pivotal trial for marketing approval or the acceptability of a surrogate endpoint for accelerated approval of OCA for the treatment of NASH and any modifications we may be required to make to the COBALT trial as part of our post-marketing requirements to the FDA or the EMA; |
| the outcome, costs and timing of seeking and obtaining FDA, EMA and any other regulatory approvals; |
| the expansion of our research and development activities and the product candidates that we pursue, including INT-767 and our product candidates in preclinical development such as INT-777; |
| the expansion of our operations, personnel and the size of our company and our need to continue to expand in the longer term; |
| the costs associated with securing and establishing manufacturing capabilities and procuring the materials necessary for our products and product candidates; |
| market acceptance of our products and product candidates, which may be affected by reimbursement from payors; |
| the costs of acquiring, licensing or investing in businesses, products, product candidates and technologies; |
| our ability to maintain, expand and defend the scope of our intellectual property portfolio, including the amount and timing of any payments we may be required to make, or that we may receive, in connection with the licensing, filing, prosecution, defense and enforcement of any patents or other intellectual property rights; |
| the effect of competing technological and market developments; and |
| other cash needs that may arise as we continue to operate our business. |
We have no committed external sources of funding. If we are unable to obtain funding on a timely basis, we may be required to significantly curtail our planned activities, including research and development programs and commercialization activities.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to seek additional funding through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, government or other third-party funding, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. Additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.
The terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of our security holders. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, our stockholders ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such
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as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. We also could be required to seek funds through arrangements with collaborative partners or otherwise that may require us to relinquish rights to some of our technologies or product candidates or otherwise agree to terms unfavorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
We are a biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history as a commercial entity. Prior to the commercial launch of Ocaliva for PBC in the United States in June 2016 and certain European countries in 2017, our operations were limited to developing our technology and undertaking preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates and engaging in pre-commercial activities for Ocaliva in PBC. We do not have approval for any of our other product candidates.
While we commercially launched Ocaliva for PBC in the United States and Europe, we will need to conduct further activities to develop and cultivate a sustainable market for our drug in this orphan disease. These efforts will continue to be expensive and time-consuming, and we cannot be certain that we will be able to successfully develop a market. For example, we will need to conduct significant sales and marketing activities in jurisdictions where Ocaliva receives marketing approval. In the event we are unable to effectively develop and maintain a market for Ocaliva in PBC, our ability to effectively commercialize Ocaliva would be limited, and we would not be able to generate product revenues successfully.
Furthermore, our financial condition and operating results have varied significantly in the past and are expected to continue to significantly fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter or year-to-year due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Factors relating to our business that may contribute to these fluctuations include:
| any delays in regulatory review and approval of our product candidates in clinical development; |
| delays in the commencement, enrollment and timing of clinical trials; |
| difficulties in identifying and treating patients suffering from our target indications, including those due to PBC and PSC being rare diseases and NASH currently requiring an invasive liver biopsy for diagnosis; |
| the success of our clinical trials through all phases of clinical development, such as the success of our Phase 3 REGENERATE trial of OCA in non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis; |
| potential side effects of Ocaliva and our other product candidates that could delay or prevent approval or cause an approved drug to be taken off the market; |
| the required timeframe for us to receive and analyze data from our clinical trials; |
| our ability to identify and develop additional product candidates; |
| market acceptance of Ocaliva and our product candidates, which may be affected by the reimbursement that our products receive from payors; |
| our ability to establish and maintain an effective sales and marketing infrastructure directly or through collaborations with third parties; |
| competition from existing products or new products that may emerge; |
| the ability of patients or healthcare providers to obtain coverage or reimbursement for our products and the extent to which such coverage or reimbursement will be provided; |
| our ability to adhere to clinical trial requirements directly or with third parties such as contract research organizations, or CROs; |
| our dependency on third-party manufacturers to manufacture our products and key ingredients; |
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| our ability to establish or maintain collaborations, licensing or other arrangements; |
| the costs to us, and our ability and our third-party collaborators ability to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights; |
| costs related to and outcomes of potential intellectual property, securities and other litigation; |
| our ability to adequately support future growth; |
| our ability to attract and retain key personnel to manage our business effectively; |
| our ability to build and improve our companys infrastructure, systems and controls; |
| potential product liability claims; and |
| our ability to obtain and maintain adequate insurance coverage |
The development of a product candidate and issues relating to its approval and marketing are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA in the United States, the EMA in Europe and regulatory authorities in other countries, with regulations differing from country to country. We are not permitted to market our product candidates in the United States or Europe until we receive approval of a New Drug Application, or NDA, from the FDA or a Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, from the EMA, respectively. Currently, our ability to generate revenue related to product sales will depend on the successful marketing of Ocaliva for PBC and the development and regulatory approval of OCA for the treatment NASH and our other product candidates.
Ocaliva is our only drug that has been approved for sale. In the United States, Ocaliva has been approved for PBC under the accelerated approval pathway. Accelerated approval was granted for OCA in PBC based on a reduction in alkaline phosphatase; however, an improvement in survival or disease-related symptoms has not been established. Continued approval of Ocaliva for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. Our Phase 4 COBALT confirmatory outcomes trial may fail to show a clinical benefit for OCA in PBC or may not satisfy the requirements of the regulatory authorities for other reasons.
As part of the post-marketing requirements, we are discussing modifications to the COBALT trial to potentially include a broader cross-section of PBC patients with early, moderately advanced and advanced disease according to the so-called Rotterdam criteria. We have agreed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Ocaliva in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment and as monotherapy in patients with PBC. Finally, we have also agreed to develop and characterize a lower dose formulation of Ocaliva to allow for once daily dosing in patients with moderate or advanced hepatic impairment.
We commenced our commercial launch of Ocaliva for PBC in certain European countries in 2017 after the European Commission granted conditional approval for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC. The marketing authorization in the European Union is conditioned on the completion of the COBALT trial and a trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Ocaliva in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment.
We have filed for regulatory approval in Canada for OCA in PBC. We also plan to apply for marketing approval of Ocaliva for PBC in certain other markets across the world.
We currently have no other products approved for sale and we cannot guarantee that we will ever have additional marketable products or that our products will be approved for use in additional indications. NDAs and MAAs must include extensive preclinical and clinical data and supporting information to establish the product candidates safety and effectiveness for each desired indication. NDAs and MAAs must also include
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significant information regarding the chemistry, manufacturing and controls for the product. Obtaining approval of an NDA or an MAA is a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process, and we may not be successful in obtaining approval. The FDA and the EMA review processes can take years to complete and approval is never guaranteed. Even after the submission of an NDA to the FDA, the FDA must decide whether to accept or reject the submission for filing. In addition, in June 2016, eligible members of the electorate in the United Kingdom decided by referendum to leave the European Union, or Brexit. Since a significant proportion of the regulatory framework in the United Kingdom is derived from European Union directives and regulations, the referendum could materially change the regulatory regime applicable to our operations, including with respect to the approval of our product candidates.
Approvals may also be conditional upon the completion of one or more clinical trials. In addition, delays in approvals or rejections of marketing applications in the United States, Europe or other countries may be based upon many factors, including regulatory requests for additional analyses, reports, data, preclinical studies and clinical trials, regulatory questions regarding different interpretations of data and results, changes in regulatory policy during the period of product development and the emergence of new information regarding our product candidates or other products. Regulatory approval is also dependent on successfully passing regulatory inspection of our company, our clinical sites and key vendors and to ensure compliance with applicable good clinical, laboratory and manufacturing practices regulation. Critical findings could jeopardize or delay the approval of the NDA or MAA.
We will also be required to finalize the negotiations and discussions on our product labels for the respective jurisdictions in which we seek regulatory approval. Even if a product is approved, the FDA or the EMA, as the case may be, may limit the indications or uses for which the product may be marketed, require extensive warnings on the product labeling or require expensive and time-consuming clinical trials or reporting as conditions of approval. Also, regulatory approval for any of our product candidates may be withdrawn. Regulatory authorities in countries outside of the United States and Europe also have requirements for approval of drug candidates with which we must comply prior to marketing in those countries. Obtaining regulatory approval for marketing of a product candidate in one country does not ensure that we will be able to obtain regulatory approval in any other country.
We will need to complete a number of clinical trials and other studies for the continued development of OCA in indications other than PBC. For example, we currently have ongoing our Phase 3 REGENERATE trial of OCA in non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis and our Phase 2 CONTROL trial to characterize the lipid metabolic effects of OCA and cholesterol management effects of concomitant statin administration in NASH patients. We also intend to conduct additional trials in NASH, such as one in NASH patients with cirrhosis. In each of these cases, our ability to obtain the approvals necessary to commercialize our product candidates will depend on our ability to conduct and complete these additional trials as well as assemble various other data to complete our regulatory filings for OCA in the relevant indication or patient population.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to receive marketing approval for OCA in PBC in jurisdictions outside of the United States and the European Union or marketing approval for OCA in NASH or any other indication. We cannot predict whether our trials and studies as to NASH or any other indication or patient population will be successful or whether regulators will agree with our conclusions regarding the preclinical studies and clinical trials we have conducted to date or require us to conduct additional studies or trials. For example, while OCA received breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA in January 2015 for the treatment of NASH patients with liver fibrosis, we do not know if one pivotal clinical trial will be sufficient for marketing approval or if regulators will ultimately agree to a surrogate endpoint for accelerated approval of OCA for the treatment of NASH. While the interim analysis for the REGENERATE trial will be based on a histological endpoint as was the case in the Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of NASH, known as the FLINT trial, sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, or NIDDK, a part of the National Institutes of Health, our Phase 3 REGENERATE trial has different trial designs. For example, upon the finalization of a protocol amendment underway, the primary endpoint for the interim analysis for REGENERATE may be achieved based on one of: (i) the proportion of OCA-treated patients relative to placebo achieving at least one stage of liver fibrosis improvement with no worsening of NASH or (ii) the proportion of OCA-treated patients relative to placebo achieving NASH resolution with no
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worsening of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, we selected a definition for NASH resolution for the trial, which defines a responder as a patient achieving a histologic score of 0 for ballooning and 0 or 1 for inflammation. The REGENERATE trial will also remain blinded after the interim analysis and continue to follow patients until the occurrence of a pre-specified number of adverse liver-related clinical events, including progression to cirrhosis, to confirm clinical benefit on a post-marketing basis. While the statistical analysis planned for our REGENERATE trial is designed based on the data from the FLINT trial, the differences in the two trials may limit the utility of using FLINT as a basis for the design of the REGENERATE trial.
Furthermore, the Phase 2 dose ranging trial of OCA in 200 adult NASH patients in Japan conducted by our collaborator, Sumitomo Dainippon, did not meet its primary endpoint with statistical significance. In this trial, there was a dose dependent, although not statistically significant, increase in the percentage of OCA treated patients compared to placebo who achieved the primary endpoint (p=0.053). In addition, no difference was seen in fibrosis improvement in the OCA groups compared to placebo. The baseline characteristics between the patients in the Japanese Phase 2 trial conducted by Sumitomo Dainippon were distinct in a number of ways from those of the Western patients included in the Phase 2b FLINT trial conducted by NIDDK. For example, differences were observed among the patient population at baseline in relation to gender mix and metabolic factors like weight, diabetes status, dyslipidemia and hypertension. While our REGENERATE trial was designed based on the results of the FLINT trial and is anticipated to enroll a predominantly Western NASH patient population, the results of the FLINT trial may not be replicated in our REGENERATE trial. Although Sumitomo Dainippon has informed us that it is exploring the initiation of its registrational trials for OCA in NASH patients intended to support the registration of this indication in Japan, the results may not be an improvement as compared to those from the Phase 2 trial on Japanese NASH patients and there is no assurance that Sumitomo Dainippon will initiate any registrational trials.
If we are unable to obtain approval from the FDA, the EMA or other regulatory agencies for OCA and our other product candidates, or if, subsequent to approval, we are unable to successfully commercialize OCA or our other product candidates, we will not be able to generate sufficient revenue to become profitable or to continue our operations.
We are focused on developing therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases and diseases for which there are no treatments. As a result, the design and conduct of clinical trials for these diseases and other indications we may pursue will be subject to increased risk.
The FDA generally requires two pivotal clinical trials to approve an NDA. Furthermore, for full approval of an NDA, the FDA requires a demonstration of efficacy based on a clinical benefit endpoint. Under Subpart H regulations, the FDA can grant accelerated approval based on a surrogate reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit. Even if results from our planned pivotal clinical trials for a specific indication are highly significant and we believe reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, the FDA may not accept the results of such trials and grant accelerated approval of our product candidate for such indication.
Even if we receive accelerated approval for any of our product candidates, we may be required to conduct a post-approval clinical outcomes trial to confirm the clinical benefit of the product candidate by demonstrating the correlation of biochemical therapeutic response in patients with a significant reduction in adverse clinical outcomes over time. If a confirmatory clinical outcomes trial is required, we may be required to have the trial be substantially underway at the time we submit an NDA. It is possible that our NDA submission for regulatory approval will not be accepted by the FDA for review or, even if it is accepted for review, that there may be delays in the FDAs review process and that the FDA may determine that our NDA
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does not merit the approval of the product candidate, in which case the FDA may require that we conduct and/or complete additional clinical trials and preclinical studies before it will reconsider our application for approval.
Following discussions with regulatory authorities, we initiated our COBALT clinical outcomes confirmatory trial in PBC in December 2014 prior to the approval of Ocaliva. We are currently discussing modifications to the COBALT trial to potentially include a broader cross-section of PBC patients with early, moderately advanced and advanced disease according to the so-called Rotterdam criteria. We have agreed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Ocaliva in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment and as monotherapy in patients with PBC. We have agreed to similar requirements with the EMA as part of the conditional approval of Ocaliva in PBC in Europe. We may be required to conduct other post-marketing studies based on our regulatory interactions with other regulatory agencies across the world. There can be no assurance that our COBALT trial or other trials conducted as part of our post-marketing obligations will confirm that the surrogate endpoints used for accelerated approval will eventually show an adequate correlation with clinical outcomes. If any such trial fails to show such adequate correlation, we may not be able to maintain our previously granted marketing approval for Ocaliva in PBC.
Our marketing authorization in the European Union for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC is not a full approval and is conditional on post-approval studies. Our ability to obtain and maintain conditional marketing authorization in the European Union will be limited to specific circumstances and subject to several conditions and obligations, if obtained at all, including the completion of one or more clinical outcome trials to confirm the clinical benefit of Ocaliva in PBC. Conditional marketing authorizations based on incomplete clinical data may be granted for a limited number of listed medicinal products for human use, including products designated as orphan medicinal products under European Union law, if (1) the risk-benefit balance of the product is positive, (2) it is likely that the applicant will be in a position to provide the required comprehensive clinical trial data, (3) unmet medical needs will be fulfilled and (4) the benefit to public health of the immediate availability on the market of the medicinal product outweighs the risk inherent in the fact that additional data are still required. Specific obligations, including with respect to the completion of ongoing or new studies, and with respect to the collection of pharmacovigilance data, may be specified in the conditional marketing authorization. Conditional marketing authorizations are valid for one year, and may be renewed annually, if the risk-benefit balance remains positive, and after an assessment of the need for additional or modified conditions.
Our ongoing Phase 3 REGENERATE trial of OCA in non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis, incorporates an interim primary surrogate endpoint that may serve as the basis for a supplemental NDA filing for accelerated approval in the United States and approval in Europe. Accelerated approval in the United States and conditional approval in the European Union for OCA in NASH are subject to similar risks as discussed above in relation to OCA for PBC. The primary endpoint in the Phase 2b FLINT trial of OCA in NASH patients was based on liver biopsy and was defined as an improvement of two or more points in the NAFLD activity score (a system of scoring the histopathological features in the liver), or NAS, with no worsening of liver fibrosis. In contrast, upon the finalization of a protocol amendment underway, the primary endpoint for the interim analysis for REGENERATE may be achieved based on one of: (i) the proportion of OCA-treated patients relative to placebo achieving at least one stage of liver fibrosis improvement with no worsening of NASH or (ii) the proportion of OCA-treated patients relative to placebo achieving NASH resolution with no worsening of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, we selected a definition for NASH resolution for the trial, which defines a responder as a patient achieving a histologic score of 0 for ballooning and 0 or 1 for inflammation. Currently, other biopharmaceutical companies are enrolling or have initiated trials in certain subpopulations of NASH patients based on different endpoints from those in the FLINT and REGENERATE trials. Although the FDA acknowledged at recent workshops the possibility of granting accelerated approval for NASH therapies using surrogate endpoints, with potential examples including histological improvement, using the NAS or another scoring system, histological resolution of NASH, or improvements in fibrosis in pre-cirrhotic patients with NASH, the FDA did not provide any formal regulatory guidance on approvable endpoints and may not accept a surrogate endpoint for OCA for the treatment of NASH.
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It is possible that if we seek marketing approval of OCA for non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis based on the interim results of our REGENERATE trial, our NDA submission may not be accepted by the FDA for review or, even if accepted for review, there may be delays in the FDAs review process and the FDA may determine that our NDA does not merit the approval of OCA for the treatment of non-cirrhotic NASH patients. The FDA may also require that we continue our REGENERATE trial until its full completion to assess potential benefits of OCA treatment on liver-related and other clinical outcomes. Our regulatory pathway for OCA for the treatment of NASH will depend upon our discussions with the FDA and EMA. As a result, we may face difficulty in designing an acceptable registration strategy around REGENERATE or any other trials in different subpopulations of NASH patients. In addition, since the design of the REGENERATE trial deviates from that of the FLINT trial, there is an increased risk that the results of the REGENERATE trial would differ from the FLINT results.
The EMA and regulatory authorities in other countries in which we may seek approval for, and market, OCA or our other product candidates may require additional preclinical studies and/or clinical trials prior to granting approval. It may be expensive and time consuming to conduct and complete additional preclinical studies and clinical trials that the FDA, EMA and other regulatory authorities may require us to perform. As such, any requirement by the FDA, EMA or other regulatory authorities that we conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, even if we receive regulatory approval of OCA for the treatment of any of our targeted indications, the labeling for our product candidates in the United States, Europe or other countries in which we seek approval may include limitations that could impact the commercial success of our product candidates.
Delays in the commencement, enrollment and completion of clinical trials could increase our product development costs or limit the regulatory approval of our product candidates. We currently have underway a number of trials including our Phase 4 COBALT clinical outcomes confirmatory trial of OCA in PBC, our Phase 2 AESOP trial of OCA in PSC, our Phase 3 REGENERATE trial of OCA in NASH, our Phase 2 CARE trial of OCA in biliary atresia and our Phase 2 CONTROL trial to assess the lipid metabolic effects of OCA and the effects of concomitant statin administration in NASH patients. The results from these trials may not be available when we expect or we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials or preclinical studies not currently planned to receive approval for OCA as a treatment for the related indication. In addition, our clinical programs are subject to a number of variables and contingencies, such as the results of other trials, patient enrollments or regulatory interactions that may result in a change in timing. As such, we do not know whether any future trials or studies of our other product candidates will begin on time or will be completed on schedule, if at all.
The commencement, enrollment and completion of clinical trials can be delayed or suspended for a variety of reasons, including:
| inability to obtain sufficient funds required for a clinical trial or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial due to unforeseen costs or other business decisions; |
| inability to reach agreements on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites; |
| clinical holds, other regulatory objections to commencing or continuing a clinical trial or the inability to obtain regulatory approval to commence a clinical trial in countries that require such approvals; |
| discussions with the FDA or non-U.S. regulators regarding the scope or design of our clinical trials, which may occur at various times, including subsequent to the initiation of the clinical trial; |
| inability to identify and maintain a sufficient number of trial sites, many of which may already be engaged in other clinical trial programs, including some that may be for the same indications targeted by our product candidates; |
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| the delay in receiving results from or the failure to achieve the necessary results in other clinical trials; |
| inability to obtain approval from institutional review boards, or IRBs, to conduct a clinical trial at their respective sites; |
| severe or unexpected drug-related adverse effects experienced by patients or any determination that a clinical trial presents unacceptable health risks; |
| a breach of the terms of any agreement with, or for any other reason by, current or future collaborators that have responsibility for the clinical development of any of our product candidates, including Sumitomo Dainippon and Servier or investigators leading clinical trials on our product candidates; |
| inability to timely manufacture sufficient quantities of the product candidate required for a clinical trial; |
| difficulty recruiting and enrolling patients to participate in clinical trials for a variety of reasons, including meeting the enrollment criteria for our trial, the rarity of the disease or the characteristics of the population being studied, the risks of procedures that may be required as part of the trial, such as a liver biopsy, and competition from other clinical trial programs for the same indications as our product candidates; and |
| inability to retain enrolled patients after a clinical trial is underway. |
For example, our REGENERATE trial is a large and complex Phase 3 clinical trial in a disease without any approved therapies and involves serial liver biopsies. Based on the planned revisions to the protocol for REGENERATE, we have updated our guidance that we are aiming to complete enrollment of our interim analysis cohort by mid-2017. While we continuously evaluate and implement a variety of options to complete enrollment as quickly as possible, there can be no assurance that we will be able to enroll a sufficient number of patients or complete the interim analysis or the trial on a timely basis.
In addition, if we or any of our collaborators are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other preclinical studies of our product candidates beyond those contemplated, our ability to obtain regulatory approval of these product candidates and generate revenue from their sales would be similarly harmed.
Clinical failure can occur at any stage of our clinical development. Clinical trials may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we or our collaborators may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical trials or preclinical studies. In addition, data obtained from trials and studies are susceptible to varying interpretations, and regulators may not interpret our data as favorably as we do, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Success in preclinical studies and early clinical trials does not ensure that subsequent clinical trials will generate the same or similar results or otherwise provide adequate data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a product candidate. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including those with greater resources and experience than us, have suffered significant setbacks in Phase 3 clinical trials and at other stages of clinical development, even after seeing promising results in earlier clinical trials.
In addition, the design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a product and flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well-advanced. We may be unable to design and execute a clinical trial to support regulatory approval. Further, clinical trials of potential products often reveal that it is not practical or feasible to continue development efforts. If OCA or our other product candidates are found to be unsafe or lack efficacy for any indication, we will not be able to obtain regulatory approval for them, and our prospects and business may be materially and adversely affected.
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In some instances, there can be significant variability in safety and/or efficacy results between different trials of the same product candidate due to numerous factors, including changes or differences in trial protocols, differences in composition of the patient populations, adherence to the dosing regimen and other trial protocols and the rate of dropout among clinical trial participants. We do not know whether any Phase 2, Phase 3 or other clinical trials we or any of our collaborators may conduct will demonstrate consistent or adequate efficacy and safety to obtain regulatory approval to market our product candidates. If we are unable to bring any of our current or future product candidates to market, or to acquire any marketed, previously approved products, our ability to create long-term stockholder value will be limited.
Although Ocaliva has received accelerated approval in the United States and conditional approval in the European Union, its full approval depends on the results of post-marketing clinical trials, including the Phase 4 COBALT trial. We cannot assure you that these trials will demonstrate a correlation of biochemical therapeutic response in patients taking Ocaliva with a significant reduction in adverse clinical events over time.
In December 2014, we received comprehensive datasets from the FLINT trial, which met its primary endpoint with statistical significance. In October 2015, we announced that the Phase 2 dose ranging trial of OCA in the Sumitomo Dainippon Phase 2 trial did not meet its primary endpoint with statistical significance. In this trial, there was a dose dependent, although not statistically significant, increase in the percentage of OCA treated patients compared to placebo who achieved the primary endpoint (p=0.053). In addition, no difference was seen in fibrosis improvement in the OCA groups compared to placebo. The Phase 2 trial in NASH conducted in Japan by our collaborator Sumitomo Dainippon involved different doses of OCA being administered to the trial subjects than those utilized in FLINT. Furthermore, the baseline characteristics between the patients in the Japanese Phase 2 trial conducted by Sumitomo Dainippon were distinct in a number of ways from those of the Western patients included in FLINT. While our REGENERATE trial was designed based on the results of the FLINT trial and is anticipated to enroll a predominantly Western NASH patient population, the results of the FLINT trial may not be replicated in our REGENERATE trial. In addition, since the design of the REGENERATE trial deviates from that of the FLINT trial, there is an increased risk that the results of the REGENERATE trial would differ from the FLINT results. Even though OCA has been granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA, we do not know if one pivotal clinical trial will be sufficient for marketing approval or if regulators will agree to a surrogate endpoint for accelerated approval of OCA for the treatment of NASH. As a result, it may take longer than anticipated to initiate and complete the Phase 3 REGENERATE trial or our Phase 3 program in NASH for other patient subpopulations.
OCA has been shown to be a potent agonist of the farnesoid X receptor, or FXR. With the exception of the endogenous human bile acid chenodeoxycholic acid, or CDCA, and cholic acid, there are no approved FXR agonists and the adverse effects from long-term exposure to this drug class are unknown. Unforeseen side effects from any of our product candidates could arise either during clinical development or, if approved, after the approved product has been marketed.
The most common side effects observed in clinical trials of OCA in PBC were pruritus, or itching, fatigue, headaches, nausea, constipation and diarrhea. In our Phase 2 PBC clinical trial of OCA in combination with ursodiol, approximately 8% of the patients enrolled in the 10 mg and 25 mg dose groups withdrew from the trial due to severe pruritus. At the 50 mg dose, approximately 25% of the patients withdrew from the trial due to severe pruritus. In our POISE trial, pruritus, generally mild to moderate, was the most frequently reported adverse event associated with OCA treatment and was observed in 38% of patients on placebo, 70% of patients in the 10 mg OCA group and 56% of patients in the OCA titration group (5 mg to 10 mg). Eight patients discontinued due to pruritus, of whom none were in the placebo group, seven (10%) patients were in the 10 mg OCA group and one (1%) patient was in the OCA titration group. Pruritus also has been observed in other clinical trials of OCA. Decreases in HDL cholesterol were also observed during treatment in the POISE trial. In our Phase 2 trials for OCA in PBC, a dose-response relationship was observed for the occurrence of liver-related adverse reactions, including jaundice, ascites and primary biliary cholangitis flare with dosages of OCA of 10 mg once daily to 50 mg once daily (up to 5-times the highest
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recommended dosage), as early as one month after starting treatment with OCA. The European label for Ocaliva also notes that elevations in alanine amino transferase and aspartate aminotransferase were observed in patients treated with OCA.
Ocaliva is contraindicated for patients with complete biliary obstruction in the United States and the European Union. For patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment, who represent approximately 3% of PBC patients, the U.S. label for Ocaliva in PBC includes an adjustment in the dosing regimen and the EU label recommends an adjusted dosing regimen due to potential exposure levels in this population. For patients with HDL reductions and no response to Ocaliva after one year at the maximum tolerated dose, the U.S. label asks prescribing physicians to weigh the risks against the benefits of continuing treatment.
Based on information in the manuscript for the FLINT trial published in November 2014, pruritus occurred more frequently in the OCA treatment group than in the placebo treatment group (23% vs. 6%, p < 0.001) and at a higher grade (predominately moderate pruritus), but resulted in only one patient discontinuation in the OCA treatment group. In the FLINT trial, OCA treatment was associated with changes in serum lipid levels, including increases in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and a decrease in HDL cholesterol, that were observed within 12 weeks of initiating treatment, peaked and then decreased in magnitude while on treatment, and reversed further during the 24-week post-treatment period. As previously disclosed, these changes in cholesterol levels, along with achieving the pre-defined efficacy criteria, played a role in the decision of the FLINT data and safety monitoring board to terminate the treatment phase of FLINT, and the publication of the FLINT results has noted the need for further study of these changes. In December 2015, we initiated CONTROL, a Phase 2 trial characterizing the lipid metabolic effects of OCA and cholesterol management effects of concomitant statin administration in NASH patients. We completed enrollment of the targeted number of patients for our CONTROL trial in October 2016. There were two patient deaths in the FLINT trial, and neither death was considered related to OCA treatment.
Additional or unforeseen side effects from OCA or any of our other product candidates could arise either during clinical development or, if approved, after the approved product has been marketed. With the approval of Ocaliva in PBC, OCA will be used in an environment that is less rigorously controlled than in clinical studies. If new side effects are found, if known side effects are shown to be more severe than previously observed or if OCA is shown to have other unexpected characteristics, we may need to abandon our development of OCA for NASH, PSC, biliary atresia and other potential indications. Furthermore, our commercial efforts for Ocaliva in PBC may be materially and adversely affected.
The range and potential severity of possible side effects from systemic therapies is significant. The results of future clinical trials may show that our product candidates cause undesirable or unacceptable side effects, which could interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials, and result in delay of, or failure to obtain, marketing approval from the FDA and other regulatory authorities, or result in marketing approval from the FDA and other regulatory authorities with restrictive label warnings.
In addition, our drug candidates are being developed as potential treatments for severe, life threatening diseases and, as a result, our trials will necessarily be conducted in a patient population that will be more prone than the general population to exhibit certain disease states or adverse events. It is also possible that patients receiving treatment from OCA or our drug candidates for the labeled indication may suffer from other concomitant illnesses that may increase the likelihood of certain adverse events. It may be difficult to discern whether certain events or symptoms observed during our trials were due to our drug candidates or placebo, resulting in our company and our development programs being negatively affected even if such events or symptoms are ultimately determined to be unlikely related to our drug candidates. We further cannot assure you that additional or more severe adverse side effects with respect to OCA will not develop in future clinical trials, which could delay or preclude regulatory approval of OCA or limit its commercial use.
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If any of our product candidates receives marketing approval and we or others later identify undesirable or unacceptable side effects caused by such products:
| regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, specific warnings, a contraindication or field alerts to physicians and pharmacies; |
| we may be required to change instructions regarding the way the product is administered, conduct additional clinical trials or change the labeling of the product; |
| we may be subject to limitations on how we may promote the product; |
| sales of the product may decrease significantly; |
| regulatory authorities may require us to take our approved product off the market; |
| we may be subject to litigation or product liability claims; and |
| our reputation may suffer. |
If a drug is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development, the FDA may grant a breakthrough therapy designation. Breakthrough therapy designation is intended to facilitate the development, and expedite the review of such drugs, but the breakthrough therapy designation does not assure any such qualification or ultimate marketing approval by the FDA.
In January 2015, we received breakthrough therapy designation for OCA in the treatment of NASH patients with fibrosis. However, there is no guarantee that the receipt of breakthrough therapy designation will result in a faster development process, review or approval for OCA in fibrotic NASH patients or increase the likelihood that OCA will be granted marketing approval for fibrotic NASH patients. Likewise, any future breakthrough therapy designation for any other potential indication of OCA neither guarantees a faster development process, review or approval nor improves the likelihood of the grant of marketing approval by FDA for any such potential indication of OCA compared to drugs considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures. In addition, the FDA may withdraw any breakthrough therapy designation at any time. We may seek a breakthrough therapy designation for other of our product candidates, but the FDA may not grant this status to any of our proposed product candidates.
Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States and Europe, may designate drugs and biologics for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is a drug or biologic intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals annually in the United States.
Generally, if a product with an orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, which precludes the EMA or the FDA from approving another marketing application for the same product for that time period. The applicable period is seven years in the United States and ten years in Europe. The European exclusivity period can be reduced to six years if a product no longer meets the criteria for orphan drug designation or if the product is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified.
Orphan drug exclusivity may be lost if the FDA or EMA determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition. In addition, it is possible that orphan marketing exclusivity attaching to the marketing authorization will be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year
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following the receipt of marketing authorization, the EMA and the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products determine that the product does not satisfy the requisite criteria including demonstration of significant clinical benefit (having regard to requirements set out in the applicable EU regulations and guidance) where it is shown based on the available evidence that the product is sufficiently profitable to justify not to maintain the marketing exclusivity.
The failure to maintain orphan status may impact our ability to receive a premium price for OCA or our other products and may subject us to mandatory price discounts in Europe. In addition, our ability to launch in Europe may be delayed and we may lose other benefits such as tax exemptions for sales. As such, the loss of orphan drug status may have a negative effect on our ability to successfully commercialize our products, earn revenues and achieve profitability.
Even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different products can be approved for the same condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA and EMA can subsequently approve the later product for the same condition if the FDA concludes that the later product is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care.
We do not intend to manufacture the pharmaceutical products that we plan to sell. We currently have agreements with a contract manufacturer for the production of the active pharmaceutical ingredients and the formulation of sufficient quantities of drug product for commercial sales and for our clinical trials and preclinical studies that we plan to conduct prior to and after seeking regulatory approval. If our contract manufacturer should cease to provide services to us for any reason, we likely would experience delays in advancing our clinical trials while we identify and qualify one or more replacement suppliers and we may be unable to obtain replacement supplies on terms that are favorable to us.
We currently have a long-term supply agreement with PharmaZell GMBH for the manufacture of commercial supply for Ocaliva. While we have procured sufficient supplies for the commercial launch of Ocaliva in PBC, we may not be able to procure sufficient supplies of Ocaliva on a continued basis. We are also seeking to qualify one or more back-up suppliers for our active ingredients; however, we may not be able to enter into additional long-term commercial supply agreements for OCA with other third-party manufacturers. We do not have agreements for long-term supplies of any of our other product candidates. We currently obtain these supplies and services from our third-party contract manufacturers on a purchase order basis.
Additionally, the facilities used by any contract manufacturer to manufacture OCA or any of our other product candidates must be the subject of a satisfactory inspection before the FDA or the regulators in other jurisdictions approve the product candidate manufactured at that facility. We are completely dependent on these third-party manufacturers for compliance with the requirements of U.S. and non-U.S. regulators for the manufacture of our finished products. If our manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conform to our specifications and current good manufacturing practice requirements of any governmental agency whose jurisdiction to which we are subject, our product candidates will not be approved or, if already approved, may be subject to recalls.
Reliance on third-party manufacturers entails risks to which we would not be subject if we manufactured the product candidates, including:
| the possibility that we are unable to enter into or renew a manufacturing agreement with a third party to manufacture OCA or our product candidates; |
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| the possible breach of the manufacturing agreements by the third parties because of factors beyond our control; and |
| the possibility of termination or nonrenewal of the agreements by the third parties before we are able to arrange for a qualified replacement third-party manufacturer. |
Any of these factors could cause the delay of approval or disruption of commercialization of our product candidates, cause us to incur higher costs, prevent us from commercializing our product candidates successfully or disrupt the supply of our products after commercial launch. Furthermore, if any of our product candidates are approved and contract manufacturers fail to deliver the required commercial quantities of finished product on a timely basis and at commercially reasonable prices and we are unable to find one or more replacement manufacturers capable of production at a substantially equivalent cost, in substantially equivalent volumes and quality and on a timely basis, we would likely be unable to meet demand for our products and could lose potential revenue. It may take several years to establish an alternative source of supply for our product candidates and to have any such new source approved by the government agencies that regulate our products.
Our product candidates, if approved, will also be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements for labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, record-keeping and submission of safety and other post-market information. In addition, approved products, manufacturers and manufacturers facilities are required to comply with extensive FDA and EMA requirements and requirements of other similar agencies, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMPs. As such, we and our contract manufacturers are subject to continual review and periodic inspections to assess compliance with cGMPs. Accordingly, we and others with whom we work must continue to expend time, money and effort in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production and quality control. We will also be required to report certain adverse reactions and production problems, if any, to the FDA and EMA and other similar agencies and to comply with certain requirements concerning advertising and promotion for our products. Promotional communications with respect to prescription drugs are subject to a variety of legal and regulatory restrictions and must be consistent with the information in the products approved label. Accordingly, we may not promote our approved products such as Ocaliva for indications or uses for which they are not approved.
If a regulatory agency discovers previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the product is manufactured, or disagrees with the promotion, marketing or labeling of a product, it may impose restrictions on that product or us, including requiring withdrawal of the product from the market. If our product candidates fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency may:
| issue warning letters; |
| mandate modifications to promotional materials or require us to provide corrective information to healthcare practitioners; |
| require us or our collaborators to enter into a consent decree or permanent injunction, which can include imposition of various fines, reimbursements for inspection costs, required due dates for specific actions and penalties for noncompliance; |
| impose other administrative or judicial civil or criminal penalties; |
| withdraw regulatory approval; |
| refuse to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us, Sumitomo Dainippon, Servier or our potential future collaborators; |
| impose restrictions on operations, including costly new manufacturing requirements; or |
| seize or detain products. |
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Market acceptance and sales of any products or product candidates that we develop will depend on reimbursement policies and may be affected by future healthcare reform measures. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which drugs they will cover and establish payment levels. We cannot be certain that reimbursement will be available for Ocaliva or any other products and product candidates that we develop. Also, reimbursement policies could reduce the demand for, or the price paid for, our products. If reimbursement is not available or is available on a limited basis, we may not be able to successfully commercialize Ocaliva or any other products or product candidates that we develop.
In the United States, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, or MMA, changed the way Medicare covers and pays for pharmaceutical products. The legislation established Medicare Part D, which expanded Medicare coverage for outpatient prescription drug purchases by the elderly but provided authority for limiting the number of drugs that will be covered in any therapeutic class. The MMA also introduced a new reimbursement methodology based on average sales prices for physician-administered drugs. Any negotiated prices for our products covered by a Part D prescription drug plan will likely be lower than the prices we might otherwise obtain. Moreover, while the MMA applies only to drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, private payors often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own payment rates. Any reduction in payment that results from the MMA may result in a similar reduction in payments from non-governmental payors.
In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, or collectively, ACA, became law in the United States. The goal of ACA is to reduce the cost of health care and substantially change the way health care is financed by both governmental and private insurers. The ACA requires discounts under the Medicare drug benefit program and increased the rebates paid by pharmaceutical companies on drugs covered by Medicaid. The ACA also imposes an annual fee, which increases annually, on sales by branded pharmaceutical manufacturers. Following the November 2016 U.S. elections and the inauguration of the President, uncertainty exists about the future of the coverage expansion provided by the ACA; the President and congressional leaders have expressed interest in repealing these ACA provisions and replacing them with alternatives that may be less costly and provide state Medicaid programs and private health plans more flexibility. It is possible that these repeal and replacement initiatives, if enacted into law, could ultimately result in fewer individuals having health insurance coverage and/or in individuals having insurance coverage with less generous benefits. The scope of potential future legislation to repeal and replace ACA provisions is highly uncertain in many respects, and it is possible that some of the ACA provisions that generally hurt the research-based pharmaceutical industry could also be repealed along with Affordable Care Act coverage expansion provisions; however, at this time the coverage expansion provisions of the ACA appear most likely to be repealed and replaced.
In addition, third-party payors attempt to contain health care costs by demanding price discounts or rebates and limiting both the types and variety of drugs that they will cover and the amounts that they will pay for drugs. As a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our products. We might need to conduct post-marketing studies in order to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of our products or any other future products to such payors satisfaction. Such studies might require us to commit a significant amount of managements time and our financial and other resources. Our products might not ultimately be considered cost-effective. Adequate third-party reimbursement might not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development. The market for a drug will depend significantly on access to third-party payors drug formularies, or lists of medications for which third-party payors provide coverage and reimbursement. Third-party payors may refuse to include a particular branded drug in their formularies or otherwise restrict patient access to a branded drug when a less costly generic equivalent or other alternative is available, even if not approved for the indication for which the branded drug is approved. In addition, due to there being no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement in
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the United States among commercial payors, coverage and reimbursement for pharmaceutical products may differ significantly from payor to payor.
We recently commenced the launch of Ocaliva for PBC in the United States. We do not know if the price we have selected for Ocaliva will receive broad acceptance from third-party payors. The coverage determination process may be a time-consuming and costly process that requires us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of Ocaliva in PBC to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage will be obtained. If we are unable to obtain adequate coverage of Ocaliva from third-party payors, the adoption of Ocaliva by physicians and patients as a treatment for PBC may be limited. This in turn could affect our ability to successfully commercialize Ocaliva and adversely impact our profitability, results of operations, financial condition and future success.
Reimbursement in the European Union and many other territories must be negotiated on a country-by-country basis and in many countries the product cannot be commercially launched until reimbursement is approved. The timing to complete the negotiation process in each country is highly uncertain, and in some countries we expect that it may exceed 24 months. Even after a price is negotiated, countries frequently request or require adjustments to the price and other concessions over time or require approvals regionally. Reimbursement agencies in Europe are often more conservative than those in the United States and the reimbursement process is often slower since reimbursement decisions are made on a country-by-country basis. Prices for drugs in Europe generally decrease over time.
The United States and several other jurisdictions are considering, or have already enacted, a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that could affect our ability to sell our products profitably. Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access to healthcare. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives. We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of OCA and any other products that we develop, due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations and additional legislative proposals. Pricing pressures recently experienced by the pharmaceutical industry may be further exacerbated by legislative and policy changes under consideration by the Trump administration.
The commercial success of Ocaliva or our other products or product candidates that we develop, if approved, will depend upon their acceptance among the medical community, including physicians, healthcare payors and patients. In order for Ocaliva to be commercially successful in PBC, we will need to demonstrate its utility as a treatment for patients who have an inadequate response to or who are unable to tolerate ursodiol, referred to as second line treatment, and show that it is more effective than any other alternatives that may be developed as a second line treatment for PBC, particularly given the much higher price that we charge for Ocaliva compared to the price of generically available ursodiol. Ocaliva also most be shown to be a safe and tolerable treatment in a commercial use setting as it is intended to be a lifetime therapy for patients eligible for treatment. In NASH and PSC, since there are currently no approved therapies, we do not know the degree to which OCA will be accepted as a therapy, even if approved.
The degree of market acceptance of our product candidates will depend on a number of factors, including:
| limitations or warnings contained in our product candidates FDA or EMA-approved labeling; |
| changes in the standard of care or availability of alternative therapies at similar or lower costs for the targeted indications for any of our product candidates, such as ursodiol for the treatment of PBC; |
| limitations in the approved clinical indications for our product candidates; |
| demonstrated clinical safety and efficacy compared to other products; |
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| lack of significant adverse side effects; |
| sales, marketing and distribution support; |
| availability of reimbursement from managed care plans and other third-party payors; |
| timing of market introduction and perceived effectiveness of competitive products; |
| the degree of cost-effectiveness; |
| availability of alternative therapies at similar or lower cost, including generics and over-the-counter products; |
| the extent to which our product candidates are approved for inclusion on formularies of hospitals and managed care organizations; |
| whether our product candidates are designated under physician treatment guidelines for the treatment of the indications for which we have received regulatory approval; |
| adverse publicity about our product candidates or favorable publicity about competitive products; |
| convenience and ease of administration of our product candidates; and |
| potential product liability claims. |
In addition, the potential market opportunity for our products and product candidates is difficult to precisely estimate. While ursodiol is the established standard of care for PBC, a majority of patients while on therapy remain at ALP levels above the upper limit of normal, or ULN. According to our analysis of industry data in PBC, approximately 65% of patients treated with ursodiol experience elevated ALP levels, with approximately 35% of patients experiencing ALP levels greater than 1.67 times ULN. In addition, a small minority of PBC patients (estimated at approximately 3% of patients) are intolerant to ursodiol therapy. Our estimates of the potential market opportunity for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC include a number of key assumptions related to prevalence rates, patients access to healthcare, diagnosis rates and patients response to or tolerance of OCA, which are based on available literature and epidemiology research in PBC, our industry knowledge gained through market research and other methods, industry publications, third-party research reports and other surveys. While we believe that our internal assumptions are reasonable, no independent source has verified such assumptions. If any of these assumptions prove to be inaccurate, then the actual market for Ocaliva in PBC could be smaller than our estimates of our potential market opportunity. If the actual market opportunity for Ocaliva or our product candidates is smaller than we expect, our product revenue may be limited.
If our product candidates are approved, but do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians, patients, the medical community and healthcare payors, sufficient revenue may not be generated from these products and we may not become or remain profitable. In addition, efforts to educate the medical community and third-party payors on the benefits of our product candidates may require significant resources and may never be successful.
We have limited sales, marketing or distribution experience as a commercial organization. The commercial launch of Ocaliva for PBC represents our first product launch. We also plan to commercialize Ocaliva for PBC in certain other countries outside of the United States and Europe ourselves with a targeted sales force if we receive marketing approval. We may utilize the services of third-party collaborators in certain other jurisdictions. We have not yet decided on our commercialization strategy for OCA in other indications and for our other product candidates. To develop internal sales, distribution and marketing capabilities, we have invested and expect to continue to invest significant additional amounts of financial and management resources.
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Recruiting and training a commercial organization is expensive and time consuming and could delay any product launch. If the commercial launch of a product candidate for which we recruit a sales force and establish marketing and distribution capabilities is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. This may be costly, and our investment could be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales and marketing personnel.
For product candidates where we decide to perform sales, marketing and distribution functions ourselves or through third parties, we could face a number of additional risks, including:
| we or our third-party sales collaborators may not be able to attract and build, or retain an effective marketing or sales force; |
| the cost of securing or establishing a marketing or sales force may exceed the revenues generated by any products; and |
| our direct sales and marketing efforts may not be successful. |
We have a collaboration with Sumitomo Dainippon for the development and commercialization of OCA in Japan, China, South Korea and potentially other Asian countries, if approved, and a collaboration with Servier to assist in the development and commercialization of certain of our earlier stage agonists of a dedicated bile acid receptor called TGR5 outside of the United States and Japan, if approved, and may elect to seek additional strategic collaborators for our product candidates. We may have limited or no control over the sales, marketing and distribution activities of these third parties. Our future revenues may depend heavily on the success of the efforts of these third parties.
In addition to FDA restrictions on marketing of pharmaceutical products, several other types of state and federal healthcare laws, commonly referred to as fraud and abuse laws, have been applied in recent years to restrict certain marketing practices in the pharmaceutical industry. Other jurisdictions such as Europe have similar laws and are enacting more stringent regulations. These laws include false claims and anti-kickback statutes. If we market our products and our products are paid for by governmental programs, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of these laws.
Federal false claims laws prohibit any person from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to the federal government or knowingly making, or causing to be made, a false statement to get a false claim paid. The federal healthcare program anti-kickback statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce, or in return for, purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for the purchase, lease or order of any healthcare item or service covered by Medicare, Medicaid or other federally financed healthcare programs. This statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand and prescribers, purchasers or formulary managers on the other. Although there are several statutory exemptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting certain common activities from prosecution, the exemptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly, and practices that involve remuneration intended to induce prescribing, purchasing or recommending may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exemption or safe harbor. Most states also have statutes or regulations similar to the federal anti-kickback law and federal false claims laws, which apply to items and services covered by Medicaid and other state programs, or, in several states, apply regardless of the payor. Administrative, civil and criminal sanctions may be imposed under these federal and state laws.
Over the past few years, a number of pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for a variety of promotional and marketing activities, such as: providing free trips, free goods, sham consulting fees and grants and other monetary benefits to prescribers; reporting inflated average wholesale prices that were then used by federal programs to set reimbursement rates; engaging in off-label promotion; and submitting inflated best price information to the Medicaid Rebate Program to reduce liability for Medicaid rebates.
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Physicians are permitted to prescribe drug products for uses that are not described in the products labeling and that differ from those approved by the FDA or other applicable regulatory agencies. Off-label uses are common across medical specialties. Although the FDA and other regulatory agencies do not regulate a physicians choice of treatments, the FDA and other regulatory agencies do restrict communications on the subject of off-label use. Companies are not permitted to promote drugs for off-label uses. Accordingly, we may not promote Ocaliva in the United States for use in any indications other than for the treatment of patients with PBC in combination with ursodiol in adults with an inadequate response to ursodiol or as monotherapy in adults unable to tolerate ursodiol. The FDA and other regulatory and enforcement authorities actively enforce laws and regulations prohibiting promotion of off-label uses and the promotion of products for which marketing approval has not been obtained. A company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses will be subject to significant liability, including civil and administrative remedies as well as criminal sanctions. A significant number of pharmaceutical companies have been the target of inquiries and investigations by various governmental authorities in the United States and abroad.
Notwithstanding the regulatory restrictions on off-label promotion, the FDA and other regulatory authorities allow companies to engage in truthful, non-misleading, and non-promotional scientific exchange concerning their products. We intend to continue engaging in medical education activities and communicate with healthcare providers in compliance with all applicable laws, regulatory guidance and industry best practices.
While we have implemented a corporate compliance program based on what we believe are the current best practices, we cannot provide any assurance that governmental authorities will find that our business practices comply with current or future administrative or judicial interpretations of potentially applicable laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with any of these laws and regulations, we could be subject to a range of regulatory actions, including suspension or termination of clinical trials, the failure to approve a product candidate, restrictions on our products or manufacturing processes, withdrawal of Ocaliva or other products from the market, significant fines, disqualification or debarment from participation in federally-funded healthcare programs or other sanctions or litigation, any of which events may have a significant adverse impact on our business.
We currently have strategic collaborations in place relating to certain of our product candidates. We entered into an exclusive license agreement with Sumitomo Dainippon regarding the development and commercialization of Ocaliva for PBC and OCA for NASH in Japan, China and South Korea and provided Sumitomo Dainippon with an option to extend its exclusive license to different indications as well as certain other Asian countries. We entered into a strategic collaboration with Servier initially focused on the identification and optimization of novel TGR5 agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and other associated disorders. Although our licensing and collaboration agreement with Servier expired in September 2015, we have continued our collaborative relationship with Servier while we negotiate a new agreement. These strategic collaborations may not be scientifically or commercially successful due to a number of important factors, including the following:
| Sumitomo Dainippon and Servier have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that each will apply to their strategic collaboration with us. The timing and amount of any cash payments, milestones and royalties that we may receive under such agreements will depend on, among other things, the efforts, allocation of resources and successful development and commercialization of our product candidates by Sumitomo Dainippon and Servier under their respective agreements; |
| Our agreement with Servier provides it with wide discretion in deciding which novel compounds to advance through the preclinical and clinical development process. It is possible for Servier to reject certain compounds at any point in the research, development and clinical trial process without triggering a termination of their agreement with us; |
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| Our agreement with Sumitomo Dainippon restricts it from developing or commercializing any FXR agonist to treat PBC or NASH during the term of the agreement other than pursuant to the Sumitomo Dainippon agreement and our agreement with Servier restricts it from developing or commercializing any TGR5 receptor agonist during the term of the agreement other than pursuant to the Servier agreement. Subject to these restrictions, it is possible that Sumitomo Dainippon or Servier may develop and commercialize, either alone or with others, or be acquired by a company that has, products that are similar to or competitive with the product candidates that they license from us; |
| Sumitomo Dainippon or Servier may change the focus of their development and commercialization efforts or pursue higher-priority programs; |
| Sumitomo Dainippon or Servier may, under specified circumstances, terminate their strategic collaborations with us on short notice and for circumstances outside of our control, which could make it difficult for us to attract new strategic collaborators or adversely affect how we are perceived in the scientific and financial communities; |
| Sumitomo Dainippon and Servier have, under certain circumstances, the right to maintain or defend our intellectual property rights licensed to them in their territories, and, although we may have the right to assume the maintenance and defense of our intellectual property rights if our strategic collaborators do not, our ability to do so may be compromised by our strategic collaborators acts or omissions; |
| Sumitomo Dainippon or Servier may utilize our intellectual property rights in such a way as to invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property rights or expose us to potential liability; and |
| Sumitomo Dainippon or Servier may not comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, or fail to report safety data in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements. |
If either Sumitomo Dainippon or Servier fails to develop or effectively commercialize OCA or any TGR5 compounds, respectively, we may not be able to replace them with another collaborator. For example, although Sumitomo Dainippon has informed us that it is exploring the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial for OCA in NASH patients intended to support the registration of this indication in Japan, Sumitomo Dainippon may ultimately decide not to pursue such a trial or cease continuing development despite commencing the trial. We may also be unable to obtain, on terms acceptable to us, a license from such strategic collaborator to any of its intellectual property that may be necessary or useful for us to continue to develop and commercialize a product candidate. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and our ability to achieve future profitability, and could cause our stock price to decline.
Because developing pharmaceutical products, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approval, expanding manufacturing capabilities and marketing approved products are expensive, we have entered into, and may seek to enter into, collaborations with companies that have more experience and resources than we have. For example, we have entered into collaborations with Sumitomo Dainippon for OCA and Servier for our earlier stage TGR5 program. We may establish additional collaborations for development and commercialization of OCA in territories outside of those licensed by Sumitomo Dainippon or for our earlier stage TGR5 program in the United States or Japan and for other product candidates and research programs, including INT-767 and INT-777. Additionally, if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, we may enter into sales and marketing arrangements with third parties with respect to our unlicensed territories. If we are unable to maintain our existing arrangements or enter into any new such arrangements on acceptable terms, if at all, we may be unable to effectively market and sell our products in our target markets. We expect to face competition in seeking appropriate collaborators. Moreover, collaboration arrangements are complex and time consuming to negotiate, document and implement and they may require substantial
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resources to maintain. We may not be successful in our efforts to establish and implement collaborations or other alternative arrangements for the development of our product candidates.
When we collaborate with a third party for development and commercialization of a product candidate, we can expect to relinquish some or all of the control over the future success of that product candidate to the third party. For example, Sumitomo Dainippon has the exclusive rights to OCA in Japan, China and South Korea and a right of first refusal to license OCA in several other Asian countries. Our collaboration partner may not devote sufficient resources to the commercialization of our product candidates or may otherwise fail in their commercialization. The terms of any collaboration or other arrangement that we establish may not be favorable to us. In addition, any collaboration that we enter into, including our collaborations with Sumitomo Dainippon and Servier, may be unsuccessful in the development and commercialization of our product candidates. In some cases, we may be responsible for continuing preclinical and initial clinical development of a product candidate or research program under a collaboration arrangement, and the payment we receive from our collaboration partner may be insufficient to cover the cost of this development. If we are unable to reach agreements with suitable collaborators for our product candidates, we would face increased costs, we may be forced to limit the number of our product candidates we can commercially develop or the territories in which we commercialize them and we might fail to commercialize products or programs for which a suitable collaborator cannot be found. If we fail to achieve successful collaborations, our operating results and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.
To date, we have focused the majority of our development efforts on the development of OCA for the second line treatment of PBC. Among our other product candidates, only INT-767 is currently in clinical development. One of our strategies is to pursue clinical development of OCA in NASH and other progressive non-viral liver diseases, to the extent that we have sufficient funding.
PBC is an orphan disease. Since Ocaliva is indicated for use in PBC in combination with ursodiol in adults with an inadequate response to ursodiol or as monotherapy in adults unable to tolerate ursodiol, the market size is expected to be limited. Furthermore, because a significant proportion of PBC patients do not exhibit any symptoms at the time of diagnosis, PBC may be left undiagnosed for a significant period of time. Due to these factors, our ability to grow revenues will be dependent on our ability to successfully develop and commercialize OCA for the treatment of additional indications. In particular, we believe that our future success will depend in large part on the results of our development of OCA for the treatment of NASH. Although NASH is believed to be one of the most prevalent chronic liver diseases worldwide, NASH may be left undiagnosed for a long time and a definitive diagnosis of NASH is currently based on a histological assessment of a liver biopsy, which impacts the ability to easily identify patients. Furthermore, even if we are successful in developing and obtaining marketing approval of OCA for the treatment of NASH, we may not be able to commercialize OCA successfully.
The completion of development, securing of approval and commercialization of OCA for additional indications will require substantial additional funding and is prone to the risks of failure inherent in drug development. We cannot provide you any assurance that we will be able to successfully advance any of these indications through the development process. Even if we receive FDA or EMA approval to market OCA for the treatment of any of these additional indications, we cannot assure you that any such additional indications will be successfully commercialized, widely accepted in the marketplace or more effective than other commercially available alternatives. If we are unable to successfully develop and commercialize OCA for these additional indications, our commercial opportunity will be limited and our business prospects will suffer.
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The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are intensely competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change. We have competitors in the United States, Europe and other jurisdictions, including major multinational pharmaceutical companies, established biotechnology companies, specialty pharmaceutical and generic drug companies and universities and other research institutions. Many of our competitors have greater financial and other resources, such as larger research and development staff and more experienced marketing and manufacturing organizations. Large pharmaceutical companies, in particular, have extensive experience in clinical testing, obtaining regulatory approvals, recruiting patients and manufacturing pharmaceutical products. These companies also have significantly greater research, sales and marketing capabilities and collaborative arrangements in our target markets with leading companies and research institutions. Established pharmaceutical companies may also invest heavily to accelerate discovery and development of novel compounds or to in-license novel compounds that could make the product candidates that we develop obsolete. As a result of all of these factors, our competitors may succeed in obtaining patent protection and/or FDA or EMA approval or discovering, developing and commercializing drugs for the diseases that we are targeting before we do. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large, established companies.
Some of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies we expect to compete with include Allergan Plc, AstraZeneca plc, Biotie Therapies Corp. (acquired by Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.), Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cymabay Therapeutics, Inc., Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH, Durect Corporation, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., ENYO Pharma SAS, FibroGen, Inc., FF Pharmaceuticals BV, Galectin Therapeutics Inc., Galmed Medical Research Ltd., Genfit SA, Gilead Sciences, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, Immuron Ltd., Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Islet Sciences, Inc., Medivation, Inc., Metacrine, Inc., MiNA Therapeutics, NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Novartis International AG, Novo Nordisk A/S, NuSirt Biopharma, Inc., Protalix Biotherapeutics, Shire plc, Viking Therapeutics, Inc. and Zydus Pharmaceuticals Inc. An investigator-sponsored Phase 3 trial of bezafibrate, a fibrate that has not been approved for commercialization by the FDA and is only available outside of the United States, is ongoing for the treatment of PBC. Genfit SA has an ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of GFT505, a dual PPAR alpha/delta agonist, in NASH. Genfit is also studying GFT505 for the treatment of PBC. Gilead Sciences, Inc. is conducting multiple Phase 3 clinical trials in NASH patients of various disease severity with selonsertib, an inhibitor of the apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1. Gilead Sciences, Inc. is also exploring additional studies in NASH for GS-0976, a small molecule allosteric inhibitor that acts at the protein-protein homodimer interface of acetyl-CoA carboxylases acquired from Nimbus Therapeutics, LLC, and an FXR agonist known as GS-9674. Gilead Sciences, Inc. is also studying a number of compounds in other liver diseases including PBC and PSC. A number of other companies have trials in PBC, NASH and other liver diseases we are targeting.
In addition, many universities and private and public research institutes may become active in our target disease areas. The results from our POISE and FLINT trials and the approval of Ocaliva in the United States and the European Union for PBC have brought more attention to our targeted indications and bile acid chemistry. As a result, we believe that additional companies and organizations may seek to compete with us in the future. Our competitors may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing on an exclusive basis, technologies and drug products that are more effective or less costly than OCA or any other product candidates that we are currently developing or that we may develop, which could render our products obsolete and noncompetitive.
Off-label uses of other potential treatments may limit the commercial potential of our product candidates, especially given the anticipated pricing for our product candidates. For example, while fibrates are not approved for use in PBC, off-label use of fibrate drugs has been reported, though many fibrates are specifically contraindicated for use in PBC due to potential concerns over acute and long-term safety in this patient population. In NASH, a number of treatments, including vitamin E (an antioxidant), insulin sensitizers (such as metformin), antihyperlipidemic agents (such as gemfibrozil), pentoxifylline and ursodiol, are used off-label. Although none of these treatments have been clearly shown in clinical trials to alter the course of the disease, in a previous study conducted by the NASH Clinical Research Network, similar improvements to
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those observed with OCA in the FLINT trial in certain histological measures of NASH were reported with vitamin E and pioglitazone. Various other treatments, both approved and unapproved, have been used in the other indications we are targeting.
We believe that our ability to successfully compete will depend on, among other things:
| the results of our and our strategic collaborators clinical trials and preclinical studies; |
| our ability to recruit and enroll patients for our clinical trials; |
| the efficacy, safety and reliability of Ocaliva and our other product candidates; |
| the speed at which we develop our product candidates; |
| our ability to design and successfully execute appropriate clinical trials; |
| our ability to maintain a good relationship with regulatory authorities; |
| the timing and scope of regulatory approvals, if any; |
| our ability to commercialize and market any of our product candidates that receive regulatory approval; |
| the price of our products; |
| adequate levels of reimbursement under private and governmental health insurance plans, including Medicare; |
| our ability to protect intellectual property rights related to our products; |
| our ability to manufacture and sell commercial quantities of any approved products to the market; and |
| acceptance of our product candidates by physicians and other health care providers. |
If our competitors market products that are more effective, safer or less expensive than our future products, if any, or that reach the market sooner than our future products, if any, we may not achieve commercial success. In addition, the biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by rapid technological change. Because our research approach integrates many technologies, it may be difficult for us to stay abreast of the rapid changes in each technology. If we fail to stay at the forefront of technological change, we may be unable to compete effectively. Technological advances or products developed by our competitors may render our technologies or product candidates obsolete, less competitive or not economical.
We outsource and plan to continue to outsource substantial portions of our operations to third-party service providers, including the conduct of preclinical studies and clinical trials, collection and analysis of data and manufacturing. Although we are currently commercializing Ocaliva using our internal commercial organization, we will likely use the services of third-party vendors in relation to our future commercialization activities, including product sales, marketing and distribution. Our agreements with third-party service providers are on a study-by-study and/or project-by-project basis. Typically, we may terminate the agreements with notice and are responsible for the suppliers previously incurred costs. In addition, a number of third-party service providers that we retain will be subject to the FDAs and EMAs regulatory requirements and similar standards outside of the United States and Europe and we do not have control over compliance with these regulations by these providers. Consequently, if these providers do not adhere to applicable governing practices and standards, the development and commercialization of Ocaliva and our other product candidates could be delayed or stopped, which could severely harm our business and financial condition.
Because we have relied on third parties, our internal capacity to perform these functions is limited to management oversight. Outsourcing these functions involves the risk that third parties may not perform to our standards, may not produce results in a timely manner or may fail to perform at all. Several years ago, we experienced difficulties with a third-party contract manufacturer for OCA, including delays in receiving
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adequate clinical trial supplies as requested within the requested time periods. We subsequently replaced this manufacturer with other third-party contract manufacturers for OCA. It is possible that we could experience similar difficulties in the future. In addition, the use of third-party service providers requires us to disclose our proprietary information to these parties, which could increase the risk that this information will be misappropriated. There are a limited number of third-party service providers that specialize or have the expertise required to achieve our business objectives. Identifying, qualifying and managing performance of third-party service providers can be difficult, time consuming and cause delays in our development programs. Despite our recent growth, we currently have a small number of employees, which limits the internal resources we have available to identify and monitor third-party service providers. To the extent we are unable to identify, retain and successfully manage the performance of third-party service providers in the future, our business may be adversely affected. We may further be subject to the imposition of civil or criminal penalties if their conduct of clinical trials violates applicable law.
Our third-party service providers generally are not prohibited from providing their services to other biopharmaceutical companies, including companies that currently or may in the future compete with us. For example, certain of our third-party service providers and consultants may be able to develop intellectual property to which we are not entitled under our agreements which may eventually be used to develop products that compete with our products. Although we generally have confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements in place with our third-party service providers and consultants, such third parties may be able to provide services to other companies without violating the terms of our agreements. In addition, although we may seek to enter into non-compete arrangements with our key third-party service providers, such arrangements are difficult to negotiate and we may be unable to successfully enter into such arrangements.
We have a wholly-owned subsidiary in the United Kingdom which serves as our headquarters for our international operations. We also currently have an Italian subsidiary that acts as our legal representative for our clinical trials in the European Union to satisfy European Union regulatory requirements. We have also formed a number of other wholly-owned subsidiaries in Europe and Canada in preparation for the anticipated commercial launch of Ocaliva in PBC in those jurisdictions. Although we are currently commercializing Ocaliva using our internal commercial organization, we will likely use the services of third-party vendors in relation to our future commercialization activities, including product sales, marketing and distribution. In addition, we have entered into collaborations with Sumitomo Dainippon for the development of OCA and Servier for our earlier stage TGR5 program, and we may enter into agreements with other third parties for the development and commercialization of OCA or our other product candidates in international markets. Our international operations and business relationships subject us to additional risks that may materially adversely affect our ability to attain or sustain profitable operations, including:
| differing regulatory requirements for drug approvals internationally; |
| potentially reduced protection for intellectual property rights; |
| potential third-party patent rights in countries outside of the United States; |
| the potential for so-called parallel importing, which is what occurs when a local seller, e.g., a pharmacy, faced with relatively high local prices, opts to import goods from another jurisdiction with relatively low prices, rather than buying them locally; |
| unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements; |
| economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability, particularly in non-U.S. economies and markets, including several countries in Europe; |
| compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees traveling abroad; |
| taxes in other countries; |
| foreign currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue, and other obligations incident to doing business in another country; |
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| workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States; |
| production shortages resulting from events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and |
| business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, including war and terrorism, or natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, floods, hurricanes and fires. |
For example, we do not know the extent of the impact that the Brexit will have on our business. As a result of the Brexit, it is possible that Scotland and Northern Ireland may each conduct a referendum to decide whether to leave the United Kingdom. Furthermore, other European countries may seek to conduct referenda with respect to continuing membership with the European Union. We do not know to what extent these changes will impact our business. Our ability to conduct our international business out of the United Kingdom may be materially and adversely affected.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. Various factors may have favorable or unfavorable effects on our effective income tax rate. These factors include, but are not limited to, interpretations of existing tax laws, changes in tax laws and rates, the accounting for stock options and other stock-based compensation, changes in accounting standards, future levels of research and development spending, changes in the mix and level of pre-tax earnings by taxing jurisdiction, the outcome of examinations by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and regulators of other jurisdictions, the accuracy of our estimates for unrecognized tax benefits, the realization of deferred tax assets, or by changes to our ownership or capital structure. The impact on our effective income tax rate resulting from the above-mentioned factors and others may be significant and could adversely affect our results of operations.
From December 31, 2014 to December 31, 2016, our employee base has grown from 136 to 456 employees. As we advance our programs for OCA in NASH and other potential indications and our other product candidates, seek regulatory approval in the United States and elsewhere, increase the number of ongoing product development programs and advance our product candidates through preclinical studies and clinical trials, we will need to increase our product development, scientific and administrative headcount to manage these programs. We will also need to grow our commercial capabilities, which will require us to hire additional personnel for the launch and ongoing marketing and sale of Ocaliva in PBC and any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval. In addition, in order to continue to meet our obligations as a public company and to support the anticipated longer-term growth in the other functions at our company, we will need to increase our general and administrative capabilities. We are also expanding our operations geographically and formed a number of wholly-owned subsidiaries outside of the United States. In addition to our U.S. offices, we also have an office in London, United Kingdom which serves as our headquarters for our operations in Europe and international markets, and regional offices in a number of these countries. In the longer term, we may further expand our geographical footprint. Our management, personnel and systems currently in place may not be adequate to support this future growth. Furthermore, we may face a number of complexities, such as being subject to national collective bargaining agreements for employees, in some of the countries in which we operate.
Our need to effectively manage our operations, growth and various projects requires that we:
| successfully attract and recruit new employees or consultants with the expertise and experience we will require in the United States, Europe and in other jurisdictions; |
| manage our clinical programs effectively, which we anticipate being conducted at numerous clinical sites across the world, and advance our other development efforts; |
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| develop and expand our marketing and sales infrastructure; and |
| continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures. |
If we are unable to successfully manage this growth and increased complexity of operations, our business may be adversely affected.
We may not be able to attract or retain qualified personnel and consultants across our organization due to the intense competition for qualified personnel and consultants among biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other businesses. If we are not able to attract and retain necessary personnel and consultants to accomplish our business objectives, we may experience constraints that will significantly impede the achievement of our development and commercial objectives, our ability to raise additional capital and our ability to implement our business strategy.
Our industry has experienced a high rate of turnover of management personnel in recent years. We are highly dependent on the development, regulatory, commercialization and business development expertise of Mark Pruzanski, our co-founder and president and chief executive officer; David Shapiro, our chief medical officer; and our other key employees and consultants. If we lose one or more of our executive officers, or key employees or consultants, our ability to implement our business strategy successfully could be seriously harmed. Any of our executive officers or key employees or consultants may terminate their employment at any time. Replacing executive officers, key employees and consultants may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize products successfully. Competition to hire and retain employees and consultants from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these additional key personnel and consultants.
We have scientific and clinical advisors and consultants, such as our co-founder Professor Roberto Pellicciari, who assist us in formulating our research, development and clinical strategies. These advisors are not our employees and may have commitments to, or consulting or advisory contracts with, other entities that may limit their availability to us and typically they will not enter into non-compete agreements with us. If a conflict of interest arises between their work for us and their work for another entity, we may lose their services. In addition, our advisors may have arrangements with other companies to assist those companies in developing products or technologies that may compete with ours.
As a public company, we operate in an increasingly demanding regulatory environment, which requires us to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and the related rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, expanded disclosure requirements, accelerated reporting requirements and more complex accounting rules. Company responsibilities required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act include establishing and maintaining corporate oversight and adequate internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to help prevent financial fraud.
Our compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has required and will continue to require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. Our testing, or the testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls that we would be required to remediate in a timely manner so as to be able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act each year. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner each year, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the NASDAQ Stock Market or other regulatory authorities which would require additional financial and management resources and could adversely affect the
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market price of our common stock. Furthermore, if we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and results of operations could be harmed and investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information.
We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct. Misconduct by employees could include intentional failures to comply with the regulations of the FDA and non-U.S. regulators, provide accurate information to the FDA and non-U.S. regulators, comply with health care fraud and abuse laws and regulations in the United States and abroad, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the health care industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations in the United States and abroad intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Employee misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. Misconduct and misappropriation of confidential information by our employees or third parties may also include improper trading in our securities, which may harm our reputation and result in enforcement actions against us. We have adopted a global code of business conduct, but it is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions.
The use of our product candidates in clinical trials and the sale of any products for which we may obtain marketing approval, such as Ocaliva in PBC, expose us to the risk of product liability claims. Product liability claims may be brought against us or our collaborators by participants enrolled in our clinical trials, patients, health care providers or others using, administering or selling our products. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against any such claims, we would incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in:
| withdrawal of clinical trial participants; |
| termination of clinical trial sites or entire trial programs; |
| costs of related litigation; |
| substantial monetary awards to patients or other claimants; |
| decreased demand for our product candidates and loss of revenues; |
| impairment of our business reputation; |
| diversion of management and scientific resources from our business operations; and |
| the inability to commercialize our product candidates or the withdrawal of our products from the market. |
We have obtained limited product liability insurance coverage for in the United States for the use of OCA in our U.S. clinical trials and commercial sales and in selected other jurisdictions where we are conducting clinical trials. Our product liability insurance coverage in the United States is currently limited to an aggregate of $10 million. We have clinical trial and commercial product liability insurance coverage outside of the United States in amounts that vary by country. As such, our insurance coverage may not reimburse us or may not be sufficient to reimburse us for any expenses or losses we may suffer. Moreover,
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insurance coverage is becoming increasingly expensive, and, in the future, we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in sufficient amounts to protect us against losses due to product liability. We intend to expand our insurance coverage for products to include the sale of commercial products if we obtain marketing approval for our product candidates in development, but we may be unable to obtain commercially reasonable product liability insurance for any products approved for marketing. Large judgments have been awarded in class action lawsuits based on drugs that had unanticipated side effects. A successful product liability claim or series of claims brought against us, particularly if judgments exceed our insurance coverage, could decrease our cash resources and adversely affect our business.
We do not carry insurance for all categories of risk that our business may encounter. Some of the policies we currently maintain include general liability, employment practices liability, property, auto, workers compensation, products liability and directors and officers insurance. We do not know, however, if we will be able to maintain insurance with adequate levels of coverage. Any significant uninsured liability may require us to pay substantial amounts, which would adversely affect our financial position and results of operations. Furthermore the increased volatility of our stock price may result in us being required to pay substantially higher premiums for our directors and officers insurance than those to which we are currently subject, and may even lead a large number of underwriters to be unwilling to cover us.
From time to time we have considered, and we will continue to consider in the future, strategic business initiatives intended to further the expansion and development of our business. These initiatives may include acquiring businesses, technologies or products or entering into a business combination with another company. If we pursue such a strategy, we could, among other things:
| issue equity securities that would dilute our current stockholders percentage ownership; |
| incur substantial debt that may place strains on our operations; |
| spend substantial operational, financial and management resources to integrate new businesses, technologies and products; |
| assume substantial actual or contingent liabilities; |
| reprioritize our development programs and even cease development and commercialization of our product candidates; or |
| merge with, or otherwise enter into a business combination with, another company in which our stockholders would receive cash and/or shares of the other company on terms that certain of our stockholders may not deem desirable. |
Although we intend to evaluate and consider acquisitions, reorganizations and business combinations in the future, we have no agreements or understandings with respect to any acquisition, reorganization or business combination at this time.
Despite the implementation of security measures and policies, our internal information technology systems, as well as those of our CROs and other third parties on which we rely, are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our drug development programs, damage to our reputation and/or monetary damages. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or ongoing or planned clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development of our product candidates could be delayed.
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Our information security systems are subject to laws and regulations requiring that we take measures to protect the privacy and security of certain information we gather and use in our business. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, and its implementing regulations impose, among other requirements, certain regulatory and contractual requirements regarding the privacy and security of personal health information. In addition to HIPAA, numerous other federal and state laws, including, without limitation, state security breach notification laws, state health information privacy laws and federal and state consumer protection laws, govern the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal information.
Various foreign countries where we may process personal information also have, or are developing, laws governing the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal information. The legislative and regulatory landscape for privacy and data protection continues to evolve, and there has been an increasing amount of focus on privacy and data protection issues that may affect our business. We have in the past relied on adherence to the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework as agreed to and set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the European Commission as a means to legitimize certain transfers of personal information from the European Economic Area, or EEA, to the United States. However, a recent opinion of the European Union Court of Justice, or ECJ, deemed the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework an invalid method of protecting the transfer of personal information from the EEA to the United States. In July 2016, U.S. and European Commission officials adopted a new framework called the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield to govern cross-border flows of personal data. While we are engaging in efforts to address the implications of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and other elements of the ECJ opinion and actively employing other means to legitimize the transfer of personal information from the EEA to the United States, we may be unsuccessful in these efforts. Failure to comply with laws regarding data protection could expose us to risk of enforcement actions and the potential for significant penalties as well as the loss of access to certain data from the EU. Even if we are not determined to have violated these laws, government investigations into these issues typically require the expenditure of significant resources and can generate negative publicity, which could harm our business.
Our commercial success will depend in part on obtaining and maintaining patent protection and trade secret protection of our current and future products and product candidates and the methods used to manufacture them, as well as successfully defending these patents against third-party challenges. Our ability to stop third parties from making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing our products and product candidates is dependent upon the extent to which we have rights under valid and enforceable patents or trade secrets that cover these activities.
The patent positions of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies can be highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions for which important legal principles remain unresolved. No consistent policy regarding the breadth of claims allowed in pharmaceutical patents has emerged to date in the United States or in many jurisdictions outside of the United States. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretations of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property. Accordingly, we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be enforced in the patents that may be issued from the applications we currently own or may own in the future, or license from third parties. Further, if any patents we obtain or license are deemed invalid and unenforceable, our ability to commercialize or license our technology could be adversely affected.
Others have filed, and in the future are likely to file, patent applications covering products and technologies that are similar or competitive to ours or important to our business. We cannot be certain that any patent application owned by a third party will not have priority over patent applications filed or in-licensed by us, or that we or our licensors will not be involved in interference, derivation, opposition or invalidity proceedings before U.S. or non-U.S. patent offices.
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The degree of future protection for our proprietary rights is uncertain because legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep our competitive advantage. For example:
| others may be able to develop a platform similar to, or better than, ours in a way that is not covered by the claims of our patents; |
| others may be able to make compounds that are similar to our products and product candidates but that are not covered by the claims of our patents; |
| we might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by our pending patent applications; |
| we might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions; |
| others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies; |
| any patents that we obtain may not provide us with any competitive advantages; |
| we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; or |
| the patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business. |
As of December 31, 2016, we were the owner of record of over 110 issued or granted U.S. and non-U.S. patents relating to OCA with claims directed to pharmaceutical compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, methods of making these compounds, and methods of using these compounds in various indications. We were also the owner at that date of record of over 60 pending U.S. and non-U.S. patent applications relating to OCA in these areas.
In addition, as of December 31, 2016, we were the owner of record of over 160 issued or granted U.S. and non-U.S. patents relating to our product candidates other than OCA, with claims directed to pharmaceutical compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, methods of making these compounds and methods of using these compounds in various indications. We were also the owner of record of over 100 pending U.S. and non-U.S. patent applications relating to such other product candidates in these areas.
Patents covering the composition of matter of OCA expire in 2022 at the soonest and 2033 at the latest if the appropriate maintenance renewal, annuity, or other government fees are paid. We expect that the other patents in the OCA portfolio, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, would expire from 2022 to 2033. We expect the issued INT-767 composition of matter patent in the United States, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire in 2029. We expect the other patents in the INT-767 portfolio, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire from 2027 to 2029. We expect the issued INT-777 composition of matter patent in the United States, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire in 2030. We expect the other patents in the INT-777 portfolio, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, to expire from 2028 to 2030.
We have received assignments of rights to the INT-767 patent portfolio from all inventors, with the exception of one inventor. That inventor is contractually obligated to provide an assignment to us. Thus, we believe that we are the owner of the INT-767 patent portfolio by virtue of this contractual obligation and the patent assignments we have received. By virtue of the patent assignments we have received and other contractual obligations owed to us, we believe we are the owner of the INT-777 patent portfolio. Without patent protection on the composition of matter of our products and product candidates, our ability to stop others from using or selling our products and product candidates may be limited.
Due to the patent laws of a country, or the decisions of a patent examiner in a country, or our own filing strategies, we may not obtain patent coverage for all of our products and product candidates or methods involving these candidates in the parent patent application. We plan to pursue divisional patent applications or continuation patent applications in the United States and other countries to obtain claim coverage for inventions which were disclosed but not claimed in the parent patent application.
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Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA marketing approval of our products and product candidates, U.S. patents may be eligible for limited extension of patent term under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, referred to as the Hatch-Waxman Act. The Hatch-Waxman Act permits an extension of patent term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, an extension may not be granted because of, for example, failure to apply within applicable deadlines, failure to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents or failure to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the applicable time period or the scope of patent protection afforded could be less than what is requested. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or restoration or the term of any such extension is less than we request, the period during which we will have the right to exclusively market our product will be shortened and our competitors may obtain approval of competing products following our patent expiration, and our revenue could be reduced, possibly materially.
Our primary composition of matter patent for OCA expires in 2022. In light of the U.S. marketing approval of OCA in PBC in May 2016, we have applied for an extension to the patent term for this patent in the United States through 2027. We expect to take similar actions in other jurisdictions and countries where similar regulations exist. In the event that we are unable to obtain any patent term extensions, the issued composition of matter patents for OCA are expected to expire in 2022 at the soonest and 2033 at the latest, assuming they withstand any challenge. We expect that the other patents for the OCA portfolio, if the appropriate maintenance, renewal, annuity or other governmental fees are paid, would expire from 2022 to 2033.
If we choose to go to court to stop another party from using the inventions claimed in any patents we obtain, that individual or company has the right to ask the court to rule that such patents are invalid, not infringed, or should not be enforced against that third party. These lawsuits are expensive and would consume time and resources and divert the attention of managerial and scientific personnel even if we were successful in stopping the infringement of such patents. In addition, there is a risk that the court will decide that such patents are not valid or not infringed, and that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the inventions. There is also the risk that, even if the validity of such patents is upheld, the court will refuse to stop the other party on the ground that such other partys activities do not infringe our rights to such patents. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court has modified some tests used by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, in granting patents over the past 20 years, which may decrease the likelihood that we will be able to obtain patents and increase the likelihood of challenge of any patents we obtain or license.
Our success will depend in part on our ability to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. We cannot guarantee that our products, or manufacture or use of our product candidates, will not infringe third-party patents. Furthermore, a third party may claim that we or our manufacturing or commercialization collaborators are using inventions covered by the third partys patent rights and may go to court to stop us from engaging in our normal operations and activities, including making or selling our products and product candidates. These lawsuits are costly and could affect our results of operations and divert the attention of managerial and scientific personnel. There is a risk that a court would decide that we or our commercialization collaborators are infringing the third partys patents and would order us or our collaborators to stop the activities covered by the patents. In that event, we or our commercialization collaborators may not have a viable way around the patent and may need to halt commercialization of the relevant product. In addition, there is a risk that a court will order us or our collaborators to pay the other party damages for having violated the other partys patents. In the future, we may agree to indemnify our commercial
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collaborators against certain intellectual property infringement claims brought by third parties. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have produced a proliferation of patents, and it is not always clear to industry participants, including us, which patents cover various types of products or methods of use. The coverage of patents is subject to interpretation by the courts, and the interpretation is not always uniform.
If we are sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that our products or methods either do not infringe the patent claims of the relevant patent or that the patent claims are invalid, and we may not be able to do this. Proving invalidity is difficult. For example, in the United States, proving invalidity requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents. Even if we are successful in these proceedings, we may incur substantial costs and divert managements time and attention in pursuing these proceedings, which could have a material adverse effect on us. If we are unable to avoid infringing the patent rights of others, we may be required to seek a license, which may not be available, defend an infringement action or challenge the validity of the patents in court. Patent litigation is costly and time consuming. We may not have sufficient resources to bring these actions to a successful conclusion. In addition, if we fail to obtain a license, develop or obtain non-infringing technology or defend an infringement action successfully, or have infringed patents declared invalid, we may incur substantial monetary damages, encounter significant delays in bringing our products and product candidates to market and be precluded from manufacturing or selling our products and product candidates.
We cannot be certain that others have not filed patent applications for technology covered by our pending applications, or that we were the first to invent the technology, because:
| some patent applications in the United States may be unpublished or otherwise maintained in secrecy until the patents are issued; |
| patent applications in the United States are typically not published until 18 months after the priority date; and |
| publications in the scientific literature often lag behind actual discoveries. |
Our competitors may have filed, and may in the future file, patent applications covering technology similar to ours. Any such patent application may have priority over our patent applications, which could further require us to obtain rights to issued patents covering such technologies. If another party has filed a U.S. patent application on inventions similar to ours, we may have to participate in an interference or derivation proceeding declared by the USPTO to determine priority of invention in the United States. The costs of these proceedings could be substantial, and it is possible that such efforts would be unsuccessful if, unbeknownst to us, the other party had independently arrived at the same or similar invention prior to our own invention, resulting in a loss of our U.S. patent position with respect to such inventions. Other countries have similar laws that permit secrecy of patent applications, and such patent applications may be entitled to priority over our applications in such jurisdictions.
Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of complex patent litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources. In addition, any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our operations.
Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications will be due to be paid to the USPTO and various governmental patent agencies outside of the United States in several stages over the lifetime of the patents and/or applications. We have systems in place to remind us to pay these fees, and we employ a third-party service provider and rely on this service provider to pay these fees due to the USPTO and non-U.S. patent agencies. The USPTO and various non-U.S. governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. We employ reputable law firms and other professionals to help us comply, and in many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. However, there are situations in which
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noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, our competitors might be able to enter the market and this circumstance would have a material adverse effect on our business.
As is common in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, we employ individuals who were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. We may be subject to claims that these employees, or we, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.
We rely on trade secrets to protect our proprietary technologies, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. We rely in part on confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors to protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets and proprietary information. For example, in September 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services adopted new regulations mandating sponsors to publicly post certain data from clinical trials of products subject to FDA regulation. Although the implementation of the regulations may be delayed, this and other transparency initiatives may result in making publicly available information we may consider to be trade secrets or proprietary information. Moreover, the EMA has already adopted a policy of general transparency both in relation to requests under EU freedom of information legislation for access to pre-clinical and clinical research data once marketing authorizations are granted and through proactive disclosure of clinical data on its website. This policy coupled with imminent requirements for public disclosure of clinical research data under a new EU Clinical Trial Regulation, means that public disclosure will ordinarily be made of substantial research data that previously would have been considered commercially confidential. Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally obtained and is using any of our trade secrets is expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the United States are sometimes less willing to protect trade secrets. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary 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.
We have applied for and obtained a number of trademarks and service marks to further protect the proprietary position of our products. As of December 31, 2016, we have over 290 trademark and service mark registrations and over 230 pending trademark and service mark applications in the United States and abroad. Our trademark applications may not be allowed for registration or our registered trademarks may not be maintained or enforced. During prosecution of applications for trademark registration, we may receive rejections or refusals. Although we are given an opportunity to respond to those rejections, we may be unable to overcome such rejections. In addition, in the USPTO and in comparable agencies in many other jurisdictions, third parties are given an opportunity to oppose pending trademark applications and to seek to cancel registered trademarks. Opposition or cancellation proceedings have been filed and may in the future be filed against certain of our trademarks, and our trademarks may not survive such proceedings. If we do not secure registrations for our trademarks, we may encounter more difficulty in enforcing them against third parties than we otherwise would.
Trademark protection varies in accordance with local law, and continues in some countries as long as the trademark is used and in other countries as long as the trademark is registered. Trademark registrations generally are for fixed but renewable terms. We cannot provide any assurances that any trademarks or service
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marks will be sufficient to prevent competitors from adopting similar names. The adoption of similar names by competitors could impede our ability to build brand identity and lead to customer confusion, which could adversely affect our sales or profitability.
We have received approval from both the FDA and EMA for Ocaliva®, the proprietary name for OCA, as well as the associated logo. The Ocaliva trademarks have registered in jurisdictions, including the United States, member states of the Community Trademark, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Taiwan and certain other countries.
Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance the $460 million aggregate principal amount of 3.25% convertible senior notes due 2023 we issued in July 2016, or convertible notes or any indebtedness we or our subsidiaries may incur in the future depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt, including the convertible notes. If we are unable to generate cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be unfavorable to us or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at the time we seek to refinance such indebtedness. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.
We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional debt in the future, some of which may be secured debt. We and our subsidiaries will not be restricted under the terms of the indenture governing the convertible notes from incurring additional debt, securing existing or future debt, recapitalizing our debt or taking a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the indenture governing the convertible notes that could have the effect of diminishing our ability to service our debt when due.
In the event the conditional conversion feature of the convertible notes is triggered, holders will be entitled to convert their convertible notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their convertible notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely shares of our common stock (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their convertible notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the convertible notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.
Under Accounting Standards Codification 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, which we refer to as ASC 470-20, an entity must separately account for the liability and equity components of the convertible debt instruments (such as the convertible notes) that may be settled entirely or partially in cash upon conversion in a manner that reflects the issuers economic interest cost. The effect of ASC 470-20 on the accounting for the convertible notes is that the equity component is required to be included in the additional paid-in capital section of stockholders equity on our consolidated balance sheet, and the value of the equity component would be treated as original issue discount for purposes of accounting for the debt component of
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the convertible notes. As a result, we will be required to record a greater amount of non-cash interest expense in current periods presented as a result of the amortization of the discounted carrying value of the convertible notes to their face amount over the term of the convertible notes. We will report lower net income in our financial results because ASC 470-20 will require interest to include both the current periods amortization of the debt discount and the instruments coupon interest, which could adversely affect our reported or future financial results, the trading price of our common stock and the trading price of the convertible notes.
In addition, under certain circumstances, convertible debt instruments (such as the convertible notes) that may be settled entirely or partly in cash are currently accounted for utilizing the treasury stock method, the effect of which is that the shares issuable upon conversion of the convertible notes will not be included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share except to the extent that the conversion value of the notes exceeds their principal amount. Under the treasury stock method, for diluted earnings per share purposes, the transaction is accounted for as if the number of shares of common stock that would be necessary to settle such excess, if we elected to settle such excess in shares, are issued. We cannot be sure that the accounting standards in the future will continue to permit the use of the treasury stock method. If we are unable to use the treasury stock method in accounting for the shares issuable upon conversion of the convertible notes, then our diluted earnings per share would be adversely affected.
If a fundamental change occurs prior to the maturity date of the convertible notes, holders of the convertible notes will have the right, at their option, to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their convertible notes. In addition, if a make-whole fundamental change occurs prior to the maturity date of the convertible notes, we will in some cases be required to increase the conversion rate for a holder that elects to convert its convertible notes in connection with such make-whole fundamental change. Furthermore, the indenture governing the convertible notes prohibits us from engaging in certain mergers or acquisitions unless, among other things, the surviving entity assumes our obligations under the convertible notes and the indenture. These and other provisions in the indenture could deter or prevent a third party from acquiring us even when the acquisition may be favorable to you.
The trading market in our common stock has been extremely volatile. The quotation of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market does not assure that a meaningful, consistent and liquid trading market will exist. We cannot predict whether an active market for our common stock will be maintained in the future. An absence of an active trading market could adversely affect our stockholders ability to sell our common stock at current market prices in short time periods, or possibly at all. Additionally, market visibility for our common stock may be limited and such lack of visibility may have a depressive effect on the market price for our common stock. As of December 31, 2016, approximately 34.8% of our outstanding shares of common stock was held by our officers, directors, beneficial owners of 5% or more of our securities (other than FMR LLC, Carmignac Gestion, Capital World Investors, Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and their respective affiliates) and their respective affiliates, which adversely affects the liquidity of the trading market for our common stock, in as much as federal securities laws restrict sales of our shares by these stockholders. If our affiliates continue to hold their shares of common stock, there will be limited trading volume in our common stock, which may make it more difficult for investors to sell their shares or increase the volatility of our stock price.
We have previously been subject to securities class action lawsuits. In February 2014, two purported securities class actions were filed against us and certain of our officers, which were eventually consolidated. In May 2016, the defendants reached an agreement with the lead plaintiff to seek Court approval of a proposed resolution and the settlement was ultimately granted final approval by the Court in September 2016. While the
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final judgment and order of the Court included a dismissal of the action with prejudice against all defendants and the defendants did not admit any liability as part of the settlement, the total payment aggregated to $55.0 million, of which $10.0 million was paid by our insurers. There may be additional suits or proceedings brought in the future. Monitoring and defending against legal actions, whether or not meritorious, is time-consuming for our management and detracts from our ability to fully focus our internal resources on our business activities, and we cannot predict how long it may take to resolve these matters. In addition, we may incur substantial legal fees and costs in connection with litigation. Although we may receive insurance coverage for certain adversarial proceedings, coverage could be denied or prove to be insufficient. It is possible that we could, in the future, incur judgment or enter into settlement of claims for monetary damages. A decision adverse to our interests could result in the payment of substantial damages and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The trading price of our common stock has been, and is likely to continue to be, highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Since our initial public offering which occurred in October 2012, the price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market has ranged from $17.96 per share to $497.00 per share. In addition to the other factors discussed in this Risk Factors section, these factors include:
| failure to successfully commercialize Ocaliva for PBC in jurisdictions where we have received marketing authorization or our inability to receive marketing approval for Ocaliva in other jurisdictions; |
| adverse results or delays in our clinical trials; |
| inability to obtain additional funding; |
| any delay in filing an IND, NDA, MAA or comparable submission for any of our products and product candidates and any adverse development or perceived adverse development with respect to the regulatory review of such submission; |
| failure to successfully develop and commercialize OCA for indications other than PBC and any of our other product candidates; |
| inability to obtain adequate product supply for OCA and our future product candidates or the inability to do so at acceptable prices; |
| results of clinical trials of our competitors products; |
| regulatory actions with respect to our products or our competitors products; |
| changes in laws or regulations applicable to our products or future products; |
| failure to meet or exceed financial projections we may provide to the public; |
| failure to meet or exceed the estimates and projections of the investment community; |
| actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results; |
| actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors; |
| actual or anticipated fluctuations in our competitors operating results or changes in their growth rate; |
| competition from existing products or new products that may emerge; |
| announcements by us, our collaborators or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic collaborations, joint ventures, collaborations or capital commitments; |
| issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts; |
| fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us; |
| share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares; |
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| additions or departures of key management or scientific personnel; |
| disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies; |
| announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts; |
| significant lawsuits, including patent, stockholder or product liability litigation, involving us; |
| sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or our other stockholders; |
| failure to adopt appropriate information security systems, including any systems that may be required to support our growing and changing business requirements; |
| market conditions for biopharmaceutical stocks in general; and |
| general economic, industry and market conditions. |
Furthermore, the stock markets in general and the market for biotechnology companies in particular have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations may negatively impact the market price of shares of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future, which could result in substantial costs and divert our managements attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business. As a result of this volatility, our stockholders could incur substantial losses.
Genextra S.p.A., together with its affiliates, whom we refer to collectively as Genextra, is our largest stockholder. As of December 31, 2016, Genextra owned 6,454,953 shares of our common stock. The shares of common stock owned by Genextra represented approximately 26.0% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2016. Accordingly, Genextra exerts and will continue to exert significant influence over us and any action requiring the approval of the holders of our common stock, including the election of directors and amendments to our organizational documents, such as increases in our authorized shares of common stock and approval of significant corporate transactions. This concentration of voting power makes it less likely that any other holder of common stock or directors of our business will be able to affect the way we are managed and could delay or prevent an acquisition of us on terms that other stockholders may desire.
Furthermore, the interests of Genextra may not always coincide with your interests or the interests of other stockholders, and Genextra may act in a manner that advances its best interests and not necessarily those of other stockholders, including seeking a premium value for its common stock, and might affect the prevailing market price for our common stock. Our board of directors, which consists of nine directors, including one associated with Genextra, has the power to set the number of directors on our board from time to time.
We are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to reasonably assure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.
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These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements or insufficient disclosure due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
In the future, we may offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock in order to raise additional capital. We cannot assure you that we will be able to sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is equal to or greater than the price per share you paid for our shares. Investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing stockholders and you may experience dilution. You may incur additional dilution upon the exercise of any outstanding stock options or vesting of restricted stock units or awards.
The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about our company. We do not have any control over these analysts, and there can be no assurance that analysts will continue to cover us or provide favorable coverage. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of the analysts covering us fail to regularly publish reports on us, demand for our common stock could decline, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
Provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, contain provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares of our common stock. These provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management. Our corporate governance documents include provisions:
| authorizing the issuance of blank check convertible preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval; |
| prohibiting stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders, to the extent that no stockholder, together with its affiliates, holds more than 50% of our voting stock; |
| eliminating the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting of stockholders; |
| permitting our board of directors to accelerate the vesting of outstanding equity awards upon certain transactions that result in a change of control; and |
| establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon at stockholder meetings. |
In addition, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, which prevents some stockholders holding more than 15% of our outstanding common stock from engaging in certain business combinations without approval of the holders of substantially all of our outstanding common stock. Any provision of our restated certificate of incorporation or restated bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a
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change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.
The existence of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover measures may also frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management or members of our board of directors and could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of our company, thereby reducing the likelihood that you could receive a premium for your common stock in an acquisition.
As permitted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our restated certificate of incorporation limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. In addition, as permitted by Section 145 of the DGCL, our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws provide that we shall indemnify, to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, each person who is involved in any litigation or other proceeding because such person is or was a director or officer of our company or is or was serving as an officer or director of another entity at our request, against all expense, loss or liability reasonably incurred or suffered in connection therewith. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that the right to indemnification includes the right to be paid expenses incurred in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that such advance payment will only be made upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of the director or officer, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such director is not entitled to indemnification. If we do not pay a proper claim for indemnification in full within 60 days after we receive a written claim for such indemnification, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case such period is 20 days, our restated certificate of incorporation and our restated bylaws authorize the claimant to bring an action against us and prescribe what constitutes a defense to such action.
Section 145 of the DGCL permits a corporation to indemnify any director or officer of the corporation against expenses (including attorneys fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner that he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if he or she had no reason to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. In a derivative action (i.e., one brought by or on behalf of the corporation), indemnification may be provided only for expenses actually and reasonably incurred by any director or officer in connection with the defense or settlement of such an action or suit if such person acted in good faith and in a manner that he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be provided if such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the action or suit was brought shall determine that the defendant is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses despite such adjudication of liability.
The rights conferred in the restated certificate of incorporation and the restated bylaws are not exclusive, and we are authorized to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors, officers, employees and agents and to obtain insurance to indemnify such persons. We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors.
The above limitations on liability and our indemnification obligations limit the personal liability of our directors and officers for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty as directors by shifting the burden of such losses and expenses to us. Although we have increased the coverage under our directors and officers liability insurance, certain liabilities or expenses covered by our indemnification obligations may not be covered by such insurance or the coverage limitation amounts may be exceeded. As a result, we may need to use a significant amount of our funds to satisfy our indemnification obligations, which could severely harm our business and financial condition and limit the funds available to stockholders who may choose to bring a claim against our company.
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As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, we had net operating loss carryforwards, or NOLs, for U.S. Federal income tax purposes of $562.3 million and $454.4 million, respectively, which expire between 2024 and 2036. We also have certain state and foreign NOLs in varying amounts depending on the different state and foreign tax laws.
Our ability to utilize our NOLs may be limited under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code, or similar rules. The Section 382 limitations apply if an ownership change occurs. Generally, an ownership change occurs when certain shareholders increase their aggregate ownership by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage in a testing period (typically three years). We have evaluated whether one or more ownership changes under Section 382 have occurred since our inception and have determined that there have been at least two such changes. Although we believe that these ownership changes have not resulted in material limitations on our ability to use these NOLs, our ability to utilize these NOLs may be limited due to future ownership changes or for other reasons. Additionally, tax laws limit the time during which NOLs and certain other tax attributes may be utilized against future taxes. As a result, we may not be able to take full advantage of our carryforwards for U.S. federal, state, and foreign tax purposes.
Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments |
None.
Item 2. | Properties |
Our corporate headquarters is located in New York, New York, where we lease and occupy an aggregate of approximately 31,400 square feet of office space. The lease for our current corporate headquarters will expire in July 2024. In December 2016, we entered into lease agreements for our new corporate headquarters in the Hudson Yards development site in New York, New York. We will initially lease approximately 49,000 square feet of office space in 10 Hudson Yards, which will act as a temporary headquarters, until we move our corporate headquarters to 55 Hudson Yards, where we will occupy approximately 85,000 square feet of office space. The lease for the space at 10 Hudson Yards will expire at varying times through 2021. The lease for the space at 55 Hudson Yards will expire on the last day of the calendar month in which the 15th anniversary of the day preceding the rent commencement date falls; however, we have an option to renew the term of the 55 Lease either for two additional terms of five years each or one additional ten-year term. Rent payments for 55 Hudson Yards will commence on the date that is 12 months after we take possession of the premises.
Our research and development operations are located in San Diego, California, where we lease and clinical development operations are located in New York, New York and San Diego, California, where we lease and occupy approximately 47,000 square feet of space. The lease ends in September 2019; however, we have an option to further extend the lease for an additional five year term at market rates prevailing at such time.
Our wholly owned subsidiary, Intercept Pharma Europe Ltd., or IPEL, also leases and occupies 8,500 square feet of office space in the Kings Cross area of London, United Kingdom for our international headquarters. The lease expires in May 2024. We are the guarantor to IPELs underlease for the international headquarters. In December 2016, IPEL returned the office space it subleased from Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited in the Kings Cross area of London, United Kingdom, which constituted approximately 6,000 square feet of space.
Item 3. | Legal Proceedings |
See Item 1. Business Legal Proceedings of this Annual Report on Form 10-K
Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures |
Not applicable.
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Item 5. | Market for Registrants Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities |
Our common stock began trading on the NASDAQ Global Market on October 11, 2012 under the symbol ICPT. The following table sets forth, for the quarterly periods indicated, the high and low sales prices per share of our common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market for each quarter in the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015.
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Year Ended December 31, 2016 | High | Low | ||||||
First quarter | $ | 152.60 | $ | 89.76 | ||||
Second quarter | 173.31 | 127.45 | ||||||
Third quarter | 177.93 | 140.38 | ||||||
Fourth quarter | 166.12 | 96.63 |
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Year Ended December 31, 2015 | High | Low | ||||||
First quarter | $ | 308.28 | $ | 144.79 | ||||
Second quarter | 314.88 | 232.19 | ||||||
Third quarter | 285.00 | 150.00 | ||||||
Fourth quarter | 217.99 | 137.28 |
As of January 31, 2017, there were 419 stockholders of record, which excludes stockholders whose shares were held in nominee or street name by brokers.
The following graph illustrates a comparison of the total cumulative stockholder return for our common stock from October 11, 2012 through December 31, 2016 to two indices: the NASDAQ Composite Index and the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index. The graph assumes an initial investment of $100 on October 10, 2012 in our common stock, the stocks comprising the NASDAQ Composite Index, and the stocks comprising the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index and it assumes the reinvestment of dividends, if any. Historical stockholder return is not necessarily indicative of the performance to be expected for any future periods.
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Comparison of Cumulative Total Return*
Among Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the NASDAQ Composite Index and the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index
* | $100 invested on 10/10/2012 in stock or index. Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2016. |
The performance graph shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference by means of any general statement incorporating by reference this Annual Report on Form 10-K into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Securities Act, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate such information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under such acts.
We have never paid or declared any cash dividends on our common stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and expansion of our business. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon a number of factors, including our results of operations, financial condition, future prospects, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.
The information required by Item 5 of Form 10-K regarding equity compensation plans is incorporated herein by reference to Item 12 of Part III of this Annual Report.
Except as previously disclosed in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q during 2016, we did not sell any securities that were not registered under the Securities Act.
We did not purchase any of our registered equity securities during the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Item 6. | Selected Financial Data |
The selected financial data set forth below is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The selected financial data in this section are not intended to replace our consolidated financial statements and the related notes. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our future results.
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Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Statement of Operations Data: |
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Total revenues | $ | 24,951 | $ | 2,782 | $ | 1,742 | $ | 1,622 | $ | 2,446 | ||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
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Selling, general and administrative | 273,596 | 119,242 | 34,601 | 13,132 | 5,177 | |||||||||||||||
Research and development | 153,893 | 112,696 | 80,311 | 27,941 | 16,183 | |||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 427,489 | 231,938 | 114,912 | 41,073 | 21,360 | |||||||||||||||
Loss from operations | (402,538 | ) | (229,156 | ) | (113,170 | ) | (39,451 | ) | (18,914 | ) | ||||||||||
Total other income (expense), net | (10,292 | ) | 2,727 | (170,056 | ) | (28,341 | ) | (24,729 | ) | |||||||||||
Net loss | (412,830 | ) | (226,429 | ) | (283,226 | ) | (67,792 | ) | (43,643 | ) | ||||||||||
Dividend on preferred stock, not declared | | | | | (2,630 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net loss attributable to common stockholders | $ | (412,830 | ) | $ | (226,429 | ) | $ | (283,226 | ) | $ | (67,792 | ) | $ | (46,273 | ) | |||||
Net loss per share, basic and diluted | $ | (16.74 | ) | $ | (9.56 | ) | $ | (13.63 | ) | $ | (3.76 | ) | $ | (7.36 | ) | |||||
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted | 24,663 | 23,694 | 20,784 | 18,029 | 6,283 |
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December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | ||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: |
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Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments | $ | 689,385 | $ | 628,055 | $ | 239,724 | $ | 144,832 | $ | 110,194 | ||||||||||
Total assets | 739,253 | 655,758 | 254,149 | 150,319 | 112,179 | |||||||||||||||
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities | 65,551 | 45,591 | 13,459 | 7,260 | 3,746 | |||||||||||||||
Warrant liability | | | | 50,112 | 30,359 | |||||||||||||||
Long-term debt | 341,356 | | | | | |||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit | (1,108,460 | ) | (695,630 | ) | (469,202 | ) | (185,976 | ) | (118,183 | ) | ||||||||||
Total stockholders equity | 314,932 | 602,149 | 230,891 | 82,406 | 65,912 |
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Item 7. | Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors. We discuss factors that we believe could cause or contribute to these differences below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those set forth under Item 1A. Risk Factors and under Forward-Looking Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics to treat non-viral, progressive liver diseases with high unmet medical need utilizing our proprietary bile acid chemistry. Our marketed product and clinical product candidates have the potential to treat orphan and more prevalent liver diseases for which, currently, there are limited therapeutic solutions.
Our lead product candidate, obeticholic acid, or OCA, is a bile acid analog, a chemical substance that has a structure based on a naturally occurring human bile acid, that selectively binds to and activates the farnesoid X receptor, or FXR. We believe OCA has broad liver-protective properties and may effectively counter a variety of chronic insults to the liver that cause fibrosis, or scarring, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis, liver transplant and death.
OCA was approved in the United States in May 2016 for use in patients with primary biliary cholangitis, or PBC, under the brand name Ocaliva®. We commenced sales and marketing of Ocaliva in the United States shortly after receiving such marketing approval, and Ocaliva is now available to patients primarily through a network of specialty pharmacy distributors. In December 2016, the European Commission granted conditional approval for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC and we commenced our European commercial launch in January 2017. We have also filed for regulatory approval for OCA in PBC in Canada and plan to file for marketing authorization in other target markets.
OCA is also being developed to treat a variety of other non-viral progressive liver diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC, and biliary atresia. We are currently evaluating our future development strategy for OCA in other indications, for our product candidate INT-767 and for our pre-clinical candidates.
OCA has been tested in five placebo-controlled clinical trials, including a Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with PBC and two Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with NASH or a precursor disease to NASH known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. OCA met the primary efficacy endpoint in each of these trials with statistical significance. In addition, in October 2015, we announced results from a Phase 2 dose ranging trial of OCA in 200 patients with NASH in Japan conducted by our collaborator, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd., or Sumitomo Dainippon. The results of this trial were mixed. Sumitomo Dainippon has informed us that it is exploring the initiation of its registrational trials for OCA in NASH patients intended to support the registration of this indication in Japan.
OCA has received orphan drug designation in the United States and the European Union for the treatment of PBC and PSC and breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the treatment of NASH patients with liver fibrosis.
OCA achieved the primary endpoint in a Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of NASH, known as the FLINT trial, which was sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, or NIDDK, a part of the National Institutes of Health. The FLINT trial was completed in late July 2014. We have an ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial in non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis, known as the REGENERATE trial. REGENERATE includes a pre-planned histology-based interim analysis after 72 weeks of treatment. We are targeting completion of enrollment of the cohort of patients needed for this analysis by mid-2017, with results from the interim analysis anticipated in 2019. We also have an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial, known as the CONTROL trial, to characterize the lipid metabolic effects of OCA and cholesterol management effects of concomitant statin administration in NASH patients. We completed
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enrollment of the targeted number of patients for our CONTROL trial in October 2016 and expect top-line results in 2017. We continue to work towards expanding our overall NASH development program with additional trials and studies, including a Phase 3 trial in NASH patients with cirrhosis, which we expect to initiate in 2017.
In addition to PBC and NASH, we continue to invest in research of OCA for additional patient populations with other liver diseases. In September 2016, we completed enrollment of the targeted number of patients in our Phase 2 AESOP trial in PSC to evaluate the effects of 24 weeks of treatment with varying doses of OCA compared to placebo. We expect top-line results from the AESOP trial in 2017. In October 2015, we initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial, known as the CARE trial, of OCA in pediatric patients with biliary atresia. This trial will evaluate the effects of 11 weeks of OCA treatment where patients with biliary atresia will be randomized to varying doses of OCA or a control group receiving only their current treatment. As part of our development program, in November 2015, we initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of our second product candidate to enter clinical development, called INT-767, a dual FXR and TGR5 agonist, in healthy volunteers. We have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial of our second product candidate to enter clinical development, called INT-767, a dual FXR and TGR5 agonist, in healthy volunteers. Following analysis of the results, we plan to evaluate next steps for a Phase 2 trial of INT-767 in NASH patients with liver fibrosis in 2017.
Our current patents for OCA are scheduled to expire at various times through 2033. Our current plan is to commercialize OCA ourselves in the United States and Europe for the treatment of PBC, NASH and other indications primarily by targeting physicians who specialize in the treatment of liver and intestinal diseases, including both hepatologists and gastroenterologists. We own worldwide rights to OCA except for Japan, China and Korea, where we have exclusively licensed OCA to Sumitomo Dainippon along with an option to exclusively license OCA in certain other Asian countries. We own or have rights to various trademarks, copyrights and trade names used in our business, including Ocaliva.
Our net loss for the year ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 was approximately $412.8 million and $226.4 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2016, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $1.1 billion. Substantially all our net losses resulted from costs incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from selling, general and administrative costs associated with our operations.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for at least the next several years as we:
| continue to commercialize Ocaliva for PBC in the United States and Europe; |
| seek regulatory approval for and prepare to commercially launch Ocaliva for PBC in other jurisdictions; |
| develop and seek regulatory approval for OCA in NASH and other indications; and |
| add infrastructure and personnel in the United States and internationally to support our product development and commercialization efforts and operations as a public company. |
We anticipate that we will need to raise additional capital to commercialize OCA on a worldwide basis and continue our research and development activities in relation to OCA and our other pipeline candidates. Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenue from product sales, we expect to finance our operating activities through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, government or other third-party funding, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. However, we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other arrangements when needed on favorable terms or at all. Our failure to raise additional capital or enter into such other arrangements as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to develop our product candidates.
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Our principal executive offices are in New York, New York. We also have administrative offices in San Diego, California and London, United Kingdom.
On February 10, 2017, we provided an update to our ongoing Phase 3 REGENERATE trial evaluating OCA in NASH patients with liver fibrosis.
Based on discussions with the FDA, the primary endpoint for the interim analysis for REGENERATE may now be achieved based on one of: (i) the proportion of OCA-treated patients relative to placebo achieving at least one stage of liver fibrosis improvement with no worsening of NASH (defined as no increase in hepatocellular ballooning or lobular inflammation) or (ii) the proportion of OCA-treated patients relative to placebo achieving NASH resolution with no worsening of liver fibrosis. Prior to this modification of the interim analysis, each of the two endpoints was required to be achieved as a co-primary endpoint. Furthermore, we selected a definition for NASH resolution for the trial, which defines a responder as a patient achieving a histologic score of 0 for ballooning and 0 or 1 for inflammation.
In a retrospective analysis of data from the Phase 2 FLINT trial conducted in a REGENERATE-matched patient cohort, approximately 43% of OCA-treated patients as compared to approximately 21% of patients on placebo achieved at least a one stage improvement in liver fibrosis without any worsening of NASH (p=0.0059). In a similar retrospective analysis on the FLINT data using the definition we selected for NASH resolution, approximately 20% of OCA-treated patients as compared to approximately 6% of patients on placebo achieved NASH resolution with no worsening of fibrosis (p=0.0289).
As a result of these changes, we anticipate that the interim analysis cohort for REGENERATE will consist of approximately 750 NASH patients with stage 2 or 3 fibrosis. We also anticipate completing the enrollment of the interim analysis cohort by mid-2017, with data from the interim analysis anticipated in 2019.
On February 23, 2017, we announced the appointment of Jerome B. Durso as our new chief operating officer. Mr. Durso commenced his employment with us on February 23, 2017.
Mr. Durso, age 49, brings nearly 25 years of experience in building and leading commercial and business operations at life sciences companies both in the United States and abroad. Mr. Durso has spent the majority of his career at Sanofi, a global pharmaceutical company, where he most recently served as senior vice president, chief commercial officer of the global diabetes division from 2011 through 2015. From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Durso was senior vice president, chief commercial officer of Sanofis U.S. pharmaceuticals business. Prior to that, he served in a number of commercial leadership roles of increasing responsibility in business unit and brand management, marketing and sales since he first joined Sanofi in 1993. Mr. Durso currently serves as an advisory board member of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, New Jersey. Mr. Durso earned his bachelor degree in marketing from the University of Notre Dame.
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The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, together with the changes in those items in dollars and as a percentage:
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Years Ended December 31, | Dollar Change |
% Change | ||||||||||||||
2016 | 2015 | |||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Revenue: |
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Product revenue, net | $ | 18,169 | $ | | $ | 18,169 | N/M | |||||||||
Licensing revenue | 6,782 | 2,782 | 4,000 | 144 | % | |||||||||||
Total revenue | 24,951 | 2,782 | 22,169 | 797 | % | |||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
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Selling, general and administrative | 273,596 | 119,242 | 154,354 | 129 | % | |||||||||||
Research and development | 153,893 | 112,696 | 41,197 | 37 | % | |||||||||||
Total operating expenses | 427,489 | 231,938 | 195,551 | 84 | % | |||||||||||
Other income (expense): |
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Interest expense | (14,196 | ) | | (14,196 | ) | N/M | ||||||||||
Other income, net | 3,904 | 2,727 | 1,177 | 43 | % | |||||||||||
Total other income (expense) | (10,292 | ) | 2,727 | (13,019 | ) | N/M | ||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (412,830 | ) | $ | (226,429 | ) | $ | (186,401 | ) | 82 | % |
* | N/M = not meaningful. |
Product revenue, net was $18.2 million and $0 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We commenced our commercial launch in the United States for Ocaliva in PBC in June 2016. For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, licensing revenue was $6.8 million and $2.8 million, respectively, which resulted from the recognition of development and regulatory milestones and amortization of the up-front payments under the collaboration agreement with Sumitomo Dainippon.
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $273.6 million and $119.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The $154.4 million net increase primarily reflects additional personnel-related costs of approximately $50.8 million to support our commercial and international initiatives, a one-time net expense of approximately $45.0 million attributable to the settlement of a purported securities class action lawsuit and increased expenses of approximately $27.5 million in market research and Ocaliva commercialization activities. Because of these initiatives, indirect expenses (rent, travel, and product related legal costs) and consultant spend increased by $19.1 million and $12.0 million, respectively.
Research and development expenses were $153.9 million and $112.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, representing a net increase of $41.2 million. This net increase in research and development expense primarily reflects an increase in OCA research and development activities of approximately $38.6 million to support our development activities and an increase of $7.5 million of compensation-related costs, partially offset by a decrease of indirect costs of approximately $4.9 million.
Interest expense was $14.2 million and $0 for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, due to the issuance of our 3.25% convertible senior notes due 2023, or convertible notes, in July 2016.
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Other income, net was $3.9 million and $2.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The $1.2 million increase is primarily attributable to interest income earned on cash, cash equivalents and investment securities, which increased compared to the prior year period as a result of increases in cash and investment balances primarily due to the net proceeds from the issuance of our convertible notes.
For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, no income tax expense or benefit was recognized. Our deferred tax assets are comprised primarily of net operating loss carryforwards. We maintain a full valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets since we have not yet achieved sustained profitable operations. As a result, we have not recorded any income tax benefit since our inception.
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, together with the changes in those items in dollars and as a percentage:
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Years Ended December 31, | Dollar Change |
% Change | ||||||||||||||
2015 | 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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Revenue: |
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Licensing revenue | 2,782 | 1,742 | 1,040 | 60 | % | |||||||||||
Total revenue | 2,782 | 1,742 |